Organized discontent

Organized discontent

It is said that the Indonesian independence movement leader
Dr. Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo once wrote -- and through his writing
managed to convince the colonial rulers of the time -- that the
only way to improve the situation in the Netherlands East Indies
(now Indonesia) was to "organize discontent" and allow a
political opposition to develop, even if it was just an
opposition for the sake of opposition.

In our present situation, a political opposition is a
necessity that cannot be denied. In order to institutionalize and
give direction to the current reform movement, the various
opposition voices must be drafted into a form of "organized
discontent". The New Order's habit of neutralizing critical
forces and sustaining the existing exclusive, elitist, but
ineffectual political institutions clearly cannot be perpetuated.

To ensure the credibility of the present political system,
popular demands that Soeharto be tried must be met without delay
since this is the only way to satisfy the public's sense of
justice. Furthermore, when deliberating the draft laws on
political reform, members of the House of Representatives must
not seek only to accommodate the views and aspirations of
formally recognized political factions. They must remember that
none of these factions are representative of the vast majority of
normal people in Indonesia.

If laws are considered to be the manifestation of political
contracts, it would be most unethical not to involve those who
are going to be subordinated to these contracts in the drafting
process. The government must therefore open up a dialogue with
the newly formed political parties immediately.

-- Surabaya Post