To
all my Indonesian brothers and sisters
If you can read this
article in English and understand it without any problem, chances are you’ve
got a good education, good enough to communicate in a foreign language, or
you’re open minded, open-minded enough to know that being able to speak English
doesn’t make you less patriotic.
In fact, this whole
article is about patriotism. Yes, Indonesia. I’m looking at you. Sharply. And
the smart people of Indonesia, you too. I want to say this : We failed our
country, didn’t we?
Almost 1 year
Indonesia led by Mr. Joko Widodo as the new President. I was pretty hopeful to
see the new Indonesia, since we have our new president and a new set of
parliaments. But Indonesia is the same, even backward. I know there’re many
people, just like me, put their hopes up along with the new Jokowi
administration. I also understand change doesn’t happen over night. But looking
at the situation in my country, I wondered if change ever going to happen.
Nothing’s wrong with the new elected President. He’s a man of integrity and
very down-to-earth. But putting him in a society who refused to change is like
putting world’s best driver in a broken car : it doesn’t matter. It’s not going
to work.
I feel so saddened. I
feel frustated. Our society, my people, your people, we don’t understand even
the very basic rules : You put the trash in a transhcan. If you can’t find a
trashcan, it’s not going to hurt you to carry your trash until you find one.
You follow the way the traffic goes, you don’t drive your motorbike in the
opposite direction when everyone goes one way. You don’t drive your motorbike
at the sidewalk – that’s not for motorbikes, but I’m sure it’s very hard to
understand. It’s rocket science. And if you got killed in an accident as a
result of your moronic act, at least we finally come to understand that
stupidity literally kills. Although in some place there is no written rule, you
don’t smoke in public restaurant or in a public space : there are babies, kids,
and pregnant women there. Walking a little bit further from a public space to
smoke is better than having everyone inhales your selfishness. You form a line
by going to the back of a person in front of you or if you happen to be the
first person there, stand in the line behind the counter. No, you don’t form a
line by standing on the left or right of the first person, that will only
create anger since it’s never clear who gets there earlier than who. And no,
being an hour late is not funny anymore. It’s pathetic.
I see too many
Indonesians don’t understand (or understand but refuse to do) those basic
rules, and yet we dream of a new Indonesia : a free-corruption country. Tell me
how do we stop corruption at a national level when we can’t even stop ourselves
from smoking in front of kids? How do we stop the corruption when we can’t even
stop throwing trash out the street from the windows of our expensive cars? How
do we stop the corruption when we can’t even stop people who drive the opposite
way? There is a reason why Indonesia is called a developing country : because
our charecter is still being developed. We can put someone as honest as Mahatma
Gandi to be the president of Indonesia, but if we keep our character the way
it’s right now, not even Gandi can make a change. Indonesia, I say this out of
love. Let’s not fool ourselves. We’re a broken car.
We boast ourselves as
a religious country, a country that believe in God and acknowledge the
existence of different religions. We’re really committed in doing our religions
rules : if you’re Islam you’d be busy praying 5 times a day and suggesting the
usage of hijab to the females. If you’re Christian, you’d be busy deciding
which fancy church you can go to and check-in on Facebook, and even busier
deciding which music the church should have on. Now tell me, if our religions
is great, why doesn’t it reflect in the country’s condition? If we pray to God
as hard as 5 times a day, why the kindness of God we worship doesn’t illuminate
the country? What do we do the wrong here, my Indonesia? How do we go wrong?
I remember a tweet
written by Rizki Ridyasmara, the author of The Jacatra Secret. He tweeted
“Indonesia
needs a dictator who means well for the country.”
If we can go soft
anymore, let’s go hard. Let’s put on ourselves a punishment, a fine, or a jail
time if we break the rules. Let’s say it’s wrong when it’s wrong and it’s right
when it’s right. Justice should serve any religion at any status. For a
sensitive example, if a Javanese got caught stealing, I, myself, as a Javanese should
say it’s wrong.
We say we refuse any
kind of western influence because it’s not aligned with our values. I tell you
what. People of the western side of the world, they don’t need a rule to line
up. They don’t need a punishment so that they would throw their trash in a
transhcan. And they don’t smoke in public, with or without a sign telling them
to do so. As much as you hate to hear this, maybe, just maybe, we do need
western influence. If their society understands the basic rules as if it’s
installed in them, maybe, just maybe, there are one or two values we can learn
from.
And if you still
understand the content of this article up to this point, my friend, it has been
our responsibility to educate the country. So far we fail. But as long as
ther’s still tomorrow, there is still hope, and i’ll keep trying through the
articles that I write here. Take your part. Education is one way to help our
people from this mentality for education is the most powerful weapon to change
ourselves, the most powerful weapon to change your family, the most powerful
weapon to change the society, the most powerful weapon to change Indonesia.
ACTIVE
NOT PASSIVE
POSITIVE
NOT NEGATIVE
#INDONESIAOPTIMIST#
-GILANG
ADHI PRABOWO-
The
President of Student Executive Board Mitra RIA Husada
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