Last chance for dialog

Last chance for dialog

When President Abdurrahman Wahid proposed a dialog with the
leaders of all major political parties, understandably it was
initially greeted with a high degree of skepticism. Because of
the way it was presented, including its timing, the proposal was
widely seen as a public relations gimmick from a man desperately
clinging to power, rather than a genuine attempt at dialog.

The President's political standing has been precarious of
late. His credibility is waning after being hit by a number of
scandals and controversies, and with it, the popular support
which he enjoyed in the first months after his election in
October 1999.

He is also facing the threat of impeachment from his political
adversaries in the House of Representatives (DPR), and calls for
his resignation from friends and foes alike.

So when he broached the idea of a "reconciliation" meeting, as
the proposed dialog is called, the initial reactions from most of
the leaders invited was cool at best.

Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who chairs the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), sets a
number of terms for her participation, particularly the need for
a clear agenda.

Amien Rais, chairman of both the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), rejected the
proposal outright, saying that he did not see the point of it
all. Amien, who maneuvered to ensure Abdurrahman's election in
1999, is leading the campaign to oust him.

Akbar Tandjung, speaker of the DPR and chairman of the Golkar
party, has been non-committal, although he appeared willing to
give the dialog a chance.

The trouble with this kind of proposed dialog is that it has
been tried once before, and nothing substantive came out of it.
This was a major let down given the massive publicity and hype
that went before the meeting between the four leaders in
Yogyakarta last August. The public may be forgiven today for
asking what chance another meeting, if it is to take place at
all, would have in solving the nation's problems.

The gaps between these leaders must have further widened by
now after their latest exchange of harsh words. If bridging them
was difficult then, it must now seem virtually impossible.

But whatever the political leaders feel, and however skeptical
the public may be about another meeting, there is nothing left
for the country's leaders to do short of waging an all out battle
between the President and his adversaries who are hell bent on
ousting him.

The President is equally determined to fight the impeachment
attempt and, with his die-hard supporters vowing to fight to the
death, there is a strong prospect that any battle would turn ugly
and violent.

Given this condition, a dialog, no matter how remote the
chance of success it has, is still better than no dialog at all,
especially when the second alternative could mean street clashes
between supporters and opponents of the President.

If skepticism about the dialog was prompted because the
initiative has come from the President, then someone else who is
neutral in the current power struggle should take over from him.
Yogyakarta ruler Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who hosted the
reconciliation meeting in August, or respected Muslim scholar
Nurcholish Madjid are two possible candidates possessing the
credibility and integrity suited to the task.

While there is no guarantee of success if the initiative is
taken up by someone else, there will certainly be less suspicion,
and more people will probably be willing to give it a go. With
the initiative out of the President's hands, it would also be
easier to set a clearer agenda, or even a specific goal that the
meeting should aim for, a condition which Megawati has set to
ensure her participation.

We would like to propose that the meeting set a more ambitious
goal than merely seeking reconciliation between the leaders, as
originally proposed by the President.

Reconciliation, while an important beginning, would not be
enough, as it would only put the nation back to where it was
several months ago. It would not resolve the various problems
currently facing the country.

The meeting should instead discuss ways of saving the nation
which is on the verge of collapse. The lack of effective
government in Indonesia these past few months -- caused largely
because leaders have been too busy with feuding with each other
-- has pushed Indonesia further to the brink of destruction.

With that in mind, the leaders should work out a compromise
that is truly in the interests of the country. If they have some
statesmanship qualities left in them, they should all give dialog
a chance. It is probably their last chance to save the nation.