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."