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Los Angeles Times
Indonesia's fledgling democracy is confronted
with its biggest test since the June parliamentary elections, the selection of the
troubled country's next president. The winner of Wednesday's vote will face the enormous
challenge of overhauling the country's crony system, curtailing the power of the
military, reversing economic decline and dousing secessionist fires in outlying provinces.
The June election, which removed the ruling
Golkar party from power, was just a start. Megawati Sukarnoputri's Democratic Party
in Struggle won most of the parliamentary seats, but she is politically inexperienced
and that may cost her the support she needs from other parties to win the presidency.
Indonesian voters have clearly demonstrated
at the ballot box_and almost daily in the streets_that they are fed up with the abuses
of the ruling elite. They want change, a decisive break with the 32 years of autocracy
represented by former President Suharto.
That's a tall order for the next leader.
Indonesia's economy, after last year's free-fall, is flat, the currency worth less
than a third of what it was two years ago and millions have been plunged into poverty.
Among other things, Indonesia needs a new
constitution that will replace the convoluted system of presidential selection with
a direct popular vote. Economically, the new government must see that more power
and resources are given to the provinces. Unless the new government delivers on these
and other expectations, Indonesia faces continuing unrest.
--
New Bedford, Mass., Standard Times
The Democratic president and the Republican
Congress speak almost reverentially of free trade. Being politicians, they cheerfully
accept differences of opinion on most issues, but not this one. Opponents are always
labeled as special interests. Misguided perhaps, but probably ill-willed. Trade is
so sacred a topic that one imagines liturgical music, and awaits scriptural citations.
Last month, for example, retiring Assistant
Secretary of State Phyllis Oakley spoke of America's lofty ideal of spreading the
message of democracy and free markets. Ms. Oakley's remarks reflect the totality
of the takeover of this issue by multinational corporations. While democracy is gradually
gaining credence as a worldwide principle, the sanctity of free markets is a good
deal more dubious. Only in the United States would a top official assign them equal
billing.
Such billing is scarcely a surprise. Top
officials nowadays are largely chosen for their adherence to the canticles of trade.
The multinationals who fund our presidential elections possess not only a veto over
who will win, but a veto over who will be appointed. Thus was the egalitarian economist
Robert Reich exiled to the Labor Department, rather than being enshrined at Treasury.
He was far too risky for that.
This dedication to corporate interests has
led to some dire results. One result is a trade deficit beyond all comprehension.
By opening our borders, and only hoping that others will open theirs, our imports
now swamp our exports. Consequently we owe the rest of the world so many billions,
that we can only trust they never decide to collect. The White House prays that foreigners
will continue to be satisfied with our treasury bonds, instead. That's one reason
Alan Greenspan must keep interest rates up, so that foreign investors will relish
these bonds and not come calling for their cash.
But the worst result of free trade is not
even the deficit; it's the loss of decent jobs. Millions have been shipped abroad,
and the bulk of their former holders shifted to lesser work. The most telling example
is China. The president is eager to guide Beijing into the World Trade Organization,
thus opening further its vast markets. But our trade with China is already vast,
and grossly uneven. For every dollar that our multinationals sell over there, the
Chinese sell two dollars worth, mostly through other multinationals, over here. Thus
corporations ring up a tidy profit in both directions. Workers ring up a loss.
Others get hurt, too. A few of the big losers
are rain forests, dolphins, sea turtles, mangrove swamps, and folks who crave pure
food. Environmental, health, and labor interests are of no account in trade law.
Sweatshops prosper as well, whether here or abroad. Implacable competition and mindless
greed persuade American producers, marketers and customers to turn a blind eye. Blessedly,
college students have taken the lead in forcing mercenary universities to examine
how their goods are made.
It is unnerving when a great nation must
turn for moral authority to college students. Fortunately, they are abetted by labor
unions, churches, and many congressmen. As happens on such issues, moral authority
on trade springs not from presidents, great newspapers, or the contributors or advertisers
who own them both. It springs from individuals and small groups who nurture the flame
of justice in their hearts.
--
Dallas Morning News
Only the United States could find something
positive in a Federal Bureau of Investigation report that 16,914 people were murdered
in this nation during 1998.
Some countries report yearly murder statistics
in the low hundreds. The United States can achieve that figure on a busy weekend.
But despite the shockingly high number of
people who died in violence last year, there are hopeful signs in the latest FBI
report. The murder rate dipped 7 percent from the previous year. And the number homicide
victims per 100,000 in the U.S. is the lowest it has been since 1967.
Federal and state governments have been
on a steady path to reduce crime and violence. Legislation that regulates gun sales
and puts tougher penalties on those who commit crimes with firearms is paying off.
Federal authorities said use of guns in
the commission of crimes was down last year. And so was the use of firearms in homicides.
No state has worked harder than Texas to
lower the murder rate. Major prison construction permits the judicial system to hand
out tougher sentences. Eligibility for parole in this state is now geared directly
to whether the individual was brandishing a weapon during the offense.
Unfortunately, Dallas' homicide rate rose
from 209 in 1997 to 252 last year. The new Dallas Police Chief Terrell Bolton has
made a reduction in violent crime a primary goal of his administration.
But the overall reduction in violent crime
in America is a signal for the federal, state and local governments to keep the heat
on illegal gun transactions and hardened criminals.
The next generation of would-be offenders
is watching. Teenage gang members are deciding the path they will follow in the coming
years. If they can be convinced that committing crimes with guns carries too great
a penalty, the murder statistics in the United States will continue to decline.
The laws and regulations are now available
to turn the tide on homicides. All that is required is the will to stay the course.
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