Voice of national conscience

Here's a suggestion for Ibu Kristiani Herawati as the new First Lady: She should spearhead a movement to revive volunteerism to help the country cope with its multifaceted crises and live up to her party's motto of "Together, we can".

Thousands of people gathered at Medan Merdeka Square on Oct. 10 to initiate a movement to develop the nation's social conscience, promising to expend their energy to ease the many burdens of the country. They were, in effect, delineating a new cause for which national leaders and their spouses could work.

Notwithstanding the sound development and economic policies President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised, the country needs to return to its centuries-old tradition of volunteerism in order to fight its host of problems, including poverty.

The University of Indonesia's School of Economics has estimated that Indonesia's poor reached 29 percent of the population in 1999 following the economic crisis, then declined to 19 percent in 2002. But this is still about 40 million people.

The government alone cannot handle the social problems that have emerged as a result of this poverty rate, including urban migration. Hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people need to find their own creative ways to help propel the country toward a better future.

Despite Indonesians being proud of their gotong royong, or mutual help, tradition, there is nothing wrong with learning from the British, for example, who have charities dedicated to children, to cancer research, to animal rights and more. Elderly ladies, even teenagers, donate their clothing and shoes, even their time, to charity stores and raise funds for their cause, which sometimes goes beyond the borders of the United Kingdom.

The thousands of people who came out to declare the "Movement to build the national conscience" do not need to find formal, established programs. They can simply go home and fish out their old clothing, discarded toys or shoes, wedding outfits that no longer fit, rarely used saucepans or dishes, and create their own charity shops.

They could ask Governor Sutiyoso, for instance, to provide space and facility for the purpose -- as well as a waiver on utility costs -- and donate whatever they raise to help send poor children to school or to eat.

The First Lady could lead these self-proclaimed volunteers and truly stand as the voice of the nation's conscience.

SURTININGSIH W.T. Depok, West Java