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A letter from Indonesia on the upcoming elections

To the editor:

I read the statement, “The political tasks facing the working class: The Indonesian elections and the struggle for democracy”

That essay is a cool breeze in the middle of a scorching day, it is an air-conditioned room in the middle of a stuffy airport, it is a splash of cold water in the middle of a journey through an endless desert. Need I say more?

We, the students, were at one point truly disheartened by the enthusiastic way in which the Western mainstream press responded to the Pemilu (Elections) hype that the Habibie regime so cleverly orchestrated.

Essays like this one truly inspires us to keep fighting, knowing that there is still a sane soul somewhere out there. Forgive the melodrama. We truly are feeling desperate and isolated in our struggle.

TOLAK PEMILU (which means boycott/reject Elections), is certainly not the most popular idea in the midst of throngs of PDI-Mega supporters and Gus Dur worshippers. TOLAK PEMILU is not popular in the eyes of the investors who want the listlessness of the nation to be over with and business to get on as usual. TOLAK PEMILU is a revolution, and we are too familiar with the counter-commie propaganda that the Suharto government so successfully instilled in the minds of the people.

I will send you more details later, but for the time being let me just congratulate WSWS on a bold and precise analysis. I will distribute this among friends and colleagues.

Thank you,

AS
Indonesia

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