PIB and its intellectuals seek to take reform to a higher level<\/p>\n
Anton Doni, Head of Research and Development Unit,
\nThe Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The dilemma of idealistic intellectuals ahead of the first
\nelection after Soeharto quit the presidency in 1998 was whether
\nor not to get their hands dirty by becoming politicians.<\/p>\n
However, if political leadership is about making the best
\ndecisions possible for the nation as whole, and changing the
\nnarrow-minded culture of accumulation and\/or abuse of power, then
\nthose with the best minds should enter the political fray.<\/p>\n
The economist Sjahrir, once a student activist jailed for his
\ninvolvement in the huge 1974 protests in the early years of the
\nNew Order, is among quite a number of intellectuals who seem to
\nhave decided that their jobs as scholars and as staunch critics
\nof the government must now be complemented by actual influence in
\nthe making of policy.<\/p>\n
Sjahrir has joined forces with a number of respected senior
\njournalists and fellow economists such as Pande Radja Silalahi to
\nform the New Indonesia Alliance Party (PIB), named after an
\nearlier organization.<\/p>\n
The political party was born just last year, but since the
\n1980s, students and intellectual community in general, have long
\nbeen familiar with the Yayasan Padi dan Kapas that Sjahrir and
\nhis colleagues set up, and which hosted many seminars.<\/p>\n
The challenge for this high brow circle is to create a broad-
\nbased political party, especially if it wants to avoid being
\nconsidered a group of intellectual elitists, which is what
\nhappened with the banned Indonesian Socialist Party (PSI).<\/p>\n
New parties always have a novelty value with new ideas -- and
\nPIB's focus is ridding the country of the negative culture and
\npractices that define Indonesian politics, even in the current
\nreform era. One specific problem pointed out in a speech by
\nSjahrir was what he termed \"re-traditionalism\", or communal
\nsentiments that continually provoke communal conflicts due mostly
\nto exclusive in-group feelings.<\/p>\n
Another is just plain irrational behavior by those in power,
\nand so PIB envisions \"the politics of common sense\", or \"a common
\nsocial phenomena\", which he believes, if people lived by these
\nbasic themes, they would not kill each other.<\/p>\n
Before the party was set up in September 2002, the PIB
\norganization prepared and sent a draft of a decree on economic
\nrecovery to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) ahead of the
\nAssembly's annual 2001 session. The nine-chapter draft decree
\nranged from tackling the country's debts to its internally
\ndisplaced people. It was not adopted, but it did give the public
\na very clear picture of the party's stance on economic recovery.
\nThe draft decree outlined how recovery should be based on a clear
\ndivision of responsibilities among state bodies, including law
\nenforcers.<\/p>\n
As recorded in Sjahrir's various speeches, injustice and
\nunemployment are two of the party's key concerns and it will be
\ninteresting to see if they can translate such great ideas into
\naction, that is, if they manage to secure a bloc of House seats
\nin the election.<\/p>\n
Freedom is also a concern of this party. Since the reform
\nmovement, freedom of expression and association are mostly
\naccepted nationwide. But in some cases, religious freedoms are
\nnot entirely respected.<\/p>\n
For this, the party feels that security must be provided under
\na democratic environment to guard freedom of religion for all
\npeople, not just the majority.<\/p>\n
One feature that distinguishes this party from the other 23 is
\nits great concern for international affairs, without the baggage
\nof ideology which many of the Islamist parties seem to be prone
\nto. It envisions a well-ordered world that ensures security,
\npeace and prosperity for all. In that context it protested the
\nU.S. war in Iraq.<\/p>\n
The party's stress on freedom and social justice, its focus on
\nthe role of government, its strength in international affairs and
\nits drive to modernization, brings to mind the above-mentioned
\nPSI, which was banned for its alleged involvement in rebellious
\nmovements in the 1950s.<\/p>\n
In the classic Indonesian Political Thinking, 1945-1965 in
\nwhich Herbert Feith and Lance Castles compile translations of
\nspeeches and articles by early politicians, one can read the
\nwords of the late prominent economist and leading figure of PSI,
\nSumitro Djojohadikusumo. He also seeks to convince the Indonesian
\npublic that freedom, social justice and human dignity should be
\nthe substance of nationalism.<\/p>\n
Internationalism and modernization were also characteristics
\nof this historical party, grouped in the category of \"democratic
\nsocialism\" by the late Feith. Those themes were articulated more
\nstrongly by Soetan Sjahrir and Soedjatmoko, also proponents of
\nPSI.<\/p>\n
But again PIB would not like to be likened to PSI, which only
\ngot two percent of votes and six seats in parliament following
\nthe 1955 elections despite its high profile.<\/p>\n
PIB may gain support from among 2.5 million university graduates
\nand 5 million people with higher education degrees. But hopefully
\nPIB members themselves will not follow other idealists who found
\nthat many still prefer communalism and irrationality, all that PIB detests.<\/p>\n
Excerpts of PIB's vision\/mission:<\/p>\n
o To strive for a new Indonesia that is democratic, equitable,
\npluralist and open minded;<\/p>\n
o To strive for the creation of a safe, peaceful and prosperous
\nworld based on independence, democracy, humanity, justice and
\nplurality.<\/p>\n
The party strives to achieve the above ideals with programs
\nincluding:<\/p>\n
* justice -- the state provides jobs, education, health
\nservices, a fair tax system and stable economic growth;<\/p>\n
* democracy -- the guarantee and protection of security to all
\ncitizens in exercising their democratic rights; and the guarantee
\nof protection for human rights; equality of all citizens and the
\nencouragement of their participation in decision-making;<\/p>\n
* plurality -- the state must not discriminate against
\ncitizens in issuing political policies and in applying the law;
\nthe state must ensure freedom of religion and belief; the state
\nmust guarantee the free development of local arts and cultures;
\nthe state is obliged to ensure a harmonious environment among all
\nreligions, ethnic groups, races and classes within the unitary
\nrepublic.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pib-and-its-intellectuals-seek-to-take-reform-to-a-higher-level-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}