Who should lead our nation?

Who should lead our nation?

From Berita Yudha

Over the last few days we have again heard debate about
whether our leaders should be military or civilian figures. Some
say that civilians will not be ready to lead this nation for
another five years, while others believe civilians are, in fact,
ready to shoulder the task and say that President Sukarno,
despite his shortcomings, was a good example.

This debate, which is becoming increasingly interesting, has
included not only those holding power or politicians but also
experts. Sharp differences in opinion are found even among the
experts.

As a "marginal" observer, I also wish to contribute my ideas
or even shout them. Being such an observer I have opted to shout
from my marginal position. Yet believe me, although I shout from
this position, I wish to let my voice be heard from the middle.
It means I never bother about the dichotomy, which seems to be
getting more acute and tends to be simply bullshit.

Why is it that amid our Indonesian diversity, we have always
been asked to think within the framework of narrow-mindedness:
left-right, front-back, black-white, Javanese - non - Javanese
and so forth. As globalization seeps into our way of thinking,
why have we taken several steps backward and let ourselves be
dragged into small alleys, and not the other way around: looking
at everything in a wide horizon?

Being modest, I only wish to say in a few simple words that
what we need is someone who is indeed "capable of leadership". It
does not matter if he wears a checked shirt, a patterned one or
even a uniform in a single color.

M SUPRYATNA

Jakarta