Sjahrir gets political with young Indonesians

Sjahrir gets political with young Indonesians

I. Christianto, Contributor, Jakarta

Fair-weather friends are common in politics. But Sjahrir, a noted
economic and political observer, has learned the art of being a
critic of the government while still remaining its partner.

The 57-year-old Sjahrir has been a government critic since his
time as an undergraduate at the University of Indonesia's School
of Economics. There, he took part in a number of demonstrations,
including an anticorruption rally as part of the Mahasiswa
Menggugat (Student Demand) movement of 1971.

In 1974, a year after graduating, he was jailed for his
involvement in a student protest in Jakarta that turned into a
riot, now known as the Jan. 15 Tragedy. He was accused of being a
provocateur.

A state court sentenced him to six years and six months in
jail, but a higher court reduced the sentence to six years. He
was serving for three years and ten months when he appealed to
the Supreme Court. While waiting for the respond, he was set
free, married Kartini and moved to the U.S. to continue his
studies at Harvard University on a scholarship from the Ford
Foundation. In 1983, he earned his doctorate in political economy
and government.

Back in Jakarta, Sjahrir set up the Padi & Kapas Foundation
and started a School of Social Sciences, whose students included
Sonny Keraf, who later served as state minister for the
environment in the administration of former president Abdurrahman
Wahid. But the government of former president Soeharto closed
down the school.

Sjahrir then established a number of security consultant
firms, led several brokerage companies and also taught at his
alma mater. He is also involved with the Indonesian Military's
Social and Political Council.

Sjahrir saw university students take to the streets and change
the face of the country in the late 1990s from the perspective of
a father of two and a professional. With his new perspective and
the changes he has experienced, Sjahrir's manner of positioning
himself as a critic of the government has somehow become more
elegant.

This month, he commemorates the first anniversary of
Perhimpunan Indonesia Baru (Association for a New Indonesia/PIB),
an organization which was established to provide a political
education for young Indonesians.

During its existence, PIB has compiled and published
CabinetWatch, a regular report on the performance of the Cabinet
under Wahid and the current President, Megawati Soekarnoputri.
The report is mainly focused on uncovering and reporting
potential corruption among officials.

"We monitor any inconsistencies in the government and Cabinet,
and compile the data in the reports. We work closely with the
media. Eventually, our major partner is the media and we find
TV, radio, magazines, newspapers and news websites have conveyed
the reports effectively," said Sjahrir, who is related to
Indonesia's first prime minister, Sutan Sjahrir.

The local media has enthusiastically reported on the
activities of PIB, demonstrating that the association deals with
relevant issues in the current political climate, he said.

Sjahrir, who is also the chief editor of Prisma, an economics
journal, hinted that the Indonesian press, as an institution
conveying educative information, could be much better.

PIB has recruited some of the brightest new graduates from the
country's leading universities. Sjahrir said they studied all new
developments in the government through polling, research and
media analysis in the so-called "War Room".

"They are looking for in-depth information. I'd say fresh
graduates with no working experience are easier to shape. Those
who are statisticians, IT graduates and researchers have an
interest in politics. There has been very good interaction among
them."

He said that PIB had become a political organization, and
there were plans to establish a political party representing
PIB's aspirations in the 2004 elections.

"The party could be called the PIB Party or whatever. We don't
know the name yet. In the meantime, PIB has set up representative
offices in 10 provinces apart from Jakarta, including North
Sumatra, Riau, West Sumatra, West Java, Yogyakarta, Central Java,
East Java, Bali, South Sulawesi and North Sulawesi. We'll open
more offices in Jambi, West Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku and South
Kalimantan."

But he was quick to add that he had never declared himself a
possible presidential candidate.

"I only said in mid-January that anyone criticizing the
prevailing government should be responsible for finding a
replacement. I was quoting Bung Hatta (Indonesia's first vice
president), who said this in 1934. Based on that statement, PIB
is very keen to participate in the elections in 2004," said
Sjahrir, who often goes by the nickname Ciil. Mohammad Hatta is
one of his favorite economists.

Sjahrir said Indonesia remained in great need of good
leadership which really understood what actions were necessary in
the current situation. Leadership, he said, was important for
good governance

"Leadership is about decision making. What we have now is
leadership without any decision makers, therefore we don't see
any decisions or change. The country continues to lag behind.
There are also indications of conflicts of interest. Some people
in the government have double, conflicting roles, not to mention
Megawati's husband, Taufik Kiemas, who is also a member of the
House of Representatives. The idea of conflict of interest in
Indonesia is alien. People think it's normal."

He added that there were also no indications that the
government had made any efforts toward bringing about an economic
recovery.

To start with, he said, the banking industry should be
improved. "When that is done, loans could be extended to
businesses, the exchange rate would be better and the stock
exchange would perform well. It's simple."

Sjahrir never imagined that he would become an important
player in the political arena. As a child he wanted to be an
artist, spending much of his time writing and reading poetry and
novels. But he realized that being an artist would be difficult,
so he switched his focus to economics in order to secure a better
future.

For Sjahrir, life is like a spinning wheel. "I don't have any
hopes for myself. I always prepare for the worst. By establishing
PIB and other businesses and organizations, I was preparing my
country. Being in jail for about four years taught me to be
prepared for the worst, to never think about being released."

He said he enjoyed discussion. "I like to converse with
everyone. Conversation is an activity that allows for the
exchange of opinions and views. There's never a one-way
conversation, and we learn to be good listeners. Then we can
respond. So far, we only hear but do not listen."

"Then I also like eating. This may be a problem (because of my
weight). But I go for a medical check-up every month. I also take
vitamins and food supplements. I always try to take the time to
walk at least four days a week. I have to steal the time to walk,
in the morning or afternoon, because of my busy schedule. It's
important to work up a sweat."

Sjahrir said he had the full support for his activities from
his wife and children, Pandu and Gita, who live overseas.

"I e-mail my children every day to share my experiences. But
I don't get on the Internet myself, I have assistants who prepare
everything."