The message for Habibie<\/p>\n
More harm than good. This, in a nutshell, is the restrained
\nbut nonetheless unequivocal official view of this week's student
\ndemonstrations in front of the nation's legislature in Jakarta.
\nOf course, a more positive opinion can hardly be expected from
\nthese quarters. After all, the students' demands -- lower prices
\nof essential commodities, President B.J. Habibie's resignation
\nand his replacement by a national committee -- amount to no less
\nthan a motion of no-confidence in the government.<\/p>\n
To be fair, lowering the prices of the increasingly scarce
\nessential commodities to affordable levels amid the present
\neconomic and political disorder would have been a gigantic task
\nfor anyone to accomplish in the less-than-four-months that the
\nHabibie administration has been in office. What is perhaps
\nindicative of the nation's general mood at present, however, is
\nthe cool public response which the student protesters seemed to
\nhave received in Jakarta, at least for now.<\/p>\n
The fact is that there is no question that for the large
\nmajority of Indonesians, many of whom are already forced to lead
\na hand-to-mouth existence with no solution to their day-to-day
\nproblems in sight, the provision of food at reasonable prices is
\nby far the most urgent priority. In this respect, the official
\nargument that economic considerations must come first is hard to
\nrefute.<\/p>\n
It is wrong, however, to assume that students, in their more
\nelevated status, are unaware of this situation. Many students, in
\nfact, live in precisely the same conditions as their less well-
\neducated compatriots. In order to be able to pursue their
\nstudies, many students must now already rely on food or financial
\nassistance provided by their universities or university staff.
\nMoreover, official figures show that the student drop-out rate is
\nsharply increasing.<\/p>\n
What the debate is actually about is the difference in the way
\nstudents and most other Indonesians perceive the situation. At
\nthe core of this debate is the old vicious circle of what must
\ncome first, political reform or economic improvement. The fact is
\nthat one cannot be accomplished without the other. The answer to
\nthe question whether further student protests would be beneficial
\nor otherwise to the nation, then, depends on the side from which
\none prefers to look at the problem.<\/p>\n
Viewed from this perspective, the core of the message which
\nthese most recent student demonstrations convey is that the
\nstudents -- like many other Indonesian intellectuals -- have no
\nfaith in the Habibie government's ability, or even its desire, to
\nintroduce the democratic reforms that, in their eyes, are
\nessential to lead the country and the nation toward a future that
\nis significantly better than the past. To them, the government is
\nclearly dragging its feet in fulfilling its promise to bring
\nabout meaningful reform.<\/p>\n
What, for example, has happened to the drafting of the new
\npolitical laws that the government promised would usher in a more
\ndemocratic system of governance in this country? What has
\nhappened to the government's stated intention to stamp out
\ncorruption and establish equal justice for all? Months-old calls
\nfor the government to bring about a national reconciliation are
\nonly now being responded to by announcing plans to establish a
\nreconciliation committee. Meanwhile many political prisoners
\nremain in prison and the government appears to be taking sides in
\ninternal political party disputes. Restrictions on the freedom of
\nspeech and expression are being reimposed and cabinet ministers
\nare being appointed to key legislative positions.<\/p>\n
In all fairness it must be said that compared to the situation
\nthat existed under the old New Order regime of former president
\nSoeharto, significant improvements with respect to
\ndemocratization and the observation of human rights have been
\nmade. Still, too many of the old wrongs remain uncorrected. It is
\ntrue that massive student demonstrations at this point could
\nsidetrack the Habibie government's efforts to introduce
\nimprovements. On the other hand, the students' and intellectuals'
\nfears that the current efforts at democratization might slow down
\nor even become stagnant appear justified. The message that all
\nthis conveys is that Habibie must accelerate reform and pay
\ngreater attention to his critics' demands if chaos is to be
\naverted.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-message-for-habibie-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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