A time for us? A tome for us?

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