Success means what?
Groups have expressed doubts that President B. J. Habibie's government is sincere in its intent to hold a fair general election next year. They say the government deliberately decided on such a short time span for the preparation of the poll in the hope it will allow it to retain power. That is why, they add, the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) -- opening on Tuesday -- is a meaningless event.
The majority of the populace seems to have no objection to the session and wants it to be a success. However, we need to remember that success invariably has different meanings to different people.
Armed Forces (ABRI) leaders, in welcoming every MPR session over the past three decades, have said they are only successful if held in a peaceful situation and an orderly manner. Tellingly, they pay scant attention to the degree of democracy.
For the country's highest constitutional body, success should surely be more than that. Members should first and foremost have the freedom to speak because democracy means freedom of expression. Absence of freedom can be manifested in various manners and degrees.
The most crucial topics the Special Session will discuss include the end of ABRI's sociopolitical function and the alleged corruption of Soeharto and his cronies.
The special character of today's MPR session is that is overshadowed by the presence of so many newly established political groupings. These aspire to channel their aspirations but, due to the old system still at work, do not have a chance to be heard by the MPR members.
Students and various reform-minded people have tried to get their message across recently. These very products of social change find themselves up against MPR members elected unfairly as the people's representatives. The problem is how to remove the wall of insensitivity and the formidable ghosts of an entrenched authoritarian mentality which stands between them.
New parties have proliferated thanks to the new openness. They now have the opportunity to voice their opinions which were suppressed under Soeharto's iron rule. Some of them are difficult to hear because they augur national disunity, but seeking to silence them would be to turn the clock back to a darker period in our history.
We should not be very shocked today at the rebirth of the idea of Islamic politics, the sense of nationalism and the trend of open political parties which discard religious, racial and ethnic barriers.
ABRI, which has said that what is best for the people is best for it, is expected to support all the ideas, however distasteful they may sound to its leadership. We believe this is vital because ABRI was used for decades by Soeharto to assure his grasp on power; it was granted its special political status to this end. Success can also have different meanings at different times for the military.
Since this MPR session is the first after the country was freed from the yoke of authoritarianism, it is a fundamental duty of the MPR members to channel the people's aspirations. They should be able to decide what the nation needs as it makes its historic steps toward a new era.
ABRI has an important role to play in supporting this noble objective. Its contribution is much greater than preparing 15 warships (it is unclear who they are fighting against) and mobilizing 125,000 "voluntary" civilian guards to fend off students crying for reform.