President must initiate reforms, Siswono says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A former aide of President Soeharto called for
\nimmediate total political reform with the President himself
\ninitiating the crucial first step.<\/p>\n
Former cabinet minister Siswono Yudohusodo said in a
\ndiscussion with Jakarta-based political correspondents that such
\ntotal political reform was urgent for a country, like Indonesia,
\nthat was in a crisis.<\/p>\n
\"The crisis will be able to be settled only when the whole
\nstructure of the government is replaced by a new one,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He cited the success stories of other countries which had been
\naffected by similar economic crises.<\/p>\n
\"The whole central political elements in Thailand and Japan,
\nincluding the prime ministers; and in South Korea, including its
\npresident, were replaced by new ones.<\/p>\n
\"Even the central figures of those countries were willing to
\nstep aside just to provide the opportunity for their countries to
\nsuccessfully settle their crises.\"<\/p>\n
He said he was confident that immediate total political reform
\nwould shortly lift the nation out of the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
Siswono, the minister of transmigration in the Sixth
\nDevelopment Cabinet whose term expired last March, said it would
\nbe an honor for Soeharto to initiate immediate total political
\nreform, including presidential succession, here.<\/p>\n
\"Should President Soeharto be willing to initiate total
\npolitical reform, it might open the opportunity for a peaceful
\npresidential succession,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He cited the initiatives taken by former Singaporean prime
\nminister Lee Kuan Yew, who stepped aside from the formal
\npolitical scene and announced Goh Chok Tong as his successor in
\nNovember 1990.<\/p>\n
Siswono, however, insisted that any total political reform had
\nto be undertaken in compliance with the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
\"The only forum for constitutional total political reform is
\nan extraordinary session of the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR).\"<\/p>\n
He said that the nation should not tolerate any chaotic
\nefforts to initiate reform as they would only propel a dictator
\ninto becoming the country's new leader.<\/p>\n
Constitutionally, the initiative to hold an extraordinary MPR
\nsession could come either from the president or the House of
\nRepresentatives.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the Assembly members' poor response to calls for
\nan extraordinary session, Siswono admitted that they had failed
\nto comprehensively represent the aspirations of the people.<\/p>\n
\"How could we call the Assembly members true representatives
\nof the people when their recruitment was dominated by nepotistic
\npractices?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
\"Meanwhile, influential figures like Amien Rais, Abdurrahman
\nWahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri were not included.\"<\/p>\n
Siswono, a former student activist who helped President
\nSoeharto establish the New Order government in 1966, said there
\nshould be continuous and greater waves of pressure on the
\nAssembly to hold an extraordinary session.<\/p>\n
Academics<\/p>\n
An alliance of professors and lecturers from prominent state
\nuniversities -- the University of Indonesia, the Bogor Institute
\nof Agriculture, the Bandung Institute of Technology, Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity and Airlangga University -- issued a petition
\nyesterday expressing support for the student movement's demands
\nfor immediate and total reform.<\/p>\n
\"The students' demands for reform have strong and objective
\ngrounds. All professors, lecturers and university students
\nnationwide should therefore support them,\" read the petition
\nsigned by 16 professors from the five universities.<\/p>\n
The signatories included the Gadjah Mada University rector
\nIchlasul Amal, former ITB rector Iskandar Alisjahbana, Gadjah
\nMada University sociologist Loekman Soetrisno, a surgeon from
\nAirlangga University, Puruhito, and a professor from the Bogor
\nInstitute of Agriculture, Utomo D. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/president-must-initiate-reforms-siswono-says-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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