Six-year-old reform drive going nowhere, critics say<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Six years after the onset of the reform movement that was
\ntriggered by the death of four Trisakti University students in
\nJakarta in May 1998 at the hands of security personnel, the
\nnation has yet to see substantial changes in political, economic
\nand social life, activists say.<\/p>\n
Student activists shared their concern on Tuesday about the
\nuncertainties in political, economic and social affairs despite
\nthe nation's reform movement they were part of.<\/p>\n
Syafik Alielha, who was formerly an activist with anti-New
\nOrder student group City Forum (Forkot), said what had happened
\nin the country over the past six years reflected the state's
\nfailure to uphold the reform agenda.<\/p>\n
Despite the lives lost in the shooting incidents and the
\nsubsequent riots in May 1998, he said, none of the perpetrators,
\nlet alone the masterminds, were brought to court.<\/p>\n
\"The state has made a big mistake because it has not brought
\nthe perpetrators to court...This has set a bad precedent for our
\nfuture,\" he told The Jakarta Post here.<\/p>\n
Syafik is now an activist with the Indonesian Youth Struggle
\nFront (FPPI), a group that campaigns for democratization.<\/p>\n
Sayeb Junaidi, who was an activist with the Forum of
\nCommunication for Jakarta's Students Senate (FKSMJ) six years
\nago, underlined that most of policies adopted by the current
\ngovernment benefited the elite at the expense of people at the
\ngrass roots.<\/p>\n
Forkot and FKSMJ were among many student groups in Jakarta
\nthat dared to challenge the government of president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Many other student groups staged rallies in cities across the
\ncountry, demanding that Soeharto step down after 32 years in
\npower and called for sweeping reforms.<\/p>\n
Soeharto quit just nine days after Elang Mulya Lesmana,
\nHafidhin Royan, Hendriawan Sie, and Herry Hartanto were killed in
\ntheir peaceful struggle to put Soeharto's dictatorship to an end.<\/p>\n
The shooting incident on May 12 was followed by massive riots
\nand looting, which subsided only on May 15. It was during the
\nrioting that hundreds of Chinese-Indonesian women were allegedly
\nraped.<\/p>\n
An independent investigation revealed that the riots occurred
\nin a systematic pattern across Greater Jakarta. Students, still
\nmourning, kept themselves from the streets.<\/p>\n
An ad hoc team set up by the National Commission on Human
\nRights declared in September last year that crimes against
\nhumanity were found during the May 1998 riots.<\/p>\n
However, further legal action on the case did not materialize
\nbecause of opposition from the House of Representatives, the
\ninstitution authorized to call for an ad hoc human rights
\ntribunal.<\/p>\n
\"Only the victims of the riots and their families still feel
\nthe agony while others have forgotten,\" Syafik said.<\/p>\n
He regretted the fact that the majority of people had short
\nmemories.<\/p>\n
\"The emergence of Golkar Party as the winner of the general
\nelection clearly shows that,\" he said, referring to the Golkar
\nwhich was the political machine of Soeharto's New Order
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged there were some improvements in democracy,
\nincluding the direct presidential election and the removal of the
\nmilitary and the police from the House -- which will become
\neffective after October of this year.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, he said, the adoption of the new political
\nsystem was a formality without the empowering of civil society,
\nwhich is important to ensure checks and balances are in place.<\/p>\n
\"The new system is necessary but not sufficient,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that the failure of the reform movement was the
\nfailure of the whole nation, particularly the political elite who
\nwere unable to assure people at the grass roots of a better
\nfuture.<\/p>\n
\"The inability to show something promising to the people has
\nmade the people distrust civilian leaders,\" he added.<\/p>\n
\"This situation has apparently helped Gen. (ret) Wiranto and
\nGen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono emerge as strong contenders
\nfor the July 5 presidential election.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/six-year-old-reform-drive-going-nowhere-critics-say-1447893297",
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