Politician and statesman
Obviously a distinction must be made between politician and statesman. A politician engages in practical politics to vie for the accomplishment of party goals. Foremost in his mind are political gains to be reaped for the sake of his party. In striving for the attainment of the party's objectives and the fulfillment of personal ambitions, a politician is guided by the rule that the end justifies the means. Thus, to a politician, collaboration, coalition, switch of alignment and favoritism are perfectly in order.
For that reason, it is understandable that derogatory connotations are often attributed to the image of politician.
However, when confronted with the image of the statesman, quite different connotations emerge instantly. Attributes denoting wisdom, morality, serenity and vision in conducting state affairs are natural corollaries characterizing the stature of statesmen.
The statesman has at heart the nation's and the people's interest. When faced with the dichotomy of individual and the nation's interest, a statesman prioritizes the latter.
In a couple of months, it is anticipated that the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) will meet and make the historically decisive and constitutional resolution of selecting the executive of the state. Much should depend on the exercise of wise statesmanlike action rather than self-centered, expedient political action.
In the war of independence from 1945 to 1950, statesmanship of Indonesian leaders, like Sutan Syahrir and Mohammad Hatta as prime minister, and Mohammad Rum as head of the Indonesian delegation in negotiations with the representatives of the Dutch government, proved its worth. With the fall of Amir Syarifuddin's Cabinet on June 23, 1948, the presidential Cabinet of Mohammad Hatta was inaugurated on Jan. 29, 1949. Hatta concurrently took the post of defense minister, while H. Agus Salim became foreign minister.
The republic survived despite the colonial power's determination to eliminate it through a sustained campaign. It gained international recognition with its entry into the United Nations in September 1950.
Recalling what skillful statesmanship could accomplish for the nation during the independence war, it is hoped that history will favorably repeat itself this time to witness the crystallization of a wise decision, by virtue of the noble role exhibited by the wise, statesmanlike politicians in the forthcoming session of the MPR.
S. SUHAEDI
Jakarta