Multiparty coalition required to unite Indonesia<\/p>\n
By Ronnie Hatley<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Ciganjur coalition of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan), the National
\nMandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) will
\ngain 344 of the 700 electors in the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR). Thus an even wider coalition will be required to
\nelect the president and vice president and to form a cabinet.<\/p>\n
The United Development Party (PPP), as the strongest party
\noutside Java, needs to be included in the government executive to
\nmake the new executive truly Indonesia-wide, all-inclusive and
\nconsensual. That no party wins a majority will require collective
\nleadership in the Cabinet to negotiate Indonesia's common future.
\nThis is the best lesson and the only choice resulting from the
\nelections, reflecting both the peoples' choices and true Bhinneka
\nTunggal Ika (unity in diversity) of Indonesian integrity.<\/p>\n
The Ciganjur three will have a majority of 284 (56.8 percent)
\nof the 500 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR), where
\nthey can formulate new laws as a coalition, or in various wider
\nor narrower temporary coalitions that form around particular
\nlegislative issues. A real parliament with ideas from all
\nparties.<\/p>\n
This legislative work will be the next important lesson for
\nIndonesia's \"reformed\" democracy. Parties, legislators and people
\noutside the House will learn to work together, discussing and
\nlistening to one another to arrive at mutually beneficial
\ndecisions. These decisions will be more inclusive of various
\nviewpoints than any single leader or winning party could ever be.
\nThis is the most important lesson of democracy: Everyone must be
\nheard, so no one can be left out, and no one can lose.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri will be
\npresident, Gus Dur (Abdurrahman Wahid) of PKB vice president, and
\nhopefully, Amien Rais minister in charge of Cabinet. Such
\ncollective leadership will provide several lessons. Megawati will
\nprove that a woman who speaks softly can lead well, without the
\nbluster, feigned infallibility and bullying of the past. The
\ntandem leadership of Mega, Gus Dur and Amien can show Indonesians
\nthat good governance is based on listening to one another and
\nworking together in fairness and inclusiveness, and not by the
\nforced, single leader \"unity\" of persatuan dan kesatuan (unity
\nand unitariness). Let us all be free of violent, ordering,
\nthieving men of steel, true belief and insincere promises.
\nInstead we will learn the skills of women's calm nurturance and
\ngood neighborliness working together.<\/p>\n
May Amien Rais organize the Cabinet from the three Ciganjur
\nparties, plus important ministries for the PPP, such as defense.
\nThe defense ministry (and all others) needs to be entirely of
\ncivilians as in all democratic societies. Get the military out of
\ngovernment, and business too. Abolish tri-fungsi (military mixing
\nin government and business) and build a professional Army and a
\nseparate police force responsible to the regional governments,
\nwith proper local and national parliamentary and legal oversight.
\nThe main job of ministries is to maintain clean, transparent
\nadministration to carry out legislative policy. Having ministers
\nfrom different parties keeping watch on each other in Cabinet
\nwill help.<\/p>\n
Just as big a challenge is that of reforming the civil service
\nand the judiciary away from corrupt practices. Soeharto, his
\nfamily and friends may be the biggest thieves of the world this
\ncentury, but there are millions of other Indonesians who are also
\nstill using corrupt means for self-enrichment at the Indonesian
\npeoples' expense. All laws require enforcement, and many laws
\nneed deliberation and rewriting in parliament.<\/p>\n
No more presidential decrees, concessions, foundations and
\nothers. No more local or national officials on the take either.
\nAll officials, and the judiciary too, require transparency before
\nnational and local parliamentary, party and public oversight.<\/p>\n
Local autonomy is the key to Indonesia's future as one
\ncountry. The Jakarta\/Javanese view of correct practices and ideas
\ncan never be imposed, even by colonial divide-and-rule tactics.
\nInvading armies, officials, settlers and business opportunists
\ncannot continue to make enemies of the local peoples all across
\nthe archipelago without more revolt. The only national integrity
\nthat will unite Indonesians is that which affords each Indonesian
\nthe real opportunity to express that integrity in terms of the
\nresources of their particular culture and local community. This
\nis real, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, autonomy.<\/p>\n
Local governments elected on June 7 have the essential task of
\nreestablishing local government that is made by, for and of local
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Military officers can no longer fill civilian government jobs,
\nand civil servants can no longer run business out of their
\noffice. So too, newcomers can never be real local representatives
\nor effective local teachers, traders, workers or administrators
\nuntil they respect, learn and use local ways, that is, become
\nlocals.<\/p>\n
The results of the elections in many regions will see
\ndifferent coalitions of parties forming majorities and choosing
\nlocal leaders that are not of the same party composition as the
\ncentral government. This is as it should be, with local
\ngovernment reflecting local peoples' diversity and wishes. This
\nwill allow effective Bhinneka Tunggal Ika government throughout
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
The new central government, to accommodate the myriad needs of
\nthe regions, and to utilize fairly their various resources for
\nthe benefit of all Indonesians, will have to start listening to
\nthe regions instead of giving orders and plundering.<\/p>\n
A very crucial step of the PDI-PAN-PKB government will be to
\nmake the Cabinet and leadership of the House reflect the variety
\nof regions and religious groups of Indonesia, and that also
\nincludes the various major Islamic factions. The best start would
\nbe to incorporate PPP in the coalition Cabinet and in leadership
\npositions in parliament, making certain that the PPP's stricter
\nIslamic and non-Java political ideas are included in decisions
\nmade together by the widest representation of all Indonesians.<\/p>\n
There does not need to be an opposition fighting the
\ngovernment. Rather, transparency, division of power between
\nbranches of government and the regions and Jakarta, and constant
\nsurveillance of all government actions by the various parties,
\nnon-governmental organizations and the public. That Golkar and
\nthe Indonesian Military (TNI) will be left out of government is
\nbecause the people did not choose to vote for them. Instead of
\ngoverning, let civil servants, soldiers and police become true
\nservants of the people, in roles determined by representatives
\nelected by all citizens. This is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika
\nrepresentative democracy.<\/p>\n
There is plenty of reform to be done. May the new government
\nmake a good start, so that most Indonesians will be willing to
\nvote for them again in five years time, well pleased by their
\nrepresentative's best efforts. We must remember that they will
\nrequire our help in reminding them of our needs and wishes, and
\nin making sure they do their work accordingly. May those who use
\nthe best ideas and do the best deeds win, and let that be all of
\nus.<\/p>\n
The writer is a visiting lecturer at the University of Gadjah
\nMada. He is an assistant professor of political sciences at
\nWashington State University with more than 30 years experience in
\nobserving Indonesian politics.<\/p>\n
Window: The results of the elections in many regions will see
\ndifferent coalitions of parties forming majorities and choosing
\nlocal leaders that are not of the same party composition as the
\ncentral government.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/multiparty-coalition-required-to-unite-indonesia-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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