How to indict a regime

Catatan atas Gagalnya Politik Order Baru (Note on the Failure of New Order Politics) Eep Saifulloh Fatah; Pustaka Pelajar, Yogyakarta, May 1998; 312 pp + index; Rp 22,500

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A strong movement is shaking down the establishment in this country. The movement manifests itself in various forms, including rioting.

Some quarters believe rioting is triggered by the social gap, but others contend the root cause is the monopoly of power. All are convinced, however, the outbreak of a riot is but an expression of the community's indictment of those in power.

The result is the demand for rapid political change, which compels us to alter, improve and reformulate our interpretation of power. Soeharto's stepping down as president has opened up new possibilities for our future political life.

This book discusses a number of reform scenarios which have developed in the political discourse of the New Order and significantly contributed to this wave of change.

First, a division in the New Order strategic alliance has paved the way for the reform movement. O'Donnel and his colleagues provide the frame of thought for this scenario when they state "there is no transition whose beginning is not the consequence -- direct or indirect -- of important divisions within the authoritarian regime itself, principally along the fluctuating cleavage between hard-liners and soft-liners".

The division broke up the solidity and cohesion in New Order politics, reducing the power of the state and simultaneously making the split more serious. It opens up the way for new political negotiations toward the implementation of reform.

Second, reform as the consequence of political regeneration in the state power side. The basis of the assumption used for this scenario is that the New Order has been able to maintain the status quo -- with only ad hoc and artificial policy adjustments here and there -- because there has not been a change in political leadership and regeneration in a wider sense.

Third, reform as a further result of popular radicalization which has brought down power legitimacy. This is marked, among others, by frequent outbreaks of rioting and mass banditry.

Fourth, reform as the result of a social movement -- initiated particularly by the (political) middle class -- which has become stronger and stronger. In the past seven or eight years, the middle class has shown a tendency to politicization and has become more articulate, evident by their participation in non- governmental organizations.

Fifth, reform prompted by international pressure which is impossible to block. According to this scenario, international powers have a stake in the expansion of democracy and in this context urge every country, which is yet to be democratic, to adjust itself to this demand.

Sixth, reform as the only solution to a serious and unmanageable economic crisis. The argument is that a protracted economic crisis has manifested itself in latent problems in political systems. There is a growing awareness that this economic crisis is actually rooted in an erroneous political strategy or an error in developmental approach.

Indeed, not all dimensions of reform are covered in this book. Despite its shortcomings, the book is intended to stimulate further elaboration on reforms not only at the level of discussions, but also more concretely at the level of strategy and tactical preparation.

-- Binhad Nurrohmat