Public pressure needed to stop Habibie

Public pressure needed to stop Habibie

Following heavy criticism over President B.J. Habibie's
accountability speech, some may think his days are over, moreover
with the controversial nomination by the Golkar Party of Gen.
Wiranto for vice president. But political researcher Mochtar
Pabottingi of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said
this cannot be taken for granted.

Question: What is your general view of Habibie's
accountability speech?

Answer: I followed it right to the end even though I was
sleepy... I would rate it at two (out of 10). That was not an
accountability speech (pidato pertanggungjawaban) it was
pertunggingjawaban (accountability put on its head)

Since Habibie is an intellectual we would have expected
analytical rigor in anticipation of public reaction. The
presentation would have been comprehensive and it would mean the
inclusion of weaknesses, which would be a sign of honesty. There
was none of that. The speech merely directed the audience and it
was deceitful.

Of the Bank Bali scandal we were only told the money had been
returned.

Q: Would you say he lost the chance to become a statesman
by not owning up to shortcomings?

A: He doesn't have the character to become one.

Q: Now that he's picked Gen. Wiranto as his running mate and that
his speech has come under heavy criticism, has Habibie's chance
for the presidency run out?

A: I do believe that there is a significant number of People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) members now who have consciousness;
the proof is that they elected Amien Rais (as chairman), and he
is doing very well. However, we should not take it for granted
because the stakes are too high.

It would be a disaster to have Habibie and Wiranto. We would
have a second Soeharto regime.

Public pressure is needed to stop Habibie and Wiranto. I have
great hope in the students, they are risking their lives, their
numbers are getting bigger. We are grateful of the signs of more
connection between the MPR and outside the MPR. We must all
ensure continued pressure and go all out for democracy.

We must reject further destruction of the republic by Soeharto
which was continued by Habibie.

Q: Do you think all members of Golkar nominated him out of
loyalty?

A: It would be difficult to imagine money politics did not play a
role... well, it (the nomination) would be from lack of
character and money politics.

Q: Wiranto has never said no to this nomination, saying that as
an Indonesian Military (TNI) officer he is ready for any
assignment to serve the country. How do you see this, when TNI
has pledged it is reforming itself and will gradually phase out
of politics -- a recent LIPI study revealed TNI's "half hearted
reform".

A: There was never any reform, Wiranto has failed to deliver.
When TNI said it was reforming itself regarding human rights, the
question is, which cases have been brought to court, who has been
convicted? TNI can't say the public should not keep condemning it
because it is trying to reform itself, the sacrifices have been
too great. People cannot "buy a cat in a sack" (by entrusting
TNI's reform to itself).

If TNI is truly neutral Wiranto would have rejected the offer.

Q: What are your suggestions to this difficult choice for the
presidency?

A: The elections were dirty from the start. The Election Law is
far from perfect, and the winning party only got some 30 percent,
so the MPR members must open the chance for an alternative way
and they should not rigidly stick to the rules of the game.

The presidential seat should go to the winning party (PDI
Perjuangan) but the vice president should be someone known for
his integrity like Nurcholish Madjid, even if he did not take
part in the elections. I'm just following others who have
proposed his name. Actually, we have many good people.

If Megawati (Soekarnoputri) becomes president people would not
be disappointed. Not that I'm a great fan. I stopped being a
supporter of Megawati when the party played dirty politics, like
their involvement in the election of a TNI member (as speaker of
Jakarta city council).

A nomination of Nurcholish or other such figures is possible
now with at least 70 members or one faction (in MPR).

This is now the time for the winning party to lobby
immediately for its vice president or we'll be doomed ...

So our problem is not just how to avoid Habibie but also how
to correct Megawati's shortcomings. She has said that the system
is not wrong, it's just the people. If she doesn't realize
immediately her mistake, we could be heading back to Guided
Democracy or Soeharto's patrimonial state. (anr)