By Edwin Gozal
Before Suharto resigned on May 21, Amien Rais, the head of Muhammadiyah, said that the new 50-person People's Council he helped form was considering creating a collective leadership to replace the president. Despite the People's Council's stated aim of solving Indonesia's economic and political crisis, and despite the inclusion in its membership of outspoken critics, the commitment of this council to democracy is questionable.
The idea of a People's Council which would become a transitional government to reconstruct the socioeconomic and political structures in Indonesia is a good one. We can't rely on any parts of the corrupt New Order regime to do this. Neither the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) nor the People's Representative Council (DPR) are pro-people institutions.
But does the People's Council have a clear program for political and economic reform? The council's calls for Suharto to resign, for the military not to use force against the people, for the students, youth and ordinary people to remain peaceful, do not constitute a political program that will guarantee democratisation.
The council did not put a clear position on abolishing military intervention in civilian affairs or repealing the five repressive political laws. It did not present a vision for the life of the working class, or condemn the IMF austerity plans. It did not call for the resignation of all bureaucrats of the New Order regime.
There will no democracy if only Suharto is replaced. If the corrupt bureaucracy of the New Order regime continues to exist, there will be no democracy.
Amien Rais even put his hope in the army. In the Al Azhar mosque in Jakarta on May 15, he said: "Hopes are banked on the armed forces, whose mission is well defined. They still have a sense of mission because they keep to the oath of the armed forces."
Under this oath, the Indonesian army slaughtered millions of people in the bloody coup of 1965, still occupies East Timor and engaged in state terrorism during the 1980s and the recent upheaval.
If we look at the figures invited to be member of this council, most of them are people connected with the New Order regime. They include Arifin Panigoro, the leading member of Golkar, the ruling party; Frans Seda, a former minister of finance; Muhammad Sadli, former Suharto economic adviser; Emil Salim, former Suharto economic adviser and former minister of the environment. Those people still represent the ruling class. They will not impose any pro-people program, but will maintain the corrupt system of the New Order regime.
The same position is taken by PIJAR, a radical student group in Jakarta. Its proposal, called "An Indonesian Transitional Government 1998-2000", was published in the latest issue of Inside Indonesia.
Their criteria for eligibility to sit in this transitional government are proven social commitment and youth. This proposal is a step towards democratisation, that power should be handed over to the people.
But unfortunately, PIJAR wants to maintain much of the old system, including the chairperson of the MPR, Abdurrahman Wahid, and the chairperson of the DPR, Mudrick Sangidoe. Its proposed transitional government includes such New Order figures as former vice-president Try Sutrisno, former finance minister Mar'ie Muhammad, former environment minister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja and General Wiranto, commander in chief of the armed forces.
It will be very hard for those people to create democracy; when they were in government, they never defended democratic values.
PIJAR also includes in its proposed transitional government people from the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI) such as Adi Sasono, from the secular nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) such as Kwik Kian Gie and Laksamana Sukardi, from among well-known critics such as Mulya Lubis, Sri Bintang Pamungkas and Permadi.
Are the Indonesian adequately represented only by people from these layers? What about the working class, urban poor and students? If the transitional government is based only on a small section of society, it will not become a genuine representative of the people.
The People's Democratic Party (PRD) also calls for the formation of an Independent People's Council, but this council should be a genuine representative of the people, from village to national levels. It should be composed of representatives who are trusted by the people and who will take up and defend the people's interests with full accountability and honesty.
The council should include representatives of all of the economic sectors and professions, political parties and independent mass organisations that wish to struggle with the people for democracy. It should include also opposition figures who are in Suharto's prisons because of their struggle against the dictatorship, such as Budiman Sujatmiko, chairperson of the PRD, Dita Indah Sari, president of the Indonesian Centre for Labour Struggle (PPBI), Sri Bintang Pamungkas, chairperson of the Indonesian United Democratic Party (PUDI) and Muchtar Pakpahan, chair of the Indonesian Trade Union for Workers' Welfare (SBSI).
This council should have a firm commitment to:
- abolish the dual function of the armed forces, which means ending the intervention of the military in civilian affairs;
- repeal the five repressive political laws;
- respect the Maubere people's right of self-determination;
- oppose colonialist attitudes that allow political and economic repression and exploitation of the people of Aceh and West Papua, and respect their right of self-determination.
This council should call for justice: Suharto, his family and his cronies should be arrested and tried for their crimes. The council should nationalise all assets of Suharto's family, his cronies and relatives.
[Edwin Gozal is an international representative of the PRD.]