Critical thinking needed

The Jakarta Post is to be commended for publishing Y.B. Mangunwijaya's excellent article on Jan. 29, 1998. Yes, we seem to have become a nation of sheep, averse to, or even incapable of, critical thinking; a nation of parrots, screeching platitudes without thought. It is evident in the utterance and actions of the elite, the bureaucracy and the business community alike, particularly among those who have attended Indonesian elementary and secondary schools since the 1950s. They have been taught by rote-learning, with a taboo placed on critical questioning.

Equally amazing is the self-delusion of those in power, who profess to believe that people still have confidence in the present leadership, and that nationalist slogans will cure the economy.

Public contempt is high for the greed and incompetence of civil servants and for the lack of honor displayed by cabinet ministers, who refuse to resign over botched practices and shortcomings in their field of responsibility.

Have we indeed become a nation without imagination? It seems unthinkable that among 200 million people there appear to be no credible leadership candidates. The honorable 1,000 appointees known as the people's representatives should start acting as the nation's conscience and voice what they really think, after listening to their constituents.

There can be no democracy without critical appraisal of government. There is no honor in clinging to power beyond one's era of competence. The impressive accomplishments of the past were achieved because of the administration's acknowledgment of the need for constant change and innovation. Denying that need now is an open invitation to failure and more suffering for the people in the years to come.

HARJO NIMPUNO

Jakarta