Communism easier to handle than capitalism<\/p>\n
Political scientist and Deputy Governor of the National
\nResilience Institute Juwono Sudarsono said last week that
\ncapitalism had turned out to be more dangerous than communism. He
\nshares his ideas with The Jakarta Post in the following
\ndiscourse.<\/p>\n
Question: Is communism still a danger in Indonesia?<\/p>\n
Answer: There is at present no organized threat of
\ncommunism in Indonesia. Nevertheless, potentially the appeal of
\ncommunism is always there. Radical ideas, whether atheist or
\nreligious-based, can officially be banned. But ideas have legs
\nthat transcend the walls of official condemnation. Communism
\nprospers where wide disparities -- in income, of assets, in
\nopportunities to advance fairly -- become prevalent for too long.
\nCommunism's appeal lies in the simplistic promise of immediate
\ndeliverance of the desperate, the deprived and the despondent,
\nparticularly in populous developing countries.<\/p>\n
Q: Are there any parties in Indonesia wanting the return of
\ncommunism?<\/p>\n
A: Not openly, for they would face the wrath of the authorities
\nand most Indonesians would not want the return of any form of
\ncommunism. But a more important political task is to reduce and,
\nif possible, eliminate as quickly as possible the conditions that
\nwould warrant the return of communism. It's not so much whether
\nanyone would want a return of communism as whether we ourselves
\ncan effectively establish a political and economic system that
\nwould prevent communism's revival.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the best way to prevent the revival of communism?<\/p>\n
A: Socioeconomic justice through good governance should be our
\nhighest priority, particularly in densely populated urban areas
\nwhere glaring disparities in economic predicament prevail. Last
\nyears arrests of several young men and women involved in radical
\ncauses in Surabaya (East Java), Central Java and Jakarta underlie
\nthe point. They were attracted to Marxist ideologies because real
\nlife socioeconomic conditions pushed them to adopt these ideas.
\nThe late Mohammad Hatta, our first vice president, long ago
\nwarned that communism flourishes in dire economic circumstance
\nand social injustice. Economic justice and fairness are
\nimperatives to prevent the rise of radical revivalists, whether
\ncommunist or inspired by religion.<\/p>\n
Q: Which is more dangerous, communism or capitalism?<\/p>\n
A: Communism is often more readily confrontational, apparent and
\nobvious, though it might use subtle aboveground tactics. In a
\nway, it is easier to handle than capitalism. The danger of
\ncapitalism -- especially unfettered consumer capitalism -- lies
\nin its outward attractions, it is much more subtle, appealing
\nand, fatally, makes people complacent.<\/p>\n
The appeals of packaging, of advertising and other tricks of
\nmarketing are cases in point. The sovereignty of the consumer is
\nextolled where in fact it is the producers who are really
\nsovereign. The mechanics of the market are never perfect and tend
\nto favor those who own and control the means of production and
\ndistribution.<\/p>\n
The demise of communism in 1990 strengthened the hand of those
\nwho espouse free markets and the virtues of capitalism.
\nCapitalism's most dangerous effect is that it destroys social
\nsolidarity in favor of the Darwinian survival of the fittest.
\nThere are the mass layoffs on behalf of market efficiency and
\nproductivity. There is the widening gap in income and access to
\ncredit and the attendant prevalence of corruption, greed and
\nundeserved privilege.<\/p>\n
In the Middle East, these have resulted in a backlash of
\nviolent Islamic radicalism; in Latin America, in the vehemence of
\nneo-Marxist guerrilla movements.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the recent volatility in the world's capital and
\nmoney markets has shown the dangers of \"casino capitalism\". In
\nNorth America and Europe, people are now talking about the center
\nground of \"progressivism\" where government works with and
\nsupervises market forces to deliver both corporate profits as
\nwell as to provide sustenance to the deprived and unskilled.<\/p>\n
Q: Isn't Indonesia adapting a capitalist path of development?<\/p>\n
A: Our 1945 Constitution mandates us to form a caring state
\nproviding basic human needs to those who are poor, unskilled and
\ndeprived. But no country can escape the volatility of global
\ncapitalism. The question now is whether we can still be committed
\nto translate our constitutional ideals into concrete reality in
\nthe face of global market forces which tend to benefit the
\nprivileged few.<\/p>\n
They have ready access to capital as well as the requisite
\nconnections to get ahead. That creates jealousy, anger and
\nfrustration among the poor, the unskilled and the less well-
\nconnected, often leading to unilateral and violent action.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, most of my friends who work in the high-skill
\nprofessions -- banking, insurance, fund management, the stock
\nexchange -- remain dedicated to phased economic democratization.<\/p>\n
They are very aware of the mandates that are embedded in the
\narticles of the constitution. They know that taming the market
\nwill not be easy. It will take at least another 15 years before
\nthings really improve on the ground.<\/p>\n
But they realize that it is a vital political task to provide
\neconomic outreach to those below. Our national resilience as well
\nas our survival as a nation depends on how successfully we
\novercome these hazardous social upheavals that are in many ways
\nthe inevitable consequences of global capitalism.<\/p>",
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