Keep national perspective, Moerdiono says
Keep national perspective, Moerdiono says
BUKITTINGGI, West Sumatra (JP): Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said yesterday that the government has no objection to the emergence of new mass organizations, as long as they do not lead to the disintegration of the nation.
The presence of these new organizations is welcome, but their founders must always keep nationalism in mind, Moerdiono said in a discussion about what the national political agenda should be for the next 50 years.
"Whatever organizations we found, they must never erode our national perspective," he said. "Let's remember that if the nation's leaders lose their perspective on the nation, and narrow this perspective to their own specific sectors, this will be the beginning of disintegration."
A number of new organizations have been established in Indonesia in recent months, many proclaiming their intention to defend the nation from various threats, including external and internal forces of disintegration.
Some of the leaders of these organizations will have their first crack at presenting their views to the public during the two-day seminar here.
One of those already present yesterday was Mrs. Supeni, the chairperson of Indonesian National Unity. This organization has been dubbed the "New PNI" because it is seen as a resurrection of the disbanded Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI).
Debate
The seminar, jointly organized by the Center for Information and Development Studies, the West Sumatra Provincial Administration and Andalas University, brought together some 150 intellectuals, including a number known for their critical stands towards the government.
During the ensuing debate, Moerdiono qualified his statement about welcoming new organizations, saying that as far political organizations are concerned, the law on general elections only recognizes three contestants.
A.M. Fatwa, a member of the Petisi 50 group, which is highly critical of the government, argued for at least five political parties in order to accommodate the interests and aspirations of all 195 million people in Indonesia.
Moerdiono quickly challenged Fatwa's stance.
"If the three parties were said to have failed in accommodating the interests of all groups in society, would this problem be solved by adding the number of parties?" he asked.
He added that the way to solve this problem would be to put the existing parties in order rather than creating new parties.
In his speech, Moerdiono said Indonesia now lives in an international system in which states are increasingly open and interdependent.
Challenges
Given this development, Indonesia is faced with two main challenges: preserving its unity and strengthening its people to tap the opportunities presented.
Moerdiono added that although countries are now busy networking instead of building borders, the nation state is still the most effective institution in the development of a country.
Indonesia, for example, must prepare itself for the advent of the free trade era within Southeast Asia, set for 2003, and within the Asia-Pacific region for 2010 or 2020, he said.
The government's role here is to assist the people in taking advantage of the opportunities offered. "But rules are needed like everywhere else," he said.
On the people's political participation, Moerdiono defended the political concept of "floating mass" in which most of the people are only politically active during election times.
The few people who are interested in political careers should join one of the political organizations, he said.
"This is not depoliticizing," he added. The system gives freedom to citizens to reflect, between elections, on whether the program of a given party matches their aspirations.
"I think the 'floating mass' term is a modern concept, because people can switch their loyalty to another party if they are not satisfied," he said.
Two political scientists, Dewi Fortuna Anwar and Yusril Ihza Mahendra, presented papers on "people's participation".
Yusril said the new mass organizations that have been formed in recent months could be viewed as embryos for new political parties, if one day the law permits more than three political organizations.
He said that greater participation in political activities by the public is not likely unless the law on political parties is changed.
Former minister of environment Emil Salim spoke on sustainable development during the forum, while Sri Soemantri M, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, and a rector at 17 August University, spoke about the development of the law nationwide. (anr)