Controversies galore
Despite the twice-repeated warning from defense minister Mahfud MD that any further deterioration of the political situation might induce the military to take over, few Indonesians seem to believe that a coup is imminent -- all the more so since reassurances have also been given by the top brass in the military that no coup is in the making. And in any case, it is generally believed that even if it wanted to do so, the Indonesian Military lacks the solidity and the influence to seize power. President Abdurrahman Wahid, for that matter, has assured the media that "nothing is wrong".
Nevertheless, Indonesians from the President down to party politicians in the national Assembly, as well as youth and student leaders outside would do well to heed Mahfud's warning because, at the very least, it reflects a concern that most Indonesians seem to share. The situation is threatening to get out of hand and governance, good or bad, is in danger of being eroded as political factions fight their rivalries out in the streets through massive demonstrations.
Those Indonesians who are old enough to remember see an uneasy parallel between the current situation and the one that existed in the 1950s when the fledgling Indonesian Republic was first experimenting with parliamentary democracy. In that brief period of "free-fight" liberal democracy, cabinets rose and fell in rapid succession -- many lasting for just a few months -- not because they were unseated by due democratic parliamentary procedures, but because of outside pressures. That situation led then president Sukarno to issue a decree reinstating the country's tentative Constitution of 1945, which provided for a strong executive. That incident marked the beginning of authoritarian rule in Indonesia which effectively ended only in 1998, after the fall of president Soeharto's New Order regime.
Leaked reports of President Abdurrahman Wahid's offhand off- the-record remark, made in front of the chief editors of several local newspapers and news agencies in Bogor last Saturday, that he was thinking of disbanding the House of Representatives has done nothing to ease the public's anxiety over the current situation and has instead even prompted the minister of justice and human rights, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, to comment that such a measure would be unconstitutional.
It can of course be assumed that the President was speaking in his usual nonchalant, jesting manner, since he must know that under the current Constitution the President cannot dissolve the legislature. Nevertheless, uncontrolled statements such as this coming from a head of state and head of government do tend to create divisive controversies in an already politically divided nation such as Indonesia. In the meantime, street rallies and protest demonstrations continue to heat up the political climate in Jakarta, paralyzing traffic, upsetting the daily working schedules of the population and all but rendering the government ineffective.
If Indonesians are serious about their intention to rebuild their country and bring about political and economic reform, order must be restored and stability established. This does not necessarily mean a return to authoritarian rule. But so long as they continue to fight out their political rivalries in the streets rather than in the legislature, the hope remains dim that those goals can be achieved. For the Indonesian public, the novelty of the practice of democracy through noisy street demonstrations and street battles is already wearing off.
For certain, President Abdurrahman Wahid can make a big contribution to restoring the public peace simply by refraining from making controversial statements. Or he could just leave the making of public statements to his spokespersons.