Ideal president needed<\/p>\n
Leaders of a nation have the responsibility to protect and
\nprovide for the people. A good president must be an exemplary
\ncitizen who upholds the law for the benefit of all, not bending
\nit for personal gain.<\/p>\n
When the president of a nation is also its uncontested
\ndictator, the temptations toward self-serving policies are great.
\nIn the case of former president Soeharto, clearly they were too
\ngreat. When a ruler falls to the temptations of greed, wealth and
\npower he has failed his people. He has missed his opportunity to
\nbe written in history as a great leader. In a nation where
\nreligion plays such a major role, one has to wonder what lies in
\nstore for Mr. Soeharto after he passes to the other side. Surely
\nit will not be easy for him when he faces his final judgment day.<\/p>\n
The recent and very timely article in Time magazine, Soeharto,
\nInc." indicates that Mr. Soeharto was a very clever leader who
\nappropriated billions of dollars from the Indonesian government
\nand thus the people for himself and his family. With government
\ndecrees backing him up, his family was permitted to rake billions
\nof dollars out of the economy for their personal gain. Does the
\nfact that Bapak (Father) had members of parliament rubber stamp
\nhis decrees make him any less of a criminal? According to
\nIndonesian law, Mr. Soeharto may be clean. But what is the
\nvalidity of legal decrees made by the very man who is benefiting
\nfrom them? What is the validity of rubber stamps when coercion
\nwas the name of the game and anyone not cooperating lost their
\njob or was removed permanently? To oppose Bapak during his reign
\nwas to die, literally or officially. The many cases of nepotism
\nand favoritism are well documented. A close circle of
\napproximately 30 Chinese businessmen surrounding Mr. Soeharto,
\nplus his entire family made off with tens of billions of dollars
\nfor their businesses and personal gain. Is this a crime?
\nCertainly for the millions of poor Indonesians it is.<\/p>\n
Of course, things improved during the years of Mr. Soeharto's
\niron-handed rule. Indonesia, a country rich in natural resources
\nwith a large, inexpensive workforce entering into the modern
\nworld of commerce was bound to change. But no country's economy
\ncould withstand the level of corrupt and unscrupulous behavior
\nthat existed in Indonesia for the past 20 years.<\/p>\n
The national infrastructure providing the people with job
\nopportunities, good education systems, good health services,
\nclean water supplies and sewage disposal are greatly lacking in
\nmost villages and many cities all over Indonesia. That women are
\nstill dying in childbirth due to lack of good health care is a
\ncrime. It is a crime for children to suffer from malnutrition and
\nlack of good education. Men and women have been forced out of
\ntheir jobs facing ruin and starvation as the economy crumbles.
\nFrom a humanitarian perspective, the policies of the Functional
\nGroup (Golkar) government under Mr. Soeharto's control were
\ncriminal, causing distress, disease and ruin for millions of
\nIndonesian citizens.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is at a crossroads, a critical passage in its
\nhistory. At this juncture, it is vitally important to have a
\npresident whose focus and policies are directed toward helping
\nthe people by improving their life quality in substantial ways.
\nIndonesia deserves to have a great president who will uphold the
\nlaw, applying it even to himself or herself as it is to others.
\nHe or she must object to unfairness wherever it is found and
\neliminate corruption through improved economic conditions and
\ndiligence as basic principles of good leadership.<\/p>\n
EMERALD STARR<\/p>\n
Ubud, Bali<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ideal-president-needed-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }