'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.