It’s the Year of the Tiger, but it’s the buffalo who rules. In the lead up to Chinese New Year celebrations on Feb. 14, the buffalo has stolen media and public attention. No more of the crocodiles, geckos or octopuses that stole the show last year.
We surely still remember last year’dispute between the Attorney General’s Office and the National Police on one side against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on the other. The CICAK (Love Indonesia Love Anticorruption) movement quickly gained support from the public after decades of campaigning against injustice and corrupt judicial practices.
The arrest of KPK deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah in October stole the media limelight, outmaneuvering the National Summit, which was on the same day opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Later last year, the octopus slithered into popularity as the animal symbolism used by author George Junus Aditjondro in his book Membongkar Gurita Cikeas: Di Balik Skandal Century (Unmasking the Cikeas Octopus: Behind the Bank Century Scandal). The 183-page book highlighted the alleged involvement of Yudhoyono’s family in businesses through several foundations – a similar pattern to the family of former president Soeharto. It also alleged that the President had a hand in the controversial Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) Century Bank bailout. The book shot to controversial fame after it disappeared from the shelves of large bookstores.
This year, it is the innocent buffalo that has fallen victim of the political brouhaha. Just because protesters taped a picture of Yudhoyono on a buffalo’s rear end during a protest at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jan. 28 in conjunction with the first 100 days of the Cabinet’s term, the police were quick to ban buffaloes from taking part in any protests in the capital on the grounds that they could not guarantee whether the protesters “could prevent the animals from being provoked and threatening other people’s lives”.
Being likened to a buffalo –which is known as a hardworking animal, helping farmers in the rice fields –was apparently an offense to Yudhoyono. Antara news agency reported Yudhoyono quoting the protesters that “SBY is fat, lazy and stupid, like a buffalo.”
During a two-day meeting with Cabinet members and governors earlier this week at the Presidential Palace, the President lashed out at the street protests, saying the government would discuss “people in this country of Pancasila demonstrate in the street... how people can conduct peaceful protests and respect others.”
Yudhoyono’s response to the protests, unfortunately, backfired with many calling him over-sensitive.
On social network sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, many have called him lebay (over reactive). His response has drawn more public attention than other, more serious, issues such as poverty and poor infrastructure.
Ignoring public criticism that he has performed poorly during his first 100 days in office, the President claimed that his administration had managed to achieve over 90 percent of its stated targets. His remarks, however, contradicted an earlier statement made on Jan. 28 when he lamented his critics for “too much”or “being in the dark”regarding his 100-day program.
The way Yudhoyono responded to critics, by feeding the public verses of self-pity saying that he was the victim, only emphasized that he desperately needed better a PR team.
So it was no surprise when Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring came forward during a two-day international conference of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) to say that his office had performed public relations duties for the government.
While his office’s main duty is to disseminate information, especially on issues related to government programs, the last thing we want is for Tifatul to become like former information minister Harmoko during Soeharto’s era with his famous “menurut bapak President [according to the President]” catch phrase.
Yudhoyono has not been the only one having to deal with bovine woes. Former social services minister Bachtiar Chamsyah was named a suspect by the antigraft body for irregularities in the import of cattle and the procurement of sewing machines. Based on the KPK’s preliminary estimation, the procurement of the sewing machines cost the state Rp 24 billion, while the import of the cattle cost Rp 3.6 billion.
But it seems that the more high-profile corruption cases that come under investigation, the more we are exposed to injustices in the country’s legal system. We still remember Prita Mulyasari, a housewife taken to court because she complained of a hospital’s poor service through an email. This time it is a nine-year-old boy who was taken to Surabaya District Court for tormenting a female classmate by putting a bee on her desk.
Presiding judge Sutriadi Yahya ruled that the boy was guilty but returned him to his family. However, the judge said the case should never have been brought to court. “To our judgment, what [the defendant] did was not a crime, it was just naughty behavior,” he said in his verdict.
Bank customers felt a flutter of hope this week with the arrest of a high-ranked bank official in connection with the recent spate of ATM fraud cases, which have incurred over Rp 6 billion in losses from various banks. The public is banking on the police to uncover the crime.
Last but not least, stop smoking please. Or you will end up being severely injured by an exploding cigarette. Andi Susanto, a resident of Bekasi, was an actual victim of the freak incident when a cigarette exploded, breaking his six teeth and needing 51 stitches. Justice or no justice, the story ended up with an out of court settlement.
— Primastuti Handayani
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