People at the heart of reform

People at the heart of reform

Berni K. Moestafa and A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Another year of the reform era has passed and people continue
to criticize the reform movement as ineffective, slow or just
plain dead.

Some people are impatiently waiting for some results from the
reform movement, like improved welfare and less corruption, while
others have just grown apathetic about the whole thing.

To keep the spirit of reform alive, according to the experts,
people need patience, because the process of reform takes a long
time.

"Reform takes time, this is a matter of time," Daniel
Sparingga, a political observer at Airlangga University in
Surabaya, said earlier this week.

The nation began the process of reform in 1998, when students
led a movement for political reform that ended Soeharto's 32-year
rule.

Four years into the era of reform, however, hopes for a
democratic nation that upholds the people's sovereignty remain
just hopes.

The once centralistic government delegated many of its powers
to the regions and held the country's first free elections in
1999.

These watershed developments may show that democracy is taking
shape, but they fall short of ensuring the people's sovereignty,
said Daniel.

Corruption and political instability reign, which analysts
blame on too much politicking within the government and the House
of Representatives.

To some, the reform movement's only achievement was that of
greater transparency resulting from a free press.

"But it is a transparency without results. What's the use of
transparency if no one listens to the people's aspirations," said
Soy M. Pardede, a senior executive with the Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry.

Daniel said minor setbacks along the road to democracy were
discouraging but normal.

According to him, Indonesia is going through the same
transition period that other countries have gone through or are
still going through.

Neighbors like Thailand and the Philippines experienced reform
movements similar to the one in Indonesia. In Thailand students
led the fight against the military regime there, and in the
Philippines, president Marcos' authoritarian rule was ended by
the movement known as People Power.

And more than 10 years after reform movements swept through
communists countries in Eastern Europe, most of these countries
have yet to complete the transition period. Some of these
countries are even seeing a rise in popularity for communist
parties.

Imam Prasodjo, a sociologist at the University of Indonesia,
said that in Indonesia, the public could accelerate the reform
movement by stepping up pressure against the government.

He said concerted efforts should focus on institution building
to allow for the practices of good governance.

For democracy to take hold, according to Daniel, it requires
more than just political reforms.

The distribution of power is part of democracy and necessary
to limit corruption, Daniel said.

This, he said, calls for greater public control, the
effectiveness of which depends on the presence of a civil
society.

"It is very, very hard to engineer the creation of a civil
society," Daniel said. "People evolve a into civil society rather
than just become one."

But if anything, Imam said, people have themselves to blame
for the state of the reform movement four years on. People are
the ones who can set the direction, pace and scope of the reform
movement.

"Pro-democracy activists, the press, students, academics, non-
governmental organizations and others should unite to keep the
reform movement on the right track," Imam said.