Drunk on power

Drunk on power

Many of those who run the government in Indonesia are living
proof of Henry Kissinger's 1971 remark that "Power is the great
aphrodisiac". Having lost the June 7 general election, the Golkar
Party and its presidential candidate President B.J. Habibie have
unabashedly tried all kinds of tricks in order to bolster their
chances of staying in power, or at the very least of clinging
onto power for as long as they can.

First they tried to introduce legislation setting the criteria
for future presidents, despite the fact that Golkar's electoral
defeat put paid to its credibility to begin any initiatives in
the House of Representatives. The bill was clearly designed to
block the path to power of Megawati Soekarnoputri of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), who is
the clear front-runner and Habibie's chief rival in the November
presidential election. Then they set out to change procedures in
the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to make Habibie
accountable to the present Golkar-controlled assembly rather than
its successor. With Golkar in the minority, the new MPR is more
likely to reject Habibie's accountability report, and that would
deal a serious blow to his chances of clinching the presidency,
assuming that he continued to harbor the ambitions.

Golkar and Habibie, judging by an announcement by a senior
party leader on Friday, are now maneuvering to delay the MPR
session from its November date on the pretext that slow official
ballot counting by the General Elections Commission is pushing
back the entire national political agenda. While we have become
all too familiar with their schemes, both have been acting with
greater desperation lately as the moment of truth -- the time to
relinquish power -- approaches. It is frightening to think what
other tricks lie up their sleeve for when they become really
desperate.

The attempt to delay the MPR meeting shows that Golkar and
Habibie will stop at nothing in their blind ambition to stay in
control. They are even willing to sacrifice the interest of the
entire nation. Not only is the delay totally uncalled for, but it
will also prolong the period of political uncertainty and
therefore the suffering that the people have to endure.

The last thing that Indonesia wants at this stage is a delay
in the formation of a new government. The absence of a credible
and legitimate government is at the root of the crisis that has
wreaked havoc in this country these last two years. Instead of a
delay, the nation should be working toward moving forward the
entire election process, including the establishment of a new
government bearing credibility and legitimacy and, more
importantly, the people's consent.

Positive economic indicators aside, real recovery will only
occur if and when investors' confidence returns, and that means
nothing less than an end to the lingering political uncertainty.
The five-month wait between a general election and the MPR
session is already too long.

While Habibie and Golkar are still technically in charge, they
no longer have a monopoly in setting the national political
agenda, especially after last month's elections which clearly
showed the paltry support they enjoy nationwide. As a matter of
courtesy, any major decision from now on should be offered for
consultation with other winning parties, particularly PDI
Perjuangan. These include setting the date for the MPR meeting,
and the deliberation of any new bills in the House of
Representatives.

When the tyrannical Soeharto abruptly resigned from the
presidency in May last year, Habibie stepped in more by default
in his capacity as vice president than because he was necessarily
the right person for the job. Golkar, Soeharto's political
machine for 32 years, also lost its legitimate claim to govern
but was allowed to remain at the helm on the condition that it
organize free and fair elections.

Their constant maneuvers to keep power over the past year
simply confirm that they have lost any legitimate claim to their
positions, which is damningly reflected in provisional results
from the June 7 general election. The attempt to delay the MPR
session is a costly, wasteful and ultimately futile ploy to delay
the inevitable: Habibie and Golkar will have to give up power
soon, one way or another.