Tue, 18 Jul 2000

A welcome show of unity

Whatever has prevented the nation's leaders from meeting to defuse the political tension currently gripping Indonesia, as intellectuals and analysts have urged, it did not stop legislators in the People's Consultative Assembly from issuing their own statement aimed at easing the tension.

Leaders of all 11 factions in the Assembly took the unprecedented step on Sunday of issuing a four-point joint statement to stem the rising political tension ahead of next month's General Session of the Assembly. During the session, President Abdurrahman Wahid is scheduled to report on the progress he has made in leading the nation since being elected in October last year.

There has been much speculation in Jakarta over the past few weeks about the possibility of certain factions turning the General Session of the Assembly into a special session designed to remove the President from office.

This speculation, coming amid endless bickering among political parties, has sharpened the tension between the government and the legislature, and between the country's top four political leaders: President Abdurrahman Wahid, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung and Assembly Speaker Amien Rais.

Reflecting the apprehension the apparently broadening differences between the political elite has caused among the public, the rupiah plunged to a 21-month low of Rp 9,520 to the U.S. dollar on Monday, accompanied by a general weakening of share prices on the stock exchange.

"We therefore believe there should be a deliberate effort to reduce the tension among the political elite and the public. The fact that there have been differences of opinion should not affect our commitment to maintaining the country's unity," the chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction in the Assembly, who read the statement, said.

So far, the statement seems to have calmed the public's worries about the immediate future of the country. While the country's top leaders may be oblivious to it, at least the people's representatives in the legislature are aware the endless squabbling among the political elite is hurting the nation.

The problem is that no mention was made of one of the most burning issues in the public's mind: will the President be allowed to keep his job, or will there be attempts by certain quarters in the Assembly to unseat him?

It cannot be denied that some -- or many, as some observers say -- of the President's problems are of his own making. The inconsistency of his statements and his unpredictable actions certainly provide ammunition for his political adversaries inside and outside the Assembly.

Nevertheless, trying to unseat the President in the middle of his term would make for a dangerous precedent that could plunge this nation into never-ending social, political and economic instability. With the precedent set, certain political factions in the Assembly would be certain to try and unseat the next President during the next general session.

The consequences would be far worse than experienced during the country's venture into the "liberal democracy" of the 1950s, when governments often lasted mere months. The only difference would be that this time it would not just be the Cabinet that was replaced, it would also be the President. The instability this would cause cannot be imagined.

Because of this, one can only hope the joint statement issued by the 11 factions in the Assembly on Sunday will not remain a mere piece of paper, but will be implemented in the spirit in which it ostensibly was drafted.

According to the latest information, the nation's four top leaders -- the President, the Vice President, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung and Assembly Speaker Amien Rais -- are scheduled to meet later this month, when they are expected to attend a congress of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

There is little doubt that many Indonesians hope the meeting materializes. It is not too late to try to mend the damage months of squabbling has inflicted on the nation.