Democratic yet effective government 'a challenge'

Democratic yet effective government 'a challenge'

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

To have a working democracy and an effective government
constitutes the biggest challenges today, says former defense
minister Juwono Sudarsono.

Soeharto's 32-year ruling government was effective but
authoritarian, Juwono said at a discussion following a book
launch here Tuesday.

On the other hand, it was widely believed that Soeharto's
predecessors B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati
Soekarnoputri, who all ruled the country after the reform
movement swept through the country in May 1998, had failed to set
up effective administrations.

Juwono said Megawati, who had ruled the country since July
last year, should start improving the effectiveness of her
administration.

The spate of violence and regional upheaval throughout the
country stemmed from the government's lack of effectiveness in
the past four years, he said at the book launching entitled
Toward a Democratic, Just and Plural Indonesia published by
the Forum of Communication for National Unity (FKKB).

"There is nothing more frightening than the absence of a
government like what happened four years ago," Juwono said,
referring to the massive riots in May 1998 that claimed hundreds
of lives.

To date the nation has yet to deal with the three-year-old
Christian-Muslim conflict in Maluku as well the separatist
movements in Aceh and Papua.

Other speakers at the discussion included publisher of the
Kompas daily newspaper Jakob Oetama and noted economist Sri
Mulyani Indrawati.

Jakob said the state administration was in dire need of high
standards of moral practice, but ethics alone would not be
effective without a political system to control the government.

"It needs a political system based on people's sovereignty,
freedom, and judicature."

Sri Mulyani said that economic development would not always
bring equal improvements to all members of society.

There would always be some who had more of an advantage than
others, she said, adding that each country with its distinct
social and political dimensions would adopt different
developmental policies.

"A country with high social and political sensitivity will
always seek an economic policy that brings equal distribution,"
said Mulyani.

In his opening remarks, FKKB chairwoman Rosita S. Noer said
the discussion was a means to gauge the nation's readiness for a
democratic political system after more than 50 years of
authoritarian rule.

The 177-page book comprises ideas from various experts and
scholars, including the late Harsja W. Bachtiar, Roeslan
Abdulgani, economist Mubyarto, sociologist Selo Soemardjan,
Juwono Sudarsono, Ryaas Rasyid, Mudji Sutrisno, and Khofifah
Indar Parawansa.