Politics is never the best place to find what is good about humanity.
More often than not, we get to see what human are like at their most primeval. In the past two months, we have had the luxury of watching politicians at the House of Representatives demonstrate their basic instincts and/or skills.
Throughout the proceedings of the Bank Century special inquiry committee, we witnessed how the House floor has turned into an arena for shouting matches, into a high school hallway where jocks get to bully nerds and, most recently, into a boxing ring.
So what? South Korean and Taiwanese lawmakers hold the world record for having mass brawls in their parliamentary sessions.
Members of the British parliament have refined their craft in booing and shouting at whoever happens to be standing at the podium.
Thanks to the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN), jaded American viewers can watch tempers flaring at the Congress floor when Congress members lash out against crooked bankers responsible for the Wall Street meltdown.
But that’s precisely my point. In some places, politics are deemed so rowdy that regulators decide to allow it to be broadcast only on cable. At least you have to pay for something that you will perpetually abhor.
We don’t have such privileges here. In this country, there is no escaping from the horror show as
it is on national television around the clock.
So, to the chagrin of majority of regular folks who don’t give their two-cents for the going-ons at the House floor, one broadcaster eliminates all competition by airing live pictures from the Century committee floor and staged multiple sideshows that play to death talking points and sound bites from the less-than-inspiring proceedings.
As if we did not suffer enough from the endless parade of sinetrons and not-so-real reality shows, we have to bear with the display of politics at its most unrefined form (however oxymoronic the term “unrefined politics” may be).
But even if we turn away from the screen — by subscribing to cable for instance — the nightmare stays.
Thanks to the overdriven new media, not a single minute of my waking hours has been spared from the cacophony.
On Facebook, without my consent, a raging battle, if not a holy war, takes place between the pros and cons of the Century bailout.
On a weekly basis, I get a briefing on my Facebook wall from a reputable, Jakarta-based journalist who diligently gathers data and facts to back up an argument that his side is right and that his camp will prevail.
Those who comment, who are on his side, are no less energized. The front page of my Facebook is covered with the blurry din of verbiage and opinion from social networking pundits.
The opposition, who apparently decided to do away with technicalities, decide to just go for the jugular by demanding that heads must roll in the wake of the Century probe.
On Twitter, a similar battle rages, leaving innocent bystanders like me — who signed up for Twitter merely for amusement — overwhelmed by sundry emotions ranging from disgust to disbelief from knowing that the twain shall never meet.
The battle has even found its way into my cellular phone.
At midnight or early in the morning, text messages appeared on my cell phone informing me about new demands for the Century saga resolution, which mainly involves the resignation of the respected finance minister, the honest Vice President, if not the President himself.
I was in crossfire again, when usually later in the afternoon I got a slew of text messages from people, with inconsequential demands like switching on the headlight when I had to pass the House building on the day the Century special inquiry committee has its final meeting.
As much as I share the latter group’s conviction, I, as any Jakarta motorists in their right mind, dare not drive in the vicinity of the House building while the probe committee is in session.
Drive past this building, and I will meet the snarling traffic or an angry mob ready to give me a bad day.
This weekend we can finally draw our collective sigh of relief as the Century inquiry committee finally wrapped up their work earlier this week.
Whatever their conclusion or recommendation is beside the point right now as we can now rejoice in the fact that all the noise and cacophony is finally gone.
This morning, after two months of rumpus, the silence is deafening.
— M. Taufiqurrahman
