Achieving

Achieving
national discipline

It is amazing that the problem of transition toward democracy,
which has characterized Indonesian political development during
the past five years, has recently triggered a hectic debate
between scholars and commentators. Also, the debate has involved
an exchange of opposing arguments from differing perspectives, as
manifest in a dozen lengthy articles published in Kompas, from
Sept. 29 to date.

However, the fact is that the concept of democracy cannot be
denied its relevance and legitimacy in the light of the current
political situation.

To indulge persistently in never-ending, open-ended discussion
on the abstract subject of democracy may divert attention from
the imminent priorities that must be tackled promptly to
alleviate the multifaceted suffering of people at the grass
roots.

In contrast to the abstract discourse on democracy, a lively
overview of social conditions of a southeast Asian country was
presented the other day by Professor Monirul I. Khan, department
of sociology, University of Dhaka, who reported on his recent
visit to Vietnam in an article titled Social path of economic
development (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 4).

The very first thing that caught his attention upon arrival in
Hanoi was discipline in the movement of people and that of their
vehicles. Prof. Khan also stated succinctly that the patriotism
and dedication of the Vietnamese stood out and grabbed his
attention.

The conclusion on Vietnam was summarized in another thought-
inspiring quotation: "What you need for making great economic
strides is fewer large loans from (international) multilateral
agencies and more sincere committed leadership and a disciplined
population" (the Post, Nov. 4).

The ideal of committed leadership and a disciplined population
can be achieved in the long run only through better education for
the masses.

S. SUHAEDI
Jakarta