Belt tightening: Rhetoric?

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?