Expert laments emergence of unethical politics

Expert laments emergence of unethical politics

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Sociologist Loekman Soetrisno lamented the
emergence of what he called "unethical politics" marked by
politicians' inability to engage in fair competition or hold
candid talks.

Indonesian politicians resort to immature, plebeian methods
like setting up rival groups, the lecturer at Gadjah Mada
University said during a seminar on Saturday.

"There's no tradition of dialog or fair competition," he said.

"We are immersed in a culture which discourages competition.
We're shackled by this strong-rooted idea that competition is
bad...even when there is competition, it is held without any
rules," Loekman said.

Indonesian society has become very childish, throwing tantrums
every so often, he said.

"Political leaders here do not take defeat graciously. They do
not compete fairly or use various avenues of dialog," he said.

Rival groups have become a distinguished feature in Indonesian
politics in the past few years. Many organizations have had
disgruntled activists respond to defeat by establishing rival
groups.

The rift-laden Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the
largest Moslem organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), are two
examples of such a situation. Both PDI chief Megawati
Soekarnoputri and NU chairman Abdurrahman Wahid are currently
being challenged by rival leaders.

Abdurrahman is an outspoken government critic and a friend of
Megawati, whose party is seen as a potential threat to Golkar's
goal of absolute victory in the general election next year.

Despite losing at a formal congress, the leadership candidate
usually claims he has popular support of the organization's
members, Loekman said.

"The springing up of rival boards only undermines the
organization as a whole," Loekman said.

Loekman pointed out to the paternalistic relation between the
government and political organizations as another sign of
immaturity.

The Minister of Home Affairs functions as the "patron" of all
political organizations, he said. "There are patrons for just
about all organizations, from politics to the family welfare
movement."

Loekman then targeted Indonesian society as being infected by
mental disturbances.

"Practically everybody wants to be an official," he said.

"I need to remind us all, that we're entering a critical
period. If we fail to sail through this period safely, we'll see
the mushrooming of deviants in society," he lectured.

Another speaker at the "People, Politics and Development"
seminar was author Umar Kayam. He zeroed in on the
incompatibility of the nation's cultural myths to the prevailing
political reality as the problem. (har/mds)