New policy guidelines criticized<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two political observers attributed a number of
\nalleged shortcomings in the newly endorsed State Policy
\nGuidelines to a restrictive political system and the languor of
\nthe members of the People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
Political scientists Mahfud M.D. and Muhammad A.S. Hikam
\nagreed that the guidelines did not reflect reality as they failed
\nto accommodate the monetary crisis and neglected political
\ndevelopments.<\/p>\n
Mahfud, who is a staff lecturer at the Yogyakarta-based
\nIndonesian Islamic University, conceded that one of the reasons
\nfor the \"shortcomings\" was that the Golkar-sponsored document was
\ndrafted before the onset of the economic crisis and before the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly held its General Session.<\/p>\n
In addition, Assembly deliberations were steered to ensure
\napproval for the document. Thus it was impossible for the
\nguidelines to include the actual economic problems, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Members of the Assembly are used to only discussing what has
\nbeen drafted and set before them,\" Mahfud said.<\/p>\n
Hikam, a researcher at the National Institute of Sciences,
\ncited how the demands of the minority United Development Party
\n(PPP) and Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) factions that the
\nmonetary crisis be addressed adequately in the document, went
\nunheeded.<\/p>\n
The rejection showed the guidelines were not sensitive to the
\nreality of most people's lives.<\/p>\n
\"They don't directly touch on the reality,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The crisis, according to Hikam, was the political aftermath of
\nthe decline of the people's trust in the government. This means
\nthat the government's legitimacy could also be questioned.<\/p>\n
\"But legislators do not seem to pay attention to this. So why
\nshould we trust them?\" Hikam asked.<\/p>\n
The Assembly endorsed on Monday the 1998\/2003 State Policy
\nGuidelines.<\/p>\n
After initial discontent and failed efforts to make their
\nvoices heard, the PPP and PDI eventually dropped their campaign
\nfor changes to the document. They accepted explanations from
\nGolkar that the crisis involved issues which were too technical
\nin nature to be included in the guidelines.<\/p>\n
Besides, Golkar argued, the monetary crisis had been
\nimplicitly addressed in the document's section on the impacts and
\nchallenges of global change.<\/p>\n
Hikam, however, said that the monetary crisis was not
\ntechnical at all.<\/p>\n
\"It's ridiculous to say so. The crisis is something that
\nconcerns the people's trust,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He cited the delay in the International Monetary Fund's second
\ninstallment of US$3.0 billion out of its US$43 billion bailout
\npackage to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
That PPP and PDI finally surrendered to Golkar did not change
\nthe fact that the guidelines were far from realistic, he said.<\/p>\n
Had the two minority factions stood their ground and rejected
\nthe document, the dominant Golkar and its allies the Armed Forces
\nand the regional representatives faction would still have plowed
\non and endorsed it, Hikam speculated.<\/p>\n
The situation was the reason why some critics charged that the
\nguidelines were endorsed only to satisfy certain parties, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Mahfud begged to differ, however. He said he could accept some
\nAssembly members' argument that the monetary crisis was too
\ntechnical to include in the guidelines.<\/p>\n
He suggested that actions to follow up the crisis which was
\nonly \"implicitly\" discussed in the Guidelines, could be regulated
\nthrough presidential decrees.<\/p>\n
\"But ideally, the crisis should have been a matter that was
\ndeliberated by the people's representatives. It's indeed a pity
\nthat it has not been,\" Mahfud said.<\/p>\n
\"But then this has been the nature of our People's
\nConsultative Assembly, so why bother?\" he said.<\/p>\n
Both Hikam and Mahfud agreed that reservations to certain
\nsections in the guidelines -- including those concerning the
\ndemands for greater involvement of the contesting political
\nparties in the planning, organization and supervision of polling
\n-- were ineffective and meant nothing as the guidelines were not
\nactual laws. The demand was made by the PPP and PDI.<\/p>\n
The reservations did not have any legal strength. Should they
\nbe neglected or violated in the future, there would not be any
\nlegal means available to charge the violators, the observers
\nagreed. (swa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/new-policy-guidelines-criticized-1447893297",
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