Time for soul searching

Time for soul searching

In the last several weeks a very interesting debate has been
going on among the public. A wide range of topics, ranging from
corruption to political collusion, moral decay and sensitive
issues, such as the business activities of the children of high
ranking government officials, have been openly discussed, mainly
in the media. So, too, is the question of whether we should
pardon those who were involved in the 1965 communist coup.

Apparently, what triggered the debates is the coming of the
golden anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, which will be
celebrated next month. It is as if the public is inspired by the
momentum of the event to reflect on ourselves, on where we have
gone in the last 50 years. It is a bit like soul searching or a
spiritual journey to seek answers to the questions: Are we on the
right track? How far have we come as a nation?

Instead of brushing aside those debates as rubbish or stamping
them as "endangering the nation's stability", we should welcome
such reflections as refreshing. For it means that as a nation we
still have the courage and capability to dig deep into our
conscience to make a tally of our past record, to understand more
about our strengths and weaknesses and presumably to make
corrections wherever it is deemed necessary.

We believe this kind of debate is natural and sincere, since
it directly involves the people. Surely these public discussions
are no less important than the more official parliamentary
debates or even the grand sessions of the People's Consultative
Assembly.

We also should feel relieved that a number of our most
prominent fellow citizens have participated in the debates --
people such as Minister of Defense and Security Edi Sudradjat,
former minister Emil Salim, Minister of Transmigration Siswono
Yudohusodo -- and not just the usual intellectuals and
activists. The participation of such notable persons, and the
ideas which they have conveyed, mean that the situation is not as
unfavorable as some people have claimed and that our future as a
nation is as bright as ever.

Among the interesting topics which have been discussed, one
issue, we think, stands above the others, although unfortunately
it has failed to get the public interest which it deserves. The
topic emerged through a discussion held the other day in Jakarta,
with the theme "The Place of the People in the Republic: A
Reflection on 50-years of Indonesian Independence".

The question of the place of the people in this republic, in
our opinion, is a key factor by which progress should be
measured. After all, the republic was founded 50 years ago to
establish the sovereignty of the people.

Sadly, as noted by political scientist Loekman Soetrisno in
the discussion, although the Constitution places the people in
the highest standing, reality proves otherwise. The Nipah dam
incident in Madura, East Java, a few years ago, in which several
people were shot and killed when they protested a plan to
construct a dam in their area, is sad proof of how low this
standing sometimes is in our real world.

Prof. Loekman Soetrisno also noted how we erected walls within
our society when we ceased using the term bung (brother) to
address each other and started to address our officials as bapak
(father). The same effect, in his view, has been achieved by the
introduction of safari uniforms in our society. Quoting a popular
Javanese phrase, Loekman Soetrisno said that usually if someone
reaches the age of 50 years, he or she would start to search for
the jalan padang, or the road of enlightenment, to be closer to
the Creator, to have more patience and to be wiser in his or her
actions and to make peace with the world. Ironically, according
to Loekman Soetrisno, the government seems not to be going in
that direction.

He reminded the government and the nation to take a lesson
from what happened in "super strong states" such as the former
Soviet Union, which so easily crumbled. Although one may regard
Loekman Soetrisno's view as too populist or even utopian, and his
warning as disproportional, we find his ideas illuminating and
worth heeding.

And as our nation prepares to celebrate its oncoming golden
jubilee with banners and lights, we should also rejoice at the
fact that we have apparently not lost our capability for honest
soul searching.