Democracy first, but where is prosperity?

Mohammad Noviz Zakhrisyah, Surabaya

"I do not care", responded President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to public criticism of his first 100 days in office. Susilo knows the rules of the game. He was elected president for five years and people have to swallow what he does during his term. That's it, democracy has designed the powers in this republic.

At the beginning of the reform era, in the middle of a never- ending economic crisis, elections offered a grandiose opportunity for Indonesia, the biggest democratic archipelago in the world. Through the elections, Indonesians tried to find a leader capable of bringing the country to the promised land: a country with monetary stability and prosperity promised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through its program of selling state assets.

More than 200 hundred million people here became patients of the IMF. They blamed the condition on the Soeharto regime: an authoritarian government supported by the United States, the supposed most democratic country on Earth.

Most people do not understand what a monetary crisis means. They only understand that the value of the US dollar increases very high (a condition that even executives in the country did not pay attention to before). Actually, even mothers and their children talk about US dollars to buy American candy like M&Ms or to eat at McDonald's. Finally, the monetary crisis had a positive impact in opening people's eyes to see how an international issue can influence their lives.

Every one in Indonesia welcomed the elections and hoped they would have a positive impact on their lives, or at least not make things even worse and prompt George W. Bush to intervene in the country to improve the situation, as he promised to do in Afghanistan and Iraq people.

The elections certainly did give the positive impression that people are now free to choose their leaders. The international community hoped the elections would educate Indonesians after the Soeharto era and that this new democracy would open the doors to foreign investment.

A new democracy was born as a new religion, with its challenges and hopes. Every one admires it and wishes very much to improve their lives. Indonesia is now really democratic and Indonesians are now proud to tell the world that they live in a democratic country.

This democracy is like a cake fresh from the oven, and people have smelled the aroma (because they heard on TV that Bush said democracy could bring prosperity). But smelling is not enough. People want to a get a piece of the cake. Democracy has to improve the country before people get bored with poverty and decide its time for another authoritarian regime like the Soeharto regime, which did bring prosperity.

For instance, the process of the elections did bring an economic effect by increasing expenses. Some people enjoyed this economic phenomenon. Travel warnings came from the governments of several countries, eroding the good image of democracy and the elections.

Now, 100 days after the inauguration of the new president, people only smell the aroma, but they do not get a taste of the cake. More severely, the country has been commercialized by the new government. How? By exploiting materials in the soil and the sea that belong to all Indonesians, and selling these items at a commercial price to their own people. The IMF is gone but its spirit remains.

The oil subsidy will be switched to improve health services, education and other social programs, most directed at the poor. Whoever protests this policy is considered as defending the rich and oppressing the poor.

On the one hand, the government wants to help the poor by giving them social safety nets, but on the other hand the government cut the income of the poor by reducing their income because of lower demand caused by the multiplier effect of inflation. This is a kind of government circus where one government hand pulls a drowning man out of water, while another government hand pushes the man's head down.

The government, highly confident, said it had a five-year mandate and could do what it thought was best without any interruptions from anybody. Democracy ends when the elections are over and people can only wait until the next elections.

In a country celebrating its graduation from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one, the miracle of democracy bringing prosperity is still a mirage. Democracy is considered the way to transform our Frankenstein of a country into a paradise of prosperity. While Frankenstein, played by Susilo, is busy with multidimensional-crisis puzzles, a guest lecturer, called tsunami, came and the lesson was "management and coordination". The guest lecturer and his assistants, foreign military forces and volunteers, are enthusiastic to give a tutorial to problem student, Susilo.

In the name of economic growth, the government paraded out international events such as the infrastructure summit to attract investors. Infrastructure development can give prosperity to the people, said a government official, by providing employment, and to finance the work we all have to accept non-subsidized oil. Once again, the government found a reason to defend their actions. The aroma of the cake has increased and all the people can do is smell it.

Reducing poverty became an issue in the presidential election. But now the fight against poverty has become a fight against poor domiciles. Everywhere, the poor have to move from their domiciles. Poor domiciles are replaced by luxury trade centers because this increases economic growth and attracts more investors. Darwinian selection continues, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

There is still time to correct mistakes, but as Confucius said: "Whoever makes a mistake and does not correct it is making another mistake." Or Susilo does not want to listen to public opinion and does not want to change. We still have a last hope. We pray to God to talk to Susilo and make him listen, work harder and have more ideas and courage. Amen.

The writer works in Surabaya. He is an industrial engineering graduate from the Universite Evry in France.