Ambiguous system
After the whirlwind of reform, which grew into an national tornado that toppled Soeharto as head of state and replaced the government with a reform administration, one would expect that fresh air would be blowing in all directions.
However, as I walk around, I still have to breath in a rather fishy smell of ambiguity. Yogyakarta's Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X worries that there is only a half-hearted parting with the Soeharto era and we continue to live in a "pseudo Soeharto era".
Perhaps, like myself, the sultan is tormented by the selection of a minister with a murky political past or with the sight of so many loyalists of the former system in the Cabinet. It is hard to convince people that members of the new Cabinet are truly and honestly imbued with the spirit of reform.
For instance, why should certain Golkar leading figures, who in the past vehemently defended the old system and leadership, so easily jump onto the reform bandwagon, instead of dissolving their own ranks and files who have been politically abandoned by the people.
The reform movement is essentially a (moral) political movement and should be addressed first. The present government carries constitutional legitimacy but it still misses political legitimacy to carry on governing with the blessing of international interests (funding) upon which the economy in the long run will be highly dependent.
If we could do without the IMF, we would be better off in terms of total national debt servicing. But who will pay the current government and private debts incurred under the Soeharto era? People need guarantees while the world has lost confidence in the way we manage our resources. It is not easy to escape from these doldrums.
The air is still full of ambiguous statements made by people who officially profess to support the reform movement but cling to old deep-rooted traditions and conspiracies.
There will, of course, be a general election, and democracy will be more practiced and guaranteed, such as free press, free speech and greater freedom to set up political parties. My fear is that the rich and the strong will remain untouched, except for a change in skin color and political masks.
It is imperative that future leaders and their families, especially those of the president and vice president, avoid luxury and live and think humbly and modestly according to the spirit of Pancasila, the inception of which was commemorated on June 1. Keep in mind that it is more honorable and worthy to live as a poor leader than as a rich but misleader of a nation.
GANDHI SUKARDI
Jakarta