Indonesians 'want political change'
JAKARTA (JP): More than 90 percent of Indonesians want political change soon because they have lived in discontent for so long, an observer claimed over the weekend.
A professor of Jakarta's 17 Augustus University, Usep Ranawijaya, said Saturday that the recent series of street rallies and violence was evidence of desire for change.
"Disappointment has encouraged timid people to do those things (join in rallies, riots), shrugging off the risks involved," said Usep, who was a leading figure in the former biggest political party, the Indonesian Nationalist Party.
Usep was speaking at the book launch of Perubahan tanpa Gejolak (Change without Upheaval) written by Roch Basoeki Mangoenpoerojo, a former independence fighter and now retired army officer. Muhammad A.S. Hikam of the National Institute of Sciences also attended the launch.
Basoeki made headlines in late March for organizing a march from Denpasar to Jakarta to protest the unsettled internal conflict within minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
The march ended at the House of Representatives with a demonstration of support for PDI's ousted leader Megawati Soekarnoputri in early April.
Usep said the street rallies and violence were the fruits of an oppressive political system which gave people no choice but to do whatever the elite wanted.
"Oppression has generated hypocrisy within society. Everybody says yes to government policies just as if they were faithful citizens," he said.
He said change should affect the system, not people, and should start from the political party system.
"There should be no more parties that rely on government apparatus to mobilize as many supporters of the status quo as possible," Usep said, referring to Golkar which has just won its sixth election in a row.
He said this system violated the Constitution because it allowed the government-backed Golkar to use power to gain popular support and denied people their right to choose.
Recruitment
Hikam said he agreed, and that it was possible to get poor legislators under the current election rules.
"The general election has long been biased toward the status- quo, as reflected in the government's total control of the organization of the election and the marginal roles of the contending parties," Hikam said.
He said that the election rules that favored Golkar paved the way for violations from the start of the election process.
"It is doubtful that elections will be an effective means of getting quality legislators because of the government's excessive interest," he said.
He criticized the government for using its authority to screen legislative candidates, saying that the procedure could be used to expel brilliant but outspoken candidates.
The book is a collection of Basoeki's essays on Indonesian politics, some of which have been previously printed in newspapers or magazines.
Basoeki said his book did not specifically suggest the form of change, but that it could be initiated at the General Assembly of the People's Consultative Assembly next March. (amd)