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