A failing state?

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.