Confrontation?
With President Abdurrahman Wahid orally and undauntingly during a public meeting ordering the head of the police to arrest the youngest son of former president Soeharto, on suspicion of complicity in the latest bombing incident, confrontation has surfaced between the reformist camp and the New Order elements and sympathizers.
Still, one may question why the police seem hesitant to execute the order as contrary to the initial presidential charge, they say there is no substantial evidence to justify an arrest warrant.
Even the President himself retracted his statement by saying that the "arrest" should be seen as an investigation and a mere asking of questions, not the detention of the man.
Later, the mood changed into a spirit of hostile confrontation. In addition, he now has ordered the disarming of the Soeharto family's bodyguards. Firm action against them will be taken in case of noncompliance with the order.
The security authorities themselves seem to have been baffled by the sudden turn of events. The general public, meanwhile, has become more confused than before. The big question is whether all this is leading to a general solution of the many mysteries still hanging in the air. It looks as if the nation is getting closer to national confrontation rather than to national and social reconciliation. Legislators, judges and commentators, including the media as well as political and religious leaders, looked for a moment as if they had lost their speech and common sense.
However, there are wise people who argue that President Abdurrahman rarely says what he actually means or means literally what he says. His order to arrest Tommy Soeharto and his command to disarm Soeharto's bodyguards is not serious and only meant temporarily, and, as such, is insignificant, as in so many instances in the past.
Indeed, in such cases for a statesman in the top position, the right course to follow should have been to first consult his aides and ministers and collect enough material evidence before leveling accusations in public. What if the charges turn out to be baseless? Could this also be the result of mounting pressure following the Atambua tragedy? One can only guess.
GANDHI SUKARDI
Jakarta