Megawati trades reform with stability

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia passed its first year under the rule of President Megawati Soekarnoputri relatively calmly, allowing the country a break from the restless years under her two predecessors.

But while both former presidents B.J. Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid took bold steps toward reform, critics say the reform movement has virtually come to a standstill under Megawati.

"Habibie began the reforms, Gus Dur (Abdurrahman's nickname) pushed them further, but under Megawati it has just nose-dived," said Arbi Sanit, a political analyst at the University of Indonesia.

Critics say there appears to be no end to the political horse- trading that takes place at the expense of the public interest, corruption remains as flagrant as ever, and the military is making a comeback into politics.

All this in one year after legislators impeached Abdurrahman for incompetence in July 23, 2001. Megawati's rise to power is seen more as the by-product of legislators' single-minded effort to oust Gus Dur. In 1999, Gus Dur became president because most legislators did not want the position to be held by Megawati.

After she became president in 2001, Megawati secured pledges by various political parties to let her rule until the 2004 General Election. This came after the final six months of Gus Dur's presidency, which got bogged down with haggling to remove the president from office, draining politicians' energy and adversely affecting the economy, causing a volatile rupiah.

But Arbi said the country's current period of stability is misleading. "It is not stability, it is political calmness."

Underneath the placid surface, vested interests are jostling for power as the 2004 General Election looms, say analysts.

"It (politicking) is happening inside political parties and inside the government," Arbi said.

Vice President Hamzah Haz, who hails from the Islamic leaning United Development Party (PPP) has made it no secret that he is eyeing Megawati's post. Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Assembly Speaker Amien Rais is also seen as a contender in the 2004 election.

Megawati still needs to bolster her support and this necessity has become apparent in her policies, Arbi said.

Making overtures to the military has been just one example, he said and linked this with her declining tolerance of criticism.

On several occasions the President has expressed concern about media coverage, which she deems excessive, and analysts also see the police taking tougher measures against anti-government protests.

"In terms of democracy, we're seeing a regression," Arbi said.

Military observer Riefqi Muna said in reforming the military the government was causing more setbacks than progress.

She has allowed the military to decide for the government, he said.

He added that Megawati's position on conflict zones like Aceh showed she was letting the military have its way. The government plans to install a civil emergency status in Aceh that will cut civil rights and increase the number of troops in the province.

The plan has persisted despite criticism that 10 years of military operations up until 1998 failed to bring peace to the province, where separatists have been fighting since 1976.

Throughout the conflict, human rights activists blame the military as mainly responsible for the deaths of some 10,000 people, mostly civilians.

"Megawati is treating the military not as an institution she must lead, but as a political force standing equal to her."

This is in contrast to Abdurrahman, whose first move to cut the military's political clout was to oust then minister of defense Gen. (ret) Wiranto.

Wiranto led the Indonesian Military when its members went on the rampage after East Timor voted for independence in 1999.

Abdurrahman's push for reform in the military cost him its support, which eventually led to him being ousted from office.

"Megawati's move toward the military is politically calculated rather than a commitment to reform the armed forces," Riefqi explained.

But nowhere are reforms said to be worse than on the legal front where Indonesian courts have gained a notorious reputation in the international community.

Lawyer Frans H. Winarta said the government was not serious about implementing legal reforms, as was evident in the rise of questionable verdicts.

"There just doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency, it must be because Megawati has failed to see the importance of this (legal reforms)," he said.