Deformation pervasive, reform elusive
Social unrest continues to terrorize the nation. It seems endless and whole communities are on edge. Amid threats of national disintegration, we asked Dr. H.S. Dillon, chairman of the Coordinating Body for National Unity (Bakom PKB) and a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, to place recent events in perspective.
Question: Why does there appear to be a breakdown in national unity ?
Dillon: This a complex issue, but in our case I would say that centralization and unbridled greed in all walks of life are the major factors. The imperial center shows very little regard for the regions, extracting so much from them while giving them very little in return. Often, regional communities feel that they are not being treated as equals, but are regarded more as enemies to be exterminated. Now, with a much-weakened center, they are mounting an offensive for a greater say. They are demanding greater control over their own futures.
Q: Surely things have changed under the reform Cabinet?
D: That is a misnomer because since Soeharto was forced to step aside deformation has been much more dominant than reformation. That is why everywhere one sees misshapen institutions and norms, whose natural shapes have been altered by pressures and stresses, while the correction of errors, the removal of defects and the abandonment of irresponsible and immoral practices remains elusive.
Q: Could you be more specific?
D: Yes, but where should one begin? Let's just begin with the Cabinet. Although many of the ministers say in private that even Gorbachev was a staunch communist before launching glasnost, the people know how corrupt some of them have been. These ministers are very crafty. Although they pretend to support the President, they know that he does not have much of a chance in the elections. Thus, you can see ministers issuing all sorts of misguided directives, such as the export tax on crude palm oil; positioning cronies in state-owned enterprises with a total disregard for corporate governance. Thus, the council of ministers has been further deformed by personal ambition. Some of them are former Soeharto loyalists, while others are new aspirants trying to accumulate funds and create their own personal constituencies ahead of the upcoming elections.
Q: Are these practices limited to the Cabinet?
D: Unfortunately not. The ruling elite perseveres the old KKN (corruption, collusion and nepotism) mind-set. Listening to the comments and watching the antics of high ranking officials, it is obvious that the offices of the President and the attorney general are being reduced to communal fiefdoms, robbing them of any remaining credibility. In the meantime, the law enforcers are enjoying a windfall, summoning a string of citizens who were 'lucky' during the previous regime and managed to amass large personal fortunes, without bringing any of them to trial. The businessmen, many of them former rent-seekers now donning the garb of cooperatives, are having a last hurrah trying to make as much as possible by jumping on the bandwagon of the people's economy while the inept and corrupt bureaucrats are still in place. Other leaders? They continue to incite the people, pitting brother against brother, playing upon divisive instincts for their own purposes, demonstrating total disregard for national unity.
Q: What do you think of the Armed Forces, and what role will they play in the future?
D: They need to engage in a great deal of soul-searching and make a major effort to transform themselves. For a start, they should no longer issue public orders to shoot on sight. Even criminals have rights, and as law-abiding citizens we all have to respect due process. Soldiers can not continue to be judge and jury, meting out death sentences at will. While their troops are seen to be no more disciplined than armed vigilantes, it will be difficult for the generals to play a constructive role in the nation's future. The honest and nationalistic officers among them should spearhead an effort to look for the truth behind the gross violations of human rights in Aceh, Irian Jaya, Jakarta and East Timor. They should also try to heal wounds through a process of national reconciliation and stay in the forefront of the reform movement toward democratization. Only by transforming themselves back into the "People's Army" founded by General Sudirman will they be able to find a respectable place in the new Indonesia.
Q: What hope is there for Indonesia's future?
D: I have great hope. I am confident that our people will rise to overcome this daunting challenge, as they have done many times in the past. We need enlightened leaders to mount such a response, but I am sure that this catastrophic learning experience will produce such leadership. Just look at the courage shown by our children, the students, who have sacrificed even their lives. They have been very strong in resisting efforts by traditional power brokers to maintain the status quo by spreading dissension among their ranks. Fear not, our students are the real Indonesians, placing national interests ahead of their own. They are the bearers of the torch, and they will keep the 1945 flame alive.