by echandr on Saturday, March 28th, 2009 | Diary, Life

Indonesia is strategically situated between two continents and two oceans. Everybody knows it. My elementary school teacher back then never stopped telling us how blessed a country we are living in. We have large population and abundance of natural resources. We have vast and all-seasons-productive landbanks. We have great waters with extreme supply of fishes and other sea-products. We have so many things that other countries could only dream of.

When I was in the States few years ago, I recalled watching Olympic games on TV with few ex-colleagues from other countries. One of them was from Germany. He asked me where I’m from and soon found out I’m from Indonesia. A country with large population, he only knew by the beautiful BALI and terrorism news on CNN, but had not had any medals yet. Then he asked me the very question which I was not able to speak up. He said, the population of Indonesia is almost 7 times the Germany’s, and how could it possible the Germans had won 7 gold medals, while Indonesia hadn’t got a single medal…even the bronze one.

This question still stuck in my head till date. I came back here a couple years ago and things have changed a lot compare to the time when I left. But things only change in forms…not in substance. My ex-boss in his auditing linggo frequently said “FORMS OVER SUBSTANCE”. Yeah…many changes since 1998 (reformation phase). But most of them only good in appearance. Substantially, we are even worse with those back in before 1998.

Executive body is now counter-balanced by the Legislative body. Autonomy and decentralization are in place. But that only transfers corruptions and manipulations to provincial and lower levels. People have to spend much more undertable money, but things are not getting done any faster.

Legislative body is supposedly to check and balance the power in Executive’s hands. Instead of doing their jobs for the sake of the people, they tend to enrich and protect the sake of their parties and their owns. They are the two-faced devils, playing angels & demons. Greedy, uncivilized, uneducated, selfish, corruptive and hypocritical…are the common natures existed with those so-called the “highly-honored people representatives”.

Judicative body is expected to be the invincible hand to bring justice and fairness to all of our people. But guess what…they are the smugs and also “the other” devils in the Three Great Pillars of our beloved country. They might be well-educated, but still have the same natures with those in the Executive and Legislative bodies. Greedy, uncivilized, selfish, corruptive, manipulative and hypocritical….or anything else…you could just name it.

Montesquee once said, if a country has this three great pillars in place properly, its people will live in peace and harmony. Welfare is just a matter of time.

So..what’s wrong with our beloved Indonesia? Everything is right in place. In fact, they are perfect. But we have three pillars mistakenly shaped up and built. Nobody and/or no other nation in the world will be able to help us. Us..and only us..can help our self. Why should we let our blessed country, cursed by its very own people?

Our late president, Ir. Soekarno, used to say…”een rimple in the ocean” (if I don’t quote it mistakenly). Yeah…I’m just a ripple in the ocean…and we need an extremely colossal wave to change the whole course…..we shouldn’t wait…we have to make it happen……

Tags: corruption in indonesia, Indonesia, indonesia ecnomy, indonesia news, indonesia wellfare, soekarno