The free speech forum

The free speech forum

The warning issued by Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Feisal
Tanjung on Monday to ban the free speech forum at the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Jakarta,
for being "unconstitutional" and inciting people "to overthrow
the government" is rather disturbing. It is appalling, because
one would think that such a serious charge as treason -- which
carries the penalty of life in prison or the death penalty if
proven in court -- should be backed up by solid evidence. So far,
one has yet to see it.

Without sufficient proof, one might think that the plan is a
mere excuse by the authorities to take over the headquarters from
the Megawati camp and to stop Megawati Soekarnoputri -- the PDI
chairwoman who was toppled in a government-backed PDI congress in
Medan last month -- from continuing her fight to maintain her
position.

From a layman's point of view, one can see that so far, the
forum has not caused any serious disturbances except for a few
complaints from neighbors and an occasional traffic jam. The open
forum is a good place to channel one's disappointment and
frustration; a far better choice than letting people go into the
street to demonstrate, an act which may foster trouble and
instability. One should also remember that the forum was
organized spontaneously, and, in fact, was "born" of the
authorities' own doing by ousting Megawati.

That the authorities are becoming increasingly upset and
angered by the free speech forum -- the first ever held outside a
university campus in the last three decades -- is understandable.
Most of the statements expressed at the forum are criticisms of
the government and vows of continued support for Megawati. But
perhaps what is most irritating to the government is that the
forum has also become a symbol of public defiance against the
authorities.

Thus, Gen. Feisal Tanjung's statement should be seen as part
of an attempt to remove -- once and for all -- Megawati from the
PDI picture. It is apparent that from the outset, when the plan
to topple Megawati was drawn, the government had underestimated
Megawati and the mood of the people as well, particularly the PDI
grassroots supporters. Hence, when Megawati fought back and
people came rallying behind her, the authorities were not ready
when the wave of protests in support of Megawati spread across
the country.

One thing that concerns us most is the use of the same
outdated pretexts to discredit Megawati and her supporters, such
as the phrases "leftist", "plans to topple the government", or
"similar to the tactics of the outlawed Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI)". If the authorities have enough evidence that
someone, including Megawati, has a plan to overthrow the
government or is in any way related to the PKI, it would be
better to bring the matter into the open and bring the suspects
to court.

One has to remember that more than half of our population was
born after the communist coup of 1965, and thus have no knowledge
of the PKI. Repeating the same old charges over and over again
without any supporting evidence will not only be
counterproductive, but may also raise doubts about the
credibility of the accuser.

It is no secret that some of Megawati's supporters are members
of non-governmental organizations that are allegedly "leftist" in
nature, and some of them may be frustrated enough with the
current system to think that the only way out is to change it.
But we believe their number is small. More people prefer a
gradual improvement from within, and thus the process will not
disrupt our national development drive.

The plan to ban the free speech forum is also an indication
that the government's tolerance of differences of opinion is
becoming short-fused. Hence, it is a good reminder for all of us
to consider that President Soeharto has repeatedly stated that
differences of opinion are normal in a democratic society. Thus,
all citizens have an equal right to dissent as long as they
conform with prevailing rules and do not disrupt stability. In
this country, we have a Constitution that clearly guarantees
freedom of expression.