Amien concerned over people's immaturity
YOGYAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker and Chairman of National Mandate Party (PAN) Amien Rais said on Saturday the demand for his resignation from people in Pasuruan and the restriction for him to visit East Java reflected the fact that democracy had a long way to go in the country.
Speaking in the ceremony to inaugurate the new board members of his party's Yogyakarta branch, Amien said it was not the ban which bothered him, but people's unreadiness for democracy, which guarantees disagreement.
He was referring to the rally of thousands of people in Pasuruan on Wednesday to show support for President Abdurrahman Wahid and demanding the resignation of Amien and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tanjung.
"It's certainly not easy to become a truly democratic country. It takes not only time, but adjustment and adaptation. We've been under the restraints of the Old Order and New Order regimes for almost 40 years, and now suddenly we're faced with democracy," Amien said.
He added that people must know that the dispute between him as MPR Speaker with President Abdurrahman is nothing personal or an attempt to topple each other.
"Difference of opinion is a must in democratic discourse. As it reaches a critical point, it will show which party has clearer and stronger arguments and are useful for the people," he said.
Any argument, he said, even if it came from the President should just be dismissed.
As for the restriction, he added, only government can impose that.
According to Amien, he is now very concerned about the threat of disintegration which he said is the most important issue to be solved.
"What happened in Aceh and Irian is very sad, we have to find the solution as soon as possible. Learning from Russia and Yugoslavia, it's possible that Indonesia will undergo the same process," he said.
That is where all the criticism was directed, Amien said, so that the government will not be too late in handling the issue as in the case of East Timor.
Bickering
Separately, member of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Law Making Body (Syuriah PBNU) Mustofa Bisri joined the call on the political elite to refrain from making conflicting statements.
Gus Mus, as Mustofa is popularly known, said the recent political tension was the result of the politicians' greed for power.
"They have been attacking each other, ignoring the fact that other people have been the victims of their actions," he said in Semarang.
"They think people are proud to see them attacking each other. People are actually getting bored seeing what they do."
Mustofa expressed his support for the planned meeting between Chairman of NU Central Board Hasyim Muzadi and his Muhammadiyah counterpart Ahmad Syafii Ma'arif.
The relation between the two largest Islamic organizations has been recently deteriorated following Amien's steady criticisms against President Abdurrahman.
Amien is a former Muhammadiyah chairman, as is Abdurrahman of NU.
Criticisms against Abdurrahman, however, keep coming, House Speaker Akbar, in his capacity as Golkar Party chairman, reiterated that the current government had done little to defuse the economic crisis.
"The government remains unable to curb unemployment, which in turn endangers the economic recovery program," Akbar told Golkar supporters in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra.
Also attending the party function were former armed forces chief Gen. (ret.) Feisal Tanjung, former manpower minister Bomer Pasaribu and former state minister of sports and youth affairs Mahadi Sinambela. (39/44/har)