Dear Mr. President:
Dear Mr. President:
First of all, congratulations Mr. President! You already have
your place in history assured as the first directly and
democratically elected leader of Indonesia. That is a matter of
record for encyclopaedias and history books of the future; how
the history books report the success or failure of this great
mandate is entirely in your hands now.
You have said the right things since your inauguration; we can
see that you can talk the talk. You have announced that you will
personally lead the battle against corruption. Given our
confidence in you and the level of support you have in these
invigorating times, that in itself is cause for jubilation. For,
make no mistake, it will take a strong leader and one with great
public support to win that battle.
As a military man, you know what it is like to face a
decisive battle; you know that the future of millions of people,
indeed the future of Indonesia herself, depends on the outcome of
the confrontation that is about to take place. You know this;
that is presumably why you announced your intention to take
personal command of this struggle. You will now also walk the
walk.
You have enormous popular support for an enormously popular
cause. This is the window of opportunity this country has needed
for centuries in order to strike a fatal blow against the evil of
corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN). We urge you to attack
while the advantages we hold are at their maximum. Use the moral
high ground, use the people's weariness of corruption, use your
popularity, use your mandate to strike hard and fast. And do not
relent. The battle will be bloody and there will be casualties.
That is as it should be. But a half-hearted or indifferent
approach will lose the battle. For this battle to be won there
must be total commitment.
The people of Indonesia want you to succeed in your mandate.
The people of Indonesia deserve to have the great leader we know
you can be. There is nothing the people of this country want more
than to have your name become synonymous with the rebirth of
Indonesia as a modern, just and democratic country.
Employ the great power we have given you; turn your popularity
and your mandate towards this task and deal with the shame of KKN
in a tremendous cleansing effort. Once the stables have been
cleared out, we will be able to get on with the real task of
turning Indonesia into the country she can be.
PATRICK GUNTENSPERGER
Jakarta