If only Dewi Ratih could descend to this earth...

JAKARTA (JP): Tanto's face suddenly turned pale as his secretary said that Ratih wanted to see him. "Are they already at large?" he gasped in dismay. "Tell them I am not here."

Now, it was his secretary's turn to get puzzled. "Who's them?"

"Those Ratihs (acronym of Rakyat Terlatih or civilian militias)."

"My god! You misunderstood me. This Ratih is your ex..., I mean, the woman you didn't want me to tell anybody about."

Tanto released a deep breath. "Oh, that Ratih. Okey, send her in."

The government's plan to establish yet another type of civil defense system, a civilian militia called Ratih, recently has sparked a heated controversy. The immediate reaction is the fear that Ratih will be just another group of vigilantes similar to Pam Swakarsa that was formed to secure the recent Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). Prominent leaders, lawyers and social organizations soon staged a wave of protests and demanded that the government halt the program.

"No, not another group. We have already had it with HANSIP, KAMTIB, Trantib, not to mention groups of people who claim they take part in securing our business and our neighborhood." said Widjaya, an entrepreneur who has to spend a handsome amount in monthly tribute for so-called security.

"Do not prejudge, sir," I said. "Ratih is not the same as the existing organizations. At least that's what the government says. It will be formed to assist the armed forces during the upcoming general election."

"Well, Pam Swakarsa was also recruited to assist the authorities in securing the MPR Special Session. And, what did we come up with? Bloodshed!"

Apparently, it is hard for certain people to believe that, by the formation of Ratih, the government intends to protect them from threats and to get the general election run in a peaceful manner. And who am I to convince them? I do not have anything against Ratih. But, as far as I am concerned, it is the government's job to socialize their program before launching it.

So, instead of campaigning for the up-coming Ratih, I contacted an old friend, Ratih Dewanto, who is not happy with the acronym. "Can't they invent a proper name? I don't entertain the idea of using my name for that group," she shouted at the top of her voice.

For your information, Ratih is also a typical name for Indonesian women. In the Javanese legend, Ratih is the name of an extraordinarily beautiful dewi (goddess), the wife of Dewa (God) Kamajaya. This goddess is believed to bring love and beauty. A young Javanese mother to be, for instance, in the seventh month of her pregnancy, usually holds a celebration called nujuh- bulanin, to wish that her child is beautiful like Dewi Ratih (if it is a girl) or as handsome as Dewa Kamajaya (if it is a baby boy).

"Calm down, Madame," I tried to console Ratih. Usually, she laughs her head off whenever I call her Madame because, in our peculiar way, that kind of address reminds us of something funny.

"Not when your name is connected to an organization that could do something shameful."

"Nothing shameful will occur, believe me. It is guaranteed by Mr. Wiranto. The troops of Ratih will be selected, trained and taught how to behave prior to their assignments."

"Well, I'm sorry to say that I doubt it. How about the people in the armed forces? They have been trained for years; and what have they done to the students? Shooting, torturing, abducting, and intimidating. Is that what they are trained for?" Ratih's comment was so fiery that it could have melted the telephone wire.

"You can't generalize the case, Madame," I said, still trying to calm her down. "Those who shot, tortured and abducted the students are oknums (those who act individually, not on behalf of an institution), and they have been punished according to their wrongdoings."

"Some punishment! As far as I know, they are still free."

"Don't be too skeptical. The authorities are still collecting data to prove they are guilty."

"For how long? Until kingdom comes? If I may suggest, the authority should clear up one problem before creating another."

Disapproval also comes from Ani, a new graduate of the University of Indonesia majoring in the study of Javanese Literature. "The name has a supernatural quality. Using it to refer to such an organization will ruin the image of Dewi Ratih. Haven't they got any other bright idea?"

Contradictorily, Budi, her uncle, supports the use of the name for the civilian militia. "Come on, honey, the government's idea may not be that bad."

"Oh yeah?" Vini, his oldest daughter, joined the argument. "And please, tell me just one good reason why it is not that bad."

I've got a notion that the name has been chosen on purpose. The government may believe that by using the sacred name the civilian militia will probably display the charm and gentleness of Dewi Ratih when dealing with protesting students."

"Don't tell me the goddess is going to descend to this restless earth to sort out the political struggle," interrupted Vini.

"Who knows?"

"Well, I can see your point now," commented Vini. "You expect the Ratih will treat people with love and care. And, before they use their batons to hit the students, they will sweetly say 'nuwun semu' (excuse me). How amusing!"

At the time the argument was in progress, the TV showed a group of university students being bulldozed into military trucks; some of them were lashed by the armed forces using batons.

"You see?" said Hani, shrugging. "If those well-trained people can be that violent, imagine what the Ratih, who are only trained for a mere two weeks, may do."

I could only sigh, wishing that Dewi Ratih could descend to this earth and use her charm to calm people.

-- Carl Chairul