Marketed in Indonesia since 1989, Pocari Sweat is known as a sports drink which can replace body fluids quickly. Recently, however, a joke has emerged, twisting the name of the famous drink into ‘Ponari Sweat’.

M. Ponari, born July 6, 1999, was a third grader who gained overnight notoriety after he began practicing as a purported child healer with “supernatural powers” capable of curing any illness. Thousands flocked to his home in Kedungsari village, in Jombang, East Java.

The ostensible powers were connected with a stone found on Dec. 12, 2008. Reportedly, the stone was discovered when lightning struck overhead. With this occurrence, Ponari rose to fame as a “kiddy witchdoctor”. His healing powers were delivered simply by dipping the supposedly magic stone into water, or by rubbing it against ailing body parts. Through this practice, many patients have claimed to be cured.

Many consider Ponari’s healing methods illogical, including East Java Governor Soekarwo who has appealed to the public not to believe in that which goes beyond reason. According to an archeologist from the University of Indonesia, Ali Akbar, the stone found by Ponari is an ordinary tool from ancient times with no magical significance or power.

Still, community members are largely convinced of the stone’s powers, some even losing their common sense. Some have collected well water from Ponari’s neighbors and soil from around his house which they believe has magical qualities.

And Ponari continues to receive patients even though his practice has been closed several times by authorities following the deaths of several patients waiting to see him.

This nonetheless reflects a phenomenon of public faith in systems now no longer in keeping with prevailing rules or ideas of proper medical practice, and its inclination to seek ‘quick fix’ solutions.

When some members of the public are helpless in facing the harsh realities of life, they tend to be lured easily to claims offering “rescue”, even when others deem the claims unreasonable.

For the economically weak majority, earning a decent living is already very difficult, let alone with the added burden of expensive medicine. So, for as long as the government is incapable of providing adequate and accessible health care for everyone, its call for proper use of reason will remain ignored.

What the public really needs is concrete actions to meet its dire requirements, which includes the provision of free health care as well as welcoming and reliable facilities.

And, in this context, amid the lack of public confidence in the government, Ponari’s quick alternative treatments have won public trust. Like the isotonic drink, Ponari is capable of replacing the lost “ions” badly needed by society, i.e. low-cost public health care.

While public access to quality health care remains minimal, Ponari succeeds in convincing his patients that his treatments can help.

Nonmedical healing techniques are many and varied and include such treatments as the transportation of disease to animals or the drinking of magically imbued water. And faith in such treatment even extends to many patients from wealthy and educated circles.

Further observation indicates that part of the Javanese community maintains belief in the notion of a “force” or “competence” that is not always gained by great endeavor, like the unusual capacity of certain individuals, the abrupt “talents” of a supposed incarnation, or powers acquired through ascetic practice.

Ponari is believed to be able to provide just such an alternative, in the form of magical powers. With the “ions” at his disposal, Ponari is regarded as a ratu adil or a messianic and just queen, who can “heal” people of all problems — in this case their diseases.

This messianic concept is already deeply ingrained in certain groups in Java and elsewhere in Indonesia, because of religious traditions that leads to a belief in supernatural powers through prophets, saints, traditional healers or those considered “psychic”.

When our society reaches critical situations from poverty or ignorance, it will seek spiritual guidance, whether from witchdoctors, gurus or whoever.

Under such conditions, charges that Ponari’s stone healing is syirik (polytheistic) are unproductive because the root of the problem here is a loss of public trust in the health care system, rather than a matter of their aqidah (religious faith).

The right response to the Ponari phenomenon should be to foster and pay greater attention to the people he attracts rather than to accuse them of being syirik, as this term alone may trigger controversy.

And indeed, the Ponari phenomenon is symbolic of the typically Indonesian belief in traditional healing practices, and tendency to prefer instant solutions over gradual processes which require discipline, perseverance, hard work and patience. Examples of this idea of quick success can be seen in various areas including the high level of corruption here – a hope of getting rich quickly – and in the prevalence of television contests whereby individuals hope to become popular artists.

The idea of “instant” can also be seen in the popularity of unhealthy instant foods, which should serve as a valuable lesson for Indonesians in electing politicians in the upcoming polls in April – don’t expect any great results from quick fixes – with many politicians and prospective national leaders emerging without any advanced learning experience, or relying on popularity and wealth alone.

In the legislative election in 2009, with many parties relying on the fame or charisma of party leaders, it is feared we will soon see more “instant” leaders rather than experienced statesmen loyally serving public interests.

The Law on Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections is still widely considered to be incapable of producing natural leaders, especially after the Constitutional Court  rejected articles requiring the backing of parties or party coalitions for presidential election candidates.

The question is, how far the Indonesian public and politicians are prepared to engage themselves in proper improvements so as to ensure the best election outcome. Errors may involve not only the law, but also the attitudes of society itself, which tends to avoid serious approaches by seeking shortcuts while ignoring the spirit of hard work, honesty, transparency, joint effort and mutual respect for what needs to be done.

It’s the “ions” that have been lost from Indonesian society — an awareness that not everything can be made better in an instant.

The writer is a member of The Jakarta Post’s opinion desk.

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