Max Lane: Indonesian Society Has Not Given Birth to Opposition
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7 January 2024 00:59 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Max Lane’s thoughts on activists of the 90s including those who have closed ranks around Prabowo Subianto, and the absence of opposition in Indonesia.
Student activists of the 90s who banded together to overthrow President Suharto have chosen different paths after the 1998 Reformasi. Some ventured into mainstream politics, some became active in labor unions or non-governmental organizations, or some became journalists. Indonesianist, Maxwell Ronald Lane, or Max Lane as he is familiarly called, said it was quite normal if the movement stopped after the dictatorship was toppled and people went their ways.
Some of these activists’ career choices are particularly manifest in the 2024 presidential election in which Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar, Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud Md. pairs will be jostling for the presidential and vice-presidential seats. One particular activist who came under the spotlight is a former chair of the Democratic People’s Party (PRD), Budiman Sudjatmiko, who threw his weight behind Prabowo, the man he considered responsible for the 1998 activists kidnapping.
Max Lane considers this move not surprising. “Those who join a party which they once considered an enemy are called crossovers,” he said during an online interview with Tempo on December 22.
During the nearly two-hour long interview, Lane explained the impetus behind the birth of the student movement in the 90s that culminated in Suharto’s resignation after more than three decades in power. He also talked about Indonesian politics which can be called liberal, the lack of alternative political power or opposition as well as the battle in the 2024 general elections. The interview has been edited for the sake of clarity and flow.
What do you think of activists supporting Prabowo Subianto in the 2024 presidential election?
It’s not surprising. Things like that happen. Those who join a party that they once considered an enemy are called crossovers. They may remain in labor unions or NGOs (non-governmental organizations). Why do they crossover? I don’t know what’s in their heart. If I look at Prabowo’s track record, the emphasis is that he was involved in kidnappings. Some also suspect that he was also involved in the May 1998 riots. If I am an Indonesian citizen, these two things are enough for me to not vote (for him). I’m not an Indonesian, so I can’t vote and I don’t recommend (voting). There is a third factor that hasn’t been less emphasized. For what purpose did he carry out the kidnappings? To save Suharto from being overthrown by the people’s movement. Can someone who resorted to violence to save a dictatorship be trusted to nurture democracy?
Wasn’t it a betrayal of the activist’s idealism?
I followed, for instance, Petrus Haryanto’s campaign. He was a PRD member and launched a ‘Don’t vote for kidnappers’ campaign. He criticized Budiman Sudjatmiko, his old friend. I truly empathize with what Petrus has been doing. But at the same time, I don’t agree that the media and the general idea among intellectuals are focusing only on people like Budiman. Why not focus instead on raising inspiration for the youth of today that there are 55, 60 and 66-year-old activists still active in labor unions until now?
