The sacrifices made by the public must be rewarded

Benget Simbolon Tnb., Jakarta

It was very distressing to see the reactions of people across the country over the last few weeks to the government's decision to raise fuel prices.

It was even more saddening to see their dismay when they finally learned that the government had decided to increase fuel prices by an average of 126.6 percent, with kerosene -- mostly used by the poor -- taking the biggest hit -- up from Rp 700 (65 U.S. cents) to Rp 2,000, far exceeding the previous plan for increases of between 50 percent and 80 percent.

For the poor, it was a nightmare that had come true. The hikes, which some analysts considered too much, will certainly have a domino effect on the prices of other goods and services, increasing inflation to an unbearable level, and swelling the ranks of the destitute.

Considering that their lives have been very difficult ever since the economic crisis in 1997, this will be another blow for them.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the government had no choice but to increase fuel prices to save the country. "It is not an easy choice. I understand that this is a bitter pill but I have to do it to safeguard the country's economy and the country's future," he said.

Saying that the government had designed a number of programs to help the poor, by among other things distributing cash compensation payments, he asked the general public to understand the increases and willingly make sacrifices for a better future.

This is the second time the government has asked for the people's understanding after doing so in March, when it decided to raise fuel prices by an average of 29 percent.

Of course, the people will understand that sacrifices are a prerequisite for achieving a better future. This is reflected in the Javanese saying: Jer basuki mawa bea (Sacrifice is required to achieve prosperity). And all sacrifices will make people suffer.

Actually, suffering, as most religions teach, is a process of transformation leading to a better life.

As suffering teaches us lessons, it empowers us as well as enlightening us about how we should improve our lives in the future.

While happiness involves people immersing themselves in enjoying what they have, suffering will force them to be creative in getting things done and realizing what they have.

But the question now is, will the people believe that this time their suffering will lead to prosperity? Or will they see that it is no longer worth it, particularly in the light of their past experiences?

The way ahead is very much dependent on the government alone.

The people might fear that the problems of corruption, mismanagement, and ministers' and legislators' devotion to their political parties could derail the oil policy from its main goal of producing a better life for the whole nation.

The media have reported many stories in the past that have validated such fears. Corruption, for example, is still rampant. Last year, according to the World Bank report, only 18 percent of the rice provided in a special program called raskin (rice for the poor) was actually distributed to poor people across the archipelago.

The corruption problem is worsening. And the unscrupulous officials committing such crimes go unpunished.

Many people fear that the recently increasing tendency of commercializing politics and politicizing the commercial world will hamper the government's efforts to implement the oil policy so that it can truly bring prosperity.

The government, therefore, should work to eliminate the public's fears. It should launch an all-out public campaign to assure people that it will also make sacrifices of its own in implementing the policy. And it will make serious efforts to bring prosperity to the nation, which has long been blighted by the multidimensional crisis.

If the government can do this, then the public will see that their suffering will not be like the suffering of a tree doomed to die due to its being smothered by parasitic plants. Rather, it will like the suffering of a plant seedling taken from the seedbed to be transplanted in fertile soil so that it can thrive and bear fruit.

The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.