Does the elite want to wreck Indonesia?

By Omar Halim

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has been going through remarkable changes ever since May 1998 when president Soeharto stepped down.

Through this unprecedented era Indonesia should be transforming itself politically, from an authoritarian to a democratic system, and economically, from a porous and rotten system to one that is efficient, dynamic and with a sound foundation, to provide full opportunities for most Indonesians to increase their well-being.

The tasks are therefore enormous. First, there is a need to reverse the disintegrative, centrifugal process caused by past central government policies which were based on greed and arrogance and which completely disregarded the people's interests, especially in outlying regions.

This task was made particularly more difficult by the policy of president B.J. Habibie, which led to the loss of our 27th province, East Timor.

Second, reform leaders must change the political system and institutions to make officials completely and directly accountable to the people. Pressure pioneered by the students had set this course and the 1999 special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) started this process of change.

The remaining important changes required are the establishment of: a direct presidential election system; a totally elected legislative representation system; an optimum decentralization system, giving the people substantial say over the affairs of their region but with due regard to the nation's interest; a completely independent judiciary and a professional police force which has integrity to uphold the law based on equal rights; and a highly effective military to safeguard territorial integrity.

Third, further reform in the economy is required to eliminate the vestiges of corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) to enable effective international competition. Equally important is for the government to orient economic facilities to stimulate economic activities of the common people, unlike in the past.

These tasks should be met through close and concerted cooperation of all reform political leaders at the central, regional or local levels. At the center, the setting is established appropriately with Amien Rais as speaker of the Assembly, Akbar Tandjung as speaker of the House of Representatives and Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri as President and Vice President.

The legislative and executive branches of government are under the control of reform leaders. They are responsible for completing reform, at the constitutional or legal level, and in policy-making and implementation.

Whatever the shortcomings of the procedure which elected the President, Abdurrahman was elected legitimately and he was indeed the most appropriate person to lead change. He is a highly respected social and political leader who has the best ability to bring together all the segments of the reform movement and the old regime.

The other leaders were either tainted by their association with the old regime, which remains quite powerful, or uncompromisingly opposed to the former regime. Again, one of the first tasks of the present leaders is to jointly engineer national reconciliation to reverse the disintegrative process.

This means bringing together all conflicting parties to build a new Indonesia. The complexity of the disintegration problem is reflected by the various conflicts that have erupted based on differences in regional, religious and ethnic affiliation, and in diverse economic and political interests.

These conflicts, superimposed on 210 million people spread across a 5,000 kilometer-wide archipelago, have posed a great danger to the country's unity. Where the conflicts were a result of, or accompanied by, systematic atrocities inflicted on the population, justice has to be served.

But in the context of national reconciliation, due consideration must be made for those perpetrators who have admitted their guilt to the victims and the rest of the nation; who express deep regret over their past deeds; who vow not to allow such deeds to occur again; and, if feasible, provide compensation to the victims.

The nation has to find a way to cleanse itself of past mistakes and start anew to build a truly harmonious, just and prosperous future.

Can Indonesians attain this goal? The behavior and deeds of their political leaders, the reformists and those from the old regime, cast grave doubt on their ability to do so. The reformists do not seem to realize their important duty and responsibility, which is to steer the country away from ruin.

They behave as if as there is no tomorrow and that now is the opportunity for them, by hook or by crook, to grab power. Almost every time a shortcoming of the present government surfaces -- mainly due to inexperience -- the other reform leaders have been talking about impeaching the President!

Do they think the highly difficult reform process can be jump- started by a new President every year? In addition, KKN, which the reform leaders are supposed to have banished, seems alive and well.

If all the hubbub is driven by the need to organize political campaigns in 2004, can't the Assembly and the House establish clear guidelines now and provide sufficient resources for political parties to campaign equally and fairly?

The catchword among the reform leaders in the executive or legislative branches should be consultation and concerted cooperation to turn this country around. Otherwise, they will be accountable to the people for an aborted reform process or a disintegrated nation.

Meanwhile the leaders of the old regime should be made to realize that, as Indonesians, they will have an important role to play once the "level playing field" has been set by the reformists. They could come back and contribute significantly to the building of a new country. This will be possible through national reconciliation, which must start as soon as possible.

The choices are very clear for all of our political leaders. Either (a) unselfishly cooperate fully to complete reform so everyone, abiding by the new rules, will have the chance to help build the new nation or (b) continue to sabotage and elbow each other out of the way until the nation they are supposed to be serving disintegrates and falls prey to outsiders. The choice is theirs.

The writer, a former senior staff member at the United Nations, is based in Jakarta.