Don't lament, but act

For many years I have been an avid reader of your esteemed newspaper. I would like to congratulate you on your excellent editorial on marriage and freedom from government patronage as regards the choice of a marriage partner in the edition of Oct. 27.

However, your editorial Feeling cheated in the same edition sparked other feelings. Though I agree with most of the facts (was the presidential budget not increased by 57 percent and the VP budget by 147 percent and both together by 66 percent?) I do not agree with the conclusions of the article.

In the real world any idealist is bound to be disappointed. This is why I feel that I understand your disappointment. However, the Indonesian people themselves have voted overwhelmingly for this President. The people (or some of them) have the right to be disappointed too but they have also to learn to take responsibility for their action: Which was to cast their vote for SBY. They got what they voted for and therefore share the responsibility for the outcome after one year of this presidency.

And since the election was democratic, the people of Indonesia also had some choices for their decision. The beauty of a democracy is that the people are entitled to vote again and correct their old political decision in the 2009 presidential election, when they can get rid of SBY and his administration. This situation is much better then before, when it took an international financial crisis to get rid of the autocracy of 32 years.

The terms "revolt" and "apathy" belong to the world of autocrats and dictators, which are long gone. Democrats do not "revolt"; they make use of their constitutional right to demonstrate and their right of freedom of speech and assembly. Democracy has just started and needs to be filled with life. This is achieved by public action. Democrats have the duty to be optimistic and hopeful.

There is also no place for "apathy" in today's Indonesia. Today nobody has to wait and see. Every democracy requires active citizenship: Journalists find out the facts, report, comment and publicize. Academics calculate the costs of alternative political solutions to pertinent problems. Political activists organize dialogs and demonstrations. Citizens read the newspapers and put pressure on their leaders. And politicians will listen to all of this because they want to be reelected. Their ambitions are the source of the people's hopes. Cheated today does not necessarily mean cheated tomorrow. There is a future also for Indonesia if its citizens decide not to lament but to act.

RAINER ADAM Director and Resident Representative Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Indonesia