Gus Dur's performance

Gus Dur's performance

It is now clear that The Jakarta Post is supporting the
unsubstantiated accusations against President Abdurrahman "Gus
Dur" Wahid which have been initiated by the speakers of the House
of Representatives (DPR) and People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR), and the coalitions they have somehow managed to form. You
have made mention of a few shuffles in the President's Cabinet
and point to this as prove of his "erratic" leadership and lack
of vision. You quote Marzuki when you want to make the point
about Gus Dur lacking vision. Marzuki, a man who achieved very
little during his term as attorney general. You haven't mentioned
this, most likely because he did worse than playing musical
chairs by turning the Attorney General's Office into a theater
instead.

Nor have you bothered to mention any of the concrete reforms
that Gus Dur had managed to push through in only two years time.
One of Gus Dur's more encouraging reforms, freeing up the press
environment, has enabled papers like this one to egg on elite
feuding that thrive upon the typically Jakarta-style reportage
known in bahasa as jurnalisme omongan (rhetorical journalism).

Also, a significant policy change toward Aceh has effectively
given the Acehnese greater political control. Economic control by
the indigenous Acehnese (whoever they might be) is not likely to
be ushered in by the President alone (one man and a Cabinet) when
foreign oil and gas companies have vested interests in that local
(or regional) economy. These companies have systematically
weakened local competitors by employing Javanese from areas
outside of Aceh. Why? So they don't have to deal with community
networks and subsequent demands for better conditions, increase
in pay and so on. Not because the Javanese are more capable
technologically.

Remember, the military is comfortable with their "neutral"
position as the DPR and MPR run riot and neglect their proper
functions, which used to be referred to as musyawarah and mufakat
(deliberations to reach consensus). Or don't they believe in
these principles anymore? Hang on, that can't be right. Hasn't
the idea of musyawarah and mufakat been predominant for about 30
years now?

You have an imagination in comparing the musical chairs to Gus
Dur's administration. I'd like you to imagine a hunter with a bow
and arrow, let's say Arjuna, hunting a beast that can transform
itself, change color, fly away and then reappear before the
bewildered hunter as a beautiful woman, who tempts him with a
poisoned bowl of warm soup in a cold forest.

DION HALLPIKE

Melbourne