An address to President Gus Dur

Mr. President, you keep on making controversial statements despite the fact that Indonesia is still in the grip of many problems: disintegration, economy, collusion, corruption, nepotism, law, and the community taking the law into their own hands.

At a recent meeting with the Islamic Students' Association (HMI) in Bandung, one of the participants suggested that you should step down.

You are right, Mr. President, to say that the President will leave office through a mechanism involving the House of Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). If there is direct voting, I may say that "Please, Mr. President, just step down because the people are not benefiting from your performance". Of course, this statement must, for the constitution's sake, be channeled through the members of the DPR.

However, it does not mean that the people cannot voice constructive criticism. How could Tommy, whose sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court, very easily invite the President to a meeting in a five star hotel simply because he wanted clemency. Mr. President, would you act similarly in the case of a starving and jobless person accused of stealing a chicken? And, how could you, Mr. President, postpone the prosecution of three business tycoons who have obviously inflicted losses on the state? Doesn't all this hurt the people's feeling?

Please, Mr. President, postpone your plan to go abroad again. There are too many domestic issues that need immediate handling. Rather than going abroad, you should draw up a schedule to visit Aceh, Maluku, Irian Jaya (Papua), East Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. You can bring a peace agenda to maintain national unity to these places. Do not let the people in these regions continue quarreling with, fighting and killing one another. Do not let them inflict arson on their fellow countrymen. Those wishing to secede from the Unitary Republic of Indonesia are rebels and their rebellions must be firmly suppressed. We must always uphold our Palapa Oath, which has unified the various ethnic groups into a great Indonesian nation stretching from Sabang to Merauke. Also, take firm action against anarchy, murder, torture and street justice (such as the lynching or burning to death of alleged thieves and pickpockets). While we are clamoring for the upholding of human rights, is there any humanity left among our people?

At the meeting in Bandung, Mr. President, you also said that you did not actually wish to become President (Who wishes to become a President?). It seems you are still in doubt. Honestly, Mr. President, do you really wish to remain in office or not? You should have been more diplomatic. Speaking as you have done will only trigger conflicts, which will involve the political elite and the ordinary people. This, needless to say, will be disadvantageous to you, Sir.

Mr. President, it is now time to abandon your controversial statements. What is done cannot be undone, so the saying goes. What matters is that from now on, you make sure that you improve your action and your leadership and ensure that you keep on the right track to carry out the reform agenda.

Otherwise, the calls of "Step down!" will reach a crescendo. Before this happens, isn't it better to bring together the executive and the legislature at the negotiating table, in the style of the Ciganjur group, to discuss the present condition of the country. The venue could be in Cikampek-Karawang or any other place.

GUS-TYANA

Karawang, West Java