Review of nation's politics called for
Review of nation's politics called for
JAKARTA (JP): Political observer Rudini says the springing up
of new organizations is a signal for the nation to re-examine its
political system.
Antara quoted the retired army general and former home affairs
minister as saying in a seminar on political organizations in
Bandar Lampung on Saturday that the country's political life is
stagnant.
"Many people say that our political life is stagnant or, at
the very least, has lost its flexibility, and that it's rigid and
conservative," he said.
"Our political system is sluggish when it comes to adjusting
to international and national changes," he said. "Contrary to our
more adjustable economic system, our political system won't budge
from the status quo."
Rudini said the stagnation was caused by an imbalance between
the political and economic systems, as well as between the
political superstructure and infrastructure.
"The political infrastructure is weak and dependent, while the
superstructure continues to grow strong and maintains its
position as 'patron' of the nation's political life," he said.
"If this imbalance continues, then there won't be any process
of political education to benefit our people," he said. "In
addition, we'll find it difficult to find potential candidates
for the succession of national leadership." he said.
"In such a situation, it's difficult for us to talk about the
people's sovereignty," he said.
Another result of the weakened infrastructure is the frequent
emergence of new organizations, all striving to be alternatives
to the existing political formats, he said.
He named the Association of Intellectuals for Pancasila
Development (PCPP), the influential Association of Indonesian
Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), and the National Brotherhood
Foundation (YKPK) as examples of the new organizations.
"They could be seen as a positive sign of the growing public
participation in politics," he said.
However, he warned that efforts should be made to clarify the
motivation behind the establishment of the organizations in order
to avoid suspicion among social groups and disintegration of the
nation's unity.
Rudini, who was speaking at the seminar along with Fajrul
Falaakh of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, also analyzed
the current competition among the existing political groups.
Golkar, the minority United Development Party (PPP) and the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) will be contesting the 1997
general election.
Rudini called on PPP and PDI to set aside their jealousy over
Golkar's success and to competing in a fair and healthy manner in
order to overtake the ruling group.
He pointed out that both PDI and PPP often complain of being
discriminated against by the government.
"I say, compete against Golkar so that we can achieve a fair
and healthy political situation," he said. "Go further than just
feeling jealous."
He conceded that, sometimes, the dominant power often
justifies the means for its ends. "This shows that there are
things that have to be improved so that we can have a fair
political life," he said.
In the past months, Golkar has been accused of premature
electioneering, even intimidation and other violations, by its
opponents and some observers. (swe)