Once again, openness
Once again, openness
As we watched some of our fellow developing countries
successfully establish sound democratic systems, any signs of
greater political openness at home have been welcomed with open
arms.
It is in this receptive spirit that we greet the inaugural
speech to President Soeharto's seventh term in office, delivered
in Jakarta on Wednesday. Soeharto said he would welcome the
support, corrections and supervision of the House of the
Representatives (DPR), whose members also sit in the more
powerful People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
The President, absent when his statement of accountability was
debated by the MPR, said that he had listened to all the
criticism, subtle and veiled or strong and blunt, aired during
the MPR General Session with an open mind. This, he said, was
because criticism is a valuable input which can be used to
improve the government in the next term of office.
These wise words were followed by a claim that: "Corrections
will motivate me to review my policies and actions. Supervision
will spare me from mistakes. I regard support, correction and
supervision as elements that will always reinvigorate a
democratic life."
This statement has been welcomed as an encouraging sign that
the government will become more receptive to popular opinion in a
bid to negotiate the pitfalls of the economic crisis which is
gripping the country. Unfortunately the Golkar faction in the
Assembly have not yet picked up on the prudence of this move.
Many members of the ruling faction heckled and jeered the United
Development Party (PPP) spokeswoman as she fulfilled her party's
constitutional function by making a speech criticizing some
aspects of Soeharto's statement of accountability.
By local standards -- the same standards which the ruling
faction are so keen to defend from IMF reform -- this behavior is
highly impolite. It brings to mind the words of a well-known
American statesman, who said "when political ammunition runs low,
inevitably the rusty artillery of abuse is wheeled into action".
Furthermore, we are at a loss as to why Golkar legislators, whose
chief patron is Soeharto, did not follow his new political
stance.
To improve input into, and supervision of, the presidential
performance, the Assembly should consider convening more
regularly than once every five years. The Constitution stipulates
that the MPR must convene at least once every five years, leaving
flexibility to introduce a more regular session better suited to
the turbulent years ahead and an increased supervisory role. At
the very least, an active working body which can handle day-to-
day tasks must be set up.
Supervision of the presidency could be further improved by
arranging for the accountability address to be delivered to the
Assembly which provided the President with a mandate, rather than
a freshly elected body as is currently the case. This would also
bring the process of accountability closer into line with the
spirit of the Constitution.
We welcome the President's new open attitude to criticism and
his willingness to be corrected if in error, but we have a long
experience in this matter which we can draw upon to qualify our
optimism. In the past, the government has made numerous
statements professing an open attitude, yet Indonesians still
find that many basic freedoms remain curtailed.
Newspapers have been banned and a controversial decree, issued
by the minister of information, legitimizing press bans remains
in place. This decree directly contradicts the Constitution.
All basic freedoms are interconnected. We hope that the
reelected President and his new government will embrace this
fundamental notion and use it as the guiding principle of
governance to strengthen this great nation.