An address to President Gus Dur

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