'New Order ghosts' still around

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Political observers expressed concern on Saturday that amid the crisis of leadership the nation was facing, the government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri had failed to accommodate the aspirations of the people.

Firing their ammunition at the government from all corners, the observers said that the current government lacked vision and competence, and was susceptible to corruption and collusion.

"The government has so far failed to deliver a clear vision to people as to how they intend to lead people to prosperity," Ryaas Rasyid, chairman of the Indonesian Society for Government Studies (MIPI), told a seminar held by the organization.

Citing a few of many examples, Ryaas, a former regional autonomy minister, said the government did not have a master plan nor did it have the competence to help people emerge from the economic and social crises.

The one-day seminar was also attended by local government officials across the country.

Other speakers at the seminar, which was entitled "Governmental Prospects in the Year 2002", were Afan Gaffar, J. Kristiadi and Maswadi Ra'uf.

Afan, from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, made the allegation that Megawati's government was emulating the corrupt New Order practices.

He said there was growing concern that the present government was turning itself into the second edition of the New Order, which ruled supreme under Soeharto.

"The government lacks transparency in the decision-making processes and allows collusion and political patronage to grow as a common practice," he said.

The absence of transparency, he said, was visible in the controversial debt settlement program (PKPS), which many said would cost the country Rp 447 billion.

The controversy centers on the government's decision to extend the grace period for large debtors -- especially banks that were given government bailout loans in 1997 and 1998 -- to 10 years from the initial four years under the Master of Acquisition and Settlement Agreements (MSAA).

Afan said Megawati's appointment of her husband Taufik Kiemas as a special envoy who led an Indonesian trade delegation to China recently was clear evidence of collusion.

Several delegation members were ministers under Megawati's cabinet, including Minister for Trade and Industry Rini M. Soewandi.

Afan said that the appointment would have been considered normal, had it been done in a transparent process.

"Former U.S. president Bill Clinton once nominated his wife Hillary to head the Health Care Reform program. This did not spark a problem, since Clinton proposed the appointment through a transparent manner by seeking the Congress' approval," he said.

The Congress rejected the proposal.

According to Ryaas, those contentious factors -- vision-less, incompetence and corruption -- would sooner or later erode people's trust in the government.

This would endanger effective operation and even survival of the government.

"Without trust, the country will not likely achieve social, economic and political stability. The trust is important since it is the essence of good governance.

Without trust, all bad things including doubts, suspicions and resentment will prevail in all levels of society, especially toward the government," he said.

The country, therefore, needed strong, enlightening and decisive leaders to restore trust in the government, he said.

"The government should build an image that it has competence to deal with the country's social and economic problems. It must also have a clear vision, which can only be obtained by understanding what people need and how to quickly meet it," he said.

Ryaas added that government officials should be better role models, and should take firm and decisive actions.

"The government must be diligent and avoid any moves that will bring harm to people," he said.