Return of the bogeyman

As the November special session of the People's Consultative Assembly draws nearer and the nation's political itinerary quickens pace, signs of restlessness are appearing -- not only among the people, but also within the government and the Armed Forces.

Although there is every reason to believe that government officials -- and our military leaders in particular -- have nothing but the good of the nation on their minds when they warn us of the dangers of letting mass demonstrations get out of hand, we must admit to feeling more than just a bit apprehensive over assertions that current protests are showing signs of being communist-inspired.

Even Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto himself was quoted by newspapers on Friday as saying that protests throughout the country seemed to bear the patterns of past communist actions. "Various security disturbances have clearly been executed in a coordinated and systematic manner. They have been proven to have interfered with our efforts to resolve the economic crisis and our overall reform program," Wiranto was quoted as saying, adding that Indonesians must understand that communism remains a danger. He warned that the Armed Forces would take stern action to quash any disturbances, though troops would act in respect to the law.

That security and order must be restored if our country is to overcome its economic and political predicament is a point that no sensible Indonesian would question. Obviously enough, no investor in his or her right mind would risk money in this country in the face of continued social turmoil. Tourists, too, would rather spend their dollars elsewhere than in Indonesia, where they might be trapped in an emergency.

For these reasons and others, it is not only the government's right to maintain peace and order throughout the archipelago, but it is their job to do so. No one would fail to understand -- or accept as long as laws and human rights are respected -- that force may have to be used on occasion to maintain public order.

But the wisdom of invoking the old communist specter is questionable, to say the least. For one thing, such warnings against the country's traditional bogeyman cannot fail to create the impression that, all formal gestures notwithstanding, not much has changed in post-Soeharto Indonesia. The communist "threat" was one of the New Order's most effective justifications for cracking down on dissenters. It is, therefore, inevitable and most unfortunate at a time when the government still faces a major credibility problem that resorting once again to such old tactics will only serve to bolster allegations that Habibie is no more than an extension of Soeharto.

Unless the authorities can back up their allegations with hard evidence that can stand up under critical scrutiny, resorting to a means so out of step with the times may do the government more harm than good. To many Indonesians, such allegations that our current generation of students is being swayed by communist ideology seems rather irrational. Logically, communism, being anti-democratic in nature, would hardly appeal to a generation of youths and students who wish to bring about reform toward a genuine democracy. This is not to mention communism's proven failure to bring justice, equality and prosperity to the world.

Under the circumstances, the best way for the authorities to guarantee order and security would be by plainly demonstrating the government's commitment toward democratic reform -- the very goal of student demonstrations. This means there must be no more delays in pushing forward the agenda for reform. It also means that our country's democratic aspirations must be better accommodated by those entrusted to represent the people's interests.