The hidden message

The hidden message

A Western diplomat once complained about Indonesian politics
being simply mind-boggling. The longer one tried to understand
the situation, the more confused one became, he said.

In a way, the diplomat was perhaps right. Even for some
Indonesians the politics of their country can be confusing,
although for many it is simple enough: Don't contradict what is
written in the book, nor what applies in reality.

The comments of two of our senior officials the other day are
a case in point. Addressing the House of Representatives, the
chairman of the Indonesian Civil Servants Corps (Korpri),
Suryatna Subrata, who is also secretary-general of the ministry
of home affairs, said that under the law civil servants are free
to vote for the political party of their choice.

Suryatna added that civil servants are also free to join any
political party, "subject to approval from their superiors." He
said government employees are expected be loyal to the
government, rather than to Golkar, but that the "mono-loyalty"
concept has been widely misunderstood to mean that civil servants
should also vote for Golkar in elections.

Ironically, on the same day, Minister of Home Affairs Moch.
Yogie S.M. said that, while civil servants are not obliged to
support Golkar, they are still expected to vote for it. Yogie
suggested that government employees who do not vote for Golkar
should resign from their jobs. "If I were a member of Korpri, I'd
quit and get another job if I didn't want to vote for Golkar," he
said.

A foreigner might say that the two statements contradict one
another and are surely not consistent. But one should remember
that Suryatna was speaking in legal terms, while Yogie, who is
Suryatna's superior, was speaking as a cabinet minister and a
member of Golkar's supervisory board, whose duties include
striving for Golkar's victory in the elections. Suryatna was
speaking from the standpoint of the law, which guarantees Korpri
members' freedom, while Yogie was speaking from the standpoint of
a political reality in which Korpri members are obliged to back
Golkar at the polls.

Both comments are based on real, hard facts. Hence,
understandably, Yogie did not feel embarrassed in making the
above-quoted statement since, after all, he did not "force" or
"order" Korpri members to vote for Golkar. He only said they were
"expected to vote" in a particular way.

One may even say that Yogie was only doing his job, and what
was expected of him. And everyone here knows the hidden message:
Any Korpri member who dares to defy his superior's "suggestions"
will have to bear the consequences.

Thus, Yogie's statement will prevail while Suryatna's words
will be recorded in the book. And Suryatna should not be blamed
for not contradicting Yogie's words. After all, Yogie is his
superior and in the present political climate wise men never
knowingly contradict their superiors.

There are enough such hidden messages here to fill an
Indonesian political dictionary. To "appeal to" someone is the
politically-correct way of giving them an order, as in the case
of the words "suggestion" and "expectation."

Another example: Last week Army Chief Gen. Hartono said in a
speech that Golkar should secure an absolute victory in the
coming general election. The statement prompted several House
members to ask Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung what Gen.
Hartono's statement meant.

Some legislators said that, under Indonesian law, the Armed
Forces (ABRI) should not side with any political grouping.
Moreover, Golkar has always won elections by a landslide; that
is, by some 70 percent or more.

"Does the general mean that Golkar should win 80, 90 or even
100 percent of the vote? When will ABRI support the PDI
(Indonesian Democratic Party) or the PPP (United Development
Party) in the elections?" one PDI member was reported to have
said to the laughter of the audience.

Of course, as a seasoned legislator, the House member knew
quite well the answer to his own question. He asked it only to
get into the news. The laughter from the audience was evidence
that everyone present knew the hard facts of Indonesian politics.