Year end hope for the better
This last month of the year, instead of bringing peace of mind and a sense of fulfillment, evokes more heartrendering images of starving people and general unemployment against the backdrop of a declining sense of mutual tolerance.
The lofty Pancasila ideals which universally fit every human situation and endeavor, seem to have been swallowed by demonic forces. The democratic society, where every citizen, male or female, has equal rights and opportunities in a law-abiding society, has remained an illusion. This nation throughout its history has rolled from one slumber to another. Only students remained awake and stood up against any tyranny of their time, colonial or domestic, for generations.
If ever the former president is tried for his misdeeds, it certainly will be due to the incessant waves of demonstrations staged by reformist students demanding such a trial. Strangely, the massive protective blanket of military hardware around Soeharto wherever he moves does not give the impression that he is a guilty person. It would be very interesting indeed to hear what he would say in his defense and the arguments he or his lawyers would put forward.
I have the feeling that many incumbents would protect him to the last minute. Fortunately, every cloud has a silver lining. The relative stability of the national currency may be an indication that the economy is on its way to recovery. It is understood that in spite of the political turmoil, export activities were not halted as a result of lower prices of Indonesian goods overseas. Small-scale exporters managed to make a profit.
It is obvious that to sustain the present growth in the long run, occasional patchwork, as has been the case in the banking sector, is certainly not enough. International confidence and thus foreign investment will only return if popular support lends legitimacy to the government through democratic elections. Remember, the Americans are looking on! Meanwhile, calls for a national dialog are still heard because the current institutions and systems are "leftovers" from the former Soeharto administration, regretfully including also its authoritarian and oppressive spirit.
If the present government is merely transitional in nature, that is in charge of preparing the next elections, there is no need for it to arrest people like Kemal Idris and Ali Sadikin and accuse them of conspiring against the state merely because they happen to dissent from the official view.
Those against such a national dialog may fear the dissolution of the House of Representatives (DPR), the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and perhaps even the Cabinet which could lead to job losses, including their own.
Without such national dialog involving students and party leaders, collision, like the Big Bang in astronomy, or worst a "social revolution" in the words of Moslem leader Abdurrahman Wahid, would be hard to avoid. And it is not certain that the side with the most arms would win the clash. What is certain is that more people would starve or lose their sources of income, more children would drop out of school and prices would soar not or due to Christmas and Idul Fitri festivities.
More than ever, it seems imperative that this year's end should see many free public food stalls for the poor, many more people and organizations distributing food packages. It is not a wise policy and not advisable in normal times to waste foreign loans to feed the hungry and the unemployed. But we live in the midst of a crisis which could explode any time without such a social safety net.
GANDHI SUKARDI
Jakarta