The New Order, past and present<\/p>\n
The People's Consultative Assembly last week returned
\nPresident Soeharto to power for a seventh consecutive term and
\nnamed a new Vice President. J. Soedjati Djiwandono contemplates
\nthe long road traveled by the New Order government from its
\ninception up to the present day.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Since the same President has held power for over
\nthree decades, I imagine the present government continues to
\nclaim to be the New Order in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
However, with the seventh Vice President since Bung Hatta of
\nthe Old Order and the seventh new cabinet, the New Order
\ncertainly has a new face.<\/p>\n
I would not dare to argue on whether or not the new cabinet
\nwill weather the deepening economic crisis, the spreading social
\nunrest and the demands for political reform sweeping society.<\/p>\n
When faced with difficult circumstances, the national
\nleadership has always urged the people to be introspective.<\/p>\n
This time around, let me, in turn, urge the same from our
\nleaders.<\/p>\n
One way for the aging New Order to reflect is to ask whether
\nit continues to remains true to the original ideals and
\naspirations which it brought onto the Indonesian political
\nlandscape. One can then assess whether the country is continuing
\nto benefit from these ideals.<\/p>\n
The first state address made by acting president Gen. Soeharto
\nwas delivered to the plenary session of the (provisional) House
\nof Representatives on Aug. 16, 1967 to commemorate the 22nd
\nanniversary of Indonesian independence.<\/p>\n
In his maiden address he stated that \"the ideological
\nfoundation of the New Order is Pancasila; the basis of the state
\nof the New Order is the 1945 Constitution; the basis of its
\ngovernance is pure dedication to the interests of the people at
\nlarge.\"<\/p>\n
The New Order, he said, would \"conduct a total correction of
\nall forms of deviation perpetrated by the Old Order.\"<\/p>\n
\"Deviation from Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution... had
\nwide and deep consequences... human rights were almost
\nnon-existent, for everything was determined by the will of the
\nauthorities. Legal guarantee and protection hardly existed...
\nThe principle of the people's sovereignty became vague; what
\nexisted was the sovereignty of the leaders... the wealth of the
\nstate was used for personal interests... The system of guided
\neconomy in practice became a license system that benefited only a
\nfew close to the authorities.\"<\/p>\n
Most importantly, he said that \"the basis of the state had
\nbeen gradually abandoned so that it had become a state based on
\npower that was absolutist in nature. Supreme power was no longer
\nheld by the provisional People's Consultative Assembly, but in
\nthe hands of... President Soekarno himself.\"<\/p>\n
The president was not subordinate to the provisional People's
\nConsultative Assembly. On the contrary, the Assembly was
\nsubordinated to the president.<\/p>\n
In his speech last week, delivered following reelection for a
\nseventh consecutive, President Soeharto promised openness and his
\nreadiness to be open, to listen and to pay heed to criticism.<\/p>\n
In this light, the first step he can take is to apply his
\ncriticism of the Old Order and its deviation from the ideals of
\nthe 1945 Constitution to his own \"New Order\" regime.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-new-order-past-and-present-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}