Habibie's latest pledge<\/p>\n
After sending confusing signals about his future plans,
\nPresident B.J. Habibie announced last week that he had no
\nintention of running for election next year. The President had
\nearlier announced that the government planned to hold a general
\nelection for the legislature next year. According to the
\ncountry's system, the members of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly, the country's highest constitutional body, will elect a
\nnew national president.<\/p>\n
Habibie's announcement can also be understood as an admission
\nthat his government is transitional in nature, although he has
\nrefused to make a clear statement as the people have demanded.<\/p>\n
However, despite the choice of words, we welcome his down-to-
\nearth decision because if he has no intention of changing his
\nmind, he will be making an historic step to initiate the nation's
\nshift from the old mentality, from which officials had stubbornly
\nrefused to step down even after a disastrous failure.<\/p>\n
Over its 52 years of independence, this nation has seen only
\ntwo presidents. Tragically -- and humiliatingly too -- both
\nrefused to step down, even though they had been in the national
\nsaddle for decades amid protests. It took huge student
\ndemonstrations to make them resign.<\/p>\n
The question now is what pushed Habibie to make such a wise
\ndecision? We believe that after almost a month of putting on
\nformer president Soeharto's shoes, the President still works
\nwithout a significant power base. Even worse, the international
\nmarket is still maintaining a wait-and-see policy. No economist
\nhas the ability to predict when the market will start to show the
\nPresident some trust. Now what the government faces from day to
\nday is the worsening fast and frightening advance of an economic
\ncalamity amid public restlessness.<\/p>\n
Habibie can help reduce this tension, and make the people see
\nthings in perspective, if he is willing to introduce some reform,
\nstarting with cleaning house. The President must have heard the
\npeople's vociferous demand for a shake up of his Cabinet, which
\nfrom the beginning has been a liability not an asset.<\/p>\n
The people have urged him to clean the Cabinet of old figures
\nwho they have found as having shared in the emasculation of
\ndemocracy, such as Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid and
\nState Minister of the Environment Panangian Siregar. The public
\nhas also questioned the sincerity of State Minister of Land
\nAffairs Hasan Basri Durin and Minister of Population Affairs Ida
\nBagus Oka, as well as the effectiveness of the transfer of
\nYustika Baharshyah from the agriculture portfolio to social
\nservices. Some other ministers do not help the image of the
\nCabinet because they previously worked to preserve Soeharto's
\nauthoritarian rule.<\/p>\n
Habibie's Cabinet was born defective because the President did
\nnot want to disappoint his predecessor, the military, political
\nentities and non-governmental organizations. The President was
\nnot courageous enough to convince them that a Cabinet was meant
\nto be an effective administration in facing Herculean problems,
\nnot a representative body.<\/p>\n
Since Habibie has claimed that he does not live in Soeharto's
\nshadow, it is now high time for him to prove that he is his own
\nman. His popularity would be even more solid if he were brave
\nenough to ban his family members from doing business during his
\ntenure.<\/p>\n
This might sound like violating a basic right but the
\nPresident needs to understand that the people are still
\ntraumatized by Soeharto's practices of nepotism and crony
\ncapitalism.<\/p>\n
For the sake of his own people, we believe Habibie would not
\nmind making some sacrifices. If he is willing to take the above-
\nmentioned steps, we are sure he will be remembered as a sincere
\nleader who paved the way for national survival even though he
\nmight not be successful in salvaging the economy.<\/p>",
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