Obstacles to reform

Obstacles to reform

From Kompas

Father Mangunwijaya wrote again (May 22). He seemed to have
lost his patience. I subscribe to his opinion that basically this
nation has lost its system of values.

The words of leadership figures cannot be trusted, their
promises are liable to denial afterward and their nature is
treacherous. How can reform take place if it is led by a person
whose words and stance just the week before were clearly an
obstacle to real reform (not reform that is mere rhetoric)?

How can people trust a person who said that he had checked and
rechecked and reported that the whole Indonesian nation supported
Soeharto as president, and not long afterward stated that the
people's aspirations demanded Soeharto's resignation?
Contradictory statements were made by the same person in a very
short time span.

I am perplexed. Is this the character of the nation's leaders?
Dignity seems to be absent in the dictionary of many people
occupying leading positions. The change of the national
leadership is in its initial stages and is a small part of a
bigger struggle, i.e. to redefine the political system and
values.

A student made the following interesting comment in an
interview: Bringing down a regime and replacing it with an
equally despotic regime should not become a habit in this beloved
country.

HADISUDJONO S.

Jakarta