In pursuit of true heroes

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.