PPP's comic tragedy

PPP's comic tragedy

The United Development Party (PPP) seems to be having a
problem fulfilling the promises it made during the May general
election campaign to sponsor political reform. Heading the
strongest political group outside the government, many PPP
leaders, especially those who head provincial chapters, feel the
burden to keep their promise to the public.

The PPP made an impressive showing during the polls, not only
because its rival, the Indonesian Democratic Party, was busy
making peace with itself after chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri
was ousted in a government-backed congress last year, but also
due to public belief that it had the ability to push through
reforms to change the status quo.

Although it's members number no more than 134 in the 1,000-
strong People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) -- which is the
country's highest law-making body that will elect a president and
vice president in March -- the PPP has tried to introduce some
concepts for reform.

But once the PPP's agenda recently moved to the nomination of
the country's next president and vice president, its leaders
failed to reach a consensus. After prolonged debate, the party
failed to announce its candidates as planned Tuesday for the
nation's two most important jobs, although it promised to do so
in due course.

It is not too early to make such an announcement now or in the
near future. In 1991, for example, the party announced its
support for Soeharto's reelection even though the Assembly was
not to meet for another two years to vote on the issue.

The PPP's tardiness seems to have been caused by its failure
to reach a consensus on the matter in its leadership meeting.
Reports indicate that only six out of the 27 PPP chapters, which
have been monitoring public opinion in their respective
constituencies, supported the incumbent's reelection. The rest
refused to name a candidate before the Assembly met because "they
did not want to disappoint the voters' expectations for change".

The outcome, of course, was not a blatant rejection of
Soeharto. The leaders, in going as far as they did to show a
spirit of reform, said that if they had not done anything they
would have been attacked by their supporters when they went home.

It is clear that there is a strong public undercurrent for
political reform, but the PPP's provincial leaders have taken
care not to give an impression of confrontation with the current
system. They seem to be looking to the party's central board to
take further steps.

To what extent will the PPP's executive board be brave enough
to voice its understanding of the voters' aspirations? It too
fully understands that any hint of confrontation with the
government would jeopardized its standing.

Many observers believe the executive board depends heavily on
its chairman, Ismail Hasan Metareum, who is known for his
readiness to compromise with the nation's power holders.

Ismail has admitted that he is not a Jailany Naro -- his
predecessor who demonstrated the courage to challenge the
government when the party nominated him for vice president, a
move which surprised the nation and upset the President.

Whatever the party's provincial leaders aspire to today, they
should realize that the party is not led by a Naro, but a safety-
first player, as one political observer from Yogyakarta has
called Ismail.

The situation now looks more like a comic tragedy since some
of the local leaders have nominated him as a candidate for vice
president.