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)