'Man cannot live on bread alone'
'Man cannot live on bread alone'
The National Brotherhood Foundation has just held a discussion
in the East Java capital of Surabaya last week, its first ever
event since it was founded in October. Political scientist J.
Soedjati Djiwandono juxtaposed the event with one in the Arab
world and learned a lesson.
JAKARTA (JP): Among the newly established organizations, the
National Brotherhood Foundation, by definition not a mass
organization, deserves special mention.
Its founding members consist of prominent figures from two or
even three generations of different ethnic, religious and
cultural backgrounds and from a wide political, professional and
intellectual spectrum.
This is also true with regard to the participants in the two-
day discussion, its first activity, that it held in Surabaya last
week, with the theme "The Progress of Indonesian Nationalism:
Achievements and Challenges".
Above all, the event was noteworthy because of the issues
raised and discussed.
In a strictly democratic and political sense, perhaps neither
the members of the foundation nor the participants in the
discussion represent the Indonesian people. But it seems almost
certain that morally and intellectually they do give voice to the
concern and aspirations of at least the politically conscious
public. I dare say they represent the "silent majority".
It was therefore unwise, to say the least, for government
officials to dissociate themselves from the foundation or its
activities, as shown in the way the Coordinating Minister for
Political and Security Affairs gave this newspaper his
unnecessary disavowal of a link or support for the foundation,
which was most probably not asked for.
After all, official blessing may not be needed, anyway. And
the absence of government officials from the discussion, both
civilian and military, central and provincial, though invited,
did not in the least minimize its moral, political and
intellectual power.
On the contrary, perhaps it has even enhanced it. Government
officials do not always make meaningful intellectual contribution
to such discussions. Their absence may nonetheless even help
alienate them further from the people.
Anyway, isn't Wahono, Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the People's Consultative Assembly, who officiated at the
opening of the discussion and delivered a keynote address, a
high-ranking state functionary, whose position and prestige
should be no less than the head of state in a democracy, let
alone cabinet ministers and provincial governors?
At all events, one's worth does not lie in one's official
position, but in one's integrity as a man. And Wahono seems to be
one of those few rare officials in this country who still have it
these days.
The discussion covered such a wide range of burning national
issues as social justice, human rights, political reform and of
course, democracy and its various aspects such as accountability,
the party system, the role of the armed forces, and the power of
the presidency. It is not our intention to deal with these issues
here.
Only last week this writer attended a conference in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates on "Gulf Security in the 21st Century". One
relevant phenomenon is worthy of note. The UAE is a conspicuously
wealthy and prosperous country like Kuwait. The citizens of that
country do not pay income taxes. The state has enough revenue and
caters for their needs in health, education and other fields.
Yet the issue of domestic reform of the regime was intensely
discussed. It was a pleasant surprise to hear highly critical
voices expressing demands for political reform and democracy in
the countries of the Gulf.
"What we need is accountability and a dialogue with the
regime," said a professor from Kuwait. Another Arab scholar
asserted, "Demands for democratic reform are now part of
globalization."
And one of the speakers of the conference, Dr. Mai Yamani,
lecturer at London University, the learned and beautiful daughter
of a former Saudi oil minister, said in her firm ringing voice,
"The regime must listen to the voices of the young".
Such things were said with conviction, definitely not with
hesitation nor in fear, and all these while the sponsoring
organization is funded by its government, and his royal highness
the crown prince of the host country was present.
Although mostly living under authoritarian regimes, those are
the kinds of people that have enjoyed prosperity, even wealth, in
abundance. The thought immediately came to mind: Indeed, "Man
does not live on bread alone".
The writer is a member of the Board of Directors of the Centre
for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta.