Just ruler and just citizenship

By Clare Wolfowitz

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Indonesia is in need of clear, positive leadership. On this point everyone agrees.

For an outsider who loves Indonesia, the present leadership crisis is both distressing and puzzling. It is puzzling, because Indonesia has a wealth of leadership -- at every level, throughout the country.

Even living in Washington, D.C., I have had a chance to talk with at least a dozen people visiting from Indonesia -- people in positions of influence or government responsibility -- who are truly leaders with wisdom and courage. Then I try to imagine one of them becoming President: Could this person become the wise and courageous leader, the ratu adil, that Indonesia desperately desires? The President of Indonesia faces an enormous challenge: To accomplish the difficult transition to democracy and decentralization, in the middle of a regional economic crisis, in the most diverse country in the world. Could the greatest leader in the world's history succeed?

But the leadership crisis is not really about one person, the "leader." That is not the way democracy works. In America there is a saying, based on over two centuries of democratic government: "the people get the government they deserve." Actually, people in communities throughout Indonesia know this very well. Many regions of Indonesia have a long tradition of local democratic leadership; and even where village leaders are not elected, they govern as representatives of their community. They can only do what the people want them to do.

No leader governs by magic. A leader governs by sorting out what the people need and want, and shaping the way to accomplish those goals. The just ruler, the ratu adil, is actually only the representative of a just people.

The crisis of leadership in Indonesia today is really a crisis of justice. It is deeply disturbing to read the newspaper stories about violent attacks on people as well as property; it is disturbing to learn that corruption is still deeply rooted at every level of government; it is disturbing to learn that the business and banking communities often fall short of standards of honest and responsible dealing. If there is a crisis of leadership, it is a crisis at every level of society, inside and outside government.

What is desperately needed now is a revival of just citizenship, and the just ruler will follow.

How do people lead their leaders? Certainly it is not by becoming mass followers: not by attacking the followers of some other leader, not by drowning out other voices. It doesn't even have much to do with developing spiritual strength, though that comes a little closer. The true leadership of a country is the just citizen -- not the ratu adil but the rakyat adil.

Instead of hoping for justice or praying for leadership, citizens must work to practice justice in their own lives and shape the leadership of their own communities. Citizens can set standards and expectations for government and business which emphasize honesty instead of corruption, openness instead of secrecy.

They can use their voices, their votes, and their business dealings to select the honest candidates and business partners, and boycott those who don't measure up to the democratic standard. In building a democracy, "practice makes perfect."

Most important, citizens need to educate themselves. Read two or three newspapers, instead of just one -- and find the ones that are known for accuracy! The just ruler must listen to all the points of view before making a decision -- and the just citizen must do the same. If a problem seems simple, that probably means there's a lot more to learn about it -- especially if it's about the economy.

The media, the political parties, and the academic community need to take responsibility by raising the level of public understanding of complex policy issues.

No leader can govern if there are riots every time there's a difficult policy decision, because a good leader cannot avoid making difficult decisions. Citizens -- and their representatives -- need to recognize the magnitude of this crisis, and begin to put national interest above their personal concerns.

Opinions can be expressed in many ways, including in protests and demonstrations; but a violent demonstration is not an expression of opinion, it is merely an expression of violence. In a democratic political culture, disagreement is acceptable, and it may lead to better policies through compromise. The winners of an election know they will have to work with the losers -- and they know they will be held accountable for their performance in the next election.

Some observers say that no one can govern Indonesia successfully, that whoever becomes President will fail. It is true that the problems are very serious; it is true that some of the necessary changes will not be popular. But Indonesia has been through difficult times before. Indonesians in the past have adapted even to the hardships of war and extreme poverty.

The people supported a successful revolution and created a national culture and a national language. It would be ironic as well as tragic if the Indonesian people could now lead the country back to civil war and deprivation -- but I don't think that will happen. Every citizen can find the good will, the courage, and the sense of justice to bring out the best leadership in the government. After all, these are the same qualities we all want in our leaders, and the leaders are truly only the representatives of the people.

The writer lived in Indonesia in 1962, as an AFS exchange student, and in 1986-1989, as the wife of the American Ambassador. She now works at the IRIS Center at the University of Maryland in Maryland, U.S.A. The above views are personal. This article appears courtesy of Tempo magazine in which it is published in the Monday edition.