Reconciliation at last?

Reconciliation at last?

Though much belated, the government's agreement to form a
national reconciliation team consisting of representatives of the
government, the National Commission on Human Rights, non-
governmental organizations and the public at large can only be
welcomed. After all, leaders of the reform movement that brought
about the downfall of former president Soeharto's repressive New
Order regime have been urging President Habibie to work toward
national reconciliation from almost as soon as he took over the
reins of government from his predecessor in May.

Judging from the announcement made by Justice Minister Muladi
on Friday, what the government hopes to achieve by forming such a
team, apparently, is to unite all the elements of Indonesian
society and encourage people to turn adverse experiences of the
past into valuable, though bitter, lessons. This will help to
bridge the gaps that currently exist between conflicting parties.

"It means that we will try to make the desire for revenge a
thing of the past, without negating enforcement of the law,"
Muladi told reporters after a three-hour meeting on Friday
between Habibie and a delegation from the National Commission on
Human Rights.

The team is also expected to promote national unity and
cohesion because "society at present is threatened by separatism
and disintegration," according to Muladi. Laudable objectives,
without doubt. And neither can there be any doubt that the need
for such an effort exists.

A few of the many divisive cases that require immediate
attention are the trauma in Aceh, which needs urgent healing; the
atrocities allegedly been committed in East Timor and Irian Jaya,
which need serious and immediate attention; and the government-
engineered split in the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), which
has rendered the party impotent and affected masses of ordinary
Indonesians who support the two contending factions.

This is not to mention many perceived injustices committed
under the old regime which are still pertinent today such as the
continued imprisonment of leaders of the Democratic People's
Party (PRD) and the government's apparent unwillingness to
reinvestigate the Tanjung Priok and Lampung incidents in which
many protesters are believed to have been killed. These are cases
that have left behind profound grudges, not only against those in
power perceived to have perpetrated these injustices, but also
against other groups in Indonesian society. That the government
has finally agreed to set up a team is a welcome token and shows
that, at least in principle, the need for such a step is well
enough understood by those in power. But the question is, will it
have the strength of will to do what is needed?

A national reconciliation would require a willingness to make
certain sacrifices on the part of all parties involved. Since
almost all of the injustices and perceived injustices were
perpetrated during the Soeharto regime, it is the government that
will have to make most of those sacrifices. Unfortunately, our
feeling is that it is not ready to do so. Its apparent half-
heartedness in taking the step is in itself an indication of its
feelings on the matter. For example, will President Habibie be
able to overcome the objections of his security ministers to the
release of all remaining political prisoners, including the PRD
leaders and East Timorese leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao.

Senior government figures continue to talk as though revenge
and disintegration are the only threats confronting the nation.
Conceding that this is true, a widely perceived sense of
injustice is nevertheless still at the core of the matter and
effective reconciliation can only be achieved if justice is
meted out where justice is due. The problem is much wider in
scope than the government apparently perceives.

Be that as it may, the composition of the team that is to be
formed will be a good indication of what we can expect it to
achieve. Let us hope the team will be effective, because we don't
quite see how this government is going to win the trust and the
credibility it so much needs unless a sense of peace, harmony and
togetherness can be restored in our society.