City traffic light a symbol of all that ails RI<\/p>\n
There is a traffic light that has been bothering me. Yet I can't
\navoid it. It is so close to my house that, even if I were to
\nalter my usual routes (as advised by my embassy), I would still
\nhave to pass it.<\/p>\n
The traffic light is not broken, although I am sure that one
\nday it will be. It does not take as long as other lights to
\nchange. It does not sit obscured behind other signs or trees. It
\ndoes, however, signal the future, and that, maybe, is why it
\nbothers me.<\/p>\n
This light, which guards a real pedestrian crossing
\n(surprise!) to the major mosque in our neighborhood -- seems to
\nchange from red to green to red without a regular pattern. It
\nseems to have its own quirky logic, its own thinking, about its
\npurpose and how to make itself useful.<\/p>\n
It seems almost as if the traffic police forgot to program the
\nlight to respond to the ebb and flow of the traffic and instead
\nleft it in some default mode that has slowly allowed the light to
\ndevelop its own program, to develop its own intelligence the way
\nthat its blinking cousin, HAL, did in 2001: A Space Odyssey.<\/p>\n
When I am behind the wheel (which I actually enjoy when it is
\nnot macet), it often taunts me by turning red as I approach. You
\nare supposed to stop, but what is the purpose of stopping,
\nespecially when no one is crossing and everyone else has already
\nstarted honking? Should I stay, or should I go?<\/p>\n
The way each of us answers this question actually reveals to
\nus something much more profound than the state of Jakarta's
\ntraffic.<\/p>\n
Bus drivers, perched up there like gladiators on groaning
\nchariots, charge right through the light without hesitation or
\nfear. Motorcycle police don't hesitate either, but they are not
\nas brazen about driving through as the bus drivers. Taxi drivers
\ngenerally ignore the light completely.<\/p>\n
Some passenger car drivers do slow down but, on recognizing
\nthe situation, quickly speed up. I guess they are not from the
\nneighborhood, because those from the area already know that there
\nis usually no reason to stop. The delivery motorcyclists zoom
\nright through. Even the bajaj and cyclists mosey on through with
\nnary a glance at the light.<\/p>\n
The decisions made by each of the road users are to me a real
\nindicator of the nature of Indonesians' ethos during these
\nambiguous, uncertain times. The willingness of the drivers to
\ntake matters into their own hands and to drive through that red
\nlight is a triumph of the individual over the community. Of
\npragmatism over principles. Of anarchy over democracy.<\/p>\n
To me, that traffic light represents the best of Indonesia's
\nown special state of chaotic breakdown of the rules of society,
\nlaw and courtesy -- the triumph of the most brazen -- with a
\npassing nod to the needs of a good and gentle people.<\/p>\n
In this topsy-turvy world, who can blame drivers when the very
\npurpose of the light is already questionable, let alone the
\nhaphazard manner in which it performs its role? In such
\ninstances, individuals should triumph over the state. At least
\nthey know when is the right time to follow the rules and when to
\nbreak them.<\/p>\n
With the nation in such a lousy state, maybe the idea of the
\nAmerican and Japanese ambassadors dancing to dangdut, or a becak
\n(pedicab) driver as governor of Jakarta, or a workable busway are
\nnot so crazy. And maybe this kind of upside-down thinking is
\nexactly what is needed because unexpected, upside-down results
\nseem to be what we always get.<\/p>\n
Look at the refurbishment of the Selamat Datang monument
\n(Welcome Jakarta Fountain) at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle
\n(or, perhaps more fittingly, circus). Its undeclared intention
\nwas to discourage demonstrators, but the fountain's new beauty
\n(and cooling mist) attracts as many demonstrators as before!<\/p>\n
Let's see what happens with the fence around Monas, which is
\nsupposed to keep the animals in and the vendors out. We will
\nprobably end up with deer over at the Istana, goats on the
\nGovernor's lawn (since goats are hardier than deer and able to
\neat more garbage), and vendors everywhere, as everything is for
\nsale around Merdeka Square.<\/p>\n
What about the too-numerous-to-mention, head-scratching
\ndecisions from the Supreme Court and the rest of the judicial
\nsystem? Or members of the House of Representatives, claiming to
\nrepresent the people, who can approve a budget calling for price
\nhikes and then only months later call for the hikes to be
\ncanceled!<\/p>\n
In many other democracies, such lamentable \"service to the
\npeople\" would result in impeachment and dishonor.<\/p>\n
Of course, these types of failure are blamed on the few oknum,
\nthe few \"bad apples\" who don't do the right thing. But who really
\nare the bad apples, the ones abiding by the rules or those
\nflouting them?<\/p>\n
As for me, I'll just keep on driving through, knowing --
\nthanks to a troublesome traffic light -- that anarchy is just a
\nfew intersections away. However, lest I feel bad about flouting
\nthe rules, maybe I'll just find someone to break the light for
\nme...<\/p>\n
-- Mark Winkel<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-traffic-light-a-symbol-of-all-that-ails-ri-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }