Has the reform movement ground to a halt?

One month after Soeharto fell from power, the hurly-burly of the reform movement seems to have calmed down. On the other hand, there is an impression that the government has responded to reform calls half-heartedly. Political analyst J. Soedjati Djiwandono reflects on the issue.

JAKARTA (JP): We have a long way to go to total and comprehensive reform. What could be called counter-reformist forces are still at work since reforms threaten the interests of many powerful people.

Is the Habibie government committed to reform? Verbally, yes. And undeniably, some of the steps it has taken do look like reforms on the surface. The central bank, for instance, is now independent of the government. How this will work in practice, however, remains to be seen. The education minister has put a stop to the Pancasila course for university students, though this is surely far from enough.

Although the government is mouthing the right words, the market does not seem to believe it. Nor does the international community. The value of the rupiah has not only remained low, but has recently plummeted once again against the U.S. dollar. Indonesia's letters of credit remain unacceptable, foreign investment is still a far cry away and the IMF remains closefisted.

At a glance, public appeals made by Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto and others asking people to give the present government a chance to do its job and overcome the economic crisis do make sense. One should not question its legitimacy anymore. Just give it the benefit of the doubt.

Support and confidence, however, must be earned. These cannot be taken for granted. They cannot be given away for free. Nor can they simply be solicited by summoning all university rectors and religious leaders to listen to hours of monologue from the President instead of being listened to.

Indeed, the fact that it contains a number of the same old cronies of the old Soeharto regime with all its notorious characteristics, style and language, the Habibie government does not in itself inspire confidence. Like its predecessor, as some have pointed out, the present government does not even have a sense of crisis. Does such a government deserve support and confidence?

What the people, and indeed the whole world, want to see above all are concrete and drastic emergency measures to overcome the rapidly worsening economic crisis, particularly the increasingly serious food situation. Such measures are yet to be forthcoming. It is an emergency situation we are dealing with -- both economic and political. It is not business as usual.

People want to see the right priorities in the government's agenda. Installing the absolutely useless Supreme Advisory Council at this point is definitely not a high priority and a waste of resources. And scheduling a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly in December only to set the general election in a year's time appears like an effort at procrastination.

This tends to create the impression that the government is trying to buy time, for what one can only guess -- though some may think the new government may be trying to secure its own interests that are likely to be affected by speedy, total and comprehensive reform of the old Soeharto system.

We are racing against time. Are we going to risk another bout with riots, rapes, looting and other acts of destruction, with people free to run amok like barbarians?

With counter-reformist forces fishing in murky waters, taking advantage of the nationwide reform movement, this would seriously damage the chances for total reform.

If that kind of horrific chaos should happen again, one should not put the blame on religious leaders, university students and other forces of reform. The brunt of responsibility should be squarely put on the shoulders of the government.