Law and order key to success

I found three things dominated the national scene in 2000. They were: misinterpretation of democracy, the belittling of the supremacy of the law and political egoism.

In regard to democracy, the New Order stated that, "Democracy does not recognize dictatorship, whether it is individual, group, or class, and certainly not a military dictatorship. In our efforts to find a solution to a problem, our democracy tries to solve it with talks and dialog. Differences of opinion should be resolved by debate and not by physical force, through democratic institutions like the House of Representatives and provincial councils." I personally think that this New Order explanation of democracy is still valid.

The case of supremacy of the law here is worse than that of democracy, as in my observation law at present is equivalent to numbers and money. Those who have money can do almost anything and manipulate the law because they can buy even the law enforcers. What a tragedy! There is no justice anymore for the poor, even if they are on the side of truth and justice. Presumption of innocence is just a principle known by all people but at the same time ignored by all.

Corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) are as rampant as before, and perhaps even worse according to some observers. The biggest problem now is how to restore people's respect for the law and accept it as a factor which should be obeyed by all.

Politicians, especially those in the leadership saddle, should stop being egoistic and striving for their own benefit and popularity while at the same time neglecting the nation's welfare. This attitude, according to Prof. Muin Salim, rector of the state Institute of Islamic Religion in Makassar, is acting like a fertilizer for the growth of KKN in our country.

What I would like to see in the year 2001 is, most of all, a complete and radical mental switch of our leaders, so that they can regain the trust and confidence of the people that was lost during those months of government indecisiveness, the issuing of contradicting statements. Rebels who are advocating separatism should be dealt with resolutely. There should be no exceptions in the treatment of law violators, whether they are average people or rich, powerful businessmen.

One of the basic steps to regain the people's confidence is to restore law and order so that all people can feel safe and secure. Given such an atmosphere, people would seriously support the government. You cannot achieve this by making foreign trips and explaining the situation in Indonesia, while in fact foreigners can see and read what is really happening in Indonesia. We can stop foreign travel costing a lot of money and achieving nothing worth mentioning.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta