Ambon and national conflicts
Ambon and national conflicts
From Panji Masyarakat
President Abdurrahman Wahid's administration is preoccupied
with ending the polarization and power conflicts on the level of
the elite. This has made him increasingly unable to think about
or seek the best solutions to national problems which are more
urgent, such as the violence in Maluku, Ambon and Aceh.
Perhaps Abdurrahman has his own particular rhythm and strategy
in dealing with these matters. However, because thousands of
people were killed in communal violence in Maluku during last
month's Ramadhan, Abdurrahman's strategy is viewed as having been
practically ineffective. Furthermore, both the President and Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri have visited the riot-torn
region of Maluku, but their visits proved to have served no
purpose.
Abdurrahman is actually one of the top national figures born
in Indonesia in the past several decades. The election of
Abdurrahman as president was not the result of common general
election wisdom, instead it was the product of "common
desperation" arising from the failure to find better ways to keep
Indonesia's history going.
The crucial question now for Indonesia is after Abdurrahman
and Megawati have failed to show any signs of being capable of
solving the nation's problems, on who shall we now place our
hopes? We have been faced with a series of failures -- under the
leadership of Sukarno, Soeharto and Habibie -- and now we are
continuously anxious about Abdurrahman's performance.
A villager once said: "If Habibie holds the reins, the Reds
get furious. Should Megawati be behind the wheel, the Greens will
run amok. When Abdurrahman leads the nation, the Reds will
respect him and the Greens feel that he is the same color as
them. So with Abdurrahman behind the wheel, the going is safe."
The next nagging question is whether Abdurrahman can drive.
The degree of complication and escalation of the nation's
problems makes it impossible for Abdurrahman's government to
overcome these difficulties in only a couple of years. Nor could
anyone else's government, unless it resorted to firm measures and
stern policies, which involves two risks. First, and the least
risky, the president's reputation could be sacrificed. Second,
and posing the largest risk, the government could crash.
Because two diseases may call for totally different cures,
upholding the supremacy of law, eradicating corruption, collusion
and nepotism, curing economic woes, solving conflicts with
industry and capitalism as ideologies and ending acute political
hypocrisy cannot possibly be addressed by sophisticated
scientific theories, as proved daily in discussions. It is even
less effective if the government employs mechanisms which only
benefit a certain group.
Islamic groups, in particular, have proven themselves
incapable of electing a leader. The speaker of the People's
Consultative Assembly, the speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President are all top Islamic leaders.
But all of them have failed to bring about any substantial
change, as far as the Islamic community is concerned. Let alone a
significant change for Indonesia as a nation.
These endless failures in resolving various national problems
will inevitably lead Indonesia to the end of its history. The
national leadership does not have the power to lead the nation to
peace, welfare and justice. The Ambon tragedy may lead to long-
term conflicts nationwide, which may show up in various forms. In
fact, there are ideas, methods and formulas to put an end to the
violence in Ambon.
EMHA AINUN NADJIB
Padang Bulan