A new Indonesia, is it just a dream

A new Indonesia, is it just a dream

People are placing high hopes on the new government to lead
them to a new Indonesia. What is a new Indonesia? Are we really
heading toward a new Indonesia, or is it just a dream? The
Jakarta Post considers the issue.

JAKARTA (JP): Sometime in the future, there will be a fabulous
and prosperous country where the people live peacefully and
happily. A democratic country which upholds the supremacy of law
and fully respects human rights. One which is free from fear, and
of course, from corruption, collusion and nepotism.

It will be called the new Indonesia.

The new Indonesia, or Indonesia baru, is where the nation is
now heading, or more precisely, what is dreaming of. The reform
movement forced Soeharto to step down. Since his downfall, people
have been dreaming of a new country, totally different from the
past. They want a better government with a better system, which
will, in turn, open the door to a better life.

Soeharto's successor, B.J. Habibie, failed to fulfill the
people's dream. And now, President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri are facing great challenges in
the accomplishment of their task of saving the nation from
political and economic crisis. "I will lead you to a new
Indonesia." Megawati said at her inauguration speech on Oct. 21.

The new government is only five weeks old. Some say it's too
early to judge whether they can make the people's dream come
true. They say the new government should be given the chance to
work and prove that they are committed to leading the nation to a
new Indonesia.

"Let's wait and see," said political observer J. Kristiadi
from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. "But we
have to closely watch them."

The new Indonesia, according to Kristiadi, is a democratic
country. It is an easy thing to say, but its implementation is
quite complicated as the nation has been under the grip of an
authoritarian government for too long.

Director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation Bambang
Widjojanto said the new Indonesia should respect human rights,
uphold the supremacy of law and ensure the process of democracy
that allows the public's participation in determining their own
fate. This can only be achieved by changing the basic structure,
not only of the power system and the law, but also of the culture
of the people themselves.

In their fight against corruption, for example, the people
must be strongly committed and have the guts to say "no" to
bribery. People should keep demanding their rights and speaking
up against unfair treatment -- while at the same time, as
responsible citizens, also abide by the law.

In other words, people have to play an active role to realize
their dream of a new Indonesia. But, while all members of society
share the same dream, its heterogeneous nature, consisting of
people with different levels of education and political maturity,
poses a large problem.

Last month, many people criticized the Bagito comedian group
for parodying the physical condition of President Abdurrahman
Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur. It is understandable that
people were angry because their leader's physical weaknesses were
made the subject of a joke. But some observers worried.

"You know, Gus Dur is unpredictable," Bambang said, referring
to his, at times confusing, inconsistency. Earlier Gus Dur said
he agreed with referendum demands in Aceh, then it turned out
that what he meant by referendum was not a referendum to choose
freedom from Indonesia, but only for autonomy.

"If there is social legitimacy from the people, Gus Dur could
turn into an authoritarian," he warned.

Kristiadi shared Bambang's concern with what he termed as
populist authoritarianism. "In the past we had state terrorism,
we could have societal terrorism from people who do not want to
see their leaders criticized," Kristiadi said.

Economist Sri Mulyani also observes that, for many people, Gus
Dur and Mega are "untouchable" symbols.

Mulyani admitted she was rather pessimistic with the current
situation, which still reflects "the strong root of the old
people (from the New Order government) with the same way of
thinking and the same culture."

Yet she also sees a ray of hope. Some people have been
positively affected by the culture of "openness". They now dare
to air their opinions at street demonstrations, on television,
radio and through newspapers.

But will Indonesia really become a new country? History shows
that ever since the birth of the nation in 1945, its leaders
promised a better life for the people. A prosperous country was
promised by Indonesia's first president, Sukarno. But it was
unfulfilled, and the government was taken over by Soeharto, who
called his administration the New Order. Physically, Indonesia
grew fast. Many people became really rich, but many more people
became poorer.

Under Soeharto's authoritarianism, the supremacy of the law
was trampled, while the practice of corruption, collusion and
nepotism was rampant. Human rights were widely violated, freedom
of speech curtailed and the people deceived and kept ignorant.

In May 1998, people said enough was enough. Soeharto, who had
been in power for over three decades, was toppled.

And now people are putting high hopes on the new government,
the duet of Gus Dur and Megawati. The nation is dreaming of a new
Indonesia, which must be better than the past. But it is obvious
that the government alone cannot fulfill the people's dream.

In order to realize the dream, people must be active and
consistent in pressuring the government, and, at the same time,
they must change their attitude.

Sri Mulyani said that most people, while dreaming about a new
country, still have the same way of thinking and have the same
attitude. "Many people have the tendency to take short cuts, they
live only for the moment and only think about their jobs, wages,
chances ... they do not have foresight."

As it takes quite a long time to realize the dream, the
people, who want a quick result, might forget their long-term
goal.

If this happens, the dream will remain a dream, the "New
Indonesia" a slogan and the new country a utopia. (sim)