Veterans address ills of society

Veterans address ills of society

JAKARTA (JP): Veterans of Indonesia's independence struggle
criticized yesterday monopolistic practices in the economy and
what they said was a lack of political openness, as they
reflected on the 50 years since the country gained its
independence.

In a statement marking Indonesia's golden anniversary, the
Executive Council of the Angkatan 45 (Generation of 1945),
praised the leadership of Indonesia's two presidents, Sukarno and
Soeharto, for leading the nation on the path of progress, but it
also underlined some shortcomings.

The statement singled out the nation's powerful conglomerates
for "misusing" the trust given to them in running the country's
economy by resorting to monopolistic, oligopolistic and cartel
practices which it said were detrimental to the people.

It noted with concern at the liberal tendencies of Indonesia's
economic system the fact that some 25 million Indonesians still
live below the poverty line.

Corruption among lowly-paid civil servants and their collusion
with entrepreneurs, found among high and low levels of the
administration, "is very alarming," the statement added.

Council Chairman Soerono, who read the statement, said the
monopolistic practices violate the 1945 Constitution.

The council was careful in expressing its criticisms and in not
pinpointing at anyone in particular, he said. "We have to be wise
in our criticism ... Our criticisms may be accepted by the
younger generation, but not by the older one."

The forum of Indonesia's freedom fighters now numbers only
around 600, with virtually none of its membership continuing to
serve in the government. The lone exception is Soeharto, the
group's incumbent president.

The statement said that the golden anniversary marks the
beginning of a new era for Indonesia, one that requires a greater
openness in every field, including politics.

It noted that "some members of society still feel that the
basic values contained in the 1945 Constitution have not been
implemented". These values, it said, guarantee openness and
freedom of expression.

"We should all feel compelled to develop and build a political
situation that is democratic, open, stable, dynamic and
responsible; one that strives to uphold the basic rights of the
citizens, upholds the law and supports our national identity."

Responding to a question, Soerono said that some of those
rights have to be fought for and that people must not wait around
for them to be granted by the government.

He suggested, however, that those rights be won through
dialog. "Sure, it's not easy, but we have to start with goodwill
and God's blessing," he said.

The statement praised both Sukarno and Soeharto, listing the
particular achievements of each.

According to the statement, Sukarno's achievements include the
recognition of Indonesia's sovereignty by the international
community, the return to the 1945 Constitution, the quelling of
various rebellions and victory in the campaign to wrest Irian
Jaya from Dutch hands.

For Soeharto, the list included controlling inflation,
regulating the political system, the achievement of self-
sufficiency in rice, family planning, the integration of East
Timor and significant progress in education and religious life.

Separately yesterday, the minority United Development Party
(PPP) also lashed out at monopolistic practices, corruption and
lack of democracy in Indonesia in its own statement marking the
golden anniversary.

PPP Chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum presented to reporters what
he called the "profit and loss account" of Indonesia after 50
years of independence and found that, despite much progress, in
some areas there was still a lot to be desired.

"We're still witnessing monopolistic and oligopolistic
practices that are detrimental to the little people," the
statement said. "Cases involving the supply of cement, cloves and
flour are a few of the examples that have been exposed by the
media."

Regarding corruption and collusion, the PPP said the cases
unveiled in the media so far were the "tip of the iceberg."

The party said that. of all the issues confronting Indonesia
today, the development of democracy "requires the most serious
attention."

Without explicitly naming Golkar, the ruling political group,
the statement stressed that political system and structure that
permitted the strong domination of one particular group over
others was hampering the development of democracy.

"Now our sense of justice is being challenged. Is this the
condition that the founders of this Republic 50 years ago dreamed
of?" the statement asked. (01)