Back on the reform path

Back on the reform path

The triumph of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan) in the general election is a victory for the
reform movement. It is one which should be cherished not only by
PDI Perjuangan supporters, but also by those who have fought for
the cause of reform from the beginning. The National Awakening
Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), for example,
despite finishing fourth and fifth in the elections,
respectively, should rejoice that the elections defeated the
"evil forces" and paved the way for the establishment of a new
administration. They played their roles in bringing down the
tyrannical regime.

This victory is theirs as much as PDI Perjuangan's. They, as
well as the students who took to the streets to force Soeharto's
resignation in May last year and many others who fought for
reform, should savor the sweet taste of success.

This message of victory appeared to have been lost when the
General Elections Commission completed the vote count for the
June 7 elections on Thursday, confirming PDI Perjuangan's
triumph. Most people were preoccupied with preparing for the next
item on the national political agenda: The General Session of the
People's Consultative Assembly, which will elect a president in
November.

The general election was only one of many battles in the long-
drawn war to put an end to the Soeharto regime and all of its
remnants. With Golkar and President B.J. Habibie still having
some influence in setting the national agenda, the reform
movement faces an uphill, but not impossible, struggle. They may
have won this battle, but they have yet to win the war.

Nevertheless, after the announcement of the elections results,
now is an appropriate time for the reform forces to take a break,
contemplate and reflect on what they have achieved, and take
stock of their strengths before the next crucial battles, which
are bound to get more difficult. They should use the current
downtime to recharge their batteries and perhaps most important
of all, reiterate their common goals and find synergy.

There were times in the run-up to and following the June 7
elections when the reform forces appeared to be breaking up to
the point of weakening the movement and endangering the cause.
The status quo forces were only too happy to exploit this
division. To some degree, this explains why Golkar managed to
finish second in the elections. The status quo forces will
continue to use any means available to try and shatter the loose
coalition of reform forces, because they know this is the only
way they can secure their hold on power. Recent polemics about
the gender and faith of presidential candidates were fully
exploited to sow division among reformists, some of whom,
unfortunately, took the bait.

Ultimately, however, the greatest threat to the reform
movement does not come from the status quo or other external
forces, but from within the movement itself.

Already we see signs of personal rivalries and conflicts among
the main leaders of the reform forces, including Megawati
Soekarnoputri, Abdurrahman Wahid and Amien Rais. There was
certainly a great rivalry between their parties, PDI Perjuangan,
PKB and PAN, respectively, during the general election. Within
each of these parties there have also been signs of internal
power struggles, especially among party officials vying for seats
in the House of Representatives and possibly key posts in the
next government.

This is all the more reason why reform leaders should take a
time-out, assess the situation and ask themselves whether they
have remained true to reform.

With fighting for political power intensifying ahead of the
November presidential election, it would be easy for any of the
reform leaders to lose sight of the real objective and purpose of
this whole exercise: To bring about meaningful change to this
country for the well-being and welfare of its people.

Megawati, Abdurrahman and Amien met in November and again in
May, each time sending the people a clear signal of their unity
in the face of a common enemy. It is probably time they meet
again to show the public they have remained committed to the
cause of reform.