Blessings and misfortunes

Blessings and misfortunes

From Kompas

In the beginning I was quite optimistic about the change to a national leader who was directly elected by the people, and sure that Indonesia would be able to solve its multi-dimensional crises -- economic stagnation, moral decadence and all sorts of other irregularities.

But, alas, a short while after Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took the presidential office, a series of catastrophes hit the country -- the tsunami in Aceh, earthquakes in Nias, landslides in West Java -- which together claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Yet the list of calamities can be lengthened by a number of other more-preventable disasters -- poliomyelitis, malnutrition, bird flu, plane crashes; and last-but-not-least the fantastic 126 percent-average fuel price hike as of Oct. 1.

Despite all these misfortunes that have hit Indonesia, I still have the same love toward my country. However, I call on SBY not to chalk out too many programs and reduce the frequency of meetings. You should only replace the incapable ministers and government officials to ensure a better-quality administration. Isn't that the easy job?

More and more people have been victimized by the government's unpopular decisions -- life is extremely hard, the number of poor people keeps increasing, prices of daily necessities soar, and long queues for kerosene and other fuels become the order of the day.

In addition, the Rp 100,000 a month aid for the poor has very little meaning. You shouldn't be too happy about that.

Lastly, I hope that all people who in the last general election voted for SBY and Jusuf Kalla remain calm and open and reflect on their choice as a blessing -- at least to democracy. For those who didn't vote for the pair, remember that many of the misfortunes that have befallen the country have been external ones.

HERI BUDI Kediri, East Java