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Editorial: Count our blessings
Another year is about to end and a new one about to begin
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Another year is about to end and a new one about to begin. This time around, we in Indonesia should count our blessings because 2008 has been relatively quiet compared to the turbulence and violence that many other parts of the world have experienced, or compared to what we in Indonesia had grown accustomed to in previous years.
Before we ring out the old and ring in the new, however, please spend a few moments thinking of those who have been less fortunate -- those living through wars, conflicts, fears and intimidations, disasters, poverty, hunger and misery all through the year.
We have all the more reason to pray for them because Indonesia has largely been spared from those calamities in 2008.
God has been kind to Indonesia, for a change.
There were no major disasters, natural or man-made, to speak of, that in the past have always distracted us from the main agenda of building a nation that is free, just and prosperous as our founding fathers had envisioned.
There were no devastating earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions, and there were no deadly plane crashes, train collisions or sinking ships.
We have had our share of floods but not as severe as was experienced in other parts of Asia. And the bird flu epidemic has largely been brought under control.
One terrorist master on Indonesia's most-wanted list may still be lurking, but the fact that he did not carry out a single major attack in 2008 meant that his space has been constrained with the police close on his trail.
We had our share of energy crises that were global in nature, and again, Indonesia was much better positioned than most other countries in dealing with this, thanks to our abundant sources of energy supplies.
When other nations experienced a food crisis early in the year, Indonesia reported a record rice harvest and was able to export some.
The international media, which has a penchant for bad news, ignored Indonesia for most of 2008. They trained their cameras instead on Asia's other major trouble spots. It's nice to be ignored once in a while.
It's true when they say that no news is good news, at least when it comes to getting international media attention. One foreign journalist based in Jakarta described Indonesia as "dull" in 2008. Dull can be good sometimes.
Domestically, this newspaper, as has other media in the country, been busy reporting the progress Indonesia has been making in nation building, as we marked 10 years of reformation and 100 years of national awakening.
The year 2008 was more a year of consolidating the political and economic reforms that began in 1998.
Indonesia was not without its challenges and there were some setbacks here and there amidst progress in most other fronts.
But one thing Indonesia can take pride in is that democracy is taking root in this country. Increasingly, more and more problems and disputes are now settled after going through the democratic process.
We may not be entirely happy with all the results, but that is what democracy is all about: You win some, you lose some. You lose one today, you win another tomorrow. The last thing we want is for one party to win everything all the time.
So it is, we ring out the old and ring in the new, with our heads up, and with a much more positive attitude than in previous years.
This is hardly a time for complacency though.
The coming year looks like it could be even more challenging, with an impending economic crisis that forecasters are predicting will make its deepest bite in the second quarter of 2009. And this is going to be a general election year, with all the good and bad consequences it always entails.
The outgoing year is more like a temporary reprieve for Indonesia. We know that natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions -- and throw floods and forest fires into the pot for good measure -- have and always will be part of our lives.
While we count our blessings, we cannot always count on the continuing generosity of God. For all we know, 2008 may have been a case of calm before the big storm.
But at the very least, we can say that we are much better prepared than before, and better prepared than most other nations, for whatever 2009 may have in store for us.
Happy New Year and may God be with us all.
