International Herald Tribune Wednesday, February 2, 2000 We Indonesians Can Dare To Look to a Better Future By Wimar Witoelar International Herald Tribune JAKARTA - ''Madness.'' ''Violent flare-ups shake Indonesia.'' Recent headlines in international publications highlight a constant theme of reports from Indonesia: a country about to collapse amid ethnic and religious violence as the government drifts aimlessly and the military plots a coup that will make us a pariah among nations. This is, of course, a matter of perspective. You could say we Indonesians were indeed pariahs during the 32-year authoritarian rule of former President Suharto. Now we have violence in the open. It is no longer hidden. Nor is it the foundation of government security policy, as it was under Mr. Suharto. In fact, President Abdurrahman Wahid - Indonesia's first democratically elected leader in many decades and a skilled politician - has managed to maneuver a probable dismissal of General Wiranto. He was the armed forces commander and defense minister until a few months ago, when Mr. Wahid made him a cabinet minister, reducing his military power. General Wiranto's expected resignation from the government, following a damning report on the East Timor violence by an independent Indonesian human rights commission, is likely to take place without retaliation by the army. So we Indonesians dare hope for a better future. We do have a badly damaged economy and a divided population. They are the legacy of the corruption and abuse of power under Mr. Suharto. His successor for a brief span, President B.J. Habibie, claimed to promote reform and human rights. But the goods were artificial. As a result, we have a horrible past, a troubled present and an uncertain future. But we do not have to succumb to doomsday prophecies, although it would be reckless to ignore the tragedies in the Moluccas, Lombok and Aceh. What we need to do is look beyond the narrow television lenses. By focusing on trouble spots, international TV pictures make it seem as though Indonesia is aflame, destroyed by diehards in religious wars and ethnic cleansing. I have no complaints about the international press. They bring us information and a lot of concern. But we Indonesians have to generate our own hopes. Violence is not a normal part of us. We have a tradition of tolerance. The violence that is welling up now in different parts of the country was bred in secret incubators for repressive purposes by the Suharto regime. It was then tried out by the military in the killing fields of East Timor and Aceh. The wider consequences for Indonesia, including some of the terrorists operating through mysterious networks, still haunt us. Some foreigners have predicted national disintegration and a military takeover. Yet here in Indonesia, I do not sense that kind of alarm, although many are appalled at the sectarian and separatist violence. What I see is the growth of civil society and the emergence of a militant, young, progressive and politically conscious population. Mr. Wahid and Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri are the first results of an empowered population. They have weaknesses. But the people of Indonesia no longer have to rely so heavily on any set of leaders. A truly enfranchises people will produce other honest and able leaders. Foreigners tend to focus on the burnings and killing. But Indonesians are more impressed by the new sensations of democracy. It is a heady, exciting feeling after an era of autocracy. So how will Indonesians deal with their religious and ethnic diversity? We have been lucky. Mr. Wahid, Mrs. Megawati and their supporters have been practicing interfaith dialogue and promoting nonviolence all their mature lives. The change from a violent regime in the world's fourth most populous nation is inevitably accompanied by horrible news headlines. But the really sensational story is that we have made it so far, against the odds, against the predictions, and not by coincidence. We have muddled through, and we did it our way. The writer, an Indonesian business consultant and television commentator, contributed these views to the International Herald Tribune. -- never let me lose what I have gained, and adorn the branches of your river with leaves of my estranged Autumn. --Sonnet of Sweet Complaint, Federico Garc�a Lorca--
