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.