A failing state?

Four years ago, just after former president Soeharto finally bowed to public demand and decided to quit the presidency, this newspaper published an editorial with the rhetorical question: Can we be optimistic?

The question we raised then was: Will the new person in command be able to implement the popular demand for total reform in order to heal the country's ills? The answer we put forward then was negative.

We have had three presidents since Soeharto, and the question remains rhetorical.

The catchword that inspired a people's movement early in 1998 to push for change was Reformasi Total, or total reform. After three decades of the New Order's autocratic rule, the people wanted to get out of the darkness in which all their institutions of democracy were emasculated and the economy was controlled by a privileged elite.

The situation worsened in 1997 after the Asian monetary crisis began to bite and Indonesia suddenly found itself one of the poorest nations in the world. Despite the much-touted development "successes" of earlier years, people had to live in untold misery.

That misery was the result of unbridled, multidimensional crisis, the solution of which demanded at least three tenets of reform. First of all was political reform, which in essence meant reinstating the sovereignty of the people. Second, economic reform, which meant putting the economy back in order while simultaneously revamping the unbearable foreign and domestic debts. And third, legal reform, which necessitates constitutional reform and enforcement of the rule of law -- instead of the rule by law -- to guarantee the development of a more humane, civil society.

For the last few days, this newspaper has been trying to observe and portray the different aspects of the four years of reform. The results are frustrating. Hopes for a democratic nation that upholds the people's sovereignty remain just hopes. The economy is moving far too slowly, with bleak prospects for the near future. Corruption and political instability reign. The only thing that promises some reform is the free press, which has prompted the government and the legislative body to initiate a stifling broadcasting bill.

This observation is confirmed by a recent poll run by the Jakarta-based Kompas newspaper covering several big cities in Indonesia. Asked whether after these four years they are satisfied with the so-called reform, most respondents gave a negative answer. More than 84 percent were not satisfied with political reform. More than 86 percent were not satisfied with economic reform. And more than 87 percent were not satisfied with the legal reform. Those figures should convince even the most skeptical of those currently in power.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri acknowledged the other day that the unabated crisis the country was facing had been exacerbated by the yawning gap between the political classes and the masses. It was evident, she acknowledged, from the public's resistance to the agenda set by national leaders.

It is not surprising that Indonesia has been listed one of the most corrupt countries in the world. It was very bad during the Soeharto years, but now it is worsening. No wonder Indonesia has become the only country in the world where a convicted man can still arrogantly chair the central bank, where integrity is supposed to be the most important tenet. No less disgusting, Indonesia's House of Representatives allows a defendant in a corruption case to remain functioning as its speaker.

The people have been denied their sovereignty. The most we have seen over the last four years is the shifting of political power from the executive, which prefers reigning to governing, to the legislative branch, which obstinately turns a blind eye and deaf ear to the people's wishes.

Economic recovery remains a dream, with more huge debts reserved for repayment by future generations. No sense of crisis has been conveyed by the Cabinet, where infighting among ministers is more commonplace than solutions. Rule by law prevails over the rule of law. The law has become a very profitable commodity, much more so than before the reform era.

In short, Indonesia is on the brink of becoming a failing state. President Megawati should start to live by her own words spoken the other day: "Perhaps it would be of benefit if our leaders try to be more humble and more willing to listen to other people's opinions." She should start governing the country.