Contest of power is absurd<\/p>\n
From Rakyat Merdeka<\/p>\n
Mass radicalism will find fertile ground if groups in favor of
\nand against President Abdurrahman Wahid are allowed to mobilize
\ntheir followers. Those who will be gripped by the greatest worry
\nwill be the common people, who have never bothered about the
\ncontroversy surrounding Gus Dur. Common people only want a
\npeaceful life, to earn enough to eat and to send their children
\nto school.<\/p>\n
The people in general do not need democracy if the process
\ntakes place without heeding ethics and politeness. Mass
\nmobilization is tolerable only during election campaigns. On
\nother occasions mass mobilization must be considered an absurd
\nand primitive show of force.<\/p>\n
All parties must realize that mobilizing the masses in the
\nstreets at a time when there is no election campaign is a serious
\nthreat against the sense of security of the community and the
\nnormalization of the political process. I hope our political
\nelite refrain from making use of innocent people to support their
\nnarrow interests. Give the people education, not uniforms. Give
\nthem jobs and do not exploit them in the name of religion and
\nideology.<\/p>\n
It really saddens me to see villagers being recruited not to
\nbe educated and economically empowered, but just to be provided
\nwith uniforms. Why have they only been given such political
\nmasks? Why the use of uniforms resembling military fatigue while
\nwe say that we dislike uniformity and that we do not want to see
\nthe military involved in political affairs?. Or, perhaps, other
\ngroups in uniform have been invited to take part in political
\nactivities?<\/p>\n
I suggest that Banser -- the militia-like multipurpose task
\nforce of Anshor, the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) -- should
\nconsider carefully their plan to mobilize its members. This is
\nnot the time for an election campaign. What if the people demand
\nthat Banser be disbanded? What is the use of playing hero in
\nmilitary fatigues in Jakarta?<\/p>\n
Better abort the plan.<\/p>\n
ARI WIBOWO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/contest-of-power-is-absurd-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }