Thu, 02 Mar 2000

Wise leader has emerged

Twenty-five years ago, unofficially exiled Indonesian students started gathering in capital cities all over Asia. They talked and dreamed of a democratic, free and fair homeland, one where leaders were elected and income fairly distributed. Obviously, one without Soeharto and his gluttonous clan. Well, he's almost gone, but the fight is far from over.

To succeed, you may all need the patience of those students, who, no doubt, are in the thick of reform today. Great damage has been done by a very few individuals. Regrettably, the damage has embittered many, if not most, of you. Those students knew, though they didn't know his name, that a leader of great tact and wisdom would be needed to lead your extraordinary, diverse nation out of the "wilderness". That man has come, Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, and he can realize the dreams of every one of you, if you all support his mandate and believe in his loving wisdom.

Gus Dur's tireless efforts have greatly restored the financial world's confidence, an essential in today's realities, if you are to regain sustainable prosperity. Though your righteous anger is justified, it is only by turning your backs on revenge, and converting that energy into positive productivity that you can rebuild your communities and heal the wounds inflicted by the greed and lust for power of a few evil men.

There seems to be many who no longer see Sukarno's vision of a great Indonesian nation, though, in truth, it's the belief that such a vision can be equitably achieved that has waned rather than the desire for nationhood. Broadly speaking, the two vastly different groups, who, for totally different reasons, may think to question the wisdom and leadership of Gus Dur are the Indonesian Military and the independence movements.

Despite being, quite literally, in opposition to each other, both groups are wrong in their methodology; violence always begets violence. Now, it is fair to say that the initial use of force was by the Army, and look what that's achieved so far: A major province utterly destroyed and amputated, armed resistance groups in nearly every province, violence on almost every front.

To imagine that anyone will profit from setting the nation on fire is foolish to the extreme. Without removing every satellite dish, confiscating every radio and disconnecting every telephone line, a complete impossibility, as the Yugoslavic and Chehnyan conflicts have demonstrated, the truth can no longer be contained. The only guaranteed outcome of defiance and disloyalty to the duly elected President of your nation is more violence and international condemnation. A pariah-state, devalued, unaided and, soon, a nation undone.

Before all you separatists start cheering, give some thought to the old and very wise saying, "In unity there is strength," and not just in security matters either. Competitiveness, access to markets and a stable currency are essentials to 21st century societies, without them, membership of the world community is all but impossible. All are greatly facilitated by nationhood and very marginalized in small, independent countries. That may not seem to matter in an oil-rich province, however, without a credible defense force, (there goes all the profits folks), there is no way of protecting your God-given assets from greedy neighbors. That's why the national concept was conceived, but, sadly, the grand vision was sacrificed to greed. Gus Dur's emergence can change all that, if he is listened to and given loyalty, but it will take time to accomplish.

A whole new and equitable mind-set must be developed, not simply new laws, given the traditional "above the law" attitudes of central and provincial administrators, for the past half century.

ROBERT JAMES-HERBERT

Eumundi, Queensland

Australia