Legitimacy on the wane

Legitimacy on the wane

For four months, Gus Dur (President Abdurrahman Wahid) and Mega (Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri) have joined hands in running the government. Many problems have been resolved, but many new ones have arisen.

The problems of Aceh and Maluku have been settled, although not fully. Among the new problems that have emerged is the lack of coordination among ministers in the Cabinet. While Gus Dur has been successful in establishing himself as a democrat and humanist in the eyes of the international community, at home the issues of coordination and selecting the right priorities have been neglected.

The demonstrations that have occurred in recent weeks are a signal that the people are beginning to question the legitimacy of the present government. The feeling of distrust is spreading because the government appears to have lost its sense of priorities.

Matters concerning the economy, which should be the focus of the government's efforts, have lost appeal and political rhetoric is gaining interest. Respect for the law, which should have been a major indicator of the public's trust in the government, is being increasingly eroded by unresolved cases corruption, which we are supposed to be fighting.

The value of the rupiah, which the state budget has set at 6000 to the U.S. dollar, is approaching 8000 and expected new foreign investments have failed to come. There seems to be no strong determination on the part of the government to establish the supremacy of the law.

It is not too much to say, then, that the demonstrations of the past days and weeks are a reflection of the public's lack of trust. This is a signal that should not be ignored by Gus Dur and Megawati.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta