Good governance is a must

Good governance is a must

By Aleksius Jemadu

BANDUNG (JP): Oct. 28 is always a day for reflection. In 1928,
seventy years ago today, Indonesian youths from different ethnic
and religious backgrounds gathered in Jakarta and proclaimed that
they belonged to the same nation and motherland with one national
language. That was the birth of Indonesian nationalism and an
important step toward independence, which eventually came on Aug.
17, 1945, when Indonesia finally shook off its colonial shackles.

As a political force, nationalism remains as important as
ever. It is supposed to revitalize our willingness to live
together as a nation. Nationalism can be viewed as the soul of a
nation, without which the common goals of its members could never
be achieved. Political realists regard it as an important element
in national power.

It is important to note that nationalism is confronted with
different challenges from time to time. During the colonial
period, nationalism was needed to fight against the colonial
power. Today Indonesian nationalism no longer faces the threat of
colonialism, but new challenges have taken the place of this old
adversary.

There are at least two sources of challenges: domestic and
international.

The two are closely related. Along with the process of
political reform, more and more Indonesian regions, especially
those with abundant natural resources like Aceh, Irian Jaya, East
Kalimantan and Riau, have voiced their dissatisfaction with the
way the central government has exploited their natural resources.

As the New Order government pushed the national economy out
into the global market, these regions appear to have suffered
rather than benefited from the process.

People of East Kalimantan could legitimately ask: How much
benefit (if at all) they have received from almost three decades
of exploitation of their forests? Were the people of Irian Jaya
thoroughly consulted when the central government "sold out" their
huge stock of copper and gold? Other regions could also raise
similar questions regarding their natural resources.

Another domestic challenge to nationalism has been posed by
the systemic violation of human rights during Soeharto's rule, a
problem to which the present government seems to be incapable of
offering a comprehensive solution. Apologies made by the
government, no matter how sincere they are, will never be enough
to heal the deep wounds caused by such repression.

Real and consistent action is needed to allow a comprehensive
national reconciliation. Otherwise we will only be sowing the
seeds of bitterness and hatred among the victims.

From a global perspective we tend to live in an increasingly
unequal and unjust world. Many people wonder why such inequality
has become worse while nations throughout the world have
enthusiastically embrace the principles of political and economic
liberalism. As Nancy Birdsell (Foreign Policy, Summer, 1998)
succinctly put it: "Ironically, inequality is growing at a time
when the triumph of democracy and open markets was supposed to
usher in a new age of freedom and opportunity".

The function of global financial institutions seem to be to
perpetuate the domination of rich nations at the expense of poor
people in developing countries. Thus, globalization is not a
neutral process. It is biased against the basic rights of poor
people in developing countries. The way the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has set about curing the economic crisis in
Indonesia, for instance, has unnecessarily forced millions of
people into a life under the poverty line.

From a moral point of view people might ask why the poor have
had to pay such a huge human price for a crisis that others
(mostly the rich) created?

Rajiv Lall (Far Eastern Economic Review, Sept. 17, 1998) is
certainly right when he says: "Those who typically gained the
most in the boom years are not usually the same as those who lose
the most in the bust -- the distributional consequences of
adjustments can be socially destabilizing".

If inequality continues to prevail in economic life then
people will tend to be indifferent to their nation. As a result,
spontaneous nationalism will not exist, no matter how hard the
government tries to encourage it.

Nationalism must be built on a strong foundation. As a
subjective feeling, nationalism has to serve human interests. For
instance, people love to be a part of a nation because they
believe that the nation will improve their economic welfare and
security.

When nationalism declines it is the government which has the
main responsibility of reactivating it. Good governance capable
of protecting citizens from social and economic injustices caused
by domestic and global structures is the key to revitalizing
nationalism.

Without good governance nationalism is absurd and meaningless.
You don't need to be a scholar to understand such a simple truth.

The writer is the head of the school of international
relations at the University of Parahyangan in Bandung and a
researcher at the Parahyangan Center for International Studies
(PACIS) at the same university.