Reform starts with yourself

Reform starts with yourself

I read with great interest Pak Habibie's rhetorical question
"What's wrong with the nation?" on the front page of the Jan. 2
edition of The Jakarta Post along with several recent letters to
the editor regarding poor customer service.

Having lived and worked throughout Indonesia for six years, I
often ask myself the same question. After thinking about the root
causes, I can only surmise that the problem lies not just in the
leadership (or lack of it) but in the willingness of each
individual to accept some little responsibility for improving not
just their own lives, but the lives of the people around them. In
short, it comes down to a certain selfishness and unwillingness
to shoulder some of the blame for their own situation.

I see this in the little things -- people who uncaringly smoke
in areas where no-smoking signs are clearly posted, people who
throw litter out of their car windows, people who cut queues,
indifferent or uncaring customer service, dishonest taxi drivers,
and people who support the corruption, collusion and nepotism
(KKN) system by providing payoffs to the officials. So while
blaming the "leadership" they fail to recognize that their
individual daily behavior suggests complicity and implicit
support of a system they supposedly despise.

All these "little" acts speak of a nation that lacks not only
self respect, but respect for the rights and health of each
other. And without self respect, respect for the rights of
others, respect for the environment you live in and, most
importantly, a respect for people to hold differing opinions, a
fair and just democracy will never work. Yet it is these "small
things" that are well within the control of each single
individual to do or not do -- provided they have the will to make
the necessary changes.

So I say to Pak Habibie, what is wrong with this nation is an
unwillingness for the individual to accept responsibility,
however small, that the current situation exists because
collectively each individual let it. It is apparent that, given
enough pressure, even the most autocratic leaders step aside when
the will of the people is known. Since that momentous occurrence,
the message seems to be lost that each individual can and must
work to make a difference. It cannot be left only to the
students, nor can it be the sole responsibility of the "leaders".

Everyone must be willing to contribute something to realize
the potential that this great country has to offer. So stop
blaming the top, and start to lay the blame where it really
belongs -- on the face that looks back at you in the mirror in
the morning while you are shaving or putting on your makeup. That
is the individual who can and must take responsibility to create
true "reform".

How? By becoming a "leader of one" each and every day to
"reform" the way you conduct yourself. Stop smoking in the malls
and airports where no-smoking signs are posted; stop throwing
your litter around and trashing your beautiful countryside; stop
offering bribes to minor officials to "expedite the process";
start to give and expect world-class customer service. Take those
little steps to show your neighbors, your customers, your friends
and strangers on the street that you are committed to reform and
are willing to accept the responsibility that goes along with
freedom by changing yourself first, and not thinking some magical
solution is going to occur simply by changing leadership.

Good luck to you and your country in 1999. It is a beautiful
place to live and work, with so much promise and potential. Make
it happen! Reform starts with yourself.

PAUL D. GIAMMALVO

Jakarta