Time to hurry up and wait and wait and ...

JAKARTA (JP): Patience is in short supply when it comes to Jakarta residents.

Look at how they compete in trying to get where they want to go. In a traffic jam, you might think you are doing the right thing and obeying traffic regulations by maintaining five meters between you and the vehicle in front. The guy behind you, however, will probably decide you are a lousy driver.

He may proceed to blow his horn or overtake you, slipping into the space you left for safety purposes. He needs to be "one-car- earlier" to arrive at his destination, but he will eventually have to yield to other road users who need to be "earlier than early". The latter -- an ambulance, a convoy of vehicles for a funeral or just a car carrying "important" people -- are usually escorted by motorbikes and heralded by the annoying wail of sirens.

As for the ear-splitting sirens, I keep wondering if there is any regulation to control this noise pollution. As far as I am concerned, sirens must only be used for emergency purposes. I understand if I have to give way for an ambulance, a funeral procession or RI-1, the presidential vehicle.

An ambulance, for obvious reasons, must be given priority. RI- 1 needs to get by in a hurry because the President has a lot of important things to do. He may be off to give a speech at the opening ceremony of an important event, or to tell jokes on a talk show. Yet to give way to a group of road users who are merely in a hurry to get to their destination? No way!

I once got involved in a heated argument with an officer directing traffic. I was halted from entering a main road because a string of buses, cars and truck was passing at high speed, accompanied by the ubiquitous sirens. What enraged me was that the passing party consisted of people from an "important" government institution on their way home from the office.

"So, you rob convenience from the conventional road users just to let those important people arrive home faster. What happened to equal rights in using the road?" I protested.

"I'm only doing my job according to standard procedures," he answered sternly.

"What standard procedures?" I challenged him. "Give me just one good reason why some people get privileges in using public facilities while others are required to make sacrifices?"

As he could not give me a satisfactory answer, I put my car in gear and whizzed past him to join the homebound crowd. If I was to be accused of breaching traffic regulations, then so be it. Fortunately, he did not do anything about it, probably thinking I was too crazy to deal with.

Sometimes people are in a hurry for no reason at all. You do your best to arrive on time for an important appointment with a notable person, and end up sitting in the waiting room for two hours because the aforesaid notable person is busy jabbering with someone else. In this country, the more important people are, the more likely they will let others, especially those needing a favor, wait.

I recently hurried to the wedding reception of an important couple just to show that I was among the first guests to congratulate them. I ended up stranded in the receiving line, because all the VIPs, the top government officials and such, were given priority. Or, put another way, the VIPs made themselves available to congratulate and to be photographed with the bride and groom.

Our country's VIPs, especially those in the government and from politics, do not need to have patience because they have priority not only in formal events but also social gatherings. Unfortunately, it does not make them put their jobs -- the factor that put them where they are -- as a priority.

In the last general election, the people of this nation hurried to the poll booths to elect their representatives so that a new government could be established and the economic crisis handled properly.

After the elections, we were so excited about having a new House of Representatives and a new People's Consultative Assembly. They would soon elect the new president who would soon form the new Cabinet whose members would soon work their heads off to solve the country's problems.

Alas, we have been forced to wait again. The officials, supposedly elected to work together in finding solutions to the country's problems, are busy with their own agendas. In fact, they are at each other's throats; trading criticism and accusations seems to be their daily business.

For the people, it is time to draw on their stock of patience once again, and wait and see what happens.

-- Carl Chairul