The front-page picture of The Jakarta Post's Tuesday edition was very touching, maybe even for those who dislike President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or for the politicians seeking to unseat him or his deputy, Boediono. President Yudhoyono kissed his 83-year-old mother Habibah, who was being treated in the intensive care ward at Husada Hospital on Monday.
The President cut short his activities for several days to take care of his mother, who was hospitalized for a gall bladder problem.
"I ask for the nation's prayers for my mother's recovery," said Yudhoyono, Habibah's only son. Perhaps he knew his mother was suffering from severe pain not just from her physical ailment, but more importantly because of having to see her beloved son get buffeted around in the middle of a political maelstrom. No mother who wants to see their children hurt.
But look at our politicians, both those who proudly proclaim themselves the representatives of the people, and Yudhoyono's political foes. They showed little mercy to the elderly mother. Politically, they may be merciless with the President. But at least in public, they must express their sympathy for Habibah. Our politicians need to learn from soccer players. We often see how players from Manchester United, Barcelona, AC Milan or Bayern Munich stop the ball when one of the opposition players is injured and needs help, even if they are close to scoring a goal. It is sportsmanship. It is also statesmanship.
It would serve an important lesson for the young generation of this nation if politicians like Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, National Mandate Party (PAN) founder Amien Rais, top officials of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, all demonstrated in public their empathy for the President, who is naturally worried about his mother. It does not mean they must soften their hard political stance. But they need to prove that they too have strong ethical values.
We hope that with public knowledge, those politicians will express their solidarity with Yudhoyono while they remain intact in their political position. Thankfully for Habibah, the doctors gave her the all-clear and released her from hospital on Wednesday.
The report on page 2 of Thursday's edition of the Post was quite provocative. The story was about the political feud between husband and wife: Taufik Kiemas, the People's Consultative Assembly speaker, opposed the position of his wife, Megawati, on the Bank Century bailout. Taufik was also against the possible impeachment of Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The House of Representatives' inquiry committee into the bailout is baying for the blood of the two.
Megawati still can not forgive Yudhoyono, the chief security minister under her presidency, who defeated her in two presidential elections, in 2004 and 2009. In 2004, Taufik labeled Yudhoyono "a childish general". No doubt he is probably the strongest and most loyal supporter both of Megawati and her father Sukarno, the country's first president. He was the one who coaxed Megawati to enter politics in 1987. Who could doubt his love for her? He was always at her side in facing Soeharto's merciless oppression to all Sukarno's children.
Taufik is Megawati's third husband. Her first husband was an Air Force officer whose plane crashed in then Irian Jaya (present-day Papua) in 1970, and whose body has never been found. She had two sons with him. Megawati was later briefly married to an Egyptian diplomat.
Her marriage to Taufik yielded their daughter, Puan Maharani. Taufik has always been the staunchest supporter and also financier to Megawati, including when she became president in 2001.
Taufik naturally wants Puan to take up Megawati's control over the PDI-P. But Puan does not bear the name of Sukarno. It is very natural that this week, Taufik made all efforts to get concessions from Yudhoyono. A seat in the Cabinet for Puan will pave the way for her to breathe life into the flagging Sukarno dynasty.
Toyota president Akio Toyoda, in his testimony to the US Congress on Wednesday (Thursday in Jakarta), made assurances that Toyota would take all possible measures to ensure the safety of its cars. The appearance of the grandson of the company's founder, however, was still not convincing for millions of Toyota owners worldwide, including in Indonesia. Most of the problems are with faulty gas pedals and floor mats.
But why have most of the problem cars been found in the United States and other countries, while in Japan the only trouble is with the antilock braking system in the Prius gas-electric hybrid? Indonesian consumers may question the safety of their own cars, given how widespread the problem facing US consumers is, despite very strict safety standards enforced by the US government.
The company has assured Indonesian consumers that its cars for the Indonesian market are safe. But doubt and anxiety remain high among Toyota owners. One hopes the quality of Toyota cars in Indonesia is much better than of those marketed in the United States and other countries, even Japan.
Before the news unfolded about the troubles, Toyota was a byword for quality and affordability among many global consumers. This time, Toyota should work much harder to regain that credibility. The company's hard work should not only be conducted in industrialized countries, but also in developing countries like Indonesia.
- Kornelius Purba
