Indonesia lamented

Indonesia lamented

I am disheartened, shocked and frustrated to see Indonesia
today: chaos, killing sprees, sadistic acts, not to mention bomb
blasts, which we have never experienced before. In fact, we once
claimed that Indonesians were a peace-loving and tolerant people.

If I could go back to past times, like in the American TV
series Quantum Leap or Time Tunnel, I would urge Sukarno, Hatta,
Agus Salim and all Indonesia's independence fighters not to
hurriedly proclaim independence of Indonesia on Aug. 17, 1945,
after Japan surrendered to the American-led allied forces. I
would convince them that independence would not make Indonesia
become a peaceful country which respects human rights. Instead,
Sukarno and Hatta would then contact British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill and American General Douglas MacArthur to
deploy British armed forces in Indonesia, making it a British
colony. Although colonialism is against a nation's human rights,
at least British colonial rule is better than under the Dutch.

Besides, corruption, collusion, nepotism, abuse of power and
many more evils have tarnished our country. So, we hardly have
anything left to be proud of. I wish I could move to another
planet.

MADA SURADI

Jakarta