Forum calls for return to the ideas of reform

By Fabiola Desy Unidjaja

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): A gathering of prominent national figures made a strong call here on Saturday for the nation to recommit to the ideals of reform by recommending an absolute break from antidemocratic institutions and practices of the past, including putting former president Soeharto and his cronies on trial.

In a political statement issued at the conclusion of its two- day dialog, the National Dialog Forum laid blame on the multidimensional conflict hitting the nation as a result of the vestiges of the past regime which were antidemocratic.

"For that reason we call on all components of the nation to reassert their joint commitment to the reform agenda by breaking ties with practices, actions, institutions and legal products of the past which were antidemocratic," the political statement read.

Among the steps which should be taken are fundamental changes in the Indonesian political system through constitutional amendments, electoral and party reform, agrarian reform and the phasing out of the Indonesian Military's sociopolitical role.

The forum brought together over 200 renowned figures, many of whom are regarded as the being at the forefront of the reform movement which helped bring an end to former president Soeharto's 32-year rule.

The dialog was held with the aim of formulating systemic methods which could help the country's many problems. It is particularly significant since it was held two months before the critical General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

President Abdurrahman Wahid addressed the forum later on Saturday night.

Five separate statements were issued: on politics, law, the economic sector, decentralization and social instability.

In its political statement, the forum stressed the need for constitutional amendments and highlighted specific areas which needed to be addressed in the 1945 Constitution: a direct presidential system, a bicameral system consisting of the House of Representatives and Regional Representatives, independence of the judiciary and state prosecutors office and additional constitutional articles on human rights, including gender equality.

The forum not only reasserted the need to phase out the Indonesian Military (TNI) from politics, but in fact stressed that the process be "accelerated".

It identified the need to abolish TNI's controversial territorial structure and, as if drawing from past personal experience, called for a new law which regulates and oversees intelligence activities.

Not only was the political role of TNI under scrutiny, but the forum also declared that TNI and the police should be barred from commercial activities.

On legal affairs, the forum urged that all antidemocratic legal rulings be annulled.

More specifically, they also called for the "immediate trial of Soeharto and his cronies" and to resolve all corruption, collusion cases and human rights violations.

There was also reference to growing concern over military- style civilian guards and whether to disband these paramilitary units, including the militarization of political parties.

The key, touched on in at least three of the five statements, was the supremacy of the law.

"The weakness of the legal authorities and government apparatus have opened the possibility for social anarchy. The people no longer trust government officials to resolving social conflicts," the social instability statement said.

The forum further warned that never in the republic's history had the country seen such social violence, noting the worrying trend of communal violence and social displacement.

It added that "the social cultural mosaic of Indonesia, particularly in the eastern half of the country, has been manipulated by various parties".

Given such a crisscross of ethnicities and environments, the forum proposed that, as a long term measure, a social mapping of the country be conducted with particular emphasis on ascertaining the settlement patterns, strategic resources and subjective realities of each area.

It further noted that much of the current regional and national problems stemmed from the strong centralistic nature of the past government and, thus, there must be effective control of power in the future.