Time not ripe for people's power, researcher says

DEPOK (JP): Indonesians are so full of rage over the prevailing social and political injustices that they would not be able to wage a campaign for reform through people's power, an expert said.

Hermawan Sulistyo, a researcher at the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI), told an assembly of 5,000 students from the University of Indonesia and other colleges here Thursday that Indonesia has neither symbolic figureheads nor spiritual leaders that would enable its people to establish a people's power movement like the ones in the Philippines during President Marcos and Iran under Shah Reza Pahlavi.

He said a successful people's power usually has three characteristics: the absence of anger, so that a campaign becomes peaceful, the presence of symbolic figureheads and the presence of spiritual leaders, such as Cardinal Sin in the Philippines.

"Here, our people are full of anger because of the wide economic gap," Hermawan said. "I am not sure we'll see the emergence of a people's power."

Other speakers at the "grand discussion", held by University of Indonesia (UI) students, on social change and a demand for reform included former ministers Emil Salim and Siswono Yudohusodo, political observer Wimar Witoelar and respected scholar Selo Soemardjan.

Hermawan, who was among a small group of LIPI researchers who earlier this year publicly rejected the nomination of President Soeharto to his seventh term, added that students should be in the forefront for campaigning for change and to give voice to people's aspiration.

If necessary, he pointed out, "there should be martyrs from among UI or ITB students" in the campaign for reform. ITB is the Bandung Institute of Technology.

Hermawan also described how in the face of so great a suffering, especially during the past nine months due to the economic crisis, Indonesian people remained quiet. He blamed the passivity on pressure from the power holders and Indonesians' ability to adjust to suffering.

"But everything has its limit, people have their limit of endurance, intellectuals have their limit," he said in reference to the growing clamor for change voiced by students and intellectuals.

Wimar attributed the deterioration in social, economic and political lives of Indonesians to an administration that was fast losing its legitimacy. He also said Indonesia had, in fact, surpassed various "points" where crucial reforms should have taken place.

Wimar cited how Thailand and South Korea changed their leaders as a response to the collapse of their economies. "Those crucial points have been passed over in Indonesia," he said.

"It's amazing how patient Indonesian people are, and how great is their fear..."

Hermawan concurred, citing how small the space is for people to speak up and express what's on their mind. "This is a republic of fear," he said.

Siswono, who was known to be outspoken even when he was a cabinet minister between 1993 and 1998, said: "The people's aspiration need not develop into a people's power and become confronted with other forms of power, as long as the authorities heed the people's aspiration."

He called for the authorities to be wise and to open their arms to various people's aspirations, including their demand for a clean government, a democratic political life, respect for human rights and justice, an adequate supply of essentials at affordable prices and an ethical business life.

Siswono noted a deterioration in social and political scenes since the New Order administration assumed power in 1968. He said the period between 1968 and the mid-1970s was marked with idealism and an enthusiasm to improve people's welfare.

Between the mid-1970s and 1987, the drive for development started to be marred with violations and abuses of authority. The period between 1987 and the beginning of 1997 was marked with even greater violations because of poor control and weak state administration, he said.

"You students have been calling for a clean, respectable government, and this noble ideal is something that is shared by all political civilizations that ever existed," he said.

"A corrupt government will (create) resistance at a high price... while a clean government will certainly draw people's support," he said. (swe)