Belt tightening: Rhetoric?

Only a few days after the proclamation of new instructions requiring government officials to work more efficiently and adopt a simpler lifestyle, President Megawati Soekarnoputri last week boarded a special plane bound for Bali, where she celebrated both the New Year holidays and husband Taufik Kiemas' birthday on Dec. 31. Cynics immediately criticized the trip for running counter to the instructions, saying that it demonstrated no sense of crisis and suggested a lack of decency on Megawati's part. The fact that Megawati brought a 44 member entourage with her only helped to fan public resentment toward the trip.

Of course, everyone has the right to celebrate Idul Fitri, Christmas, New Year, or the birthday of a family member, and this includes President Megawati. After all, in spite of the crisis, every year thousands of rich Indonesians go abroad, or to Bali and other holiday resorts to celebrate something or other or, in some cases, to find an excuse for celebration.

Yet the high level of criticism Megawati's New Year party attracted should serve as a warning that public sentiment is hardening into cynicism and frustration -- in other words, popular support for Megawati is waning.

Rather than the praise and support that they clearly deserved, the instructions were instead greeted by pessimism and skepticism. Many people remember that Megawati's predecessors had also issued similar instructions but none seemed to be effective, despite threats along the lines of "stern measures and punishments will be imposed on those who disregard the instructions".

Many still remember that in early 1974, following the serious anti-government riots that became known as the "Malari Incident" (on Jan. 15), the Soeharto administration issued instructions that supposedly prohibited lavish lifestyles among government officials. As expected, the instructions were forgotten after only a few months, to the relief of many officials.

The main weakness of such measures lies in the fact that they are always politically motivated, rather than representing a sincere drive for reform, and therefore suffer from a lack of political will. Hence, their implementation is half-hearted, with the result that no official has ever been reprimanded, let alone dismissed, when violations have occurred.

In addition, our culture and value system are not (at least not yet) conducive to such reform drives. Indonesia is a paternalistic society where leaders act as role models and the public (supposedly) follows their example. And thus far, no leader has given any indication that they are prepared to act as a role model.

True, we have recently seen a number of cabinet ministers start to don the long sleeve safari-style uniform, but what else? We have yet to see cabinet ministers dress in ordinary short- sleeved shirts (like many Singaporean ministers do) or leave their Volvos at home and drive a Kijang minivan instead.

For here, the old saying that you are how you dress, or you are what car you drive (or how big your house is or how lavish your lifestyle, etc. etc.) still prevails. As long as such a mentality remains in place, we don't believe that austerity measures will ever succeed.

Moreover, with most popular films and television dramas still conveying an unrealistic, luxurious lifestyle, it's no wonder that the majority of people here are still pursuing a hedonistic way of life. And it is a pity that for many, the so-called Indonesian Dream at present is to own a luxurious house, a garage big enough for two cars and a bulging bank account, while forgetting about their thirty to forty million fellow Indonesians who are jobless and living below the poverty line.

Regrettably, we have no "culture of shame." No one feels ashamed about owning property and pursuing a lifestyle that is well beyond their legal income, and the public never questions the source of rich officials' wealth.

Compared to other countries where the drive to eradicate corruption is more serious, our culture does not support stern measures (many of us even take pride in it because we are known as a "forgiving nation"). In South Korea, when the anti- corruption drive was at its peak the public pressure was reportedly so great that no ordinary person would dare smoke imported cigarettes. In Singapore, anyone declared bankrupt by a court is prohibited from owning a credit card or private car and has to therefore travel by public transport. Would we dare to do such things?

If these weaknesses are not immediately addressed, we are afraid that any austerity drive will remain nothing but rhetoric. It will be like the 'golden oldie' songs, nice to listen to, but where is the action?