Reform movement hinges on public support

A'an Suryana and Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The reform movement has run out of steam after four years because of waning government support, leaving it up to the people to give it a shot in the arm, observers say.

Political observer Ikrar Nusa Bhakti said the public must have a greater say in the reform movement or it would die.

"The public must pressure the government and force it to pursue and stick to the reform agenda," he said on Tuesday.

As the government's commitment to reform slacken, the public's faith in the movement waned.

Four years under the reform era has taken its toll with relentless politics and a slow economic recovery.

By comparison, Soeharto's oppressive regime offered stability and security that were his platform to grow the economy.

Ikrar said the growing public indifference over the reform movement posed new challenges for pro-democracy activists.

Activists must return to pick up the fight for reform, and not leave it in government hands, he said.

It was the public that hatched the reform movement inside various non-government organizations and universities across the country.

The word "reform" itself was coined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in late 1997, and referred to its program which called for fundamental changes in Indonesia's economy.

A buzzword in early 1998, it was popular enough for student activists to campaign for reform in politics.

Its message gained momentum with the death of four Trisakti University students that triggered the downfall of Soeharto.

But "reform" has lost its spell after fours years of the word's overuse and a government pretending to be reformist.

Lawyer Luhut Pangaribuan said the public and not the government was the key driving factor in the reform movement.

The government failed to pursue further reforms because there were too many political interests at play. The fact the general elections were nearing stalled reform even further.

The glaring example is in the government's failure to reform the corrupt legal system.

"It's business as usual here," Luhut said of the legal system riddled with corruption among law practitioners.

Corrupt lawyers, prosecutors, and judges were tainting the reform movement's image and Luhut said violations had gotten worse. "Still, I don't see legal reform taking place."

Luhut also dismissed the House as a viable counter to the government's slack commitment to reform.

"If we look at the House, we have there a public that is segregated in boxes according to interest groups," he said.

The House has often come under fire for neglecting the interests of the public it was suppose to represent.

Legislators fall behind in the deliberation of crucial bills that would have expedited the reform process.

Slow deliberation of the state securities bill, for instance, is behind why the government will have to pay out Rp 3.9 trillion (about US$420 million) in maturing bonds to local banks.

The government could have replaced the bonds with new ones, if the proper law had been in place, according to senior economist Tubagus Ferdihanusetyawan of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

"It's too late for the House to complain. They should have done their job," Tubagus said.

As the people could not expect the current government and the House to continue reforms, the public needed to show its power once again, he said.

Public pressure can get things done. In an example of this, last March the government reversed a decision to grant bad debtors longer repayment periods following a public outcry that the move smacked of injustice.

The public should also continue to work with foreign donors to put more pressure on the government and the House to work better and side with reform.

With its funding power, foreign lenders have been proven to be one of the most effective pressure groups.

Many times, they have managed to force the government to initiate reforms in various areas, ranging from the legal sector, environmental concerns and corruption issues.

"Reform from within the government has failed ... The House has also failed to safeguard reform ... People must act," Luhut said.