Does history repeat itself?

Does history repeat itself?

The birth of new organizations continues with the setting up
of Majelis Syarikat Ummat Muslimin Indonesia (Masyumi) last week.
Many of these groups bear acronyms similar or identical to well-
known political parties of the past. Political analyst J.
Soedjati Djiwandono looks at this phenomenon.

JAKARTA (JP): Recent developments in the socio-political life
of the nation seem to be symptoms of deep seated problems. New
mass organizations that initially appear to emphasize non-
sectarian orientations, despite their denials, appear to be
rising from the graves of defunct Islamic, Christian and
nationalist political parties.

This does not necessarily create immediate political confusion
among the public. Perhaps nobody sees these groups as having much
of a direct influence on the Indonesian political scene in the
foreseeable future. Their emergence seems simply to constitute
the assertion of democratic rights, particularly freedom of
expression and assembly, which have been curtailed over the past
years. One can easily recall the case of an attempt to set up a
new federation of trade unions and the persecution of certain
founding members of the Independent Journalists' Alliance (AJI)
with its unlicensed but still surviving publication.

However, the emergence of these organizations could be a
symptom of a much more serious problem. It may well be that the
nation is experiencing a crisis of confidence. The public is
apparently losing faith in state institutions. For some time a
loss of confidence in the representative bodies, particularly the
House of Representatives and the political parties, has been
apparent. There are also doubts about the independence of the
courts of justice, although in the case of Tempo magazine, the
courts have proven they can take a courageous independent stance.
And public outcries have been heard against statements made by
government leaders on certain issues.

Some of the causes for this situation are not hard to uncover.
Confusion seems to prevail not only among the public but among
high-ranking government circles. There is obviously lack of
coordination among cabinet ministers and military leaders, which
reflects ambivalence and split opinions regarding certain issues.
This may confuse the people. It raises the question of who really
speaks for the government, or the Armed Forces, as a whole?

More importantly, the authorities seem to be losing self
confidence. Government leaders are becoming touchy and defensive.
Criticisms tend to be rejected off hand irrespective of merit.
There is a growing tendency for officials to seek out scapegoats,
however imaginary, for so many wrongs, some of which may be the
result of their own doing.

Thus, in the midst of recent praise from abroad for the
achievements of the New Order regime, some of which may be
genuine and not without foundation, the authorities have been
overly concerned with the possibility of a negative image of the
country, particularly as relates to the issues of human rights,
democratic freedom and social justice. Blame is readily placed on
communists, non-governmental organizations, or the groups that
have been dubbed "formless organizations", as well as nameless
"traitors", who are said to be telling "lies" overseas to
discredit the government and to discourage further assistance for
Indonesia.

Indeed, the implications of the globalization of communication
systems, borderless states and a more open world, with the advent
of e-mail and internet as some of its manifestations, seem to
remain beyond the grasp of the generation in power. One is
reminded of the period of revolution for national independence,
when the label "Dutch spies" often victimized innocent people, or
of the post-independence years under president Sukarno, when the
branding of people as agents of neo-colonialism and imperialism
would suffice to terrorize political dissidents.

In light of the current situation, one cannot help but ask:
Could it be that history really does repeat itself?

The writer is a member of the Board of Directors of the Centre
for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta.