Liar Liar

If the politicians reserve the right to lie I hope I have a right to free speech. Freedom to express my disgust at Indonesian politics.

I mourn the lost of my right to choose my own leaders. The right that has been robbed off of me by the members of parliament who insist that they represent me when they passed that infamous UU Pilkada (Regional Election Act).

Lie to me all you like but let me be honest about how I feel about you lot.

 
Warning: if you’re one of those politicians please stop reading now.

I find that the aversion for honest speech harbored by the members of parliament appalling. I understand why they don’t like it. But, I find it extremely objectionable when their disability to stomach and hear the hard cold truths (most of the time it’s about them) is disguised with the desire to keep things nice, pleasant and polite.

What is the use of being nice, pleasant and polite on the surface when behind the door you’re nothing but?

And don’t tell me you hate those harsh words because you’re one of the most delicate human beings on earth that will perish once your pure ears are contaminated with ugly words.

We know how ugly and dirty your games are.

Ahok (the soon to be Governor of Jakarta) has gained a lot of enemies among the members of parliament (and the hardliners) because of his unguarded words. He offends the sensibilities of many people with his way of talking.

Not me.

He may say shit in front of the presumably esteemed polite audience for all I care as long as he delivers. I have had enough and totally sick of those politicians who say A but mean B. Who promise something but do something else.

Or showing an impressive statesmanship when it is nothing but a show.  

I hate to say it but the latest show is shown by none other than our outgoing President. I thought SBY was beyond this dirty politics.

He gained my respect when he decided to choose direct election over indirect election. But my respect was short lived. His people in the parliament stunned us with their walk out during the voting of Regional Election Act.

The move which instantly robbed the right of the ordinary people to directly choose their own leaders at regional level.

Now, all governors, mares and head of regions will be chosen by the so called people’s representatives. I’m not going to be surprised if their next move is trying to steal our right to directly choose our own President.

They have learned their lesson the hard way. That when people choose directly they could make someone who is nobody into somebody. Jokowi surprisingly won the general election and become the 7^th President of Indonesia despite the lacked of support from the political parties.

He won because people directly chose him.

Democracy might not work all the time. Democracy might not be perfect. But democracy has given us the right to determine our own future, whether it’s for the better or for worse.

Some of us might have been stupid enough to choose those shameless actors as our representatives but we’re not stupid enough to let those actors act in front of us and tell us they’re acting on our behalf when they rob us our fundamental right to choose our own leader.

The fight is not over. I’m confident that this Act will be overturned after Judicial Review by our Supreme Court.

In the meantime I find this picture is representative enough of my mood.

ps.  

Whoever created this picture, he is totally getting our feelings.