Only one king
At my age (I am about 70, although I often feel 17 in spirit), I need a new challenge every morning when I get up and have my coffee.
I decided to subscribe to The Jakarta Post, believe it or not, merely because of its Chess Quiz. After some time, I acquired an additional skill -- reading upside down (for the solution).
The beauty of chess lies in its morality. Every citizen (pawn) is given equal opportunity for promotion to the highest rank in society. The mightiest and most numerical side does not always win the battle. Sacrifices may lead to victory. The players, furthermore, like in a true democracy, learn to accept defeat, something that politicians here must still learn.
Certainly, there is no nepotism. On the contrary, there are times when the president (read king) passionately defends his subject against perils and predators and assists him (or her?) in reaching the summit rank.
If the king feels he is surrounded by enemies and deserted by his loyal subjects and generals (in Indonesia menteri, in English queen) he will gracefully surrender (admit mistake). According to Shakespeare, kings feel very desolated when they realize their end is near and make erroneous judgments.
The April 22 edition of The Jakarta Post gave me a little more headache than usual in solving Shelby Lyman Chess Quiz. To my grief, I found only one white king while the black king was nowhere to be found on the board. Technically, the game looks like a draw but with the black king running away, the matter must be submitted to an arbiter who, if it happens here, will be looking for scapegoat.
In local politics, despite the lofty Pancasila state philosophy and declared way of life of most of its people, national stability and economic development is best served if there was only one king on the board. But he must be irreplaceable.
Initially, with just one king, things may run according to plan. But the king should know when to step down and go on vacation, as the older he gets, like all human beings on earth, he is prone to symptoms of forgetfulness and sleepiness, with or without the IMF looking on.
Finally, it should be understood that with one king on the board, onlookers may get either bored or angry, and if there are enough students around they may demonstrate and demand reforms.
GANDHI SUKARDI
Jakarta