Reform coalition<\/p>\n
Recently, three leaders, Megawati Soekarnoputri, Abdurrahman
\nWahid and Bishop Belo, met to initiate the idea of a government-
\nbacked reform coalition. Reportedly these leaders stated that a
\nconsensus among reform leaders was needed, to improve people
\nconfidence in the nation. Yet one very strong reform leader who
\nseems to have the confidence of a great many of Indonesia's
\npeople, Amien Rais, was conspicuous by his absence from this
\nmeeting. According to news reports, Amien Rais was not invited to
\nthis coalition-building meeting. One of the meeting's hosts,
\nAbdurrahman, explained that it was difficult to contact Amien
\nRais.<\/p>\n
How much credibility can this or any other reform group have,
\nand how much confidence can they inspire, when they deliberately
\nexclude, for reasons that appear to be founded on petty
\njealousies or ego, someone who has had so prominent and
\nresponsible a role in the current reform movement? If these self-
\nappointed reformers cannot put personal ambitions aside for the
\ngood of the nation in even this small way, how will they ever be
\nable to transform the nation's value system from pursuit of self-
\ninterest, to devotion to the common good?<\/p>\n
For the sake of Indonesia's future let us hope that these
\npersonages, two of whom are religious leaders as well, will do a
\nlittle more soul-searching before their next coalition-building
\nreformers' meeting.<\/p>\n
DONNA K. WOODWARD<\/p>\n
Medan<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/reform-coalition-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }