Communication first, democracy later: Sarwono

JAKARTA (JP): Talk of democracy is useless as long as misunderstandings, caused by poor political communication, continue to exist in Indonesia, a senior official says.

"Democracy? Let's not talk about it. We should first improve political communication," State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said yesterday.

"What's the use of talking about democracy before the question of poor political communication is resolved? That would be tantamount to deceiving the public."

Sarwono, Golkar's former political strategist and secretary- general from 1983 to 1988, was addressing a seminar to review the political situation in Indonesia after 50 years of independence.

"We are facing an increasingly complicated social order which needs to be managed through (good) communication," he said.

Among those interrelated critical problems and challenges, Sarwono said, are poor political communication, the need to "upgrade" the nation socially and politically, and the need for leaders to secure "moral legitimacy" from the people.

Indonesia could face the same fate as a number of neighboring countries, many of which experienced setbacks because similar problems were left unresolved, he said.

While some are discussing the need to limit presidential terms, Sarwono said a more pressing problem is how leaders can secure "moral legitimacy".

As an example of poor communication, he cited the unexplained termination of a popular talk show Perspektif on SCTV, a private television station.

"We know more or less that something was not right behind that termination, but the only explanation available was that the show was being reviewed," he said. "This is demoralizing for the public. People are forced to just accept nonsensical explanations."

According to Sarwono, the nation is changing its notion of leadership. Indonesia now needs leaders of "moral legitimacy", which they can only earn from the people.

Previous leaders were granted this legitimacy because of their roles in the struggle for independence and because they survived generations of leaders before them.

"They had the moral legitimacy which made us respect them and their willingness to work hard in accordance with their beliefs," he said.

"But now we need different parameters," he said. "We can't just (lead the people) unless we have something in us that makes the public want to."

While the past generation might see material wealth as a measure of success, now people are demanding another form of success which is more qualitative in nature.

"Now people talk about the right to express themselves, to have their basic rights stipulated in the laws and met," he said.

The problem is a critical one, he said. "We can learn from other Southeast Asian countries who experienced setbacks and had to start from scratch because they had leaders who were not compatible with the countries' missions," he said.

"They needed leaders who could advance their countries," he said, adding that moral legitimacy is not always linked to the question of how long an official is in power.

Malaysia and Singapore advanced significantly during the long periods of leadership under Prime Minister Mahathir and Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, he said.

"If the country wants to advance, don't talk about who's going to be the (next) president. Why should we think about it? Let's just pray that whoever is elected will have the moral legitimacy of the people...What's important is for us to first improve political communication," he said.

"And in what direction is the political dialog aimed? To raise the awareness of the people that we need a civil society," he said. "Without it, we can't clear the path toward the future except with power."

The discussion was held by the Department of Political and Regional Studies of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). It was preceded by the launching of a book entitled Menelaah Kembali Format Politik Orde Baru (Review of New Order's Political Format). The book is a compilation of articles presented at a LIPI seminar on the same theme last year.

Department head Mochtar Pabottingi said the two-day discussion was meant to "review whether we are still loyal to the ideals of the establishment of the republic, or whether we have gone astray". (swe)