Leading figures must unite to fight crisis
Leading figures must unite to fight crisis
JAKARTA (JP): Political observer Franz Magnis Suseno says it
is high time nationalist figures and religious leaders put their
differences aside and join forces to help the country cope with
the various crises facing it today.
Speaking in support of the call for a "national coalition",
the professor of social philosophy at Jakarta's Driyarkara School
of Philosophy said figures like Abdurrahman Wahid, Amien Rais and
Megawati Soekarnoputri should unite to promote reform.
Abdurrahman is chairman of the 30 million-strong Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU) Moslem organization while Amien Rais leads the 28
million-strong Muhammadiyah, and Megawati is the ousted leader of
the Indonesian Democratic Party. The three have long been viewed
as government critics.
"If such a coalition could be developed, they could shed hope
for political and economic reforms," Magnis told a discussion on
Christmas reflection.
Magnis was quick to point out, however, that the coalition
should be a moral force rather than one that is established to
retaliate against political foes.
"The coalition must be positive... not a kind of (effort of)
vengeance or whatsoever," Magnis said.
The coalition should be aimed at fighting moral illnesses such
as corruption and collusion which are believed to be the cause of
the country's severe social, economic and political crises.
"Greed, lies and corruption have been prevailing too long in
the country and this must be stopped," Magnis said, adding that
people have also realized these moral illnesses must be
terminated.
He feared the ongoing crises would only cause poverty in the
country to worsen.
According to 1996 statistics, 22.5 million people were living
below the poverty line. Official records also said that 1.4
million people have lost their jobs because of the monetary
crisis, bringing the number of unemployed to 5.8 million.
Social observer Mochtar Buchori told The Jakarta Post
yesterday the plunge of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar showed
that people have lost confidence in the government.
"We need new faces, new personalities, new trust and new
confidence," Mochtar said, referring to reforms in state
leadership.
About 20 students and youth activists staged a peaceful
protest yesterday demanding swift government action to overcome
the economic crisis and the installation of a new president and
cabinet.
Plainclothes security officers watched as the group unfurled
banners and chanted protest slogans at a monument on Jl. H.R.
Rasuna Said in South Jakarta that commemorates the establishment
of the New Order government in 1966.
"The government has failed to fix the economy, so the cabinet
should be reshuffled. A new president is needed to restore
confidence," a member of the Pijar group of students said. (10)