Whither the national ethos?
In a comment on the ongoing debate regarding the amendment process of the 1945 Constitution, Yislam Alwini in this column (The Jakarta Post, April 22) stated that "no matter if the Constitution is changed a thousand times, it will remain imperfect".
Speaking of a constitution, even England, after all, is famous for having no written constitution. Nevertheless, its legal system works in an orderly way and its integrity is exemplary. Of course, the Magna Carta is famous, dating back to June 15, 1215, but it is not a full-fledged and comprehensive written constitution.
Now, national political discourse is engaged in a relentless debate on the process of the amendment of the 1945 Constitution. Five groups or mainstreams of contestants can be distinguished according to their respective stance taken vis-a-vis the issue. Each of the groups has a political basis and rationale of its own to plead its cause. For this reason, one must be aware that it will be futile for any group to remain adamant about its absolutist doctrine of self-righteousness or self-justification.
As in facing the problem of the desired amendments, there must be no room for any of the contesting groups to take on a diehard stance, alternatively, an attitude of enlightenment inspired by broad vision, rationalism, pragmatism, and an accommodative spirit of reconciliation must prevail among the groups.
What will be the judgment rendered by the people of the far- flung outer regions, if the political elite in the nation's capital fail to materialize at least the essential amendments? In this context, the stance advocated by the coalition of NGO's to create a new constitution must be fully reappraised as regards the timing, momentum, and sense of urgency, notwithstanding the fact that their aspirations and cause are well understood and recognized. The latter belongs to the younger generation.
If Thailand, the Philippines and South Africa reportedly were successful in updating their constitution, where is the Indonesian state of mind, its national mentality or national pride heading for, should the current constitutional process meet a dead end?
S. SUHAEDI
Jakarta