Intellectuals unbudging on change
Intellectuals unbudging on change
Kapan Badai Akan Berlalu? Suara-suara kritis cendekiawan menghendaki perubahan (When Will the Storm Pass? Intellectuals' Critical Voices Demanding Change); Edited by A. Rahim Ghazali; Published by Mizan, Bandung, March 1998; 190 pp + iv
YOGYAKARTA (JP): This is a collection of past media interviews with 22 well-known intellectuals, mainly compiled from the Ummat weekly and Tempo Interaktif, which is only found on the Internet. In the format of a small book, however, it helps to satiate public thirst for what the crisis is about and how it happened. Few are convinced now that it is only a "monetary" crisis.
The selection from the Internet media also helps non-Internet users. Although the number of Internet-users may be growing, most read downloaded material from photocopies.
One of the interviews here is with the senior economist Soemitro Djojohadikusumo, who in an early phase of the crisis had warned that the condition was a "institutional disease" which could not merely be treated with aspirin.
The intellectuals separately map out the problems and offer solutions, and address the important question of who would be a likely figure to save the country.
The voices recorded here also include those of Abdurrahman Wahid, the chairman of the millions-strong Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Arief Budiman, the sociologist banned from teaching at his university in Salatiga, Central Java, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, an observer of international affairs, and the recent self-styled president candidate, respected senior economist and former minister Emil Salim.
Through the interviews, the book seems to urge readers to reflect on what they understand of 53 years of independence -- that it should mean freedom from pressure, threats and harassment besides material well-being.
But if this had been achieved under 30 years of the New Order government, how did a crisis happen and why were the "little people" the first to be affected? Why have all layers of society expressed signs of a sort of social disease -- the lack or disappearance of trust in their own government? What was actually the aim of the New Order when it first came to power in 1967?
Political scientist Mochtar Pabottingi of the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI), questions the "primitive" political system which "hangs on one person" and which makes anyone sitting in the presidential seat "eternal".
Nurcholish Madjid, an Islamic scholar, says the problem is rooted in our paternalistic culture, which has led to "weird" things, such as the absence of courage among existing political parties to nominate candidates for the presidency and vice presidency.
The result, he says, could be a violent succession in national leadership, of which the country has no experience. This must be avoided at all costs, Nurcholish says.
Efforts of ousted chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party Megawati Soekarnoputri and Amien Rais, leader of the Muhammadiyah Moslem organization, to come forward as presidential candidates have, unfortunately, led to allergic reactions toward the word "succession". Nurcholish says this is another weird phenomena in the paternalistic culture.
The main thread underlying the first part of the book is that the source of the problem is the inability of a leader to overcome the crisis. Dewi Fortuna Anwar, for instance, offers parallels with the worsening crisis in Thailand when former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh proved incapable of handling his country's problems.
The second part dealing with solutions form material for more dialog between the public, the government and intellectuals themselves.
One chapter of the interview with priest and cultural observer Y.B. Mangunwijaya clearly raises what "reform" should comprise. The agenda he proposes includes solidarity building of all layers of society; preparation of a leadership "of a higher degree of democracy" and a leadership more able "to encourage people's economy" to lessen dependence on a small group of conglomerates; and the realization of regional autonomy to avoid further leakage as usually occurs along the bureaucratic chain from the central government.
Impressive thoughts, maybe, but as the book acknowledges, the plethora of voices of intellectuals sharing their views and solutions are not of much use to save the country without the wider support of all parties.
-- C.M. Ben Muzammil
The writer is a freelancer based in Yogyakarta.