New group vows to revamp people's perceptions
New group vows to revamp people's perceptions
JAKARTA (JP): A new independent organization introduced to the
public yesterday has staked out a big mission for itself: to
start a revolution in the way Indonesians perceive current
political, social and economic realities.
Forintek 66, short for Forum Interaksi Enam-enam, has been
started by the former activists who played a pivotal role in
toppling President Sukarno's Old Order government and paving the
way for Soeharto to rise to power.
The new organization means to accommodate Indonesians fed up
with corruption, widening economic disparities and continuing
social injustices but don't trust any of existing organizations
to get their ideas across.
A breakaway of the elitist Forum Komunikasi 66 (Fosko 66), it
was formed on Oct. 1 last year and introduced to the public
yesterday in a Central Jakarta low-cost flat to symbolize its
commitment to defend the oppressed.
Forintek founders said they decided to go separate ways out of
disappointment that Fosko 66 has become an exclusive group,
which is close to the bureaucracy and ignorant of the oppressed.
"Many of the 66 activists are so blinded by their comfort in
the bureaucracy to see the bitter realities before their eyes,"
said Julius Usman, one of the Forintek founders.
Grouping senior 1966 activists like Andi Saari, Julius Usman,
Eki Syachrudin, Michael Wangge, Indra Adil and Yus M. Mochtar,
Forintek aims to empower the weak, strengthen law enforcement and
push for democracy.
Forintek activists acknowledged the agenda overlaps with that
of many other pro-democracy groups with no apparent results.
"We mean to revolutionize the way people think of current
realities," Indra Adil said.
He argued that what the existing organizations, and the mass
media, fail to do is to convince the public that something
concrete has to be done to empower themselves in the face of an
overly strong government.
This, he said, is an area that Forintek wants to explore.
Julius added that the organization aims to pool ideas from
wider spectrums in the society to critically review the 30-year-
old New Order government's performance.
He said he believed that rampant corruption, collusion and
numerous social ills are a sign that a lot has to be done to
straighten the system out.
Forintek is the latest organization to pop up over the past
several months amid widespread worries that national unity is
being eaten away by the re-emergence of sectarian, religious-
based organizations.
Among the high-profile new organizations established last year
were the National Brotherhood Foundation, the New PNI, and the
New Masyumi.
Meanwhile, executives of Ikatan Laskar Arief Rahman Hakim,
another association of former 66 student activists met with
President Soeharto yesterday to report on their plan to celebrate
the 30rd anniversary of Tritura, the historic day when they
pressed home their demand that President Sukarno move to lower
prices, dissolve the Indonesian Communist Party and reshuffle the
cabinet.
Led by association chief Jusril Jusan, the delegation members
Eki Syachrudin, Fahmi Idris and Abdul Gafur, also presented their
views on current political and economic views to the President.
Eki told journalists that he expressed the activists'
disappointment over the overall performance of members of the
House of Representatives.
Eki said he told the President that it was high time Indonesia
had a strong legislative body to defend the peoples' interests.
He proposed that the electoral system be changed into a first-
past-the post system.
But Soeharto responded that the proposed system will be
unsuitable until Indonesians in general are politically mature
enough, Eki said. (pan)