Purity of thinking

Purity of thinking

From Rakyat Merdeka

As the year 2000 comes to an end the political elite conflicts
remain on the increase, which as a consequence has had a negative
impact on people's political aspirations. And if this is not
ended, I am afraid that people's attitude toward the legislative
as well as the executive authority will increasingly become
skeptical. This skeptical attitude will in the end be capable of
delegitimating the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia
(NKRI). We have seen indications of going in this direction from
the recent rising of "referendum fever" in several regions like
Aceh, Irian Jaya and Riau.

To take a stance on this issue, though, we need to pay close
attention to the appeal by the Indonesian Forum of Rectors in so
much as the political elite should introspect on the current
situation and begin to have purity of thinking by putting up
front the interests of the nation and people. The forum also
urges the political elite to sit together in an atmosphere of
full brotherhood so as to reawaken this nation from the current
multidimensional crises.

This academic elite's form of care is a "signal" of the
growing threat of NKRI disintegration in the coming years that
may come from the internal as well as external forces.

MURDIANTO MS

Jakarta