Ok, now that we know who’s Brutus and who’s Judas in this government’s shaky coalition may be it’s about time the president realizes that it’s better to deal with the enemy you know than the friends who are likely to stab you in the back when the going gets tough. At the end of the day, a marriage that is not built on love will hit the rocks of bad feelings and divided interests and flounder. To prolong the unhappy union is both unproductive and painful for everybody to watch.
My two cents in this whole Century Bank ‘Pansus’ issue is, considering we voted for a president to run the country and not a bunch of bickering politicians, then this might be a good time to review the objectives of having a coalition to begin with and better still, get rid of political-based ministers and replace them with competent individuals who are more likely to put the country’s interests ahead of their own or their parties’.
The government might face a tough time pushing policies through the legislators, but hey, how much harder could it be than it already is? As long as the government has the country’s interests at heart, I think the majority of the people are smart enough by now to distinguish between policies created for the good of the country and those based on cynical politicking and to further party interest. If anything, this move could actually improve the quality of those policies and serve the country more in the long run than short term popular policies concocted purely for political purposes.
When push comes to shove, the president should know that at the end of the day, the mandate to steer this country for the next four years is with him, especially in view of the recent dishonourable display of low-level politicking by our most honourable members of parliament.
Yes, we know that the role of parliament is to talk (or even heckle), but enough of this exercise in democracy and let’s really use our tax payers’ money to work where it’s really needed, which is building our country on par with the other global players. Indonesia after all is a member of the G20, so we should do well to put away childish things and be the mature player others expect us to be as one of the world’s largest democracies.
So, let’s get out of the sandpit and start being serious shall we?
As a matter of fact, we’ve got quite a few good things going our way, so it’s not like all is gloom and doom on the home front, if only we would capitalise on it more. Our economy, for instance, despite all the political hassles, is doing quite well, especially since the rest of the world is still reeling from the impact of the global financial crisis, so getting international attention shouldn’t be too much of a sweat.
For a start, allowing current Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani to finish her job without getting knocked about pointlessly would help in showing the world we are to be reckoned with, especially since she is a good PR for promoting this country’s image as a worthy place for foreign investment. Goodness knows, the number of ministers who have substance and could inspire a feeling of confidence both at home and abroad, are few and far between these days.
Actually it’s not that difficult to put Indonesia on the map in a positive light. Exciting international events such as the Java Jazz Festival are already putting Jakarta as one of the coolest places for world-class artists to come and perform. And having singer John Legend announce on Twitter to his million or so followers that he’s excited about coming to play in Jakarta and that he’s looking forward to visiting Indonesia, can really help put Indonesia under the category of ‘cool’ as top of mind in the world community as opposed to Tsunami, Terrorism and other Troubles.
As a matter of fact, Indonesia has again entered Twitter trending topic because of this free and effective global promotion by an international celebrity. Something not to be sniffed at, as you know that Twitter is becoming the most effective global communication tool with almost thirty million users around the world with each user having the capacity to re-Tweet.
On top of that there is also that Tweet from singer-cum-heartthrob Ricky Martin who, out of the blue Tweeted in Bahasa the words ‘banyak cinta teman-temanku di Indonesia’, which is heartening for this country who is rumbustious at home but a timid player abroad.
Hey, people, if John Legend and Ricky Martin love us, then we too should be proud of ourselves.
So, hats off to my good friend Peter F Gontha who has worked hard and passionately to bring Indonesia on the global music scene, which is probably a lot more effective in promoting the country more than any G to G caucus, seeing that music is a global language and a great unifier, and passion is a potent ingredient in getting things done. If I may suggest may be he should be considered for this country’s Minister of Tourism.
(Desi Anwar: First published in The Jakarta Globe)
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