Searching for leadership

Searching for leadership

The findings of the poll published in this newspaper today,
that this country is experiencing a leadership crisis, may not
sound earth-shattering to most educated Indonesians. The
continuing economic slump; the never-ending street
demonstrations; the persistent clinging by the authorities to
Soeharto-style policies; and the policy blunders and
inconsistencies by a government that calls itself reformist are
proof enough that this dismal belief is true -- or at least in
the public's perception.

Fortunately, there is also the more optimistic public
conviction that any of a number of the currently popular public
figures could rise to the challenge and become a decent president
given the chance. Megawati Soekarnoputri, Amien Rais,
Yogyakarta's Sultan Sri Hamengkubuwono X and Abdurrahman Wahid --
are the four most favored by the poll respondents. However, it
must be clear to anyone who has paid any attention to comments
made at seminars and public debates by leaders of the youth and
student movement that there is in fact no dearth of potential
leaders of national stature in this country provided, again, that
these budding champions are given the chance to blossom.

It is here -- namely the lack of opportunity for leaders to
emerge and develop -- where the fundamental problem of
Indonesia's future leadership lies. In the past 54 years since it
proclaimed independence, this nation spent its first four years
in revolution to free itself from the Dutch. The following nine
years was a time of relative instability as the nation dabbled,
not very successfully, with Western-style parliamentary
democracy. Since 1959 Indonesians have lived under virtual
dictatorship; first under Sukarno's "Guided Democracy" and then
under Soeharto's "Pancasila Democracy", neither tolerated the
emergence of popular grassroots leaders.

As a consequence, no system exists that allows for the
democratic recruitment of a national leader. As has been noted,
history is not on Indonesia's side where this question of
leadership selection is concerned. Yet, history also has shown
that the country must, out of necessity, adjust to the times and
to the trends that prevail in the increasingly global and
competitive community if it is to prosper and grow. The question
is: how, especially in this time of crisis, are Indonesians going
to overcome this obstacle?

Although it is true that there is at present no shortage of
potential leaders among Indonesia's younger generation, and that
the resolve to build a prosperous, democratic and just Indonesia
is strong among most Indonesians at present, the problems
hindering the attainment of this objective are momentous. A
common perception about how to go about establishing a more
democratic system of government, especially amid the present
political and economic crisis, does not exist. For instance,
although everyone agrees that a national consensus should provide
the most effective way out of the currently prevailing atmosphere
of mutual distrust and resentment, leaders are unable to concur
on how to go about holding a national dialog that could pave the
way toward establishing the desired consensus. Leaders even
disagree about what form any dialog should take.

In the circumstances, one most effective initial step
Indonesians could take toward bringing about such an atmosphere
of accord is by doing some serious soul-searching. The road to
achieving a truly democratic society is long and arduous. Still,
even for a long journey, a first step must be made. If there is
one thing that could inspire Indonesians to persevere on this
long journey, it must be the realization that the goal of forging
a truly democratic society must somehow be realized.