Why fly the flag if we are not free?

Why fly the flag if we are not free?

In the early morning on the day before Independence Day, my
mother was busy trying to find the red-and-white national flag.
The flag is only used once a year but she was not looking for it
because she wanted to put it up. Instead, someone from the
neighborhood had come to our home and admonished her for failing
to hoist the flag.

I told my mother that we did not have to do what somebody told
us and asked her why we should feel obliged to raise the flag on
Independence Day if we did not feel free in our country.

I feel I do not have freedom. Think about what has happened in
our country. We all have witnessed many adverse events which have
undermined our pride as a supposedly civilized nation.

The colonial-style bureaucracy is still evident. Crime is
rampant and we are afraid to go out at night. We have little
confidence in our police force which is supposed to protect the
public. In fact, we believe it is police officers who are behind
the criminal activities for money.

The military shoots on civilians in Aceh yet people like me
feel powerless to halt the bloodshed. We cannot do anything to
help the situation and we do not know who will take our
grievance.

What is the point of Independence Day in such circumstances?

If an institution like Indonesian Corruption Watch cannot take
to court a person who has leeched money from the people, then
what does Independence Day mean? How can we trust our law
enforcers?

I commuted by train during my studies at university. One day
at Gambir Railway Station, I saw a little boy being beaten black
and blue because he was caught selling something on the train. I
felt sorry for the boy, who should have been going to school and
needed money to survive.

Reports say the son of a general was caught recently for drug
trafficking. Nothing was done to him and he was allowed to return
home; the policemen who caught him even apologized for the
arrest. We can add so much more to the long list of lawless
deeds, but bribery is always superior to the rule of law in this
country, and the culprits can easily make their escape.

My only hope is that the coming government will listen to the
people's voice and their cries for justice to ensure that
Independence Day will really have meaning for them.

SHINTA BENILDA

Tangerang, West Java