Gus Dur's optimism<\/p>\n
The strong optimism that President Abdurrahman Wahid conveyed
\nin his New Year's message contrasts sharply with the gloom and
\ndoom predictions that many other top politicians and political
\nobservers believe are in store for Indonesia in 2001.<\/p>\n
Both camps essentially use the same turn of events and
\nindicators from the recently ended year 2000 to come out with
\nopposite conclusions. This is one of those debates about a half-
\nfilled glass. Optimists, like Gus Dur, say it is half full, and
\npessimists say it is half empty.<\/p>\n
In his speech greeting the New Year, the President says he is
\nhopeful that Indonesia's economy will emerge stronger in 2001,
\nhaving shown an impressive recovery in the previous 12 months. He
\ncited the better-than-expected gross domestic product (GDP)
\ngrowth of five percent, and the record $50 billion export
\nearnings in 2000 as grounds for optimism.<\/p>\n
The doomsayers have acknowledged these indicators, but they
\nhave rightly pointed out that unless investment picks up, what
\nlittle recovery that has been achieved in the past year would not
\nbe sustainable. Given Indonesia's continuing political
\ninstability, few people, whether local or foreign, would dare to
\nmake huge investment commitments. This instability is not likely
\nto go away, at least not in the first few months of 2001, given
\nthe added uncertainties about the implementation of the regional
\nautonomy policy on Jan. 1.<\/p>\n
The President's optimism on the political front is even far
\nless grounded than his predictions for the economy in 2001. The
\nPresident's confidence that problems in Aceh and Irian Jaya would
\nbe resolved because negotiations are about to begin with the
\nseparatist or pro-referendum camps in the two troubled provinces
\ncontradict with what we find in the field, that in fact tension
\nhas been heightening in recent weeks. With the positions of the
\ngovernment vis-a-vis the separatist camps in Aceh and Irian Jaya
\nstill a gulf apart, it is too premature or perhaps even too naive
\nto suggest that the problems would soon be over. The President in
\nhis speech did not even bother to spell out how he hoped to end
\nthe bloody conflict between Muslims and Christians in Maluku,
\nwhich is entering its third year later this month.<\/p>\n
In fact, the absence of any game plan or a clear road map has
\ncharacterized most policies and goals of the present
\nadministration. Had the President been clearer on his intentions
\nand how he hoped to achieve them, more people in this country
\nwould probably have shared his strong sense of optimism.<\/p>\n
Yet, it was a speech that the President had to make in order
\nto inject a greater sense of self-confidence, if not among the
\nnation, at least within his own administration. The last thing
\npeople in this country need is to start the new year and the new
\nmillennium on such a depressing note as many doomsayers would
\nhave us believe. If anyone could invigorate the spirit of the
\npeople in this country, it must indeed be the President.<\/p>\n
It is one thing to inject a dose of optimism but completely
\nanother to give false hopes, or even worse, to deceive the
\npeople. We seem to be getting a lot of that lately. A case in
\npoint was Abdurrahman's revelation last week that Hutomo Mandala
\nPutra -- the son of former president Soeharto and a corruption
\nfugitive -- was arrested by the police and then managed to flee
\nwas so unbelievable that even the police were quick to distance
\nthemselves from the President.<\/p>\n
In fact, much of the public's pessimism found today has been
\ngrounded not so much on policy failures as on the lack of firm
\nand effective leadership in government, of which the President is
\nthe most important but by no means the only important figure.<\/p>\n
The seemingly endless petty bickering among the nation's
\npolitical elite, particularly between the executive and the
\nlegislative branches, has become something of a joke.<\/p>\n
Most people would have laughed out loud if these rows did not
\nhave an impact on their lives. They have and badly. To borrow the
\nphrase of a New York Times' columnist, Indonesia last year veered
\ninto a messy state, a condition where everything seems to stand
\nstill because our leaders are fighting each other over seemingly
\ntrivial matters.<\/p>\n
This lack of confidence in the government's ability to lead,
\nmore than anything else, has been the source of much of the
\npessimism found among the people in this country today. Contrast
\nthis to the vigor and optimism that we found ourselves in when we
\nstarted the year 2000. If our leaders, including President
\nAbdurrahman, could for once concentrate on getting this nation
\nback on its feet again, there is no reason why the nation should
\nnot share the optimism that he exuded on New Year's Eve.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gus-durs-optimism-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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