Forming an opposition in Indonesian govt

Membangun Oposisi: Agenda-Agenda Perubahan Politik Masa Depan (Forming Opposition: The Agenda of Future Political Changes); By Eep Saefulloh Fatah; PT. Remaja Rosdakarya, Bandung 1999; xxviii and 216 pages; Rp 17,500

JAKARTA (JP): Like it or not, the Indonesian era of reform has created a remarkable blast of democratization. Since the power of the New Order withered, this country has gone through a drastic political transition.

Formerly, the political culture was (forced to be) hesitant to participate in the political process, but now the freedom of participation, in all its forms, is alive and kicking.

Will Indonesian democratization continue on the right track? Optimists answer, naturally, yes. The reason for this is that the majority of society's pillars have apparently been given a role in the political process.

These pillars include the mushrooming political parties as well as the mass media, which has been significantly liberalized.

Pessimists disagree with the above argument. They say that what is happening in Indonesia is merely the euphoria of a new- found democracy. The Indonesian version of democratization is fictitious, emotional and tends to be uncontrollable, pessimists argue.

Regardless of which view is true, the quick pace of Indonesian democratization has recently focused on how to form a government, ironically enough.

The "iron law" of oligarchy declares that only a few people can come to power. The rest, or the majority, must remain outside the arena of power. In this manner, the most important aspect of democracy is the mode of political participation for those left out of power. Therefore, the opposition format is relevant and crucial for Indonesia.

The book Membangun Oposisi offers visions and actions for those parties which wish to position themselves as the opposition. Eep Saefulloh Fatah states that opposition is a saying or an action that fights falsehood by emphasizing and supporting all which is correct and just (p.xi). Clearly, the opposition is not merely a rebellion which shouts and fights those in power by employing unethical measures.

Why is an opposition a political necessity for the new Indonesian democracy? Because there are symptoms within Indonesian democracy which tend to propel it from the authoritarianism New Order toward a topsy-turvy no-order.

One of the parameters of a democratic system is the existence of opposition within the government. Eep worries that a "reconsolidation of authoritarianism" might occur in Indonesia -- made clear by his reference to Guillermo O'Donnell et al. and Peter Worsley.

There are various factors causing the emergence of a reconsolidation of authoritarianism in Indonesia. First, the existing changes in the political system are not revolutionary changes, as with a total and fundamental change of regime.

The second factor is the unmanageable and long-lasting uncertainty facing the country. Third is the military factor. The fourth factor is the role an expanded freedom has played in deadly and uncontrollable conflicts and the fifth factor is that the prodemocracy social movement has run out of breath.

According to Eep, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, the most important thing for an active opposition is a political system which allows diversity to prosper, competition among groups, tolerates different ideologies and has effective control mechanisms. When these requirements are fulfilled, the people, together with all the elements of the political system, will automatically go through the process of cultural perfection (p.xiii).

This book is divided into five parts. Included in the book is a collection of Eep's essays which have been published in the mass media.

What is particular about this book is that the essays do not include Eep's analysis of the political phenomena which have occurred in the reform era, but instead deal with the political constellation in the last years of the New Order regime.

However, these essays continue to remain fresh and relevant, making this a book which will remain meaningful for a long time to come. We can see in the book Eep's excellence and courage in presenting his antiauthoritarianism attitude, all with brilliant analysis.

The book's prologue covers the history of Indonesia's political life by comparing the country with Nigeria.

From here, we see the 32-year-old Eep for all his brilliant political intelligence. His writing is full of logic, theoretical references and outstanding concepts. This is systematic and bright writing wrapped in poetic language.

This book is appropriate material for public discourse or debate. One such debate could address Eep's terminology concerning the essence of opposition.

Eep states the essence of opposition rests in its clarity of vision as well as its consistency in upholding the truth. To accomplish such an essence without supporting any political party is needed for a functioning opposition.

Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party, Yusril Ihza Mahendra of the Crescent Star Party and a number of other political figures once declared they were ready to take up the role of the opposition if they did not receive the support of the majority of Indonesians in the elections.

If these figures are criticizing those in power, is it necessary for them first to remove the shirts of their respective political parties? It is difficult to separate Amien and Yusril from their parties, and they should continue as the leaders of their parties as well as the opposition to those in power.

We believe that the opposition can either be a member of a political party or can be neutral. There are a number of pillars of Indonesian society which are able to be form an opposition without being involved with political parties.

Nevertheless, it is more advisable if the opposition is formed through political parties. In this way, opposition politicians can prepare themselves to move into the circles of power.

This book is an important read for Indonesian politicians, analysts and those interested in politics. It could become one of the references on how to form an opposition amid the democratization of Indonesia.

-- Yasmi Adriansyah and Lynda Kurnia Wardhani

The reviewers are members of the Indonesian Transparency Society