Oink! Oink!
B.J. Habibie: It is unfortunately true that today in Indonesia the people have forfeited the confidence of the government. The recent spate of street heat during the meeting of the Consultative Assembly has only served to distance the population from its elected representatives.
As if that wasn't enough, calling members of the people's army, blind pigs (babi buta)— and in a Muslim country! — has added insult to injury. I'm afraid that the people will have to redouble their efforts if they want to regain our respect.
Deeply hurt as we are by these recent events, the strident calls for the assembly to be dissolved only serve the subversive aims of the communists.
Similarly, where would the Indonesian nation be today without the loyalty and sacrifice of its armed forces? Who better to sustain unity in diversity than our very own khaki warriors? They stand as a bastion against our enemies, upholding the cherished five principles of Pancasila — principles rooted in the very soil at our feet.
Would "blind pigs" do that? No.
We all know we are facing difficult times. We all know that the tasks that confront us don't lend themselves to an easy resolution. But life wasn't meant to be easy, was it now?
As for these impatient calls for fresh elections and sundry other reforms ... all I can say is that we hear you. We're not deaf. I say this to you: Watch my lips — everything comes to him who waits. Patience, my friends, patience is really the hidden sixth principle of Pancasila — and patience has its own reward.
If this civic unrest persists, I feel it is my duty to warn you that we will take measures to protect the nation from itself. If this civic unrest continues in the form that it has recently taken, my government is determined to meet unrest with resolve. I kid you not: even a "blind pig" knows how determined we can be.
(Ha ha. Please excuse my little joke. I know how much General Wiranto likes my little jokes. )
Reform? No way! Pigs might fly!
I therefore issue this warning: unless the people begin to behave themselves, we will dissolve the people and elect another in its place.
(Sounds of: Oink! Oink! Oink!)
By Dave Riley