No time to celebrate

No time to celebrate

Under normal circumstances I would have rushed to congratulate
the newly elected members of the House of Representatives and
People's Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR). My political intuition,
however, tells me to wait a little longer until all the fog
shrouding the political stage has cleared.

For his election as chairman of the MPR, Amien Rais deserves a
pat on his shoulder. But Golkar Party's support for him tasted
like bitter wine. Either he has discarded his principles as an
uncompromising reformist leader (viz-a-viz the former Soeharto's
loyalists), or the Golkar members have indeed metamorphosed
themselves into true reformists and indisputable democrats.

Another possibility is, of course, the interference of money
politics against which only a handful of honorable members seem
to be immune. To the casual onlooker the picture that unfolds,
compounded by the flood of information and disinformation colored
by controversial statements or outright political lies, creates
an image of extreme confusion. The process toward the democratic
election of a new president after the completion of the general
election has also been agonizingly slow and reeks of suspicion.

The people are watching impatiently to determine when and how
the new democrats and reformists will translate their pledges,
facilities and party programs into tangible welfare, but not in
the form of legislative seats or executive decrees. In a moral
sense, this is absolutely no time to celebrate whatever victory
any individual or party manages to score through cunning horse
trading or shameless bribery.

Any new government must be aware of the urgent problems at
home to be addressed without delay, with vigor and solemn
honesty. Then there is international dependency for economic
recovery that can only be sustained in the long run by a credible
governmental authority.

A dedicated, legitimate and trustworthy new government seems
to be as imperative as dedicated, honest and trustworthy members
of the legislative branch or the "opposition", to use a liberal
political term.

The time for complacency and hypocritical nonsense in
political parties is definitely over. To begin with, I would
suggest that the new democrats and reform-minded members start to
brush up and refresh their English language proficiency. This is
because during their term of office they may be knocked by golden
opportunities to make an official tour of some foreign countries
and, almost certainly, English will be the best choice for the
honorable members to communicate with their counterparts smoothly
and productively.

I am pleased to know that Amien Rais loves to switch to
English terminology or phrases in his formal or informal speech,
even in his capacity as MPR chairman. It clearly tells of his
global sense of mutual concern and understanding.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta