Govt 'must apologize' to people for crisis<\/p>\n
By Asip Agus Hasani<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Prominent sociologist Loekman Soetrisno
\nbelieves that an open apology from the government for the
\neconomic and social crisis hitting the country would appease the
\npublic's outrage over skyrocketing prices and shortages of basic
\ncommodities.<\/p>\n
The Gadjah Mada University lecturer and head of the Center for
\nRural and Regional Development Studies has repeatedly said
\nIndonesia was facing a real threat of disintegration, not so much
\nbecause of its diversity, but more because of poor development
\npolicies and social and economic gaps.<\/p>\n
He spoke to The Jakarta Post recently concerning the flurry of
\nunrest in more than 20 Indonesian towns triggered by soaring
\nprices.<\/p>\n
Question: Social unrest has continued over the past few weeks
\nas prices have also continued skyrocketing. Will more riots occur
\nin the near future?<\/p>\n
Loekman: Yes, if you judge from the government's slow progress
\nin handling the monetary crisis. I dare to say that rioting will
\ncontinue. People's protests will go on because this is the only
\nthing they can do at this time.<\/p>\n
Jakartans appear to be less affected by the crisis compared to
\npeople in the regions and in rural areas. They have been forced
\ninto a corner by the crisis.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the best way to stop the violence?<\/p>\n
L: I have to repeat again what I have said frequently. If the
\ngovernment wants to stop the riots it must openly apologize to
\nthe people.<\/p>\n
The government, represented by President Soeharto, must
\ndeliver its formal and frank apology to the Indonesian people,
\nbecause the President was elected by the people.<\/p>\n
This apology is aimed at restoring people's deteriorating
\nconfidence in the government. The public's distrust in the
\ngovernment has reached its lowest level.<\/p>\n
Once again, the President must apologize. Do not just blame
\nentrepreneurs of Chinese descent because doing so will only
\nworsen Indonesia's credibility in the international community. It
\nis the government's mistakes and not those of Chinese descent.<\/p>\n
Q: Is the social unrest also triggered by (political heating up
\nin the run-up to) the People's Consultative Assembly General
\nSession in March? Do you think social tension will continue even
\nafter the Assembly's Session?<\/p>\n
L: In my view, the rioters, most of whom are from the lower
\neconomic class, do not understand political tension.<\/p>\n
The problem is that for too long, Indonesians have not been
\nfamiliar with a democratic government, but with an authoritarian
\none. You can compare it with an automobile pedal which hasn't
\nbeen used for a long time. After being oppressed for such a long
\ntime, people will attack anything as soon as they have a chance.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you see any relation between the current social unrest and
\nthe riots in Tasikmalaya, Situbondo, and Pekalongan in 1996 and
\n1997?<\/p>\n
L: All of the violence was caused by widening social and economic
\ndisparities. This social gap has never been seriously addressed
\nby the government. The government just accused them (rioters) of
\nsubversion. Poor people become poorer. They are now restless and
\npanicking because they are finding it more difficult even just to
\nget daily food.<\/p>\n
Now they realize that the government should be responsible for
\ntheir misery. But they do not know how to convey their feelings
\nto the government. They just shift their anger to people of
\nChinese descent. They also burned churches -- which severely
\naffected our (Moslems) image in the world.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you think that the World Bank should allocate more funds to
\nthe poor people, who have been suffering a lot during the crisis?<\/p>\n
L: Of course. From the beginning, the World Bank has planned to
\nallocate special funds to the poor, to help workers who lost
\ntheir jobs and farmers in rural areas.<\/p>\n
Our government is inconsistent. Today they say yes, tomorrow
\nthey will say differently.<\/p>\n
In January, President Soeharto signed a 50-point memorandum
\nwith the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director
\nMichel Camdessus.<\/p>\n
Soon after getting information about the currency board system
\n(CBS), the government also wanted to adopt that ... We will not
\nget any assistance from the World Bank if we continue to behave
\nlike this.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you think that we can survive without IMF help?<\/p>\n
L: The IMF, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank are
\nnot likely to disburse their loans. There were reports that the
\nU.S., Japan and the European Union did not agree with the CBS
\nplan. Will the government remain stubborn? I don't know.<\/p>\n
If the government insists on going ahead and adopting the CBS
\n(despite foreign opposition), where will we get foreign aid? Our
\nmain foreign exchange source comes from the foreign creditors.<\/p>\n
Objectively, South Korea's condition is better than ours. The
\nThai baht is strengthening and Malaysia's ringgit has also
\nrecovered.<\/p>\n
I think we will suffer longer than those countries because the
\ngovernment is not consistent. Officials think more about their
\nown interests rather than the public's interests. People are
\nfacing uncertainty.<\/p>",
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