Megawati's speech draws a fine line<\/p>\n
Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the victorious
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), finally
\nbroke her silence last Thursday. Political observer Wimar
\nWitoelar analyzes the impact of her speech.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): After a long silence, Megawati Soekarnoputri's
\nlong-awaited speech answers most questions on the enigmatic
\npresidential front-runner. Still, many find fault with a number
\nof things. This reflects a public ill at ease over political
\nclarity, which is the main feature of this passionate address.<\/p>\n
The nitpicking ranges from \"her programs are too broad\",
\n\"nothing new was said\", \"she speaks with arrogance\", to the inane
\n\"maybe she didn't write the speech herself\". However, the speech
\nappeals to ordinary people who are fed up with political
\ndoublespeak and the maneuverings of the \"political elite\".<\/p>\n
They like Megawati's clear voice claiming election victory and
\nsaying simply \"the people want a change of regime\".<\/p>\n
The silent majority, wishing for change, get a clear signal
\nfor the first time. That, in a nutshell, is the significance of
\nthe speech.<\/p>\n
For the first time, leadership emerges from the chaotic
\nopposition. Now, support for Megawati clears a path to a new
\ngovernment. Other choices will probably work in favor of Habibie.
\nIn effect, Megawati's speech sharpens the choice between
\npreserving and replacing the status quo.<\/p>\n
Not much in the speech is new in substance, but everything is
\ndifferent in attitude. The speech is comforting because it hits
\nevery nail on the head. Questions that had been avoided, finessed
\nand ignored by all politicians are addressed with stunning
\nconfidence.<\/p>\n
Now, what comes next? The irritating delays in the election
\ncommittee (KPU) are finally coming to an end. Now the real drama
\nunfolds, the Making of the President 1999: Habibie
\nthe incumbent faces Megawati the challenger.<\/p>\n
For those who remember the emotions, the violence and the
\ndamage of 1998, the choice should be obvious. Weren't the
\nstudents the voice of the nation when they rejected the Soeharto
\nregime and encountered retaliation in the mass murders, rapes,
\nand arson organized by some mysterious military groups?<\/p>\n
The next time students raised their voices at the Semanggi
\nflyover it also produced tragedy, this time at the hands of the
\nmilitary proper. So how come erstwhile reformers are criticizing
\nMegawati while Habibie plays the smiling host?<\/p>\n
It is disconcerting to see politicians who are outsiders of
\nthe New Order bickering among each other while the remains of the
\nSoeharto-style regime keep plundering public assets. Public funds
\nare diverted to questionable hands in the course of anything from
\nbuying out power plants to selling off state enterprises to bank
\ntakeovers and mergers.<\/p>\n
All of these deals involve cash that is beyond the reach of
\npublic accountability. Activists and the press reveal these
\nschemes as money-laundering scandals. Yet the beat goes on, as
\nCher used to say when Sonny Bono was still alive. There is no
\nsolution except a change of regime. Surely the new government
\nwill be kinder and gentler than the current one.<\/p>\n
No one need to be afraid of change if the present is so
\nhopeless. What is the choice? If we are not sure of Megawati and
\nPDI Perjuangan, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN), can we turn back to Golkar for new
\nparadigms and gradual reform?<\/p>\n
A foreign journalist asked me, \"Is Golkar really dead?\"<\/p>\n
If you know monster movies, you will find that the difference
\nbetween dead and alive is very slight. Like Count Dracula
\nreceiving fresh blood, a party which was dead during the campaign
\ncan rise from the dead at the voting booth after a healthy dose
\nof money politics.<\/p>\n
Golkar remains very dead in spirit, dead in programs. They
\nhave a candidate, Habibie, who depends on a small team with
\nbig money. Their mission is political survival -- at any cost to
\nthe nation. That keeps them alive as political zombies. Money in
\nhuge amounts is absorbed by their machine like blood is sucked up
\nby Count Dracula, used in recruitment like so many vampire bites.<\/p>\n
Golkar and their candidate could very well remain in power,
\nbut they cannot regain political legitimacy. In today's liberated
\nclimate, any victory for Golkar is just a reprieve. They could
\nstay for awhile with money and religious and ethnic fanaticism. A
\npoor recipe for long-term stability. Just as the Count of
\nDarkness is helpless in the light of day, in the end the regime
\nwill wither in the daylight of transparency.<\/p>\n
We face a choice between a zombie regime and a fresh, untested
\ngovernment still to be forged by a reformist coalition. So, how
\nmuch longer are the good guys going to nitpick on Megawati's
\nstyle, and get down to business?<\/p>",
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