Javanese style

One day, about 21 years ago, a colleague of mine came to see my boss, a typical Javanese military man, and asked permission to go to Surabaya the next day.

Knowing my colleague frequently went to either Jakarta or Surabaya every month, my boss refused the request by saying: "Aren't you tired? You only came back from Jakarta yesterday."

This is the typical Javanese way of saying "no" to a certain request, where one does not reject something directly. My boss expected my colleague to understand and withdraw his request.

By doing so, Javanese believe they won't hurt other people's feelings. Right or wrong, agree with this style or not, it is a fact of life.

President Soeharto, I believe, is typically Javanese as well. Remember what he said in Minister Dhanutirto's case when he was accused of using state funds. He only asked the minister to be introspective. In my opinion, it was a way of saying that if you found yourself wrong, then you have to correct yourself.

On Oct. 13, 1997, in front of Golkar's cadres, the President asked Golkar if his renomination for the presidency was supported by most people. Could have this been a way of saying, "Please consider reelecting me!"

Let's see what will happen. We still have less than three months to go until March, when the People's Consultative Assembly holds its general session.

H.W. PIENANDORO

Bogor, West Java