Constructive opposition vital to government<\/p>\n
By Aleksius Jemadu<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): The existence of an effective political
\nopposition force is essential to any democratic political system.
\nAfter all, political power has a natural tendency to sustain
\nitself. People in power, as a matter of course, rationalize their
\nactions and inactions in order to maintain popular support.<\/p>\n
The fact that all major political parties in the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) are represented in President Abdurrahman
\nWahid's cabinet has made it difficult the parties to act as a
\nforce of opposition.<\/p>\n
For instance, as the second largest party in the DPR, Golkar
\ncannot be expected to be critical of government policies
\nregarding the handling of corruption cases for, in effect, they
\nwould be attacking their own colleague Marzuki Darusman, the
\nAttorney General.<\/p>\n
Nor will the National Mandate Party (PAN) be too critical of
\nthe government's financial policies as managed by their
\ncolleague, Minister of Finance Bambang Sudibyo.<\/p>\n
Extra-parliamentary forms of opposition such as mass rallies
\nand demonstrations are likely to continue to be employed.
\nHowever, political opposition against government policies
\nconducted in an agitative manner can easily be exploited by
\nirresponsible people in order to incite political riots.<\/p>\n
Many would agree that in this new era of democracy the
\nIndonesian political system needs to develop a healthy opposition
\nculture, which can be defined as a civilized pattern of political
\nbehavior in the service of opposing or countervailing
\nquestionable government policies.<\/p>\n
Repression against open debate for so long in our past has led
\nto an aggregation of political and economic issues which are too
\ncomplicated to be dealt with by the present government.<\/p>\n
Indonesians need to realize that democracy is not just a
\nmatter of building political institutions such as political
\nparties and general elections. No less important is what people
\ndo with these institutions and whether they are motivated enough
\nto improve the quality of their performance.<\/p>\n
The fact that President Abdurrahman Wahid has established
\ndifferent councils for policy consultations such as the National
\nEconomic Council and the National Council for Business
\nDevelopment is an indication that the government needs critical
\nideas from experts and professionals in formulating good economic
\npolicy.<\/p>\n
Because the current government is expected to manage the
\nuniverse of political and economic problems, it can easily lose
\nfocus and appear to have no hierarchy of policy priorities, hence
\nthe absolute necessity for a critical and constructive
\noppositional force.<\/p>\n
Freedom of speech and assembly cannot be repressed, therefore
\nIndonesians need to build a healthy culture of opposition. How
\ncan we develop such a culture?<\/p>\n
First, we have to abandon the misconception that all political
\nparties should be represented in the executive body. This would
\ncomplicate coordinations among ministers. On top of that,
\nministers would compete for opportunities to increase the
\neconomic appropriations of their respective parties.<\/p>\n
Second, when political opposition is conducted through mass
\nrallies, political leaders should emphasize the power of rational
\nargument instead of anger and violence. In addition, the use of
\nthis oppositional tactic -- rational argument -- can only be
\neffective when accompanied by sound logic and credible empirical
\nevidence.<\/p>\n
Third, we have to strengthen the role of an independent and
\ncritical press. Freedom of the press is a conditio sine qua non
\nin a democratic country.<\/p>\n
There is a danger in that the press can become partisan and
\nsubjective without regards for moral ethics and factual truth. We
\nhope that the Indonesian press realizes the strategic importance
\nof their noble task and that they act in a responsible manner.<\/p>\n
Last but not least, political opposition should be conducted
\nwithin the existing rule of law. President Abdurrahman and Vice
\nPresident Megawati cannot be asked to step down just because some
\npolitical groups are not satisfied with certain government
\npolicies. According to the 1945 Constitution, the President can
\nonly be asked to step down in a Special Session of the Peoples'
\nConsultative Assembly proposed by the DPR.<\/p>\n
As we build a healthy democracy including a robust culture of
\nopposition, we must remember that respecting law and order
\nconstitutes the most essential part of democracy.<\/p>\n
Aleksius Jemadu Ph.D is a lecturer at the School of
\nInternational Relations, Parahyangan Catholic University,
\nBandung.<\/p>",
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