Flicker of hope

Flicker of hope

Seven years ago to this day, President Soeharto uttered that
famous remark "I quit", thus ending his 32-year rule amid tumult
on the streets. The abrupt termination ushered in what we now
refer to as the "reform era", which supposedly put us on the path
towards a more democratic, just and prosperous nation. On May 21,
1998, students danced in the streets after they successfully
forced Indonesia's strongman to make that drastic but inevitable
decision to step down. There was much hope and expectation that
the process of nation-building could proceed upon more solid
foundations.

Certain weather patterns and agricultural activities cycle in
seven-year periods. And though we could hardly analyze the life
of a nation in cyclical terms, the fact is that Indonesia and
Indonesians have gone through a lot these last seven years. Many
of us could be could be forgiven for asking whether we will see a
golden period over the next seven years; so much blood, sweat and
tears have been shed that people in this nation have a valid
claim to demand some sort of payback soon.

In spite of all the reforms that have been carried out in
almost every field -- political, economic, legal and social --
there are still too many unfulfilled expectations that raise the
question: Has it all been worth it?

For the majority of the people, their living standards have
still not returned to the levels before the advent of the 1998
economic crisis. This much we know from the nation's per-capita-
income, which is still below the highest level achieved during
the Soeharto years. Aggregates and statistics don't tell the
whole story, however. Many people still live in abject poverty,
and many others are barely above the poverty line that makes them
highly vulnerable to even slight economic downturns. Another
indicator that the lives of many ordinary Indonesians has not
improved is unemployment, which is officially put at 10 percent
and rising. Add to this the 40 million or so of the workforce who
are under-employed, and we get a picture that for most ordinary
people, reforms have not much changed their lot. If anything,
many are finding themselves in worse condition.

Certain things have barely changed in other areas of the
nation's life too. Corruption remains rampant, even as one
president after another promised to rein in this malady. The
search for justice remains elusive for most, and impunity is the
order of the day for the politically and economically powerful,
even as one president after another promised to turn Indonesia
into a country ruled by law. Our personal safety has not improved
with soaring crime rates; and people in Maluku, Poso in Central
Sulawesi, Papua and Aceh, have had to live with endless conflict.

But are things really that bad? Have we squandered these seven
years just like that? Those who see the glass half empty would
say that the reform era is dead in the water. Some even suggest
that we should go back to a Soeharto-style government, doing away
with freedom and democracy, and putting economic development as
the sole agenda.

Those who see the glass as half full believe that all is not
lost. Some good things have come out of the reform process but it
is easy to overlook them amidst all the despondency that went
with unmet expectations.

For one, the nation still enjoys a far larger degree of
freedom of expression and association, when there was virtually
none under Soeharto's rule-by-terror.

Today, we can vent our anger at our leaders and politicians if
they fail to live up to expectations; judging by the endless open
protests we see across the country, our leaders have a lot to
answer for. Corruption may still be rampant, but the free press
run these stories on the front page not only to draw public
attention, but also to put pressure on the authorities to get
their act together. None of this was possible under Soeharto.

We have also seen a plethora of new political parties and
labor unions formed over the last seven years just as an example
of how this constitutional right to form associations has been
used, for better or for worse, by the citizens of this country.

There are also the democratic elections that we have held
since 1999, including for the first time, the direct election of
our president in 2004. Sovereignty is now almost fully returned
to the people. We may have been wrong in voting for this party or
for that candidate at the last election, but we now have the
choice of not returning them to office in the next election. This
option was completely non-existent under Soeharto.

All in all, things have not been as bad as some would have us
believe. We are making progress, albeit painfully slow. We have
secured freedom of expression and association to some extent, but
not yet freedom from poverty or freedom from fear. Those should
be on our agenda for the next seven years.

If there is one lesson of this last seven years, it is that
change comes slowly in this country.

Amidst the inevitable gloom-and-doom comments that will
accompany today's seventh anniversary of the reform era, there is
still a flicker of hope that Indonesia is on the right track. A
lot ultimately depends on our elected leaders, for they can
decide how far and how fast they want to push the reform agenda.