Last chance for dialog<\/p>\n
When President Abdurrahman Wahid proposed a dialog with the
\nleaders of all major political parties, understandably it was
\ninitially greeted with a high degree of skepticism. Because of
\nthe way it was presented, including its timing, the proposal was
\nwidely seen as a public relations gimmick from a man desperately
\nclinging to power, rather than a genuine attempt at dialog.<\/p>\n
The President's political standing has been precarious of
\nlate. His credibility is waning after being hit by a number of
\nscandals and controversies, and with it, the popular support
\nwhich he enjoyed in the first months after his election in
\nOctober 1999.<\/p>\n
He is also facing the threat of impeachment from his political
\nadversaries in the House of Representatives (DPR), and calls for
\nhis resignation from friends and foes alike.<\/p>\n
So when he broached the idea of a "reconciliation" meeting, as
\nthe proposed dialog is called, the initial reactions from most of
\nthe leaders invited was cool at best.<\/p>\n
Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who chairs the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), sets a
\nnumber of terms for her participation, particularly the need for
\na clear agenda.<\/p>\n
Amien Rais, chairman of both the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), rejected the
\nproposal outright, saying that he did not see the point of it
\nall. Amien, who maneuvered to ensure Abdurrahman's election in
\n1999, is leading the campaign to oust him.<\/p>\n
Akbar Tandjung, speaker of the DPR and chairman of the Golkar
\nparty, has been non-committal, although he appeared willing to
\ngive the dialog a chance.<\/p>\n
The trouble with this kind of proposed dialog is that it has
\nbeen tried once before, and nothing substantive came out of it.
\nThis was a major let down given the massive publicity and hype
\nthat went before the meeting between the four leaders in
\nYogyakarta last August. The public may be forgiven today for
\nasking what chance another meeting, if it is to take place at
\nall, would have in solving the nation's problems.<\/p>\n
The gaps between these leaders must have further widened by
\nnow after their latest exchange of harsh words. If bridging them
\nwas difficult then, it must now seem virtually impossible.<\/p>\n
But whatever the political leaders feel, and however skeptical
\nthe public may be about another meeting, there is nothing left
\nfor the country's leaders to do short of waging an all out battle
\nbetween the President and his adversaries who are hell bent on
\nousting him.<\/p>\n
The President is equally determined to fight the impeachment
\nattempt and, with his die-hard supporters vowing to fight to the
\ndeath, there is a strong prospect that any battle would turn ugly
\nand violent.<\/p>\n
Given this condition, a dialog, no matter how remote the
\nchance of success it has, is still better than no dialog at all,
\nespecially when the second alternative could mean street clashes
\nbetween supporters and opponents of the President.<\/p>\n
If skepticism about the dialog was prompted because the
\ninitiative has come from the President, then someone else who is
\nneutral in the current power struggle should take over from him.
\nYogyakarta ruler Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who hosted the
\nreconciliation meeting in August, or respected Muslim scholar
\nNurcholish Madjid are two possible candidates possessing the
\ncredibility and integrity suited to the task.<\/p>\n
While there is no guarantee of success if the initiative is
\ntaken up by someone else, there will certainly be less suspicion,
\nand more people will probably be willing to give it a go. With
\nthe initiative out of the President's hands, it would also be
\neasier to set a clearer agenda, or even a specific goal that the
\nmeeting should aim for, a condition which Megawati has set to
\nensure her participation.<\/p>\n
We would like to propose that the meeting set a more ambitious
\ngoal than merely seeking reconciliation between the leaders, as
\noriginally proposed by the President.<\/p>\n
Reconciliation, while an important beginning, would not be
\nenough, as it would only put the nation back to where it was
\nseveral months ago. It would not resolve the various problems
\ncurrently facing the country.<\/p>\n
The meeting should instead discuss ways of saving the nation
\nwhich is on the verge of collapse. The lack of effective
\ngovernment in Indonesia these past few months -- caused largely
\nbecause leaders have been too busy with feuding with each other
\n-- has pushed Indonesia further to the brink of destruction.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, the leaders should work out a compromise
\nthat is truly in the interests of the country. If they have some
\nstatesmanship qualities left in them, they should all give dialog
\na chance. It is probably their last chance to save the nation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/last-chance-for-dialog-1447893297",
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