Beware of the old forces

Beware of the old forces

Sometimes it seems we are perpetually kept in the game of
guessing who said what and why they said it.

When the Armed Forces (ABRI) warned the nation on Friday
against a possible comeback of "old political forces", every
thinking Indonesian could easily understand that the thinly
veiled reference meant no other than former president Soeharto
and his supporters. If every party agrees with this statement, it
means ABRI leaders are as wise as the people, whose minds it was
voicing.

The statement, made by ABRI Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs
Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, coincided with the preparation
of a meeting of the ruling Golkar party, in which, according to
its chairman, Harmoko, a group among its leaders are bending over
backwards to defend the status quo and are ready to face off with
those who want change.

Here, in this corner of the country's political geopolitics,
the threat of the return of old political forces is genuine. But
many believe that the looming danger is not serious because all
doors have been shut to Soeharto's endeavor to return since he
resigned on May 21 following nationwide protests against him.

However, judging by the span of time he managed to manipulate
the system to build a protective system for his post-tenure life,
one is not expected to take the matter lightly. After 32 years of
oppressive rule, Soeharto must have left behind a group of
fanatic fellow-travelers, who are ready to sneak into the
corridors of today's politics, or who are there already.

They could be civilians or servicemen. Soeharto needs them to
block any intention to confiscate the wealth he, his children and
cronies may have illegally amassed. In this respect, we can
foresee how heated Golkar's congress next month will be. Soeharto
is still chief patron of the political entity.

During the congress, the party will not only elect a new
executive board free from political opportunists, but also shed
itself of any Soeharto elements in an effort to keep Golkar
alive. We are of the opinion, however, that Golkar alone will not
be strong enough to stop the return of any former political
forces. Even if Soeharto and his loyalists fail here, they can
strive elsewhere, for example by setting up one of those
"formless organizations" of bygone days.

This problem, accompanied by the campaign to take over all the
assets, is an Herculean undertaking. The People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR), which will meet at the end of this year to
discuss the coming general election, should also devise ways to
prevent such a comeback. Its primary task should be to ask
Soeharto how much he had enriched himself and his people and then
strip him of all the powers the country's highest constitutional
body gave him and declare that all his, his children and cronies
assets belong to the nation.

If the problem is not solved once and for all, this nation
will continue to monitor Soeharto's every political move instead
of implementing reform.

ABRI can play a role in this national campaign because it is
one of the pillars of Golkar and an influential faction within
the MPR.