A time for us? A tome for us?

JAKARTA (JP): You'll never realize how important time is in our lives until you look up time-related expressions in a good dictionary and see how relevant they are to the desperate situation in this country. Apart from the widely understood (but also widely denied) "Time is money", many of them are worth pondering.

"Where has time gone," you may wonder when change takes place rapidly, that is, when suddenly you realize your children are grown up, your hair has turned gray and your retirement is approaching.

In contrast, people who are waiting feel time runs very slowly. "Time is our enemy," wailed Cleopatra impatiently to her lover Mark Anthony. This expression is appropriate for those who have been struggling for political reform and expected to see the establishment of a new and clean government. But, unfortunately, what they are witnessing is reluctant change at a snail's pace.

The same goes for the families of the activists who are still awaiting the return of loved ones said to have been abducted earlier this year. They have been living in constant uncertainty. They want to know the whereabouts of their relatives, but no sensible explanation has been forthcoming from the authorities. The standard "we are working on it" is not enough to put them at ease.

On the other hand, the current government, in its effort to buy time and maintain the status quo, may feel inclined to adopt the expression uttered by Jenny Cavillary, the dying young woman in Love Story: "What I want is time."

"Of course, they need time to strengthen their legs and then stay where they are without changing anything. The situation will be back to normal, I mean, they will be back running this country the way they did the past," said Vishnu, my fellow teacher. "And there goes our dream of reform."

"We can see it now," added Hana. "The decision to kick two members of the House of Representatives off the scene just because they did not agree with the boss is one of the signs showing the old style of ruling is being restored."

In a sense, the excerpts from the theme song of Romeo and Juliet perfectly express the optimism of the people who, in the New Order era, were denied the opportunity to express themselves and enjoy political freedom.

"A time for us/ someday there'll be/ when chain are thorn/ by courage born..."

Courage has at last been born. And we are enjoying the long- denied freedom to talk. The trouble is, it seems we have been carried away by the euphoria of reform and democracy.

"And some people, calling themselves reformists, have mistaken democracy for the freedom to do anything; to slander, to accuse, to treat others the way they damned-well pleased, and get away with it," commented Mrs. Mully.

"Or has the time rewritten every line?" wondered Barbara Streisand in The Way We Were.

This is what is probably happening now. In the beginning, political, economic and moral reform was a genuine wish of everybody who took to the streets to demand Soeharto's resignation. But look at what we have now! We are accusing, condemning and even killing each other to get what we want.

"Yes, time has diverted the direction of reform," agreed Mr. Slamet, the director of the institution where I teach. "I was so excited when those students took to the street, hand in hand, demanding the same thing in perfect unity. And they achieved what this nation has wanted for so long, but lacked the courage to pursue. But now, even the students are divided into different groups with their own demands."

"And invisible hands are engineering social unrest. Riots are breaking out everywhere. People are being killed every day and the authorities seem to be oblivious to the situation."

"Oh, come on, don't start that again! You could be accused of slander."

"It is the truth. They did not react until it was too late. The so-called fact-finding teams were only sent out once hundreds of people had been murdered. And the president remained tight lipped about the matter. Only recently did he say something, stating that the murders were just pure crime. My, a pure crime indeed!"

"Well, at least he said something."

"That's not enough. He should have done something before localized unrest escalated into a national tragedy."

A national tragedy is the last thing we need now. Somebody must stop the killing spree. Prominent leaders must refrain from provoking their opponents (I'm sorry for saying this again); this will only cause confusion and more serious unrest.

And, if this situation stays the way it is, guess who'll reap the benefits. Those who are now hiding and plotting to restore their power. I believe, as we lurch from one crisis to the next, that they are rejoicing and happily singing: "A tome for us/ someday there'll be.../ when chain (of reform) are thorn..."

-- Carl Chairul