Indonesia struggles to shun Suharto legacy

Suharto was a quiet master tactician while Wahid is known for his penchant for controversial statements

By Atika Shubert
CNN Correspondent

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- It is three years after the fall of former President Suharto and Indonesia is in the throes of yet another political crisis -- a power struggle between current President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

The local currency has plummeted. Government has come to a virtual standstill, paralyzed by the lack of leadership.

It's enough to make some Indonesians wish for the old days under Suharto's iron fisted rule.

A recent newspaper poll showed most of the 950 respondents felt the disgraced autocrat was a better leader than current President Wahid.

Yet, the roots of the current crisis lead back to Suharto, even as the ailing autocrat is confined to his Jakarta home.

Just as the skyscrapers gracing Jakarta's skyline are a legacy of Suharto's brisk economic development, the political crisis can be traced back to Suharto's stifling dictatorship.

Suharto's Legacy

Suharto was a master tactician, holding the might of the military in one hand and the rubber-stamp authority of parliament in the other.

With these tools, he was able to eliminate all other rivals, leaving a political landscape barren of any serious competition.

Suharto was overthrown not by one opposition leader but by an accumulation of public frustration against the government, mass demonstrations and rioting in the streets. Jakarta's political elite knew Suharto's time was up. They asked him to step down.

In fact, Suharto's strategy ensured that few opposition figures developed the leadership skills to manage political parties, much less government. It also eroded Indonesia's political institutions.

Parliament and the National Assembly fell into disuse, mindlessly approving more than 32 years of Suharto rule.

Ground Zero

So, when Wahid and Megawati were elected in 1999, political leaders were starting from Ground Zero.

Like the majority of newly elected officials at that time, neither had any experience in government.

Cabinet members were appointed for their party affiliations, not for their management track records.

Eager to begin repairing the damage done by Suharto, everyone began working at once. It wasn't long before teamwork became a tug of war.

Parliament -- apparently making up for lost time -- zealously plunged into what lawmakers believed was their duty to curb presidential powers.

Ministers rushed to implement their new policy ideas with little regard for coordination with other ministries.

Meanwhile, Wahid pursued his own policy ambitions -- from placing the military under civilian control to single-handedly raising the country's international profile.

While he received praise for his accomplishments, critics lambasted him for neglecting other crucial issues, most notably, the economy.

The president's penchant for controversial, off-the-cuff statements only added to mounting frustration. In February, lawmakers voted to censure the president, taking the first tentative steps towards possible impeachment.

In all of this, Megawati was shielded from criticism since she was not responsible for policy decisions or cabinet appointments. Now, she is poised to replace Wahid.

Impeachment as option

Lawmakers will meet next week to decide whether to initiate impeachment proceedings against Wahid. After two censures from parliament, the president still refuses to resign or to consider a power sharing agreement with his deputy.

Reports said Wahid mooted the possibility of declaring a state of civil emergency in order to dissolve parliament -- a powerful law leftover from the Suharto regime.

But presidential spokespersons quickly denied any such plan. Senior military officers flatly rejected the idea and an emergency cabinet session was held to find an alternate solution.

Sadly, Wahid appears to be reverting to Suharto tactics to stay in power. A sign that Indonesia hasn't come very far at all in shedding Suharto's legacy.