Popular support needed to stay put

Popular support needed to stay put

For an ordinary politician who knows that popular support
after a year or two in power is waning, it is usually a signal to
step down from office. For an "extraordinary" politician, from a
background with clerical roots, like Abdurrahman Wahid, there
seems to be a greater challenge to turn the tide.

He does not feel morally obliged to seriously listen to his
critics, who demand that he step down for breaching many laws and
cover-ups of financial dealings, as well as political
incompetence, including his tactless handling of diplomatic
affairs.

His argument remains the same; he has never wanted to be the
president of the country. The job was imposed on him by the
People's Consultative Assembly, and its Speaker Amien Rais should
be equally responsible for any failure in choosing the wrong
person.

One thing Abdurrahman Wahid is sure of is that his overseas
travels have boosted Indonesia's economic image and that
investors are simply getting impatient to invest their money in
spite of the prevailing conditions of domestic instability.

Now he is planning to visit Australia and New Zealand,
ignoring the fact that these two countries are not the most
friendly towards Indonesian foreign policy whims under
Abdurrahman Wahid, such as opening trade ties with Israel, which
is also unacceptable to most Muslims in this country.

Most serious conditions will be created if Abdurrahman Wahid
also ignores the voices of discontent which have led to
separatist movements in Aceh and Papua (Irian Jaya), and fails to
resolve the protracting issues by indulging himself in making
controversial and inconsistent remarks, such as those made about
the Papuan cultural flag.

Maybe, as some analysts claim, his physical handicap has
become the greatest stumbling block in getting a clear and
balance view of what is going on around him.

Although the cries for Abdurrahman Wahid to step down are
getting louder at the end of the year, the new year will likely
see him stay put. The government should produce more tangible
results in caring for the less fortunate and in pushing ahead
with its welfare programs, such as in education, employment,
health etc., if it does not want to be accused by history of
abusing power and wasting time and resources.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta