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.