The Ramayana inferno

The Ramayana inferno

Trouble never comes alone, it has been said. How true. Only a week ago we were shocked when 31 people died in the blaze caused by a speeding Kramatdjati bus ramming into a jeep on the Jagorawi toll road south of Jakarta. And on Thursday another tragedy jolted us: Some 76 people were killed and burned beyond recognition when a fire gutted a three-story shopping center in Bogor. The authorities fear the death toll may rise to more than 100 because dozens of people are still unaccounted for.

Why all of this? How could such an incident happen? Reports said that those who were killed -- mostly early shift employees of the Ramayana department store -- were trapped by the fire because the only door for escape was locked for security reasons. To make it worse, fire engines reportedly could not get close to the fire because the way in was blocked by hundreds of kiosks. To make matters worse, most of the nearby hydrants were without water.

While we are saddened by this distressing news, we cannot help but feel outraged by the fact that once again calamity has struck because of our own negligence. Remember, more than 300 people were killed last January when the ferry Gurita sank in Acehnese waters because it was overloaded, and a leak in the boat was reportedly only plugged with cement.

And it was only after last week's Kramatdjati bus accident that the public became aware that almost all public buses in this country have no emergency exits despite the existence of a clear- cut regulation which requires them. Also, the driver was allegedly intoxicated by drugs when he drove the bus.

There are many other examples of such dismal oversight. All point to the fact that most of the accidents that have occurred were caused by human error and negligence.

How many more accidents must happen before we resolve to take real action to prevent them? How many more lives must be lost before something is done?

Judging from what has happened in the past we tend to forget what we have promised. A few years back, scores of workers in a garment factory in Northern Jakarta were trapped and killed when a fire razed the building because the only door was locked. Because of the public outcry that followed, government officials pledged to tighten building inspection to prevent similar incidents from happening again. But now consider the Ramayana inferno.

Every day, everywhere, we encounter the same thing: a seeming indifference to safety. Up to this day hundreds, or possibly thousands of ships are overloaded every time they sail. Every day we see bus drivers toying with the safety of their passengers and that of other motorists. Rules and regulations can be waived with bribes. With a few thousand rupiah all too many officials will close their eyes and forget safety rules. Yet many of us would feel offended if one were to call this attitude a part of our national culture.

We continue to maintain that we are a smiling and hospitable people and never or seldom mention our failings. Clearly, it is time for all of us to wake up from this dream and face the fact that the picture is far from being that glossy. Or are we perhaps too apathetic to take real action? Where is the so-called national discipline movement? We are afraid that if no drastic steps are taken to remedy this situation we might find ourselves become a loafer among nations instead of an Asian tiger.