Inside-out way of fashion

Inside-out way of fashion

It seems to me that what we are, as a nation, currently facing
acute problems which have originated from our nation's mentality.
To describe the "illness", I would express it simply as wearing
one's clothes inside-out. Over time, it has become worse and
worse because for too long we have been practicing this inside-
out way of fashion.

Whether we are conscious of being in such a condition could
become another issue for discussion. Answering the question of
what the causes could possibly be, we may easily put the blame on
the results of our own exercises for the past 32 years. Going
further back, it could be an effect of our having been colonized
for 350 years. Or, the worst yet, that it might be our intrinsic
"way of fashion" which made us easily colonized for such a long
period!

We have learned democracy from the same school of thought of
trias politica as other successful countries but we selfishly
implement the principle as per our own thoughts and style. The
end result is what we have been experiencing until Nov. 10, 1998.

Our past statement on human rights in response to the
international issue claims we have our own perception that fits
our culture and society. I believe this is another example of how
over confident we are with our "way of fashion". Like other
countries, we also have public servants. But, as everybody has
experienced, here, people are conditioned in such a way to become
objects who must serve for extra costs instead of subjects to get
the service.

No doubt, we have learned our traffic system and copied toll
roads, malls and skyscrapers from original and reliable sources.
But it is hard to explain why our toll roads are more congested
than ordinary roads.

In the malls, it is hard to find waiters politely offering
help. They prefer cheating in the corner instead of asking after
customers' needs. And what about the way people act when entering
crowded elevator of a high rise building.

Different religions came to our archipelago in the first
millennium directly from source countries. However, they still
cannot prevent most of us from having a hand in corruption,
collusion and nepotism and other religiously forbidden things.
Yet, colossal religious events keep taking place, regardless of
the economic situation.

We continue shouting for total reform and asking for better
conditions in politics, the economy and law enforcement. In this
time of reform, however, at the toll road between Cawang and
Semanggi, drivers still easily pick up 3-in-1 jockeys. They are
now freely standing on road shoulders. It looks like the reform
era has freed them from sanctions such as pushups and the like
formerly imposed by the police.

Total reform in the education system might be the best
starting point to improve the situation and build the society
anew. In the spirit of total reform and national commemoration of
Heroes Day (Nov. 10), I hope some of the above opinion is a
worthwhile contribution to the process of our nation building.

ATTILA RAHAYOE

Bekasi, West Java