The new Megawati era<\/p>\n
The nation should be grateful that the transition of power
\nfrom Abdurrahman Wahid to Megawati Soekarnoputri has been
\nrelatively smoother than anticipated, without violence and more
\nsignificantly, without loss of life.<\/p>\n
It is only to be regretted that the outgoing and outvoted
\nAbdurrahman Wahid, during his last hours of his presidency,
\nturned from being a democrat into a dictator, by issuing a decree
\ndeclaring the nation to be in a state of emergency and ordering
\nsecurity forces to dissolve the House of Representatives and the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly. A true democrat should know how
\nto win a political battle, but he also should learn how to accept
\ndefeat with a big heart.<\/p>\n
The new President, Megawati, while politically will face
\npractically no opposition, but face economic problems as a legacy
\nof former administrations, will be the hardest nut to crack. She
\nmay perhaps face an "impossible mission" to satisfy the various
\nregions wishing to have a greater share of the national pie.<\/p>\n
Social issues like unemployment and the refugee problem,
\nhealth and education are no less complicated to solve on a
\nnational scale. The new Cabinet, while allowing space for a
\npolitical coalition to ensure legislative backing must consist of
\nmen and women imbued with the spirit of service to the community,
\nbe politically idealistic and above all be honest figures who are
\ndetermined to stick to their principles. However, corruption is
\nsomething that cannot be eradicated in one or two generations.
\nAnd Megawati and her Cabinet must at any minute guard themselves
\nagainst this devil trap.<\/p>\n
While the whole nation, especially the female part of the
\npopulation, surely and heartily wish her all success in embarking
\non a new task and on shouldering new responsibilities, she must
\nbe constantly reminded that the enemies are those who start the
\nhabit of whispering and bootlicking for her favor.<\/p>\n
To govern the fourth most populated country in the world
\nliving in a vast archipelago as Indonesia with its cultural
\ndiversities, with such diversity of interests and human
\ncharacters, is actually a gigantic assignment nobody should
\nunder-estimate. Except for the huge amount of foreign debt burden
\nwhich is an immensely long task to lessen, apparently the
\ninternational community, business and financial, will now have
\ngreater trust in Indonesia's human resources and management
\nskill.<\/p>\n
It is proper that the people are pinning great hopes to the
\nnew leaders in the Megawati era to bring some more prosperity to
\ntheir life. They may rightfully hope for the best but they should
\nalso prepare for the worst. After all, this is Indonesia, a very
\nspecial place for politicians.<\/p>\n
GANDHI SUKARDI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-new-megawati-era-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }