Students and lawmakers<\/p>\n
The military authorities seem to be exercising a virtue of
\ntolerance toward the thousands of students now staging
\nantigovernment demonstrations at various Indonesian universities.
\nAlthough they have not allowed the young people to hold street
\nrallies, some thinking Army generals have taken the students'
\nactivities -- in which they mostly express their concern over the
\ndeteriorating economic crisis -- as an expression of a social
\nresponsibility.<\/p>\n
Most of the students have not tried to transgress the
\nauthorities line but remain on their campuses. They might
\nunderstand that asking for a permit to take to the streets is
\nsomething akin to teenagers asking their parents' permission for
\na date, which elders tend to say no to because \"the practice was
\nlegal only when they were young and is no longer lawful today\".<\/p>\n
Wasn't the New Order government set up upon the shoulders of
\ndemonstrating students who had helped unseat the decaying regime
\nof president Sukarno? Now, student demonstrations sound as
\nequally traumatic as the presence of an opposition party within
\nthe present system. It is very much frowned upon although its
\nexistence is guaranteed by the constitution.<\/p>\n
While to some people's ears the word opposition sounds
\nhorrible, to deny its right to exist means to negate historical
\nreality. This very government was born amid the deafening
\npeople's opposition to the old regime.<\/p>\n
Some believe that student demonstrations are a problem of who
\ndoes it, against whom and for what. In 1965, some have said, they
\nhad the right to take to the streets because the nation was on
\nthe brink of economic collapse, facing a menacing growth of the
\ncommunist party and having just witnessed the brutal murders of
\nsenior Army generals.<\/p>\n
This notion is logical enough, but today's students also
\nbelieve that the only way to save the country from the current
\neconomic catastrophe is a succession of the national leadership.<\/p>\n
In this situation, farsighted citizens should appreciate the
\nsense of social responsibility among the students and recognize
\nthe hidden power of their voice because, on many occasions, they
\nhave proved themselves as the conscience of the silent majority.<\/p>\n
At least they deserve open ears from the members of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly (MPR), who are now discussing the
\nState Policy Guidelines for the next five years and about to
\nreelect the incumbent President for the seventh term.<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces faction has set a good example in lending the
\nstudents their ears. Other factions need to demonstrate the same
\nsensitivity because the MPR is an assembly of the people, not of
\nthe parties. They should hear the people's voice and prove that
\nthe Assembly is not the antithesis of democracy.<\/p>\n
After hearing the students' aspirations, MPR members also have
\nthe obligation to channel them. If they think they cannot accept
\nthe young people's ideas, they should explain their position in
\nan acceptable way. Their failure to do this will make the young
\npeople believe they are crying in the desert. In this situation,
\nthey will try to get their message across by some other means,
\nwhich would possibly include radical actions such as street
\nrallies.<\/p>\n
We are concerned that, if this happens, it could lead to
\npublic hysteria, in which angry mobs can take part. All this will
\nalso depend on how the MPR members see things. Until today, they
\nseem to be peering at the student activities through the wrong
\nend of a telescope.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-and-lawmakers-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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