In pursuit of true heroes

As Indonesians commemorate Heroes Day today, every thinking individual among us must be provoked to question what type of heroes this country now needs amid the devastating multi- dimensional crisis.

Our people should not only remember the heroic battle of Surabaya where we fought against the mighty British troops in defense of the newly proclaimed republic 56 years ago, but also seek new heroes who can salvage this nation and restore it to a respectable place among the world's nations.

The Battle of Surabaya -- and other battles fought by our people elsewhere within the sprawling archipelago -- are peerless epics on this planet Earth. Very few other nations who sacrificed lives and bravely resisted the return of blood-thirsty colonial powers can equal Indonesians' intensity of patriotism.

However, despite the presence of a heroes cemetery in every province here, the people have also realized that not all of those buried there are patriots. Some are veterans who ended up as corrupt officials. Others are reactionaries who were laid to rest there due to their close allegiances with influential powerholders.

Heroism is too noble an idea to associate with the battlefield alone, because it does not have to depend on the number of people gunned down at a given time. This is important for our country, which is facing the complexity of modernism. This country is fighting against the far-reaching consequences of New Order dictatorship, which include the abuse of law, corruption, economic collapse, national disintegration, blatant human rights violations and religious fanaticism.

For the younger generation, gone are the days when one tried to unearth a hero from the battlefields. Today's fight against separatists, for example, has taught us a different value system, because the war has been fought with no heroism, strategy or tactics, much less intelligence. It is just homicide and violations of human rights.

Such warfare ended after protests by foreign countries and was marked by a visit from the military headquarters' new commanding general to the former killing fields to apologize to local people for the atrocities his troops had committed. It may sound like a tribal war from a faraway country, but it is true and took place not far from here in the recent past.

And right here in the republic's capital city, even in this era of reformasi, we have witnessed the police and soldiers resorting to violence in their efforts to crush student demonstrations. Even simple-minded citizens do not expect the birth of a true national hero from these manifestations of bloody conflict. The war against innocent people has only produced a new breed of cowards who, it has been proven, are allowed to walk free with their blood-soaked hands because even the law cannot touch them.

So it is very true that heroes can hail from any circle, be it scientific, human rights organizations, economic think tanks, sport, or anyone who has performed meritorious deeds for the nation that others have not had the brains or courage to do.