Yielding to critical pressure

Yielding to critical pressure

There has been, in the view of most domestic and foreign
observers, good news from the political battleground called the
Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) at
Senayan, Jakarta. President Abdurrahman Wahid or Gus Dur has
yielded to pressure from members of the MPR to improve his
performance in his next term in office. He has agreed that the
day-to-day business be entrusted from now on to Vice President
Megawati. It is possible that Mr. Wahid is physically feeling the
heavy strains of his office and desires to "walk a little
slower".

But that would not be enough; he should also speak less and
look around more and, if he could, he should ideally walk more to
keep his health.

The impending Cabinet reshuffle, as indicated personally by
Gus Dur, is more good news for change. However, change in Cabinet
personnel who are more professional than their predecessors alone
is not enough. They should preferably enjoy an international
reputation as well and political party backing. The obvious
reason is that the economy cannot recover unless there is
international trust supporting the efforts. Also the new Cabinet
cannot entirely be exempt from political party backing as part of
the democratic element.

But most essential is that the whole Cabinet and each member
of the administration has a clear cut idea of the recovery
program in whatever field that it agrees to implement. Control by
the media and legislative institutions or private organizations,
would in that case, be more effective. The new reshuffled team
should be firstly program-oriented while other considerations are
secondary. And this one mind program attitude has been missing in
the outgoing administration.

Another essential requirement is that each Cabinet minister
must abandon the slightest thought of getting more influence than
they need, openly or covertly, through their position. Just think
of the man who was once one of the world's richest (Soeharto),
who has seen his illegally accumulated wealth vanish in smoke.
How can Indonesia become a great nation, prospering materially
and spiritually, if it has no honest and idealistic leaders, who
cherish honor, personal integrity and service to the poor more
than anything else?

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta