Megawati trades reform with stability<\/p>\n
Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia passed its first year under the rule of President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri relatively calmly, allowing the country a
\nbreak from the restless years under her two predecessors.<\/p>\n
But while both former presidents B.J. Habibie and Abdurrahman
\nWahid took bold steps toward reform, critics say the reform
\nmovement has virtually come to a standstill under Megawati.<\/p>\n
\"Habibie began the reforms, Gus Dur (Abdurrahman's nickname)
\npushed them further, but under Megawati it has just nose-dived,\"
\nsaid Arbi Sanit, a political analyst at the University of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Critics say there appears to be no end to the political horse-
\ntrading that takes place at the expense of the public interest,
\ncorruption remains as flagrant as ever, and the military is
\nmaking a comeback into politics.<\/p>\n
All this in one year after legislators impeached Abdurrahman
\nfor incompetence in July 23, 2001. Megawati's rise to power is
\nseen more as the by-product of legislators' single-minded effort
\nto oust Gus Dur. In 1999, Gus Dur became president because most
\nlegislators did not want the position to be held by Megawati.<\/p>\n
After she became president in 2001, Megawati secured pledges
\nby various political parties to let her rule until the 2004
\nGeneral Election. This came after the final six months of Gus
\nDur's presidency, which got bogged down with haggling to remove
\nthe president from office, draining politicians' energy and
\nadversely affecting the economy, causing a volatile rupiah.<\/p>\n
But Arbi said the country's current period of stability is
\nmisleading. \"It is not stability, it is political calmness.\"<\/p>\n
Underneath the placid surface, vested interests are jostling
\nfor power as the 2004 General Election looms, say analysts.<\/p>\n
\"It (politicking) is happening inside political parties and
\ninside the government,\" Arbi said.<\/p>\n
Vice President Hamzah Haz, who hails from the Islamic leaning
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) has made it no secret that he is
\neyeing Megawati's post. Chairman of the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) and Assembly Speaker Amien Rais is also seen as a contender
\nin the 2004 election.<\/p>\n
Megawati still needs to bolster her support and this necessity
\nhas become apparent in her policies, Arbi said.<\/p>\n
Making overtures to the military has been just one example, he
\nsaid and linked this with her declining tolerance of criticism.<\/p>\n
On several occasions the President has expressed concern about
\nmedia coverage, which she deems excessive, and analysts also see
\nthe police taking tougher measures against anti-government
\nprotests.<\/p>\n
\"In terms of democracy, we're seeing a regression,\" Arbi said.<\/p>\n
Military observer Riefqi Muna said in reforming the military
\nthe government was causing more setbacks than progress.<\/p>\n
She has allowed the military to decide for the government, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added that Megawati's position on conflict zones like Aceh
\nshowed she was letting the military have its way. The government
\nplans to install a civil emergency status in Aceh that will cut
\ncivil rights and increase the number of troops in the province.<\/p>\n
The plan has persisted despite criticism that 10 years of
\nmilitary operations up until 1998 failed to bring peace to the
\nprovince, where separatists have been fighting since 1976.<\/p>\n
Throughout the conflict, human rights activists blame the
\nmilitary as mainly responsible for the deaths of some 10,000
\npeople, mostly civilians.<\/p>\n
\"Megawati is treating the military not as an institution she
\nmust lead, but as a political force standing equal to her.\"<\/p>\n
This is in contrast to Abdurrahman, whose first move to cut
\nthe military's political clout was to oust then minister of
\ndefense Gen. (ret) Wiranto.<\/p>\n
Wiranto led the Indonesian Military when its members went on
\nthe rampage after East Timor voted for independence in 1999.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman's push for reform in the military cost him its
\nsupport, which eventually led to him being ousted from office.<\/p>\n
\"Megawati's move toward the military is politically calculated
\nrather than a commitment to reform the armed forces,\" Riefqi
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
But nowhere are reforms said to be worse than on the legal
\nfront where Indonesian courts have gained a notorious reputation
\nin the international community.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Frans H. Winarta said the government was not serious
\nabout implementing legal reforms, as was evident in the rise of
\nquestionable verdicts.<\/p>\n
\"There just doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency, it must
\nbe because Megawati has failed to see the importance of this
\n(legal reforms),\" he said.<\/p>",
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