Amien expresses dissatisfaction at reform movement

Amien expresses dissatisfaction at reform movement

JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker
Amien Rais expressed his discontent on Saturday over the foot-
dragging reform movement which he had once set the pace of.

Speaking at a mass gathering held by the Muhammadiyah Muslim
organization in Riau's capital Pekanbaru, Amien lambasted the
return of corruption, collusion, and nepotism after the
boisterous, student-orchestrated reform campaign led to the
resignation of long-time ruler Soeharto in May 1998.

"Now there's Bulogate, Bruneigate and other kinds of gates
which I will not mention in order not to discourage you," Amien
told Antara.

He was referring to the Rp 35 billion swindle at the State
Logistics Agency (Bulog) which allegedly involved President
Abdurrahman Wahid's aides and the President's deal with Sultan of
Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah on financial aid to help ease problems in
Aceh.

Along with opposition leaders, Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Amien emerged with the new
political elite after the fall of New Order regime.

But after his success in brokering the rise of Abdurrahman to
the presidency last October, Amien has become a constant critic
of Abdurrahman.

"We expected that the changing of regime and government would
smoothen the reform agenda," he told participants of the
Muhammadiyah gathering.

Apart from the government's lackluster performance in
eradicating corruption, Amien, who is Muhammadiyah's former
chairman, said the present administration had yet to uphold the
supremacy of the law.

"A motorcycle thief was beaten to death, but those who stole
billions of rupiah of the people's money raised by Bank Indonesia
to provide domestic banks with emergency liquidity loans remain
at large," he said.

Earlier, a group of scholars who graduated from the University
of Indonesia aired their skepticism about whether the Indonesian
political elite could maintain their commitment to the reform
movement.

"Instead of focusing on priority jobs of promoting the
supremacy of the law, eliminating corruption, collusion and
nepotism practices, upholding good governance and undertaking
economic recovery, the political elite are busy with
maneuvering," the academicians grouped under the University of
Indonesia's Alumni Association (ILUNI UI) said in a statement on
Friday.

Rivalry between the political elite had also turned ugly, with
each party trying to unseat the other to protect its own
interests and not to improve the government's performance, the
statement said.

"They are so busy with political maneuvering that they are
unable to cope with fundamental problems such as the threat of
national disintegration and continuing violence pitting religious
groups against each other in Ambon," association chairman Azrul
Azwar said.

"Those facts reveal that our politicians lack ethics and
morality," he added.

To promote ethics among the political elite, the association
will hold a one-day symposium on Monday. The President, Vice
President, MPR Speaker, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar
Tandjung and other party figures and religious leaders will
attend the symposium.

Azrul said the association was not setting targets, but
reminding the political elite about ethics and morality. (09/10)