Romo Mangun expressed fears for future in last interview
JAKARTA (JP): About two hours before he succumbed to a fatal heart attack on Wednesday, scholar Y.B. Mangunwijaya talked about the state of the country, particularly the propensity to choose violence in venting frustrations.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post, Merdeka and private television station TPI on the sidelines of a seminar at Le Meridien hotel in Central Jakarta, the priest better known as Romo Mangun feared young people might reject the June 7 general election.
"I'm not a politician. But I think it's going to be hard... very hard to prevent (the young) from resisting the poll, because elements of the New Order regime are the ones running the election.
"Golkar, the United Development Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party, they are all a product of the past. I'm afraid (the election result) may not be accepted by the students and young people here."
He hoped the situation would remain calm but feared public dissatisfaction over legacies of the Soeharto regime could boil over into unrest.
"Let's hope (nothing bad) will happen, but will it (the election result) be accepted? Even the (current) House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly are the product of the old regime, so I think things will be difficult," he said.
When asked to comment on Indonesia's decision to review its stance on East Timor, the author of Burung-Burung Manyar (1981) and Puntung-Puntung Roro Mendut (1978) said: "I praise this decision of (President B.J.) Habibie's administration.
"Why should we hold on to East Timor? It'd be only a waste of energy and exhaust us."
Set to turn 70 in May, the priest said Indonesia would avoid becoming a new "imperialist" state by letting go of the troubled province.
Mangunwijaya also lamented the situation of his fellow citizens, hobbled by economic woes and an uncertain political future.
"Our people are now in their poorest condition, and violence has become everyday language and expression."
He compared previous elections under the autocratic regime of Soeharto with the multiparty poll held in 1955, the country's first and widely considered the most democratic to date.
"In my recollection... in 1955 there were no clashes between parties. Everybody tried to make jokes but the people were not as easily offended. Now, people explode over the most trivial matters."
He blamed the economic and political crises affecting all layers of society. "I can only pray and contribute my thoughts to this country... hopefully people still listen.
"It may not be necessary to implement my suggestion (that Indonesia should be changed into) a federal state, for instance, but it can also be a remedy to problems here," he said.
His love of learning was evident in his hope for the promotion of literature. "I want books to be cheaper so everybody can read a lot more." (edt)