Uprooting the New Order

Uprooting the New Order

From Forum Keadilan

It is popular these days to discuss how to eradicate the New
Order. As nearly everyone agrees the New Order is rooted in
militarism, some people have opined that militarism should be
crushed. Strangely, militarism is still alive and kicking among
us. It has even seemingly gained strength. Evidence of this is
the military style adopted by civilian organizations. Another
obvious sign is the surprising abstention by the military/police
faction in the House of Representatives during the vote on the
second memorandum of censure against the President.

It is strange to see the military with a faction in the House,
while the political system being built now is heading toward
democracy. Members of the military are not special citizens, are
they? If we view things in terms of historical logic, we will
find that the New Order was supported by militarism and Muslim
neo-modernism. The word Muslim is here used to distinguish it
from Islam.

Muslim neo-modernism is a school of thought in contemporary
Islamic theology. This school of thought is quite significant in
legitimizing the inception years of the New Order. It also
contributed significantly to the formative years of the New
Order. The developmental concept and other political economic
theories expounded by Rostow, which the New Order adopted without
modification, are in line with the Muslim neo-modernist
theological concept, which is characterized by gentleness,
evolution and nonconfrontation.

If the cultural character of the New Order shows a tendency
toward elitism, so does the Muslim neo-modernist school of
thought. It is a fact that it is this school of thought that was
able to forge a cooperation with the rulers to make a success of
the policies of the New Order.

The pillars of the New Order were accommodated in Golkar. If a
tree is taken as a metaphor for this situation, then the trunk of
the tree is Golkar and its roots are militarism, Muslim neo-
modernism and other groups in Golkar.

This metaphorical tree can grow only if the following
conditions are met: favorable climate, good fertilizer,
sufficient rainfall and good maintenance. These external factors
-- the climate, the rainfall and good maintenance -- were brought
into reality by the United States (the Western bloc). It was the
United States which helped look after and foster the New Order,
although in the final days of the Soeharto regime, the United
States no longer provided any fertilizer, a reason why the New
Order tree collapsed.

It sounds strange, therefore, if a neo-modernist Muslim figure
is now shouting to uproot the New Order completely. A question
must be asked: which root? It is the real root that must be taken
out.

SYAHRUL EFENDI DA SOPANG

Jakarta