Democracy in RI growing too fast to handle

Democracy in RI growing too fast to handle

By Shefali Rekhi

SINGAPORE: Democracy could be unfolding too fast for Indonesia's leaders and people to digest and this is partly responsible for the current political instability.

This was the prognosis of the country's legislative chief, Amien Rais, who held Indonesian leaders primarily responsible for the country's current state of affairs.

The outspoken politician said some of the leaders are still not prepared mentally to lead a new life.

"Indonesia has had a feudal political culture and there are a lot of remnants of feudal mentality which are still prevailing," said the head of People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in an interview with The Straits Times.

The people, too, were still trying to inculcate democratic values and learning to respond to democratic ethics.

Indonesia's first brush with democracy was between the years 1945 and 1959, but it was short-lived as President Sukarno's authoritarian regime reigned.

The current experiment began in May 1998 when President Soeharto finally stepped down after a rule of over three decades.

After much rioting and bloodshed, the country held general elections in 1999 and abolished controls on the press.

"We had to begin by reading the first few alphabets of democracy," Amien commented.

"When people are learning, then they are bound to fall. They will stand again, fall and then stand again. That is what we are facing now."

But the Indonesian leader, who was at one time a serious contender for President (in 1999) and has not given up his aspirations, does agree that the present chaotic conditions have to end.

His solution: Amend the country's Constitution to clearly specify the division of powers between the President and Parliament, reduce the powers of the President and give more autonomy to the provinces.

Indonesia's Constitution dates back to 1945 and was initially meant to be functional for the first six months only. However, the same Constitution is still being followed though it has gone through amendments twice.

As Amien pointed out, despite the amendments, there is still confusion between the powers of the President and the legislature. In the past, this has led to conflicting situations.

Another critical issue that Indonesia needs to tackle urgently is that of giving autonomy to the provinces.

The inability of the central government to address the needs of the people of Aceh, Kalimantan and West Irian has been the reason for the mayhem in the country.

Amien acknowledged that the country made a historical mistake in centralizing power and giving the provinces little say in their own destiny.

Now, he said, justice must be ensured as quickly as possible:

"It is a race against time. Only when justice is given to the citizens will these movements not only die down, but also disappear.

"Unfortunately, leaders are ignorant about these key issues and think that justice can be delayed and canceled."

If the riots were any indication, patience within the country clearly seems to be running out. But before the country can attend to that, it must resolve its current political stalemate.

On reducing the President's powers, he said: "There is a saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely and, therefore, the President should not be given too much power.

"In the current situation, the President is still too strong.

"That is why you have heard him screaming to dissolve Parliament."

Two years after lending support for President Abdurrahman's nomination for the top job, he says he regrets doing so.

Now, Indonesia clearly needs a leader who won't lose his support within months or even a couple of years.

All hopes now rest on Vice-President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is being supported by Amien and Akbar Tandjung, Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR).

But even Amien gives her only an "A minus" rating as a leader.

He hopes that when it comes to power-sharing arrangements, she will not make the same mistakes that Abdurrahman made.

For Indonesia's future, Indonesian citizens will hopefully rate her "A plus".

The writer is with The Straits Times Foreign Desk.

-- The Straits Times/Asia News Network