Indonesian leaders must learn from Thailand crisis

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 05/18/2006 1:11 PM

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian analysts lauded a ruling by the Thai Constitutional Court, which invalidated last month's controversial elections, saying that it showed the maturity of Thailand's political and legal institutions.

They suggested that Indonesian leaders should learn from what was happening in Thailand.

""It shows that democracy has worked well in Thailand. Political conflict can be settled peacefully,"" Dewi Fortuna Anwar of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) told The Jakarta Post here recently.

She was referring to a ruling by the Thai Constitutional Court early this month that found the April 2 election unconstitutional and mandated a fresh poll within 60 days.

The expected ruling will may put an end to months of political turmoil in the country.

The April 2 election, held three years earlier than scheduled, was Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's response to mounting public pressure against him.

The plan backfired as three major opposition parties refused to take part in the poll, which eventually saw the reelection of Thaksin. The public continued their protest and urged Thaksin to step down.

For Dewi, the situation in Thailand brings a clear message that a leader must act constitutionally.

""A leader must follow the constitution. If a leader fails to do so, he or she could be forced to step down. That is what has happened in Thailand,"" she said.

Fellow researcher Bantarto Bandoro meanwhile, said that the Thai people were disappointed with Thaksin's leadership. ""There were intolerable flaws. The people suspect Thaksin of corruption and tax scams,"" he said.

Both Dewi and Bantarto emphasized that Indonesian leaders must learn from the situation in Thailand. They said that a leader would be considered successful if he or she could fulfill the demands of the people.

Dewi expressed concern over what had happened in Indonesia's regions in the past few days where people ran amok and damaged buildings. She said that this was detrimental to the growing democracy in the country.

In Tuban, East Java, people set the residence of the regent on fire in protest over the results of the local election. A similar incident occurred in Banyuwangi, East Java.

""Local leaders tend to agitate the masses when they are disappointed. This is not a good sign for a country, which is exercising democracy. This could happen at the national level,"" she warned.

Dewi, a research scholar, suggested that Indonesian leaders, especially the President, should not push his own will or ignore the voice of the people.

""Our leaders must show concrete work instead of playing with rhetoric,"" she said.

About the controversial plan to revise the Labor Law, Dewi suggested that the lawmakers should take suggestions from the people before drafting the law. ""A law is made for all people. The lawmaking process must take into account the aspirations of the people,"" she added.

This, she said, would also show whether the leaders were democratic or not. Democratic leaders must exercise democratic leadership, she said.

""Listening to people's aspirations is one aspect of democracy,"" she said.

Bantarto concurred, saying that a leader must understand that the people observe his or her personal conduct and state duties.

""I think there is no other choice. A leader must pay attention and listen to the people. He or she must stay away from corruption and maintain transparency,"" said Bantarto.

Meanwhile, Dewi said that all leaders, be they in the executive, legislative or judicial offices, must heed the aspirations of the people, otherwise there would be people's movement against them. She warned that the cost of a social revolution would be much higher than that of keeping democratic values on the right track.

""Only with openness, ethics and sincerity will the government survive the tough challenges,"" she said.

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