Quick recap of events of 2001

Quick recap of events of 2001

From Panji

The hustle and bustle of politics has become a daily cause for concern these days. The political tone for 2001 has been set, and it's not very pleasing to the ears. This is clear from the maneuvers of the House of Representatives through its committee investigating the Bulog Brunei scandals, which gave birth to the first memorandum of censure. This was followed by demonstrations demanding President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to resign, which in turn was followed by demonstrations of support for the President. One rally ran into the other, ending up in clashes between the opposing camps and acts of destruction as vandalism, as seen in East Java.

The issuance of the first memorandum was accompanied by intense discussions of the need for a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly to begin impeachment proceedings against the President. And the whole situation worsened when ethnic violence erupted in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, as Gus Dur prepared for a foreign visit. In the meantime, Gus Dur's political opponents have become more powerful and vocal, accusing Gus Dur of incompetence in leading the nation.

Given these circumstances, many people took up the demand that Gus Dur go. The anti-Gus Dur camp consolidated and mass rallies were held to demand Gus Dur resign. All of this intensified public opinion.

With such political instability, who really benefits? Is it to the advantage of the currency speculators, with the exchange rate of the rupiah continually falling? Or the political elite, who are becoming increasingly energetic in their efforts to topple Gus Dur? What is clear is that the war of words between the political elite is becoming heated and causing much pain to the people, and only time can tell when physical clashes at the grassroots level will erupt.

To find a solution to the present political turmoil, the political elite must meet face-to-face in an amicable atmosphere. They must stop using the mass media as a battleground to condemn each other. The whole thing will get even worse if the conflicting political elite use their supporters as shields or political bulldozers.

All these differences of opinion could be settled if there were good intentions on all sides, given the fact that both Gus Dur and his political opponents are Islamic leaders. So why don't they show some political ethics, instead of resorting to the politics without faith that we see today.

YUSUF MAKKA

Bandung