History to repeat itself

In response to Mr. Patrick Schwarz' article Will history repeat itself? (The Jakarta Post, April 24, 1999), my answer is a clear yes. The Balkans give us proof enough. But there are many more examples demonstrating that history is repeated. We humans do not seem to learn from our mistakes. The great author Mark Twain said: "There is only one thing greater than the Universe and that is mankind's stupidity." This is very true in many political decisions.

Peanut-Jimmy Carter was not a great president or leader; but at least he did not exploit his powers to impoverish a complete nation. Many regimes seem to believe it is their legitimate right to enrich themselves once they are in power. Their election pledge to serve the nation is usually quickly forgotten. Of course this is nothing new.

In a capitalistic world society, power is obtained through money or vice versa. Once you have both money and power, you do not let hold of it. For this selfish reason, any trick is good enough to protect your "kingdom". Since this kind of tactic obviously works very well in Indonesia, it is understandable that such strategies are used, especially in the political arena. The functional group Golkar has the money, connections and experience to use these forces best.

Other parties promise freedom and true democracy. The change to a democratic nation requires many sacrifices from everybody. How can we ask the poor to tighten their belt again? Democracy cannot guarantee a quick economic recovery. But that is what is needed immediately. Democracy is a slow process and requires changes from within each person. It requires basic reforms on all levels, socially and educationally. As a Swiss, I propagate true democracy. But is it the answer to Indonesia's problems?

Looking at the West and Indonesia's neighbors, I believe, they indeed want a stable, but weak Indonesia. Changes are, however, not welcome. A democratic government in Indonesia is not predictable because other chess players enter the political arena. It might even destabilize other nations. A greedy government can be controlled with simple incentives such as money. So why not support those who can be controlled?

I am not a political analyst, but based on the above facts, my logic says that history will indeed repeat itself. But, on the other hand, I would be very happy, if my predictions were totally wrong.

PETER GANZ

Semarang, Central Java