"A survey must be carried out with a purpose. Indo Barometer certainly also has a certain purpose with its recent survey but I do not know what it is," Heru Lelono, the president`s special assistant for information and public relations said here on Tuesday.
Indo Barometer executive director M Qodari in a press conference here on Sunday said that based on the results of its survey Indo Barometer concluded that the Indonesia people are craving for conditions like in the New Order era of former president Soeharto.
In a survey carried out from April 25 to May 4, 2011 Indo Barometer discovered 40.9 percent respondents preferred conditions like during the New Order government while only 22.8 percent preferred present conditions.
The survey involved more than 1,200 respondents from 33 provinces in the country.
In percentage 47.7 percent of people living in cities which is higher than 35.7 percent of people living in villages state the New Order government is better.
Respondents in all islands also consider the New Order government better than the Reform era government except Sulawesi.
In response to the survey results Heru Lelono said the aim of the survey was not yet clear because several questions still remained unanswered.
He said the first question is what is the relevance of comparing the present to that of the New Order as certainly people all know that now is far better than before.
Secondly, he said, if comparison would be made respondents should certainly be chosen from among adults who know the difference between the present and New Order conditions.
Thirdly, he said, that it was almost impossible to conduct an apple to apple comparison between present and New Order conditions because life has now grown more democratic and no long authoritarian like in the New Order era.
"So, today people have a right to speak and express their opinions. Present stability and that during the New Order are different. Present stability could happen because the system works while in the New Order era situation seemed stable because people were apathetic and afraid to express themselves," he said.
Therefore, he said, survey that would be useful now must be the one that is done regularly like the one by the National Statistics Agency (BPS) although survey institutes may chose their own topics, respondents and methods.
"So, the results of their surveys could be used as inputs by the government whoever the president is," he said.
Heru said as a second opinion among various topics useful most for the general public are social, nationalist culture and economy.
"Political topics usually are used by certain elites. That is why I said that a survey must have a certain purpose. And the purpose is good if the content and aim of survey will be useful for the progress of the nation," he said. (*)
H-YH/HAJM/S012
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
