Hatta, The Voice That Never Fades Away

Tuesday, August 14, 2001

After 99 years, Indonesia continues to remember Mohammad Hatta as one of the two figures that proclaimed Indonesian independence and the first leaders of this nation. If he were still alive today and turning 99 years in the middle of August, Hatta would always be remembered as one of the rare leaders, one of a kind, even today. He was honest, incorruptible, lived within his means for the sake of principles, firm, skilled in organization, incomparable intellectually, and a loyal believer in socialism. His three prescriptions for the economy to stem the flow of economic injustice—the control over assets by the government, control over the private sector, and development of an independent people's economy—did not go smoothly because there were so many constraints. Which of Hatta's teachings are still relevant to today? Why are leaders with morality like Hatta very rare? Why wasn't Hattanomics implemented smoothly at his time? Iqra greets the publication of a series of books on Hatta's thoughts with the following:

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Once upon a time a paper was published one fine day in 1960. It was published in Panji Masyarakat magazine and was written by Mohammad Hatta—and it made Sukarno furious. The magazine was subsequently banned. The article, which criticized the concept of Guided Democracy, may very well be one of the best means for us to reflect on the democracy that we once had. Hatta seemed to be disappointed with Sukarno's character and flamboyant nature, whi

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