Calls for criticism continue despite Soeharto's speech

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Three leading social scientists yesterday graciously accepted President Soeharto's criticism of their profession, but said it would not stop them criticizing the government.

Political observer Riswandha Imawan of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University said here yesterday that Soeharto was right on the uncertain nature of social sciences.

"Unlike physicians or engineers, social scientists cannot offer solutions which last long because social phenomenon change easily," Riswandha said.

Population development expert Sofian Effendi, who is an assistant to Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, admitted that social scientists had been more like social critics than academics.

Soeharto rapped social scientists over the knuckles Tuesday, charging them of voicing unsubstantiated analysis of the unrest that has rocked the country in recent months. He also criticized them for analyzing past incidents while failing to come up with solutions to prevent more upheaval.

Soeharto was speaking at the opening of an ongoing seminar organized by the Indonesian Association for the Development of Social Sciences.

Riswandha said social scientists could offer precise solutions if respondents in their research felt free to talk about their problems.

"The public has been kept away from political matters for too long, and when the political openness was introduced they remained cautious," he said.

He refuted Soeharto's statements that social scientists had failed to anticipate social unrest.

"We have been discriminated against by the government. We continuously provided the government with our suggestions, but none were heeded because they only asked for technology experts' and economists' views," he said.

The failure to take account social scientists' advice had brought about policies which calculated economic and other benefits but not social costs, he said.

Riswandha said Soeharto's warning might have been related to the election, which he believed would serve as a gauge of the public's trust in the political system.

He said a survey in Malang, East Java, had found that 92 percent of the town's youths had stated they would not vote on May 29.

Another survey, conducted last year by Riswandha, found that 60 percent of Yogyakarta's youths did not want to go to the polls.

Sofian said social scientists could function as critics, as long as they furnished adequate data and evidence to support their arguments.

He admitted that many social scientists identified problems but failed to formulate solutions.

But Sofian accused the government of doing the same thing. "Many public policies were made as short-term solutions without touching the roots of problems," he said.

Sociologist Loekman Soetrisno speculated that Soeharto had made his remarks because he had not been supplied with adequate information on the development of social sciences in Indonesia.

He said the country had many qualified social scientists, including those at the respected National Institute of Sciences. "The problem is that there is a tendency among some groups in society to judge critical attitudes as unprofessional," he said.

He acknowledged there might be cases where social scientists had made inaccurate or groundless analysis, but there were many who were professional. (amd/swa)