My beloved PDI Family, fellow supporters of the democracy movement,
my countrymen and nation:
Today, January 10, 1998, marks the 25th anniversary of the Indonesian Democracy Party [PDI]. Notwithstanding a quarter century of existence, it is obvious that up to this very moment, PDI is neither fully developed nor fully mature. Why? Because the political system in force has willed it so. It reflects our political immaturity and evidences the blatant, persistent failure of our national leadership to tolerate political development. The stifling of democratic life impacts us today in the sharp degradation of living standards that afflicts the people and the nation; and it stems from the maintenance of an arrogant power, an hegemonic power, which has destroyed the very structure and order of a civilized nation built upon laws. That power has metamorphosed into a mandate accountable to itself alone. Sovereign law now grovels before its master, the sole power-that-be in this nation.
This portrait of our nation and people has become the cause of the multifaceted crises which have befallen us. Instigated by economic collapse, our situation has evolved into the total crisis that engulfs us now.
My beloved people and nation:
I seize this moment to urge you all to examine openly and objectively the crisis which has overtaken us. We are obliged to explore the facts, aware that the future of more than 200 million Indonesians rests upon our capacity, or incapacity, especially that of our national leaders, to overcome this dire calamity. Moreover, the bitter fact that our nation now projects the image of a chronic "cronyist" disease, shunned by international investors who have lost all confidence in Indonesia, reflects our real condition: profoundly unhealthy.
The tragic and incomprehensible plunge in the rupiah's value to the present unbearably dangerous level clearly indicates our loss of confidence in our own currency. It demonstrates the people's loss of confidence in the present leadership and government administration. The people's confidence in the inevitability of positive change is lost.
To all who embrace justice:
If you ask me what has caused this terrible crisis and the loss of confidence of our people, I would say there are three main factors:
1. The first is the continued promotion of unbridled greed by those with political and economic power in our country;
2. The second is a total lack of transparency and the attempted extinction of democracy, which threatens to destroy the sovereignty of our people;
3. The third is the spread of multiple violations of the principles and ideals of freedom and independence, blatantly forgetting that we are a civilized, cultured, religious nation.
Outrageous behavior and disgraceful moral values have spawned unbridled
greed in every corner of society and have swelled our foreign debt to an
outrageous level. In collusion between businesses and government
officials, manipulation of the foreign debt supplies the means for financial
speculation and for personal profit. The don't-give-a-damn attitude
of both the government and the business community toward our ballooning
debt puts both the national economy and the popular
welfare at mortal risk.
Just look at the high-rise buildings, luxury real-estate, and shopping centers and other extravagant projects that were funded by foreign debt, blindly, without thought of the little people who were displaced without sufficient compensation. Now, at last, the masses who have been kicked out and ignored realize that the working capital used to build these vast business empires and palaces was derived from foreign monies which, if not repaid, will become a burden borne by the entire Indonesian people.
The entrenched practice of personal enrichment through the issue of
special concessions and monopolies to certain business groups and individuals,
supposedly in the interest of the nation, was equal to channeling the foreign
debt to specific business sectors owned and developed by these groups for
their own profit. In other words, their actions simply provided a portion
of the foreign debt to finance corruption and collusion - clearly criminal
acts. The mounting foreign debt essentially enabled more
corruption and collusion while generating more suffering for the poor
masses.
I do not expose these practices because I am against necessary foreign loans and debt. I believe, as a developing nation, foreign loans and debt are necessary and rational. What is not rational and what I believe is already extremely excessive are the practices of corruption and collusion used to profit from foreign loans used for the personal business empires of these individuals and their families.
It is so obvious that with each injection of "foreign aid", a new mega (no pun intended) project is launched, blissfully christened by the same notable representatives of the same families. It's as if the Indonesian economy is them alone and they're everything.
My people, throughout our beloved land:
Must our poor masses continue to suffer as the innocent victims of these crimes? Again, must we bear the consequence of these debts? Ask yourselves, does this seem just? Is it fair for the little people to bear the horrible burden of this bankruptcy?
For this reason, beginning today, we must continually demand an answer from the government: Who is going to pay for the huge foreign debt run up by these conglomerates to the tune of billions of dollars and trillions of rupiah? Can they pay their debts, with the dollar rate more than quadrupled?
If the nation ends up having to bear this burden, then striped prison uniforms should be sewn for the economic criminals who have destroyed our nation and our economic future!
We demand justice! The government officials who have been involved in corruption and collusion have caused such unbridled greed and criminal selfishness. They are the cause for the extravagant development way beyond our means. They are the ones who must be responsible and must pay.
My dear fellow citizens:
The cloudy lack of transparency and the stranglehold on democracy has sorely damaged our society. The processes of economic and political decision making are conducted secretly behind this cloudy veil. There is no opportunity for open debate. The door is slammed shut for any public participation in formulating political or economic policy.
Without freedom, without transparency, without openness and without a democratic society, the stability which has reigned so far is a false stability, imposed through fear among the people to speak of truth and justice. We want a stability which is guaranteed and which guarantees legal certainty. A stability which is not devised by a handful of individuals or interest groups who are only bent on preserving and entrenching their power and control.
My beloved people:
History shows that official greed has become an endemic disease which
has spread rapidly under the present secret culture, void of transparency.
So contagious is the disease that it has spread to and affected foreign
investors as well. Many bankers and foreign investors were caught up in
the climate of greed and without knowing, forfeited their professionalism
and
subjective ability to analyze risk. There are several clear examples.
There has been an increasing flow of foreign investors seeking Indonesian partners to conduct investments which were focused on political connections. Often, investment policies were not subject to financial viability but were based on the potential of these political connections to provide enormous gains.
Many international banks disbursed loans to Indonesia which were not subject to standard principles of prudent banking. They raced to provide excessive foreign lending for an economy plagued by systematically organized practices of corruption. Many international financial institutions were highly speculative and neglected to take into account the extremely high risks. Is the involvement of these institution an indication that the zone of corruption and collusion has spread?
My beloved nation and people:
It is quite obvious that the intolerable practices of greed described above have beaten our economy black and blue. Woefully, the culture of greed is rooted so deep, without any system to control and eliminate the disease. The economy is allowed to run out-of-control, while there is an wrenching stranglehold on our political system by those in power in the interest of him that holds absolute power.
Due to these practices above, the dream of implementing economic and
political policy making for the good of the people at large has vanished,
leaving a terrify nightmare. We must demand that the program aid and loans
provided by international institutions and supposedly allocated to increase
the welfare of our people through national economic development is
monitored closely and the funds accounted for professionally to ensure
that the benefits of these funds flow to every capillary of society.
The people must be knowledgeable of, the people must actively participate in, the people must be able to monitor and the people must also enjoy the benefits of economic development. Only this way can we guarantee that the huge amount of aid provided by our neighbor nations from the tax dollars of their citizens and channeled though the International Monetary Fund (IMF), CGI, World Bank and others does not end up in the pockets of these same perpetrators.
As the representative of tens of millions of our citizens, I want to express my sincere appreciation to our nation friends for their willingness to provide funds. Moreover, I urge that the following criteria be fulfilled:
1. the aid from international financial institutions should not be used
to recover the losses of greedy and speculative businesses,
investors and international bankers.
2. The aid should not be injected into an economy managed by a government which is riven by corruption, nepotism, and lack of transparancy and democracy.
3. It is unjust and unwise for the poor and middle classes of Indonesia
to be held responsible and have to bear the economic crisis which has been
caused by a small handful of business groups working in collusion with
greedy and powerful officials who have used foreign loans blindly without
any regard for the interests of our people and nation.
My beloved nation and people:
The criteria described above constitute an extremely vital element necessary to overcome the present economic crisis. If compliance is not forthcoming, we are placing the dignity and fate of millions of our people on the line. We will be plunged into a prolonged and hurtful period of crisis.
To prevent this national tragedy from occurring, the situation demands we have leaders who have only the needs of the people at heart and are fully aware of their responsibility to the 200 million citizens of Indonesia and to whom the people can entrust the natural assets of our country to ensure a stable future. For this reason, we must create a clean and accountable government, that is:
For this reason, the government must be honest with the people, facing up and giving an open account of the reasons for the economic crisis and explain clearly its plans to overcome these tremendous problems. And this must be done immediately! It is high time that the people of Indonesia make the right decisions to save our nation and the future of our people from a terrifying demise.
My freedom loving citizens,
I urge you to examine for yourselves the cases of violations rooted in unbridled greed, corruption, collusion, where those involved arrogantly justify themselves and push their agendas.
I call on all of you who love freedom. The violations and erosion of the principles and ideals of freedom have spawned obvious consequences and we are now on the brink of a horrible collapse and crisis.
We must consider this - had the equity of public trust given to our
leaders been used with integrity to develop Indonesia as a people and nation
in accordance with the principles of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution,
I sincerely believe we would not have suffered our present fate. Therefore,
I urge from my heart that we immediately return again to the Pancasila
and
the 1945 Constitution.
In returning, the people must be bold to exercise their sovereignty, become responsible, and lodge demands for government accountability for the violations committed in defiance of the Message of the People's Suffering as mandated in the 1945 Constitution and the Pancasila.
I urge the people of Indonesia, as citizens of a nation of laws and
religious beliefs, to abstain from participating in an idol-worshipping
personality cult by placing any individual before God, regardless of who
it is or their authority. The ingrained excessive fear of the powers that
be is the reason for the loss of confidence to stand up for truth and justice-
an act of denial as faithful religious followers and as citizens who are
aware of our rights and duties. We must not hesitate to declare what is
wrong and what is right.
Holding fast the morals and noble ideals passed down from the founding fathers of our republic, the time has come for all the people of Indonesia to stand up and resolutely choose what direction where our nation is to be led. Will we continue to let the nation be directed and guided by a small dynasty of greedy rulers who alone will benefit from the great assets of our country? Will we continue to surrender the nation to these groups and be led around like a string of ignorant ducklings into a foreboding future? Will be continue to allow these leaders who have lost public confidence to lead our nation? Are we incapable of bringing forth new, more competent leaders for our nation, more determined leaders, leaders whose hearts are right with God and whose ears are open to the cries of the poor and the aspirations of the people?
The answers to these questions wholly lay with the people of Indonesia.
My beloved citizens and friends.
The present crisis will not be overcome unless we all become aware that changes and improvements must be made, so the quality of life of our nation and people can be upheld.
While President Soeharto was healthy, he was capable of performing his duties. Now that he is not in good health, it is unwise and starkly speculative and totally irresponsible if certain parties for their will in nominating and reelecting Soeharto to another five year term as president. We should allow the man to rest and allow him to live again as a simple citizen.
I really believe that Soeharto himself does not want to become president
for life. I make this statement and believe it is so because even Soeharto
personally did not want the first president of the Republic of Indonesia,
Soekarno, to be made president for life. As a soldier and crusader, Soeharto
would not now promote something which he once resisted and ordered
to be stopped. For those who have doubts about Soeharto's motives,
I believe every man, regardless of how powerful, must eventually admit
that they are only weak humans.
Whether the name is Soeharto or Soekarno, every man has inherent weaknesses and shortcomings because we are only human. Every human is faced with the reality that they are growing old, that their physical and mental capacities are declining due to old age.
Our people should take lesson from the leader of our neighboring country
Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, who early on was fully aware of his limits as
a human being and with noble intentions began to prepare a young cadre
of national leaders to take over. We can also learn from South Africa,
a relatively new society, whose beloved leader, Nelson Mandela, astutely
and
responsibly announced openly that the mantle of country's national
leadership will be passed on to the younger generation.
To you, the owners of our nation and future.
There is no guarantee or any indication of a peaceful succession of
the presidency of the Republic of Indonesia. This lack of direction is
a major contributing factor to the present uncertainty and unrest.
Uncertainty has now destroyed our economy. Confusion concerning the possibility
of Soeharto becoming incapacitated is the main factor impacting on our
society, both
politically, and worse still, economically. This confusion has brought
on the present state of chaos.
Soeharto's rule as president for 32 years is quite enough. It is therefore
highly understandable that efforts to re-nominate Retired General Soeharto
as the sole presidential nominee for a seventh term will only add to the
crisis of confidence among international investors in Indonesia as a potential
nation for bilateral and multilateral economic development programs.
The crisis of confidence has plunged the rupiah currency to extremely low levels. Along with the drastic drop in the value of the rupiah, Indonesian companies are faced with mass bankruptcy. Share prices on the stock exchange has rapidly sunk into oblivion, as investors rush to pull out of Indonesia. Unemployment will skyrocket. Crime will spread quickly. Essential commodity prices will rise far beyond the reach of the common people. Finally, a tremendous exodus of funds and assets from Indonesia will take place and the people and nation of Indonesia will forfeit its abundant potential.
My dear fellow citizens.
It is not enough to only describe the present difficult state of affairs and identify the instigators of the crisis which has overtaken us. We must immediately do all we can to rescue our nation and people from a prolonged calamity.
Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to call on all the people of Indonesia to demand:
1. That Soeharto is not re-nominated for president for a seventh term of office. The fact that Soeharto has been in power for over 30 years is a clear indication that he intends to become President for Life.
2. The people of Indonesia must not make the same mistake twice. We must orchestrate a peaceful succession of national leadership so our nation can be saved from this crisis of confidence.
3. Economic and political reforms must be implemented in compliance with the mandate of the Message of the People's Suffering, so the people of Indonesia can be rescued from this economic crisis without a total loss of dignity as a free people.
4. Our society must operate in accordance with the 1945 Constitution
and the principles of Pancasila, with full integrity, awareness and a strong
sense of responsibility, in order to realize these ideals of freedom and
independence. We must return - again, I desperately urge you, we must return
to the principles of the 1945 Constitution and the Pancasila.
With regard to our national leadership, we must believe and be confident that among our 200 million Indonesian citizens, there is a new, competent leader who can take over. A number of names have been mentioned, lauded as the cream of the crop in Indonesia, to take over as President of the Republic of Indonesia. These names include: Try Soetrisno, R. Hartono, Wiranto, B.J. Habibie, Ginanjar Sartasasmita, Soedharmono, Rudini, and many other prominent members of our society. If these prominent citizens do not have the guts to openly nominate someone or be nominated as the President of the Republic of Indonesia to replace Retired General Soeharto, then this failure will be of grave concern to our nation and people.
If these citizens have no guts, then with an honest and willing heart,
I hereby take this opportunity to declare my determination to become the
leader of our nation and people, if this is indeed the will and consensus
of the people.
In closing, I want to remind our people that while Bung Karno was still
president of the Republic of Indonesia, it was widely believe that he was
indispensable and irreplaceable but history has shown that this was not
the case. Bung Karno (brother Karno), despite his power, was willing to
surrender the positions he held and sacrifice everything that he owned
to meet the
challenges of the time in the hope of renewal and change.
Near his death, Bung Karno once again gave me this message:
My child, keep all these things in your heart. Don't speak of my suffering and illness to the people. Let me be sacrificed, if unity in Indonesia is achieved. Let my life inspire unity, harmony, oneness, and the noble spirit of our people. Let my suffering become a witness that even the power of the president has its limits. Lasting power must be held by the people and only God Almighty is Omnipotent.
Give us Freedom! Freedom
Forever!
Megawati Soekarnoputri, Chairperson
of DPP-PDI