Crossing the bridge to democracy

Crossing the bridge to democracy

The threat that the planned general election will not be held
(on June 7) seems to send the signal that both our bureaucrats
and our reformists have lost interest in the fate of this
country. It is true that, as intellectual Nurcholish Madjid has
said, the general elections won't be able to solve all our
problems immediately. Nevertheless, it provides a starting point
for us to work toward softening the crash, since the numerous
adversities we are facing have their origins in a legitimate
crisis.

It may be true that there are many doors leading out of the
gloom, but the first available one seems to be the general
election. For this reason, those of us who want to see change
must try to convince others of the vital importance of holding
the elections. A failure to do so would only benefit those who
want to see the status quo preserved.

The nation must use what little time is left to try to safely
cross that bridge to democracy called the general election. The
possibility that those given power will continue to disregard the
mandate of the constitution even after the elections are over is
something that must be dealt with in earnest later. Only by
taking this steadfast attitude can we make would-be destroyers
think twice before enacting their intentions.

Before we come to all that, though, once again, let's go
through the elections first. We must be patient -- as patient as
the farmer in the field who waits for his seeds to grow into
trees and bear fruit.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta