Middle class will stay quiet until crisis

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian middle class is an established, albeit latent, political force that will remain dormant until prompted by a national crisis, noted political thinker Jusuf Wanandi said yesterday.

The middle class will not, of its own accord, assume the role of catalyst for change until it is stimulated by a situation which directly affects its social well-being, Jusuf told reporters.

"When the country is in a crisis, the popular will (of the middle class) will be transformed into a more specific ambition and could probably assume a more forceful struggle than it normally would during normal times," Jusuf said.

Right now, the middle class maintains a low-key presence because its interests are well served by the prevailing political and economic environments.

"There has to be a stimulus for them before they become a moving force ... When there is a crisis they will then spearhead social change," he said after a seminar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Jusuf rejected the recent comments of State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja that Indonesian development has failed to produce a strong middle class.

The middle class is not merely defined by wealth, economic status or the degree of social change within a society, Jusuf said. In his definition, he includes bureaucrats of grade three and upwards, military officers, professionals, and even some university students.

Middle class people are basically "those who have their own thinking about development, independent of the government's," he said, adding that based on his definition, there are 15 million people in Indonesia who can be considered middle class.

The reason for their subtle existence is because the country's development has been quite beneficial to many segments of society, with future prospects also looking bright.

He said it was normal under non-critical conditions for the middle class to remain almost undetected. "The middle class becomes more meaningful when something negative happens. Then they are more noticeable."

Jusuf stressed that it was important for the state to maintain the conducive social-economic environment which has thus far spawned Indonesia's successful development. "We have to be careful so that the fast pace of our development does not dislocate some segments of society," he said.

He cautioned the government about the question of social justice. "Do not let the issue of social justice, for instance, become a critical matter. Certain corrections must be made which can only be done by the government." (mds)