The MPR's dilemma

There are many among us who question the commitment of members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) (toward democratic reform) and doubt the effectiveness of a Special Session of the Assembly in ushering the nation into a new era. Their reasoning is that the current MPR is a product of the now defunct New Order regime, and that it is, therefore, most likely to try to set a national agenda that would benefit only a certain group by preserving the status quo.

Under present conditions, we fully realize that the MPR members are faced with a dilemmatic choice: whether to protect the interests of their own respective groups or listen to the will of the people. Opting for the first choice would bring us to a situation that none of us probably want: protracted conflict and a political crisis that will not end any time soon. Such a projection is not without ground. For instance, various newly established political parties have threatened that they will not recognize the results of the current MPR Special Session if they don't conform to the prevailing spirit of reform.

However, we are sure those members will have the wisdom to read the signs of the time and that they won't lightly disregard the voice of the people. The point is that this is the only way the present MPR members can hope to lay a firm foundation for the nation and prevent the ongoing economic and political crisis from becoming protracted.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta