Do your chairs need reform?

JAKARTA (JP): The phrase 'We care about freedom' (Kami Peduli Kebebasan) was splashed in the June 8 edition of Kompas daily. However, if you think that those words have something to do with the greater freedom demanded by student demonstrators as part of their demands for reforms, then you're in for a big surprise.

Statements on reform are not a monopoly of students or reformists as the reform tidal wave continues to sweep over the entire nation with no signs of subsiding. Such words as reform and freedom have become magic words, much like the 1945 slogan Freedom or death, key words for Indonesians fighting to defend their freedom against Dutch colonialists. Today, it's: Total reform or death.

As it was in 1945, when the word merdeka (freedom) became a common form of greeting among Indonesians and a call sign or even a password for freedom fighters, the word reform has come into vogue. It has also provided protection against possible attack, either physical or mental.

When riots broke out in Jakarta following the May 12 shooting of students at the Trisakti private university in West Jakarta, signs appeared in front of big and small buildings alike, stating: We are all for reform, or We are 100 percent behind reform, and the like. Whoever put up those signs must have felt that those magic words could protect them from attacks by angry mobs.

The business circle was quick to grasp the trend; one indication is the use of the word reformasi in advertisements in various news media. Old catch words like safe, security, guarantee, competitive or discount do not seem enough to convince clients or prospective buyers in this era of total reform.

Bank IFI opened its big, four-column ad in Kompas, June 8, with the phrase Kami Peduli Kebebasan, while offering a new type of savings called Tabungan Reformasi (Reform Savings Account). The special offer includes "freedom" for clients to withdraw up to Rp 10 million a day from its ATMs, "freedom" from queuing, "freedom" from tax, as well as the abolition of several obligations such as a monthly administration fee and transfer fees.

Consider this classified ad which appeared in The Jakarta Post, June 12: "Indotrade, Corporate & Foreign Investment Consultant 'One Stop Service' to establish anywhere in Indonesia with new Reformation Regulation & price for licensing PMA, PMDN, R. Office, Immigration, Kittas, Tax Report ..."

Aneka Konstruksi in Surabaya is offering office space and storehouses under a special package called Paket Reformasi (Reform Package) which is actually its way of saying that it is giving a 50 percent discount (Surabaya Post, June 8).

A three-column ad in Kompas, June 8, offered "reform for children of this nation". It was an ad placed by Anzac, offering Indonesian students wishing to study in Australia free fiscal, free student visas and free registration fees. The three facilities are considered as the three reforms demanded by students who wish to enroll in Australian universities.

The British Council, too, came under the spell of the magic word. The word reformasi was splashed across the top of a three- column ad in Kompas, June 11, offering scholarships for Indonesian students who want to join undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Britain.

There is something for Moslems, too. Dena Tour is offering a nine-day Umroh Reformasi (Reform Minor Haj). The "reform" package combines a minor haj trip with tours to several European countries, the U.S., Canada, Morocco, and China with discounted fares (Media Indonesia, June 9).

For those who want to celebrate special occasions in this era of financial difficulties, the Sunter Podomoro Sport Club offers a special package called Paket Reformasi. The package includes air-conditioned reception hall, catering and MC services, free parking as well as a permit to hold the gathering, all for Rp 6.6 million. (Suara Pembaruan afternoon daily, June 12).

Not all the "reform ads" are business-oriented. There is a huge three-column public service ad placed by Cabe Rawit and Mega Citra Repro in cooperation with the Bisnis Indonesia daily. The ad, using the key word Swa-Reformasi (Self Reform), calls for Indonesians to reform themselves through soul-searching.

"This is a time for soul-searching, in case we, too, are guilty of unacceptable behavior," says the ad, which appeared in Bisnis Indonesia, June 13.

But nothing is more startling than this small classified ad, June 8 Kompas: "Reformasi Dunia! Minimal Agustus 98. PT Pakis Raya Abadi Memproduksi Tangga Geser... Untuk Me-reformasi Kursi Pada Meja-Makan Guna Mem-Berdaya-kan Anak Umur 3-7 tahun...

What the company means by "reforming the world" is nothing more than making your dining chairs more comfortable for children aged between 3 and 7 years. And to do that, it requires nothing more than the portable ladders the company is selling.

The company also used the word memberdayakan, meaning to empower, instead of simply saying that the portable ladders would make children feel more comfortable.

The question is, do we need to go as far as "reforming the world" to make family dinner more comfortable for our kids? And I didn't know that to make your children feel more comfortable while sitting at the dining table with grownups amounted to the huge task of empowering them.

Come to think of it, linguists should probably thank Indonesians for reforming the word reform, thus stretching its meaning to include discount and adjusting the height of your dining chairs.

-- Lela E. Madjiah