Heroes cemetery for civil servants

Heroes cemetery for civil servants

From Rakyat Merdeka

Are civil servants not entitled to be honored as national heroes? To the best of my understanding, "to die in harness" means to die while doing one's routine occupation. Both, to die in battle for one's country and to die for one's country, have almost the same meaning. One could die for one's country while in harness whether one is a member of the armed forces or civil service.

What matters is whether one deserves to be called a hero or heroine of the country. If one dies in battle for the country, I think one is a hero, irrespective of one's position or occupation (please, do not think that a civil servant cannot be involved in a battle for his/her country!) A hero or heroine is by definition a person respected for his/her bravery or nobility. I think, a young man who dies while trying to save the lives of others is a hero e.g. when he very bravely grabs an active bomb placed by terrorist in a public area and carries it to a safe place despite the danger to his life. If a civilian dies while saving the lives of high-ranking government officials, he would naturally be named a hero of the country.

I wonder why a civil servant who dies while doing his regular work for the country, is not buried in a heroes cemetery? He could have been carrying out a special task for the country.

I am writing this with reference to the recent plane crash in Irian Jaya that claimed the lives of several high-ranking military and police officials, and civil servants. Not all of them were buried in a heroes cemetery! Were they not all heroes of the country? I have the impression that there are "primary" citizens of Indonesia in this current era of reform!

Therefore, I am proposing to the government and the House of Representatives to have a law allowing civil servants who are heroes and heroines to be buried in a heroes cemetery for civil servants.

HARSONO SOEDIJONO

Depok, West Java