A learning process
A learning process
Strained relations between President Abdurrahman Wahid and
Muslim-oriented political parties show that democracy is very
much alive here. The rift is also teaching those involved that
they still have much to learn about navigating the political
currents of newfound openness.
The development resulted from the uproar over Maluku. The
tragic sectarian conflict has enraged many Muslim politicians in
Jakarta, who consider people from their faith to have suffered
the most in the strife.
Their fervent reaction has struck a discordant note with many,
including the President. Gus Dur, as the President is popularly
known, was particularly irritated by calls for a jihad made at
the mass rally at the National Monument on the eve of the Idul
Fitri holiday.
Besides calling for a holy war, the thousands of members of
political parties also demanded Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri's resignation because of her perceived inaction in
putting an end to the violence.
A clearly irked Gus Dur considered the rally to be part of a
campaign to unseat him. The leaders of the parties involved, who
were apparently taken aback by his reaction, said in their
defense that the call was meant to push the government to act
quickly and firmly to put an end to the hostilities.
The President's indignant response appears to have been
effective; Muslim organizations have subsequently expressed their
opinions in a more moderate, cool-headed way. But what lingers is
the earlier contentious approach of some groups, which was
unpleasant, if not to say alarming.
Many social and political groups have gone overboard in their
zeal to capitalize on freedom. Some observers have taken a
magnanimous view of the development, considering it
understandable that the country's more than 200 million people
would be caught up in the desire to shout out their grievances
after more than 30 years of choking silence under Soeharto.
Unfortunately, "mob politics" -- some might term it pandering
to the masses, others call it rabble-rousing -- has been part of
the trend. Groups have tried to impose their ideas on others
through intimidation, with taking to the streets the most popular
ploy.
The question now is whether this approach is relevant after a
predominantly fair general election -- the first in this country
since 1955 -- in June? Why do some believe they have to resort to
intimidation or flout the law to push their ideas and moral
standards on others when they have elected representatives to
speak for them? Their actions show a distrust, if not cynicism,
for the tenets of democracy in our country, the legislative
system and the general election on which so many hopes were
realized.
One only has to look at our reality to find their doubts are
unfounded. An effective government is now at work and many
positive steps have been made to redress the devastation Soeharto
left behind. It is also clear that those holding the protest
rallies are the same old people, professing to speak on behalf of
their religion as if they are the only ones who can claim to be
part of the faithful. A more ironic, telling truth is that those
now taking issue with the present administration were the
apologists and supporters of B.J. Habibie's bungling
administration.
Last week's call for a jihad may do little to undermine Gus
Dur's position among most Indonesians, but it hid the
compassionate character of Islam to the world, unwittingly
stoking the misperceptions which continue to prevail in the West.
Of course, we do not expect everything to run perfectly during
an untested period when we are learning what it means to exercise
democracy. We understand that these are still early days for all
of us. The media, for example, must learn not to overreach its
limits, and the President likewise has to learn how to speak in a
more statesmanly manner.
But, as we take these faltering steps to a more just society,
we must also recognize that we would be turning back the clock to
a Soeharto-style authoritarianism if there is a group among us
who claims to have a corner on the truth.