By Karina Marlon
JAKARTA — The opposition to the Suharto dictatorship is growing, fuelled by the economic crisis. The drop in the value of the rupiah and the slumping economy have brought a severe loss in confidence in the regime.
People are aware that the international banks' rescue attempt for the rupiah before the economy is limited, and that the economic crisis is a result of more fundamental problems with the system.
Gunnardi H, leader of the National Democratic Struggle Committee (KNPD) in Yogyakarta, explained: "In daily conversation, people are talking about politics because the cost of basic needs has risen dramatically. For example, rice has risen from Rp1000 per kilogram to Rp3500. When the government told people that if they can't afford to buy rice because of the price rises, you can eat alternatives [which are less nutritious], the people responded by saying, 'You eat the alternatives yourself'."
The government's "love the rupiah" campaign, an attempt to stabilise the dropping value of the rupiah, is seen as useless, because the people recognise that the problem is the corruption of the government.
Gunnardi continued, "When the government officials seem so eager to contribute their money and gold to the economy, people say, 'Now we see who has the gold', and ask who receives it. Consciousness has been raised."
The economy is expected to worsen as the government takes further steps to implement the IMF program. Suharto is attempting to delay the impact of the crisis, for example by waiting till April to withdraw the fuel subsidy.
There have been spontaneous riots in Banyuwangi and Jember in East Java and Rembang, in Central Java. People heard that the shops had increased the prices of basic needs, and responded by trashing the supermarket and taking what they needed.
Price increases for basic needs have been a major focus of protests held almost every day over the past two weeks at parliament.
Several non-government organisations have issues a press release demanding that the parliament convene a special meeting to discuss the responsibility of Suharto for the economic crisis, and that the increasing prices of basic needs be addressed.
For the first time in Suharto's dictatorship, serious calls for an alternative presidential candidate have been raised by a coalition of Megawati Sukarnoputri, leader of the PDI, Amien Rais, leader of Muhammadiyah, and Abdurrahman Wahid, leader of Nahdatul Ulama. The last two are mass organisations with more than 30 million members each.
The MPR, which will meet in March to elect the president, will consider only the nomination of Suharto.
According to Gunnardi, "The only shortcoming of the pro-democracy movement is that it cannot give clear leadership. The problem is how to unite the many different elements of the pro-democracy movement — including Islamic fundamentalists and the Indonesian Democratic Party — and consolidate a pro-democracy force which will fight the government instead of each other.
"We must explain that in a democratic atmosphere it's okay to raise political differences and fight, but now we must focus on the regime."