Opposition and democracy

The need for an opposition party has become a hot topic for debate lately among analysts and scholars of sociopolitical affairs. The issue was launched by Dr. Nurcholish Madjid during a seminar on Perspectives of Islam in Modern Indonesia, which was held in Jakarta on Monday last week.

According to Cak Nur, as he is known, an opposition party is needed in Indonesia to nurture democracy, which is an unavoidable future requirement. It is considered that an opposition party will make the country's system of control and checks-and-balances more effective.

The debate finally led to comments from President Soeharto. In a meeting with the chairman of the National Development Planning Board, Ginandjar Kartasasmita, who called on him at the Bina Graha presidential office with board members of the Association of Indonesian Engineers, the President insisted that an opposition party was not needed in Indonesia because it was incompatible with Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

A democracy that in agreement with the demands of the times is one that is created by a critical and intelligent society and its institutions. If the problems confronting our democracy are caused by weakness in the exertion of control, then the answer would be to strengthen the institutions of control, such as the House of Representatives and the press.

If the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party feel that they are unable to function as an opposition because of legislative difficulties, then they should strive to win the general elections.

On the basis of critical considerations, an opposition party does conflict with the Constitution. However, the law does not forbid us to maintain a critical attitude in order to correct what is wrong, to reject what is false and to defend what is just. The three political groups must maintain this tradition. If this tradition prevails, then no opposition party is needed.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta