Regrettable blunders

Now that the world is in the grip of World Cup football fever, most people know the Italian international player, Roberto Baggio. In the last World Cup, he made a professional blunder when he failed to execute a penalty; the ball flew over the bar to the amazement and disappointment of thousands of his fans.

Blunders are also made by chess grandmasters; Russian grandmaster Karpov and Indian phenomenon Anand failed to execute winning moves. The Dutch call it schaak blind (chess blind); they failed to see the most obvious and simplest winning step.

Politicians are more apt to make blunders in their decisions. When one particular controversial political figure was named in the list of new appointees for the Supreme Advisory Council, I could not help classifying this to be a political blunder on the part of the new President.

Can this administration pride itself with the name Development and Reform Cabinet when it includes so many pro-Soeharto political "puppets", if only in spirit? Apparently there have been forces at work which slow down, if not plot to deviate, the reform course.

The sudden replacement of the Attorney General with someone outside the hierarchy may be seen as another example of political blundering, unless it is meant to be a cunning political move to protect certain interests. In that case, we may well conclude that the reform process has been cold-bloodedly reversed.

Such moves may not be welcomed by the international community, including IMF officials, who still hesitate in disbursing loans to Indonesia.

To add to the confusion has been a demonstration against the United States embassy, organized by those not too familiar with the IMF rules. Indeed, it is now hard to see how the nation can get out the financial, economic and political maze.

In order to obtain credibility from the international world, the administration cannot be run by antireform people spiritually still dearly attached to the old regime and way of thinking.

I predict that a second reform wave will roll in sooner or later. Already, the students have been advised to stay on their campuses and not venture again to press their political demands. What else is this, if not another political blunder on the part of the new rulers?

Amid so much and so many kinds of confusion prevailing now in society, it is imperative that no more is added. Otherwise, we shall shortly hear the bell ringing again, warning us that another reform wave is coming.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta