Megawati's progress report<\/p>\n
As was perhaps to be expected, President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri's annual report to the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) on Thursday drew little excitement from the
\nnation's top legislators, many of whom were caught dozing off
\nduring her hour-long speech.<\/p>\n
One reason for this, presumably, was that, unlike her father,
\nthe nation's late founding president Sukarno, President
\nMegawati's speaking skills border on the nonexistent. Another
\nreason, however, could be that the President's speech was not an
\naccountability report that the legislators could comment on,
\naccept or reject in accordance with either their personal
\nconscience or political affiliations.<\/p>\n
The fact is that Indonesia's political leaders had earlier
\nagreed this was to be a straightforward \"progress report\" rather
\nthan an accountability address, for fear the session might be
\nturned into a \"special session\" for passing judgment -- and
\npossibly toppling -- the President and her one-year-old
\ngovernment, as happened before to presidents B.J. Habibie and
\nAbdurrahman Wahid, plunging the country into another political
\ncrisis it can ill afford.<\/p>\n
To be fair, however, the President's address was not entirely
\nwithout interest. She did mention a number of points on the
\nprogress her government has undeniably achieved -- little as this
\nprogress may be in the eyes of her critics. For instance,
\naccording to President Megawati, with the exception of Aceh, the
\nsecurity situation has considerably improved nationwide, although
\noutbreaks of turmoil have flared up from time to time.<\/p>\n
In Maluku, the situation has improved to a degree that makes
\nit possible for the government to consider lifting the civil
\nemergency status. In the previously restive province of North
\nMaluku, the President said, the situation had returned to almost
\nnormal.<\/p>\n
On the economic and political fronts, the President said
\nstability had been attained, although minor disturbances
\ncontinued to occur. The national currency, the rupiah, has
\nstabilized at levels of around Rp 9,000 to the U.S. dollar
\nimproving relations with the International Monetary Fund, a
\nnecessity, Megawati said, which Indonesia could hardly escape
\nfrom given the existing circumstances. Among the few points in
\nthe President's speech that did manage to draw some applause from
\nthe assembly was her promise that the government would start
\nimproving the lot of teachers next year.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the President gave no explanation of her
\nactions on a number of points that evidently give reason for many
\nto worry, especially the young and reformist generation of
\nIndonesians. For example, there was no mention of the degree to
\nwhich she has succeeded in bringing about reform, particularly in
\nthe military, which in the eyes of many observers appear to be
\nregaining strength, or at least appear to be on the way to
\nregaining their political clout.<\/p>\n
Nor was there any mention about the progress her government
\nhas made on the fight against corruption, collusion and nepotism
\n-- social cancers popularly known under the Indonesian acronym of
\nKKN. Obviously, the MPR annual session is not a place for the
\npresident to mention local politics.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, she could have given a veiled hint of her true
\nreasons for stubbornly supporting Sutiyoso as the gubernatorial
\ncandidate for Jakarta, even though he is legally implied in the
\nJuly 27, 1996, violent attack on the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty's (PDI) former headquarters in Jakarta. That, at least,
\nmight have reassured the victims of the attack who currently feel
\nbetrayed by Megawati's support of Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
As for the lethargy the legislators displayed during her
\nspeech, it could well be because those honorable members of the
\nassembly had more pressing matters on their minds. Indeed,
\nMegawati's \"progress report\" fades into insignificance when
\ncompared to the issue of amending the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
This and the possible formation of a Constitutional Commission
\n-- and not Megawati's progress report -- are the true crucial
\nissues in the MPR at present on which the future of democracy in
\nIndonesia hangs. Happily, some progress toward a happy resolution
\nof existing differences among factions on these points appears to
\nhave been made. For the alternative to an agreement on these two
\nissues could well be a return to authoritarian rule with the
\nsupport of the military.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawatis-progress-report-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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