When crooks and heroes are all the same<\/p>\n
Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
No matter how meritorious your service for your nation --
\neven with millions of people acknowledging it, not just your
\nfamily --- you would be erroneous to assume you were entitled to
\nbe buried in the National Heroes Cemetery in Kalibata, South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Actually, it really doesn't matter whether you are crook,
\nrights abuser, embezzler or a nobody. The Heroes Cemetery is an
\nequal-opportunity graveyard. Once consigned a prestigious plot,
\nthere is every reason to believe that strangers will flock to
\nyour final resting place at least once a year -- on National
\nHeroes Day on Nov. 10.<\/p>\n
The truth is that heroism is more of an administrative matter
\nthese days than one of bravery or sacrifice.<\/p>\n
Eyes could understandably be raised constantly these days when
\nstrolling through the cemetery grounds. You may find quite a few
\nnames that you would never have thought would be morally eligible
\nto rest with some of this nation's most celebrated figures.<\/p>\n
Despite a blatantly dubious record, as long as the courts --
\nthe same courts that are notorious for bowing to power and wealth
\n-- do not pronounce a man guilty, then he is eligible to be
\nburied as a hero.<\/p>\n
The prerequisite for a hero's funeral is simple: being a
\nrecipient of a state medal (like the Bintang Mahaputera,
\nGuerrilla's Medal and the Kartika Eka Paksi medal). Most of these
\nrecipients are former military men, which explains why a majority
\nof names etched on the gravestones in Kalibata and other local
\nheroes cemeteries are preceded by a military rank.<\/p>\n
Does that mean that civilians are much less heroic than those
\nwhose profession is to defend the country?<\/p>\n
Well, nearly all former Cabinet ministers under former
\npresident Soeharto -- several of whom had been accused of abusing
\ntheir privileges -- are there.<\/p>\n
Being a hero, as it turns out, also runs in the family.<\/p>\n
Soeharto declared his wife, the late Tien Soeharto, a national
\nheroine, but her family decided to bury her in her hometown of
\nSurakarta.<\/p>\n
President BJ Habibie even decorated his wife and brother with
\nthe highest state medals. Neither did Megawati Soekarnoputri want
\nto neglect this presidential privilege and awarded a similar
\nhonor to her father-in-law. Strangely, during her tenure little
\nwas actually done to rehabilitate her own father's name, first
\npresident Sukarno.<\/p>\n
Former presidents, vice presidents, former chiefs of the
\nIndonesian Military, Army, Air Force, Navy and National Police
\nare nearly automatically listed as the next \"residents\" of the
\nKalibata cemetery.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's most distinguished vice president, M. Hatta,
\nhowever, refused to be buried there and while alive chose Tanah
\nKusir Cemetery in South Jakarta. While Soeharto instructed that
\nSukarno be buried in his hometown Blitar, East Java.<\/p>\n
How is a national hero defined? What are the requirements?
\nThese questions are probably too academic.<\/p>\n
Everyone has different criteria. For some twisted reason there
\nare those who consider Osama bin Laden a hero. While others
\ndeclare megastar Michael Jackson theirs.<\/p>\n
Many say rights activist Munir deserved to be declared a hero
\nafter he was fatally poisoned, allegedly by people who regarded
\nhim a traitor for revealing to the world the brutal abuses that
\noccurred in this country. But as far as administrative
\nrequirements are concerned he has little chance of being buried
\nnext to men whose career was built around defending the very
\ninstitutions that Munir fought against.<\/p>\n
There are countless of people who sacrificed their lives in
\nthis country's independence struggle. Most remain uncelebrated.<\/p>\n
Then there are those who were committed to sacrifice in order
\nto better this republic. They too are nameless.<\/p>\n
Let us take a minute of silence to honor our \"real\" heroes
\ntoday. May they rest in peace.<\/p>\n
And concerning those questionably buried in Kalibata, well
\njust forget them. It's an administrative matter.<\/p>\n
The writer can be reached at purba@thejakartapost.com<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/when-crooks-and-heroes-are-all-the-same-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }