New leader needed

New leader needed

Last Thursday's events showed what happens when policies of
greed, extortion, vengeance and disrespect for property, which
have been common among the elite in Indonesia, are emulated by a
mob of ordinary people unrestrained by feeling of individual
responsibility or fear of sanctions. In order to prevent
recurrences, it is necessary to introduce more effective
policing and to improve the economic and political conditions
which have nurtured such deep anger and resentment.

For sure, Jakarta's police will learn much from last week's
events and will be ready to do a better job in future, but
economic and political factors will be more of a problem.
Economic conditions, as they affect the poor, are likely to get
worse over the coming months.

Politically, the government will have to cure the mistrust
which it has instilled over many years. When the nation needed
openness, it gave us the closure of Tempo magazine. When the
nation needed political participation, it gave us the ousting of
Megawati. When the nation needed a quick response to financial
crisis, it gave us six months of failed agreements with the IMF.
As a result of these misjudgements, most people do not believe
that the development is open to ideas, do not believe that
political parties can represent them, do not believe that
development policies aim to benefit the poorest people, and do
not believe that this government can lead Indonesia back toward
prosperity. These consequences were easily foreseeable when the
relevant decisions were taken, but it seems that priority was
given to reinforcing and perpetuating the power of the President
and those close to him.

At present, everyone agrees that what Indonesia most needs is
a new leader capable of earning trust. Clearly, he will rely on
the support of the Armed Forces and no doubt he will work within
the 1945 Constitution and emphasize the importance of the
principles of Pancasila. But just importantly, he will need to
listen responsively to the aspirations of all Indonesia's people.
It would be tragic if, yet again, the Armed Forces, the
Constitution and the Pancasila ideology are exploited as
instruments to perpetuate the power of the current president's
entourage. If this happens, then confidence in all the pillars of
constitutional government will be further undermined and a
relapse into last Thursday's violence will become inevitable.

JOHN HARGREAVES

Jakarta