Repressive shadow looms

Repressive shadow looms

For the new generation of Indonesians freedom of expression
might look like a new phenomenon because this very basic right
has been curtailed for no less than four decades.

The New Order regime of president Soeharto, which took over
from Sukarno's Guided Democracy in 1966 promised to respect all
the basic freedoms. But he kept the pledge only for the first six
years of his decades of rule. That was during a brief honeymoon
between him and the democratic forces who had supported his
ascent to power and lasted until 1974.

Between that year and the day of his downfall in disgrace in
May Indonesians suffered under his brutal repression wielding its
military muscle against the people.

When President B. J. Habibie came to power and made the same
promise, the people compared the starkly different backgrounds of
the two.

Soeharto had come more or less from political obscurity with a
fresh determination to improve conditions while Habibie seemed to
be badly in need of strong political will and sincerity to detach
himself from Soeharto's shadow.

Habibie's first six months prove that he has not been
successful in this respect. He has made many wise statements and
promises but still needs to show that he can translate them into
reality.

The way he has been facing his political opponents lately is
the latest evidence of the beginning of a disaster. At the very
least the president is clearly at a loss as to who he is and what
he is supposed to be in a changing society.

By accusing his critics of being involved in a subversive plot
-- a deadly charge which was a trade mark of the Soeharto regime
-- also shows that he has started to panic very easily. His
situation must have been worsened by the problem of political
legitimacy and advice he has received from certain opportunistic
legal pundits while turning a deaf ear to sincere legal experts,
who have warned him of how serious the charge is.

This kind of reaction, combined with the way his military
commander has crushed the voice of the students, has apparently
become his Achilles Heel. If he continues to work this way we are
afraid that freedom of the press will also receive fall-out.

His unexpected political intolerance might worsen the press
condition and is a far cry from people's political education. The
way certain groups of society react to the newly regained freedom
really demonstrates a need for education.

There is an awkward trend among the groups -- which mostly
spring up overnight -- speaking on behalf of religion and which
try to intimidate some news media for coverage they believe does
not satisfy their group. The method looks like nothing so much as
an expression of frustration due to their inability to set up
their own media organization.

This trend might look trivial but from the point of democratic
values this is a fully negative habit. Harassing people by
claiming to be a spokesman of a certain religion can be
counterproductive to the religion itself besides harming the
journalistic profession.

Press freedom still awaits completion, for example through the
setting up an independent press watch body for the sake of the
profession and the nation's democratic system.

However, the most important element is that the freedom of
speech and expression and all other basic freedoms can only
survive when the government and the people understand the genuine
values of democracy. The absence of this will turn back the clock
to the dark era of the Old Order regime.