Govt warned over fears on openness<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Speaker of the House of Representatives Wahono
\nwarned yesterday that the government's excessive fear of
\nincreasing political openness might heighten tension among
\nauthorities in the field which, in turn, could trigger
\nunjustified violence.<\/p>\n
Repressive judicial action, appeals and condemnations would
\nnot resolve the mounting social unrest, he said after swearing in
\n10 new members of the House and the People's Consultative
\nAssembly.<\/p>\n
\"There should be open forums and dialogs where people can
\nrelease their frustration in an orderly and civilized manner,\"
\nWahono said.<\/p>\n
Wahono, a former Army lieutenant general and a one-time chief
\nof the ruling Golkar party, pointed out that the heightening
\nsocial unrest has been fueled by the absence of such forums.<\/p>\n
He admitted that the House is unable to channel the public's
\ndesires satisfactorily at a time when many people's political
\nawareness is improving thanks to the rapid development that
\nIndonesia has achieved.<\/p>\n
If the House at the national level and the legislative
\ncouncils in the regencies and provinces fail to improve their
\nfunction, social disturbances would escalate, he warned.<\/p>\n
\"Social upheaval will set the clock backward. The ideal for
\ndemocracy will never become reality because the security approach
\nwill prevail again,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Wahono did not give concrete cases to illustrate his ideas.<\/p>\n
Over the past month, Indonesia has seen a number of major
\noutbursts that observers attribute to the lack of democracy and
\nthe government's insistence on suppressing political dissidents.<\/p>\n
Last week, staunch government critic and democracy campaigner
\nSri Bintang Pamungkas launched a new party -- a move that sparked
\nwrath from both the government and military officials.<\/p>\n
Last month, the military in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, came
\nunder attack after its forcible dispersal of massive student
\ndemonstrations led to the deaths of three protesters.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is also facing increasing numbers of land and labor
\ndispute cases at a time when the government is a constant target
\nof human rights abuse allegations.<\/p>\n
Wahono criticized the government for holding back information
\non state officials that the public know have a \"low integrity.\"<\/p>\n
\"It's useless to suppress people's political wishes by feeding
\nthem with false information,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The House speaker suggested that the government heed the
\npeople's wishes because the public's demands for democracy are
\nincreasing in line with Indonesia's economic development success.<\/p>\n
He said he believes the spirit of democracy will be able to
\ncrush the spirits of sectarianism and feudalism that some groups
\nare trying to promote.<\/p>\n
Wahono said that no one should interpret the 1945 Constitution
\nrigidly simply to justify their political maneuvers.<\/p>\n
\"We all know that our constitution is dynamic and wide open to
\naccommodate contemporary demands,\" he noted.<\/p>\n
The five House members that Wahono installed were Bakir Alie,
\nSiti Ainomi Rudy Lengkong, Fachruddin Razi, Aisyah Radjeng
\nPananrang (all from the Golkar faction) and Albertus Pranowo (a
\nmember of the Armed Forces faction).<\/p>\n
The five People's Consultative Assembly members are
\nCol. Muchdi Purwo Pranyono, Col. Nyoman Suwisma, Maj. Gen. EE
\nMangindaan, Darwis Rida Zainuddin and Let. Gen. FX Sudjasmin.<\/p>\n
The new legislators replaced either those who have died or
\nbeen transferred to other posts by their respective
\norganizations. (pan)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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