OBAMA UNLIKELY IN INDONESIA

And that is it; we watched last night all the buzz going on in Barack Obama's taking oath as President of the US. Everything was grand and many are still left so impressed how come a black finally becomes Commander in Chief in a country dominated by whites and how power transition have just run that smoothly.

But all the amazement aside, here in Indonesia we are like constantly being told that the things possible in the US are impossible.

Look at how aspiring candidates have learned their loss. In too many areas in Indonesia, like East Java and Maluku, for example, whoever wins, the losing candidate surely is the first to scream that the winning opponent rigged the ballot and consequently he demands a re-election. And the expressions have always been, well, violent to show the dissatisfaction. Supporters of the loser will take it to the street and disturb the public and its facilities, damage the winner's properties, and most likely harass his or her supporters. None of these aspiring leaders would learn how to express Mc Cain's statements: "I am the only responsible for the loss and "Let's help and work together with the winner to build our country".

The second impossible is if you are not one of the majority, that you are not labeled as a brother in faith, there is no way you are equal before the law, politically. In this great country one's religion is people's god. You know,if he shares the same faith with the majority, people have always been successfully made to believe that he must possess all the needed integrity, honesty, and commitment to advance this country. Only later, very shortly, will they have been made disappointed, by themselves, that someone's religion is not a guarantee for these desired qualities as their 'brothers' would turn up to be corrupt and incompetent governors, regents, camat, etc. Surprisingly, they never learn the lesson and when a new guy comes along, their first and only question is, "Are we talking with the same God?"

Enjoy. Keep cursing.