Social indicators call for concern: Observer
Social indicators call for concern: Observer
JAKARTA (JP): Future quests for democracy and openness will
require better cooperation among various groups in society,
according to a political observer.
Kacung Marijan of the Surabaya-based University of Airlangga
told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that, at present, groups which
make democracy and freedom their crusade tend to move within the
confines of their own organizations.
For instance, the Forum of Democracy, a small, loose
organization of intellectuals and pro-democracy activists, has
been very vocal in demanding more openness, but has been "walking
alone", Kacung said.
"Surely, it's not their own values and goals which are worth
fighting for?" Kacung said. "What about the interests and the
values of other groups?"
Chairman of Forum for Democracy Abdurrahman Wahid, who is also
chairman of the largest Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU),
recently compared the two organizations.
He said that NU, with its millions of followers, is a big
organization with "the simple goal of asserting its
independence". The Forum of Democracy, however, is a small
organization "with big dreams".
Abdurrahman, also known as Gus Dur, said the merger of
interests of the two groups would be instrumental in bringing
about their dreams of an improved societal structure.
Kacung said that better cooperation between those groups would
also be vital in safeguarding national unity, especially as
developments in the coming years could spell crisis for
Indonesia.
"The next five years or so may expose Indonesia to various
threats," he said, attributing the possibility to a "collision"
between closely-held Indonesian values and the rush to globalize.
He listed a number of areas to be treated with concern, the
first of which is "a crisis in national political leadership".
"The issue of succession is still a big question mark for us,"
he said. "Once President Soeharto no longer leads the country,
who will be in power? Will the ruling grouping Golkar and the
military still be in charge?"
He said the question should be anticipated and handled with
care in order to avoid plunging Indonesia into a chaos similar to
what the former Soviet Union experienced several years ago.
Another concern is the amount of the country's foreign debt,
which places it as the world second largest debtor country after
Brazil. Domestic economic growth is high enough, but it will
still have to contend with issues such as high unemployment, he
said.
"We will have to find a balanced approach in pushing for more
rational economic goals, without sacrificing labor," he said.
The third indicator for possible crisis in the future concerns
the legal system, he said.
Most of the laws and regulations here are "inherited" from the
Dutch colonial times, and are rapidly losing relevance with
contemporary Indonesia, he said.
"Not every regulation here is in accordance with more superior
laws..and we need to examine this if we don't want to see a
chaotic legal system in the future," he warned.
Kacung also called for a strengthening of political
institutions. "For instance, we need a stronger and more
effective House of Representatives and political parties," he
said. "They should really function as a checks and balance power
over the executive branch of power." (swe)