Megawati faces huge challenges

By Aleksius Jemadu

BANDUNG (JP): As a political reformist and candidate for national leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri has some advantages that others are lacking. First, she is widely accepted as a living symbol of justified resistance against Soeharto's authoritarian regime. President Habibie's insistence in rejecting Megawati's faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party (or PDI Perjuangan) only strengthened her position.

Second, the public tend to regard Megawati as a unifying figure amid the increasing threat to national unity. She is believed to have the ability to keep the nation united, not only because of the popularity of her father but also, unlike other political reformists, because she has no past record of representing a narrow or sectarian spectrum of political interest.

Third, there is a popular belief that in order to get rid of all negative practices inherited from the old political regime, Indonesia does need a brand new leader, untainted by Soeharto's influence. President Habibie's main liability is that he was one of the beneficiaries of Soeharto's corrupt regime. No wonder then, if more and more people are putting their trust in Megawati to build a totally new political system free of corruption, collusion and nepotism.

However, it would be a great mistake if PDI Perjuangan were to capitalize solely on Megawati's personal influence. A modern political party knows no indispensable figure. The experiences of Cory Aquino in the Philippines and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan show us that personal popularity does not count much in politics. The ability of a political party to respond effectively to people's demands and its flexibility in dealing with new challenges are essential if it wants to secure uninterrupted support from the people.

It is not enough for PDI Perjuangan to present itself as a mere antithesis to the old political regime. In the long run such self-identification may not be effective in attracting people's support. There is a need to establish a clear and comprehensive policy platform, which can represent the party's strategy in dealing with the nation's global challenges.

Reviving Sukarno's political idealism, like Indonesian nationalism and populism, may help the party in mobilizing political support from the people of lower classes. However, the party should be able to reformulate these old ideas so that they might be relevant and workable in this era of globalization. A certain level of pragmatism might be needed to cover a wider spectrum of political and economic interests in society.

PDI Perjuangan may learn an important lesson from the experience of the socialist parties in Europe (Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy), which defeated a long domination of more conservative parties. Two examples are particularly interesting. The Labor Party of Prime Minister Tony Blair in Great Britain managed to end the seventeen year domination of the Conservative Party after he succeeded in introducing some strategic adjustments to the party's ideological and political platform.

The recent victory of the Social Democratic Party, led by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, in Germany was mainly due to the new progressive ideas put forward during the election campaign.

As a political party, which claims to be committed to democracy and some sort of populism, PDI Perjuangan is challenged to formulate a policy platform of high quality, while being realistic enough to be used as a guideline for national development. One main agenda for Indonesia in the near future is how to establish good governance capable of combining economic growth and social justice.

Because of its huge responsibility to the nation, PDI Perjuangan is expected to improve its organizational capability and the quality of its human resources. Because of the diversity of its members, internal conflict remains latent within this party.

Party unity may never be taken for granted. In the past such diversity could be easily used by the ruling power to weaken the party. Therefore, the party needs to strengthen its common identity as guardians of democracy, national unity and social justice. The clarity and comprehensiveness of its ideological and political mission would be a positive step toward the crystallization of such common identity.

Relations between PDI Perjuangan and the Armed Forces remain a sensitive issue. There is a suggestion that this party should end its antagonism with the military. If their relations remain cool, then it will be more difficult for the party to get the support of the military, which is imperative in Indonesian politics.

However, appeasing the military will not be a awkward job for PDI Perjuangan. It could use its retired officers as mediators to convince the military that PDI Perjuangan can be trusted and is reliable enough to lead the nation into a more prosperous and democratic future. After all, why should they fight each other if they have a common vision for the future of the country?

The writer is the head of the school of international relations at the University of Parahyangan, Bandung and a researcher at the Parahyangan Center for International Studies.

Window: Reviving Sukarno's political idealism, like Indonesian nationalism and populism, may help the party in mobilizing political support from the people of lower classes. However, the party should be able to reformulate these old ideas so that they might be relevant and workable in this era of globalization.