Leaders wanted

Leaders wanted

Shortly before he left for China, President Abdurrahman Wahid called on the public to start holding dialogs to help end conflicts and unrest in the regions. Many among us were astonished at this call and tended to view it as yet another of Abdurrahman's loose remarks. Some felt the President was passing the buck to the public, as if the unrest was none of the government's business.

Considered rationally, though, Abdurrahman, or Gus Dur, may not be so very wrong. After all, the unrest in Ambon and in a few other areas -- Aceh being an exception -- began as differences between communal groups and only flared into open conflict because of provocateurs.

So, Gus Dur may be right. But can the people carry out his instructions? Holding dialogs is a good idea, but one that is not easy to realize since it is difficult even to select the people who should lead them. Why is this difficult? Because this nation has lost its talent for leadership. This is true from the national level down to the district and village levels.

This fact represents one of the worst catastrophes brought about by the New Order regime. Whether intentionally or not, the New Order was most effective in erasing the talent for leadership at all levels of society.

-- Rakyat Merdeka, Jakarta