A change of leadership

A change of leadership

From Forum Keadilan

I am a 40-year-old Indonesian citizen. For most of my life I
have had only one president. Now it seems that I'm dreaming of
having a new president, with new vision. However, the general
chairman of the Golkar Functional Group has stated that the
renomination of Soeharto as the presidential candidate is final.
Other Golkar functionaries have stated that Soeharto still has
the people's confidence as leader of this nation. Is this not an
overstatement?

I say this because Pak Harto has led the nation for more than
30 years, a long period of time. Is there not a single person,
out of 200 million people, capable of assuming the presidential
position? As a "father of the nation," Pak Harto has wisely
questioned Golkar as to whether or not his renomination
accurately reflects the aspirations of the majority of
Indonesians. Obviously he does not want to obstruct the
regeneration process.

From a humanitarian point of view, it does not seem fair to
force aging Pak Harto to bear the burden of the presidential job
for a further five-year term, instead of letting him take a
peaceful and deserved rest. We should avoid dependence on any
single person. I would like to see a change in the national
leadership, and Pak Harto, who is still in good health, with vast
experience, could guide the new leadership. The younger
generation should have a chance to perform and the time for that
is now ripe. We should be able to make a quick, exact and
accurate decision. There is no time to be wasted so that history
can pass smoothly.

WAHAB BUDHI SANTOSA

Bogor, West Java