Getting back on course

Getting back on course

Whatever her shortcomings, President Megawati Soekarnoputri is
not a person who is easily intimidated. Doubters only have to
remember her stubborn defiance of president Soeharto's iron-
fisted policies vis-a-vis the dissident faction of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI), which she led from 1993 to 1998 and which
later evolved into the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
PDI Perjuangan). This same characteristic might also explain her
initial refusal to bow to popular demand to annul the recently
announced hikes in fuel prices and electricity and telephone
rates.

The latest, and arguably most notable, illustration of this
particular characteristic was the challenge she threw up earlier
this week to her critics and political opponents to meet her
"face-to-face and like a man" in free and fair general elections
scheduled for next year, rather than trying to unseat her through
underhanded means. The President, of course, was referring to the
prolonged and increasingly rowdy street protests against the
price hikes that have been taking place over the past couple of
weeks.

And indeed, distressing as the thought may be, it is difficult
to simply dismiss rumors that are currently making their way
through the grapevine that certain parties are exploiting the
popular discontent that has arisen over the price hikes as a
vehicle to unseat the government and advance their own interests.
In fact, hints to that effect were made only days ago by the
coordinating minister for political affairs and security, quoting
intelligence information.

That information, of course, may or may not be correct. As far
as the general public is concerned, however, one of the things
that tends to lend credibility to those rumors is that the
protests have over the past days clearly shifted their focus --
or, to be more exact, have become shattered in their focus.

In the early days, immediately after the announcement of the
price increases, the demonstrations were centered predominantly
on protesting the hikes. However, the protests of the past few
days have become more and more focused on trying to bring down
the government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice
President Hamzah Haz, ignoring the fact that demands for a
rollback in the price hikes have at least in part been met.

Also ignored is the fact that it is impossible for the
government to continue to subsidize fuel prices forever because,
on the one hand, it lacks the money to do so and on the other it
is reluctant to continue borrowing forever, which would only mean
shifting the burden of repaying the loans to future generations
of Indonesians.

In view of all this, the question on everybody's lips these
days is what is going on? Toppling the government at this stage
and installing a new one would take the nation, once again, back
to square one. Clearly, this is something it cannot afford.
Therefore there is much to say for President Megawati's challenge
to our politicians to fight it out fairly in the upcoming general
elections in 2004.

This, of course, is not to say that the government can ignore
the genuine voice of the people. Protests are a legitimate
instrument of democracy for channeling discontent. Of course,
they can also be used by politicians with hidden agendas. But
protests would be much more difficult for such politicians to
organize in the absence of injustices and iniquities, whether
real or perceived.

This, we are afraid, is where the government of President
Megawati and Vice President Hamzah Haz falls short of
expectations. Little is perceived to have been done to combat
corruption. Indeed, the general perception is that corruption has
become even more entrenched under the present regime than it was
in the days of president Soeharto. Injustices, also, are seen as
still being committed, as exemplified in the privileged treatment
of wealthy businesspeople.

Democracy, still in its infancy after almost 57 years of
independence, must be allowed to grow and take its proper course
in this country. Falling into the habit of bringing about an
undue midterm change of government certainly would not serve this
objective.

As for the administration of President Megawati and Vice
President Hamzah Haz, this must not be taken as justification for
not starting to work hard to improve the situation and steer the
country back toward democratic reform.