Help Indonesia now<\/p>\n
After three decades of stultifying dictatorship, Indonesians
\nhave enjoyed two weeks of remarkable political freedom, marked
\nequally by exuberance and self-restraint. There is a sense in the
\nworld's fourth most populous nation that the future is up for
\ngrabs. For Indonesians as well as for U.S. policy towards that
\nimportant country, this is a moment of peril and opportunity.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto surprised many by bowing to popular will
\nand resigning, without a last-ditch fight, after 32 years in
\noffice. His handpicked successor, although no reformer by history
\nor inclination, is in his turn responding to popular demands for
\nchange. Political parties, long banned, are forming; a few
\npolitical prisoners have been released; the press is criticizing
\nfreely; labor unions are emerging from underground; a vigorous
\ndebate is taking place on how best to further promote democracy.<\/p>\n
These steps are only the beginning. Some 200 political
\nprisoners have not been freed. Many reformers believe that
\nelections should be held sooner than the 1999 schedule proposed
\nby President B.J. Habibie. The new President so far has refused
\nto discuss a change in policy towards East Timor, where the worst
\nhuman rights abuses of the Soeharto era took place; no democratic
\ngovernment can sustain his no-negotiation stance.<\/p>\n
And the new President, arguing that Indonesians should look to
\nthe future, not the past, has so far resisted calls to examine
\nhow Mr. Soeharto and his children amassed billions of dollars in
\nwealth. This, too, is a position that he will not be able to
\nsustain. The desire to avoid frenzied retribution is
\nunderstandable, but if Indonesia hopes to build an economy less
\npermeated by corruption, it will have to reveal the sins and
\nsecrets of the old system.<\/p>\n
The greatest threat to Indonesia's transition now is economic
\ncollapse. The currency has lost most of its value, the price of
\nfood staples has soared, and millions are unemployed. Starvation
\namong Indonesia's 200 million people is a real possibility. If
\nthe economy is not righted soon, any hope of democratization may
\nbe lost.<\/p>\n
Herein lies America's opportunity. Sticking with Mr. Soeharto
\nalmost to the end, it played not much of a role in his downfall,
\nand now it can best leave political debates to the Indonesians.
\nBut, without taking sides in those debates, the United States
\ncould support the democratic process by aiding fledgling civic
\ninstitutions, funding scholarships for students who suddenly see
\ntheir prospects for education disappearing, and, above all,
\ngiving food and medicines in sufficient quantities to avert a
\nhumanitarian disaster. A large and generous aid program now could
\nearn crucial goodwill for the United States while giving
\nIndonesia its best shot at finding its way toward democracy.<\/p>\n
-- The Washington Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/help-indonesia-now-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }