Quick recap of events of 2001<\/p>\n
From Panji<\/p>\n
The hustle and bustle of politics has become a daily cause for
\nconcern these days. The political tone for 2001 has been set, and
\nit's not very pleasing to the ears. This is clear from the
\nmaneuvers of the House of Representatives through its committee
\ninvestigating the Bulog Brunei scandals, which gave birth to the
\nfirst memorandum of censure. This was followed by demonstrations
\ndemanding President Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid to resign, which
\nin turn was followed by demonstrations of support for the
\nPresident. One rally ran into the other, ending up in clashes
\nbetween the opposing camps and acts of destruction as vandalism,
\nas seen in East Java.<\/p>\n
The issuance of the first memorandum was accompanied by
\nintense discussions of the need for a special session of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly to begin impeachment proceedings
\nagainst the President. And the whole situation worsened when
\nethnic violence erupted in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, as Gus Dur
\nprepared for a foreign visit. In the meantime, Gus Dur's
\npolitical opponents have become more powerful and vocal, accusing
\nGus Dur of incompetence in leading the nation.<\/p>\n
Given these circumstances, many people took up the demand that
\nGus Dur go. The anti-Gus Dur camp consolidated and mass rallies
\nwere held to demand Gus Dur resign. All of this intensified
\npublic opinion.<\/p>\n
With such political instability, who really benefits? Is it to
\nthe advantage of the currency speculators, with the exchange rate
\nof the rupiah continually falling? Or the political elite, who
\nare becoming increasingly energetic in their efforts to topple
\nGus Dur? What is clear is that the war of words between the
\npolitical elite is becoming heated and causing much pain to the
\npeople, and only time can tell when physical clashes at the
\ngrassroots level will erupt.<\/p>\n
To find a solution to the present political turmoil, the
\npolitical elite must meet face-to-face in an amicable atmosphere.
\nThey must stop using the mass media as a battleground to condemn
\neach other. The whole thing will get even worse if the
\nconflicting political elite use their supporters as shields or
\npolitical bulldozers.<\/p>\n
All these differences of opinion could be settled if there
\nwere good intentions on all sides, given the fact that both Gus
\nDur and his political opponents are Islamic leaders. So why don't
\nthey show some political ethics, instead of resorting to the
\npolitics without faith that we see today.<\/p>\n
YUSUF MAKKA<\/p>\n
Bandung<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/quick-recap-of-events-of-2001-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }