Achievements since 1945?

Achievements since 1945?

Last month, under the drive of Glenn Yusuf, the Indonesian
Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) seized 14 hectares of land
belonging to one of Siti Hardiayanti's, or "Mbak" Tutut's,
companies. What an achievement! IBRA got the land at a price of
around Rp 1,500,000 per square meter (certainly with an indirect
plus value for Tutut's company) to recover some of the money due
to one (only one!) company belonging to the family of Soeharto.

It would be more interesting to know how these 14 hectares of
land in West Jakarta were acquired by Tutut. If its only mission
is to recover land which had been misappropriated from the state,
IBRA's so called achievement is just another Indonesian joke!
Only 14 hectares recovered of the thousands seemingly
misappropriated by the family of Soeharto... Pak Harto must be
laughing if reading that news!

Coordinating Minister Kwik Kian Gie, during his first joint-
meeting with legislators, asked for suggestions on how to solve
the huge problem of corruption, collusion and nepotism among
business groups and high ranking civil servants. He even
stressed, "we cannot put them all in jail, and even the IMF
agrees that it would not be a wise thing to do".

So far, the House of Representatives (DPR) has not come up
with a single suggestion to this very important question faced by
the government and all its institutions, including IBRA. Instead
of bringing solutions to the many problems faced today by
Indonesia and its government, DPR and many so-called political
experts keep criticizing all the decisions of President
Abdurrahman Wahid's government.

It is as if all DPR members (except Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle, National Awakening Party (PKB), and some other
members of the so-called axis force and of Golkar) are opposing
the new government. We even do not know anymore whether
a majority of the DPR is still supporting Wahid's government, as
they should since they elected him to the helm of the country.

It looks like a new political map is being created inside DPR
which does not reflect the wishes of the silent majority
supporting Wahid and Megawati.

The Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) also
seems to be preoccupied with declarations against Western
intervention when the main concerns are at home and not abroad.
U.S. lobbying does exist in my country, Belgium. Lobbying from
one country towards another country exists all over the world.
Why should that become a national problem or issue here? Many
Indonesian leaders really need to grow up and I tend to agree
with Wahid that, from time to time, certain of the MPR/DPR
members really have the attitudes of children in a kindergarten!

Indonesia has to grow up democratically by not discriminating
in its social categories or against its minorities in any way.
It's been 54 years since this country has been independent and,
as far as I know, the situation has not improved since the Dutch
relinquished colonial control of Indonesia. What has Indonesia
achieved for its farmers and workers since 1945? Improvements in
social welfare through social security, wages, work conditions
and the development of a formal sector are what increase of the
overall productivity and supremacy of law. In that respect, the
role of the ministry of manpower, of agriculture, of sea
exploitation and of law (justice) is crucial and must be
gradually empowered in the forthcoming national budgets until
2004.

To establish a new paradigm in Indonesian society, Wahid and
his team are facing both internal and external pressures to build
up a real democracy in Indonesia for the benefit of its people.
The goal of all Indonesians in power should be to take the best
of the current situation and build up a better society for the
silent majority of this country. It should not be to defend the
interests of a certain elite.

YVAN MAGAIN

Bandung