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Indonesia's Sister Act Shows Politics is Still a Family Business
JAKARTA, July 11 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid`s younger sister, legislator Aisyah Hamid Baidlowi, advised him Wednesday to "cool down" and exercise greater wisdom in handling his problems.
"My advice is for Gus Dur (President Wahid) to cool down and be wise in handling his problems," Baidlowi said in response to questions from reporters at the House of Representatives (DPR) building.
According to her, the Wahid family members have never discussed politics amongst themselves, let alone analyzed the problems being faced by the president.
The fact that Wahid's sister is a member of the legislature in Indonesia is not a surprising element in the political structure of the Muslim country. During the days of former President Suharto, several of his family members were parliamentarians, ministers and even governors.
Reformist activists in the country thought that the downfall of Suharto would take with it the practice of nepotism. However, the current parliament still has some familial threads among its members.
Meanwhile, the current squabbling between Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her sister Rachmawati Sukarnoputri is degenerating and becoming even more serious. The conflict between them focuses on Wahid and the Sukarno family's support of his government.
Analysts in Jakarta assert that the conflict among the sisters illustrates the influence of political lineage in Indonesia. The father of the two sisters was Indonesia's first president, Ahmad Sukarno.
While Megawati prepares to take over the mantle of President of Indonesia - thus perpetuating a dynasty in the process - Rachmawati insists that Wahid has been a great supporter to the Sukarno family in the difficult days of the Suharto regime. In Indonesia, the life of a political first family ends when its leader falls; and according to analysts who spoke to IslamOnline on Wednesday, the family suffered under Sukarno.
Wahid promised the Sukarno family that he would open a museum to commemorate the struggle of Ahmad Sukarno during and after the war against the Japanese. A month ago, Wahid kept his promise and the 'Bung Karno' was opened to public. To Rachmawati, this was enough incentive for her family to give unlimited and unconditional support to Wahid.
She even went to the extent of suggesting that Megawati resign as vice president, in order to avoid conflicting with Wahid. She also agreed to 'snap polls' that would settle the score between the warring political factions in the country.
The more reserved Megawati - more popular due to her efforts to emulate her father and her bravery in challenging Suharto - believes that Wahid must go.
On the other hand, Rachmawati warned that vital issues, such as nation building, were being ignored and undermined by the country's Parliament, which has focused its efforts on launching what she described as a coup d'etat - a reference to the efforts to remove Wahid as President.
Observers said that this was a scathing attack by the elder sister against the Vice President.
In a speech on Monday, Megawati said that too much of the country's energy was being sapped in the unnecessary tussle for power and that the government continuously fumbled with recurrent errors. She maintained that the country has many resources that could help it escape from its current crisis but that those resources were being consumed in the fight for political power.
"We made mistakes in making regulations, then we made mistakes in interpreting and implementing them. We also made mistakes in electing and appointing a person, identifying and formulating our problems," Megawati remarked.
"Our main problem is [that] we have been using our opportunities and energy to fight for power instead of solving the crisis," Megawati asserted.
At the end of her speech, Megawati reminded the country that in order to reach the vision of a democratic Indonesia, the nation had to pass through the transitional process wisely and patiently.
She added that a prosperous Indonesia would require work, and could not simply be assumed.
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