Holy month of August

The month of August may be looked upon by the people of Indonesia as the holy month of the year considering that on Aug. 17, 1945, the sovereign Republic of Indonesia was proclaimed after centuries of colonization. The month of August 1945 held so many golden promises of greater freedom and greater welfare, freedom from poverty above all.

In commemorating the forthcoming Independence Day on Aug. 17, 2005, in spite of all the sweet promises, the majority of the people cannot rid themselves of the feeling of having been cheated by their leaders. Independent observers even say that "the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer". Meanwhile, at the top level of government corruption is rife and even religious leaders cannot do anything to stop it.

The Republic has seen six notable citizens elected to the presidential post, with each president, of course, contributing something positive to the well-being of the people. But most hopes are now pinned on the first directly elected head of state, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY).

The burden of creating a welfare state should be felt as his greatest responsibility. He should not only lead personally the war against corruption, but he should also involve his ministers, and all his aides, in all the struggles that will ultimately lead to victory. Indeed, this is an appropriate opportunity for SBY to show dramatic progress in improving the welfare of the people.

As a president with a great sense of public relations, he may be commendable, and so are his ministers. However, as matters stand, except in foreign policy issues, alas there is little to celebrate during this year's Independence Day.

It is heartening to note that when addressing the Asia-Pacific regional meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, President Susilo pledged to halve the number of poor people in this country, at least. It is now important for the President to not get complacent.

Knowing that he is the first directly elected chief executive and that he enjoys strong political backing, he must see his mission in historical terms, not just as a political pastime.

GANDHI SUKARDI Jakarta