Stuck in a crisis of communication

Political analyst J.Soedjati Djiwandono looks at yet another dimension of the crisis, which is further isolating the President.

JAKARTA (JP): There is definitely another dimension of the multifaceted crisis that has made a major contribution to the political stalemate. This is the breakdown of communication. It applies above all to communication among the political elite.

Let me begin with the most obvious. Because of his loss of sight, President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's impression of and reaction to whatever happens around him at a given moment must be very much shaped and influenced by the reliability and trustworthiness of those who do see and report to him. His judgment or assessment of people will of necessity depend on those who read reports, newspapers, letters and whatever written materials he would otherwise need to read or see himself.

Unfortunately, from the President's own perspective, his team of spokesmen does not seem to perform well, and on occasions one gets the impression that they would offer their own interpretations of the President's views and thoughts. It is not unlikely that they themselves misunderstand his remarks and statements.

Yet when reports in the media do not please the President, he either denies such reports or blames the media for twisting his remarks and statements. The people would then get confused as to what is news and what is rumor, what is true and what is untrue.

Indeed, transparency is scarce in this era of reform under Gus Dur's presidency. Direct communication seems also to have broken down between the President and the Vice President, who for a long time has tended to keep silent.

Silence is not always golden. There is a Russian saying that "silence means agreement". But for VP Megawati Soekarnoputri, silence may well mean "no comment", "no view nor position", "I don't agree", or "I don't know". It may mean anything. What a contrast with her father, the late president Sukarno, the great demagogue.

The result, however, is the same: people get confused and frustrated. And many also tend to blame the media for distorting information. While I do abhor the lousy, unsophisticated language of many Indonesian reporters, I sympathize with them, not only for their poor performance, but also for being held responsible for the confusing and chaotic conditions not entirely and not always of their own making.

Joseph Stalin was also known to be a man of silence. But his was a deep sense of knowing exactly when to speak effectively. He was a good and intelligent listener.

There is a similarity and also a contrast between former president Soeharto and Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia in respect to communication. Both seem to be prone to keep everybody guessing. But while Soeharto did that, and perhaps still does now, by always smiling without saying much, Sihanouk used to do that -- perhaps now no longer does -- not only by smiling a lot, but also by talking a lot, if not necessarily saying much.

In the United States, president Lincoln was well known for his wit, so was Thomas Jefferson; president Truman for his plain speaking; John F. Kennedy for his rhetoric, perhaps also president Franklin Roosevelt. But president Ronald Reagan was famous as a great communicator, although perhaps not as great and flowery as the late prime minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain.

Back to this crisis-stricken country: President Abdurrahman has accused his opponents of having blocked the way to a compromise. But what has he offered, particularly for his "win- win solution"? Everyone has talked about a possible political compromise, but none has offered anything for a start. My guess was probably right, after all, that when offering a compromise, Indonesians tend to take first before giving anything away; hence their reference to the principle of "take and give" instead of "give and take".

Instead of offering or conceding anything concrete to initiate a step toward a real compromise, President Abdurrahman has been threatening and bluffing, making more enemies and further alienating friends and supporters. He seems to have alienated the National Awakening Party (PKB), so far his most loyal and staunch supporters, his main power base, seemingly by rarely, if ever, consulting its leaders. He seems to have managed only to isolate himself.

If even the PKB seems to have distanced itself from him, as reflected in a remark recently made by its chairman Matori Abdul Djalil, on the issue of a possible decree on a state of emergency, Abdurrahman should realize that his days as President may now be numbered. The special session of the People's Consultative Assembly should impeach him not on the wrong basis of motions of censure I and II issued by the legislature, but on his general incompetence in governing the country.

However, what difference would that make now, anyway? Time is pressing and pressure is mounting. Yet, a last minute political compromise remains possible despite the imminent and now seemingly irreversible MPR special session, if only the President should show, for once, his honesty, modesty and humility. He should not only open wide the door to communication, but also drastically change his style of communication.

Indeed, he would be the first man to make sacrifices for the sake of the nation, instead of sacrificing everything and everyone, above all the people, to save his own personal pride as well as to pursue grandeur, power and glory.

Only a great leader knows when to step down. We all count on you, Gus!