Government vs the House<\/p>\n
Since 1989, with the exception of a few intervals, my husband
\nand I have had the privilege of living in Indonesia. During these
\nyears, The Jakarta Post has been our daily reading. We have
\nenjoyed and appreciated the constant search for objectivity shown
\nby your newspaper during very difficult times for the Indonesian
\npress.<\/p>\n
However, since almost one year we are observing an
\nincreasingly evident attitude of the Post in using ambiguity as
\nfar as Indonesian internal politics is concerned. In relation to
\nthis, we have noticed a biased hostility towards President
\nAbdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid, as appears mainly through titles and
\narguments chosen in your newspaper's political pages, although
\nthe contents of the articles, which so often clash with the
\nmeaning of the respective titles, tend still to keep an objective
\nstance.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the insistence in reporting diffusely on
\n\"objective\" rumors and gossip instead of more objectively
\nsignificant facts, and to elaborate editorial comments on the
\nbasis of clearly tendentious interpretations of such rumors and
\ngossip, provides the attentive reader with a disappointing image
\nof the newspaper she\/he was used to consider a very good example
\nof journalism. The editorial of May 21 When enough is enough, is
\na bitter confirmation of how judgment can be released and
\npropagated on the basis of a quite tendentious and prejudicial
\ninterpretation of the alleged intention ascribed to a person,
\nwhose image has to be damaged for political purposes.<\/p>\n
We regret this change in the habits of the Post.<\/p>\n
So far, we have not been able to detect any objective analysis
\nin your newspaper concerning this matter and the tremendous
\nloneliness in which any honest and courageous head of government
\nwould have found himself in fighting against the almost
\ninvincible resistance of the past era, which is really reluctant
\nto pass away. The previous administrative apparatus, men, habits,
\nmentality, aims, are still there, to perpetuate a system created
\nfor its primary benefit.<\/p>\n
Apart from the members of Megawati's party, the House of
\nRepresentatives is still substantially formed by people who
\nserved the previous regime in one way or another. If this
\nlegislative body, instead of focusing on the promotion of new
\nlaws and legislative measures as a priority task to recover from
\nthe crisis, concentrates almost all of its energies on finding a
\nway to expunge the President from the role that the same
\nlegislature assigned to him, the easiest interpretation for
\npeople who know Indonesia is that the man being expunged from
\nsuch a key role cannot be digested by the system, which tries to
\nself-perpetuate by any means.<\/p>\n
When one notices the new propensity to process rumors, gossip
\nand hypotheses, it seems surprising that the Post has made no
\nattempt to go behind the rather ridiculous accusation of
\ncorruption moved against Gus Dur. The current campaign, promoted
\ndaily by the House of Representatives against Gus Dur, looks much
\nmore like an attempt to prepare a coup d'etat rather than the
\nwillingness to assert democratic principles.<\/p>\n
The only reasonable and just alternative to the grotesque
\nsituation created by a mass of hyperactive politicians quite
\nunfamiliar with democracy, seems to be that the government and
\nthe House cooperate in efforts for the good of the people.<\/p>\n
There is little to hope for, however, for the objective of
\nstriving for the people's good doesn't seem anywhere to be seen.<\/p>\n
KRYSTYNA KLEMCZAK<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-vs-the-house-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }