Holy month of August
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