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.