Opposition and democracy

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