Democracy is dying: Gus Dur says

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Moslem scholar Abdurrahman Wahid says democracy is dying here because the powerful elite has made sure that the existing political system will stifle people's attempts to assert independence.

The chairman of the 30-million member Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) organization, who is better-known as Gus Dur, said in an informal discussion with local intellectuals and observers here on Sunday that "democracy is gravely ill".

"In fact, it's dying," he said. He cited various proofs of what he referred to as "the trampling of people's sovereignty by a handful of people in power", including the current leadership crisis besetting the minority Indonesian Democratic Party.

"The campaign to break democracy has 90 percent succeeded. The public is now too afraid to protest, to ask questions, to initiate anything," according to the activist of Forum Demokrasi, a loose group of the government's staunchest critics.

The only venue left for people's aspirations is the tradition of deliberation in order to reach consensus, where people are encouraged to express opinions, but submit to any decisions taken by the whole group.

"Even so, it depends on whether the government is willing (to accept the results of the deliberation)," he said.

Abdurrahman cited the muted press as yet another example of the poor state of democracy.

"Look at how our press has been castrated," he said. "The press apply a very tight self-censorship in order to survive. But we can't blame them, because `the system' forces them to be that way."

Abdurrahman was responding to a participant at the discussion, U.S. Rafik, who complained that he usually got only 40 percent of worthy information from the press. "The remainder is garbage," he said.

"Forty percent is good enough, because the figure will probably decline," Abdurrahman answered.

Abdurrahman, however, did not put all the blame on the power holders. He also blamed a transition of people's lifestyle, from the so-called "traditional" to "modern", as the reason why democracy has not grown strong here.

"The change may not take place in structure, but in people's conduct," he said. "Look how our religious leaders and priests are no longer able to make independent decisions because of the government's meddling." (23/swe)