Siswono says unity chosen over democracy

Siswono says unity chosen over democracy

JAKARTA (JP): If ever Indonesia has to choose between
democracy and unity, it will certainly pick the latter, says
Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo.

Siswono, who was an activist during the heyday of student
movements in the 1960s, told around 200 youngsters attending a
discussion on democratization on Thursday evening that the need
to manage the potentially-polarizing diversity of the nation is
of the utmost importance to its survival.

"We recognize, respect differences among us...it would not be
wise to suppress them, because it may create other forms of
expressions which are usually destructive in nature," he said.

"Differences of opinion are tolerated, as long as they stay
within the frame of national unity. We don't want arbitrary,
unlimited differences, such as the ones shown by people engaging
in secessionist movements like Free Aceh or Free Papua," he said.

He pointed out that the essence of democratization lies, among
other things, in the fact that a nation needs wisdom to be able
to accept the importance of unity over heterogeneity.

"Put in the extreme, if ever we have to choose between
democracy and unity, we will choose unity," Siswono said.

The discussion was held by the Association of Hindu Youths and
also featured political observer Marzuki Darusman and legislator
Oka Mahendra.

"It's very important for us to establish a culture where
differences are resolved in peaceful, critical, mature and
civilized manners," he said. "We need to manage differences in
such a way which also fosters democracy, because we realize that,
for this heterogeneous nation, democracy is a strategic
necessity."

Siswono explored at length various aspects related to the
issue of democratization, including the implementation of an
electoral system and the existence of three political groupings
which he believed were adequate.

"Democracy as a system does not guarantee that processes
involved in it will proceed in a democratic manner," he said.
Some people, he added, have not advanced from the stage where
they interpret democracy as merely the right to protest and place
demands at the expense of their "duty to give".

He said democracy tolerates conflicts, but should also know
when to end them and reach consensus by prioritizing the
interests of something bigger.

"Democracy is a consensus," he concluded. "Protracted
conflicts are not democracy. They are anarchy, and in an anarchic
situation, democracy would not thrive."

Marzuki Darusman, a member at the National Commission for
Human Rights, focused on the role of youngsters in
democratization. He warned against political groupings wishing to
exploit the younger generation to further their own interests.

"At present, Indonesian youth is more 'used' politically
rather than having political roles of their own to play," he
said.

The former legislator from the ruling Golkar organization
defined "political roles" as a more active position born out of
the younger people's own initiatives. "The political function or
use of the youngsters, by contrast, is established by the system
which does not involve the youngsters only," he said.

He believed that society should give fair and balance
positions for both roles of the youngsters.

One of the most important challenges of democratization is how
to improve the younger people's force within the existing
constellation of social and political structure, he said.

Only by improving the social and political groupings' roles,
he said, can Indonesia find a more just political process.

"At present, the existing social and political institutions
behave like a cartel," he said. "They strive to maintain their
monopoly over political representation, have greater tendency to
maintain good relations with the government, and always ask the
people or the public to just understand." (swe)