The curse on the presidency<\/p>\n
Referring to Bapak Soegih Arto's letter A curse on the
\npresidency published on Nov. 4, 1999, I feel obliged to comment
\non the subject to make things clearer. Pak Soegih Arto stated
\nthat B.J. Habibie suffered also the curse because he made many
\nmistakes due to his inexperience in state and political matters.
\nAs a politician he is a big zero.<\/p>\n
I really support your statement, especially after reading the
\ntextbook for students all over Indonesia Manusia dan kebudayaan
\ndi Indonesia (Men and Culture in Indonesia). Kuntjaraningrat's
\ntheory says that the system of politics in Indonesia derives from
\ntwo main cultures -- peasant culture and maritime culture. The
\npeasant culture has the conception that a ruler must be a
\ndescendant of God. Therefore, temples must be built to bury the
\ncorpses of the rulers. If a ruler fail to perform well, it is
\ncertain he will be cursed.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the maritime culture bases its economic
\nlife on trade and sailing, and believe in rapid change. It is
\nmore open to science and technology development. If a ruler did
\nsomething wrong, the law and the court should prove it. It seems
\nHabibie made a mistake by identifying himself as being closer to
\nthe maritime culture rather than to the peasant culture that is
\nstill dominant in our political life.<\/p>\n
Habibie's error started when he claimed to be a Bugis born in
\nParepare, South Sulawesi. He did not fit the requirement to be a
\npresident, from the view of peasant culture, because he did not
\nhave the wangsit (revelation), the prerequisite to become a
\npresident which was asserted by Prof. Selo Sumarjan one day. From
\nthen on, from far away, I observed that Habibie would never be
\nable to do anything right.<\/p>\n
Criticism flooded in the form of riots in Java and, primarily,
\nin Jakarta, and through the mass media. Attacks were carried out
\neither openly or through conspiracy. In a truly new Indonesian
\nspirit, we ought to believe that the nation is really vulnerable
\nwhile being built into a new and modern Indonesia. People outside
\nJava feel it to be a great injustice.<\/p>\n
What do we need to do to prevent turbulence in any
\npresidential election? In my opinion, the best way to prevent
\nriots, killings as well as other acts of violence and to maintain
\nunity is to adopt the most modern state administration. We should
\nfollow the federal system as applied in America, Germany,
\nBritain, Australia, Malaysia, and even Russia. The system of the
\npast Mataram kingdom can be mentioned just as a part of our
\nhistory. In the past we also had maritime kingdoms in the eastern
\npart of Indonesia, such as Gowa, Buton and Tidore, etc., besides
\nnumerous kingdoms that existed in the western part of the
\narchipelago.<\/p>\n
NURDIN YATIM<\/p>\n
Makassar, South Sulawesi<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-curse-on-the-presidency-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }