In favor of dialog

There is ample reason to fear that street demonstrations will once again break out in the coming days. Police are reported to have already registered a long list of groups planning to stage such actions beginning next week.

We entirely understand why such demonstrations will return. It cannot be denied that many points on our political agenda still need to be attended to. Those street demonstrations, therefore, must be seen as airings of moral support for our joint efforts to establish a new, healthier and more dignified social order.

Even so, we all need to step up our wariness. The advent of the general election brings with it an increase in the political pressures that will be affecting our daily lives -- among them in the form of street demonstrations -- all of which are certain to have a negative impact on our economy, with all its implications.

It is unfortunate that to this very moment no serious efforts have apparently been made to bring together all the forces that exist in society, including the students, to prevent the rifts from widening. The idea of holding a national dialog that several parties have offered is truly an excellent one. (But) whether one likes it or not, it is the government that is in the best position to take the lead in this respect. All President Habibie would have to do is to appoint an institution that is generally regarded as impartial, such as the National Defense and Resilience Institute to implement the idea.

For the sake of our common interest, we therefore appeal to President Habibie and the political elite in general to open themselves a bit more to the suggestion. We also appeal to our student activists to put the emphasis of their actions on dialog rather than street actions.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta