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