The Assembly's agenda<\/p>\n
The suggestion made last Monday by Indonesian Military (TNI)
\ndeputy chief Adm. Widodo that the upcoming General Session of the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly, which will elect the country's
\nnext president, be postponed, makes one wonder what is going on
\nin the back of the admiral's mind. This is all the more true
\nsince the repeatedly denied rumors that TNI Commander Gen.
\nWiranto is planning to retire early next month so he can run for
\nthe presidency have refused to die. While the two may in fact be
\nin no way connected, when it comes to the military, speculation
\nis always tempting.<\/p>\n
Whatever the case may be, given the never-ending economic and
\npolitical crises that continue to stranglehold the nation, it
\nwould seem fairly obvious that the most expedient course of
\naction would be to move forward the General Session, now
\nscheduled for November. That would allow for the speedy formation
\nof a new government -- something which major international aid
\norganizations, including the International Monetary Fund, the
\nWorld Bank and the Asian Development Bank, appear to be waiting
\nfor before resuming aid to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The TNI's deputy commander offered an argument to justify his
\nsuggestion. Widodo said the current situation was not conducive
\nfor holding the General Session. To be fair, it is sensible to
\nexpect that some serious obstacles could prevent such a
\npolitically loaded event from proceeding with any semblance of
\nsmoothness.<\/p>\n
The endless bickering among the country's newly emerged
\npolitical elite is, as Adm. Widodo pointed out, a portentous
\nindication that this nation may indeed not be ready to play by
\nthe rules of democracy. Also, the widespread public
\ndissatisfaction over the way the government is handling the Bank
\nBali scandal, the violence in East Timor and the religious and
\nsecessionist flare-ups in several regions, provides for a highly
\ncombustible political mix that can give rise to protests, as well
\nas diminishing the government's and the military's capability to
\neffectively cope with such emergencies.<\/p>\n
Yet, paradoxically, it is precisely this crisis situation that
\nmakes it essential to form as quickly as possible an effective
\nadministration capable of leading this nation out of its complex
\nlabyrinth of problems. Under the 1945 Constitution, this means
\nholding a General Session of the Assembly at the earliest
\npossible time. If, for practical and technical reasons, moving
\nthe General Session forward is not possible, every effort must be
\nmade to ensure that at the least, it will not be delayed.<\/p>\n
For the most part, this means that political party and
\ngovernment representatives on the General Elections Commission
\nmust leave behind their petty bickering and begin to think
\nearnestly about helping the nation pull itself out of its present
\nplight. The longer the current transitional government of
\nPresident Habibie remains in power, the greater this nation's
\nproblems are likely to grow.<\/p>",
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