Govt 'must apologize' to people for crisis

By Asip Agus Hasani

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Prominent sociologist Loekman Soetrisno believes that an open apology from the government for the economic and social crisis hitting the country would appease the public's outrage over skyrocketing prices and shortages of basic commodities.

The Gadjah Mada University lecturer and head of the Center for Rural and Regional Development Studies has repeatedly said Indonesia was facing a real threat of disintegration, not so much because of its diversity, but more because of poor development policies and social and economic gaps.

He spoke to The Jakarta Post recently concerning the flurry of unrest in more than 20 Indonesian towns triggered by soaring prices.

Question: Social unrest has continued over the past few weeks as prices have also continued skyrocketing. Will more riots occur in the near future?

Loekman: Yes, if you judge from the government's slow progress in handling the monetary crisis. I dare to say that rioting will continue. People's protests will go on because this is the only thing they can do at this time.

Jakartans appear to be less affected by the crisis compared to people in the regions and in rural areas. They have been forced into a corner by the crisis.

Q: What is the best way to stop the violence?

L: I have to repeat again what I have said frequently. If the government wants to stop the riots it must openly apologize to the people.

The government, represented by President Soeharto, must deliver its formal and frank apology to the Indonesian people, because the President was elected by the people.

This apology is aimed at restoring people's deteriorating confidence in the government. The public's distrust in the government has reached its lowest level.

Once again, the President must apologize. Do not just blame entrepreneurs of Chinese descent because doing so will only worsen Indonesia's credibility in the international community. It is the government's mistakes and not those of Chinese descent.

Q: Is the social unrest also triggered by (political heating up in the run-up to) the People's Consultative Assembly General Session in March? Do you think social tension will continue even after the Assembly's Session?

L: In my view, the rioters, most of whom are from the lower economic class, do not understand political tension.

The problem is that for too long, Indonesians have not been familiar with a democratic government, but with an authoritarian one. You can compare it with an automobile pedal which hasn't been used for a long time. After being oppressed for such a long time, people will attack anything as soon as they have a chance.

Q: Do you see any relation between the current social unrest and the riots in Tasikmalaya, Situbondo, and Pekalongan in 1996 and 1997?

L: All of the violence was caused by widening social and economic disparities. This social gap has never been seriously addressed by the government. The government just accused them (rioters) of subversion. Poor people become poorer. They are now restless and panicking because they are finding it more difficult even just to get daily food.

Now they realize that the government should be responsible for their misery. But they do not know how to convey their feelings to the government. They just shift their anger to people of Chinese descent. They also burned churches -- which severely affected our (Moslems) image in the world.

Q: Do you think that the World Bank should allocate more funds to the poor people, who have been suffering a lot during the crisis?

L: Of course. From the beginning, the World Bank has planned to allocate special funds to the poor, to help workers who lost their jobs and farmers in rural areas.

Our government is inconsistent. Today they say yes, tomorrow they will say differently.

In January, President Soeharto signed a 50-point memorandum with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Michel Camdessus.

Soon after getting information about the currency board system (CBS), the government also wanted to adopt that ... We will not get any assistance from the World Bank if we continue to behave like this.

Q: Do you think that we can survive without IMF help?

L: The IMF, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank are not likely to disburse their loans. There were reports that the U.S., Japan and the European Union did not agree with the CBS plan. Will the government remain stubborn? I don't know.

If the government insists on going ahead and adopting the CBS (despite foreign opposition), where will we get foreign aid? Our main foreign exchange source comes from the foreign creditors.

Objectively, South Korea's condition is better than ours. The Thai baht is strengthening and Malaysia's ringgit has also recovered.

I think we will suffer longer than those countries because the government is not consistent. Officials think more about their own interests rather than the public's interests. People are facing uncertainty.