No more one-man show

The editorial After the first 100 days which appeared in your Jan. 26, 2000 issue was welcomed since it is entirely appropriate at this time for your editorial staff to take stock of performance of the new government. You also put forth a real suggestion of sorts, i.e., that Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri needs an able and professional staff to aid her in performing her duties. What troubles this reader, however, are your two concluding thoughts: 1. That every thinking Indonesian should "pray for Gus Dur's health"; and 2. That the only thing we can do to avoid a national catastrophe is to strongly urge Megawati to strive to improve her capability. First, it strikes me as most strange that The Jakarta Post, presumably a secular- oriented newspaper, should be suggesting prayers. More importantly, you completely miss the point about the democratic form of government now embraced by the Indonesian people. This is a participative form of government that rises and falls with the degree of constructive involvement therein of its citizens. Thus, you should be urging your readers to strengthen their government; as a whole by participating in building -- from the ground up -- new democratic institutions.

Your thinking unfortunately shows holdover effects from the era of Pak Harto who ruled, many say, like a Javanese king. The point is that the Indonesian government should no longer be a one-man show.

Second, while you are certainly correct that Megawati has shown herself to be ineffective, strongly urging her to improve is not, most assuredly, the only thing that can be done to avoid a national catastrophe. Rather than put forward here such other things myself, allow me to suggest that your editors take it upon themselves to advocate more meaningful ways to build a viable national polity that will endure even in the face of the deteriorating health (should such occur) of its chief executive.

DAVID K.

Jakarta