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Letter: Democracy and the rule of law
A little bird has been telling me that my time is coming to an end
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little bird has been telling me that my time is coming to an end. That being the case, please allow me to express my unstinting gratitude to the fine people of Indonesia and their government for allowing an undistinguished foreigner like me to come to Indonesia and establish a new life in this enigmatic nation.
This simple accommodation is no small thing and I will always be grateful for way this ancient land, which has seen so much suffering, so delightfully challenges every social, cultural and intellectual prejudice held by those of us who come from abroad, where we were molded by the post-war Western paradigm that we, all too often, tacitly assume stands as the acme of human achievement.
As I struggle to understand the machinations of Indonesia’s elite and try to deal with the practical realities of day-to-day life in my adopted country, I cannot help but wonder where Indonesia’s flirtation with representative democracy will lead.
Please try to understand that, though I am only a foreigner, this is a matter of paramount concern to me both because of my love for Indonesia and because I worry about my family’s future as my own days have become numbered by the forces of corruption.
It is clear that as Indonesia’s poverty-stricken masses become increasingly desperate, the nation’s bureaucratic infrastructure remains fully compromised at every level by almost feudal allegiances that have preserved a culture of personal profiteering through the exercise of official power.
The reality of today’s Indonesian governance naturally compels us to ask: Is a nominal democracy without the “rule of law” not just another form of tyranny?
Having said all of that, how can I complain about my own personal woes that have arisen here in my adopted country as a result of payments by a foreign criminal to corrupt officials retained to engineer my downfall by prosecuting demonstrably fabricated criminal charges against me?
Should I use all remaining resources to fight what seems to be a losing battle to defend myself against Indonesia’s legal mafia and corrupt officials who have demonstrably misused their authority? Should I put aside my remaining resources to be used by my Indonesian wife and daughter when, as a result of the conspiracy waged against me by corruptors, I am no longer around to look after them?
Should I continue to let my meager resources be drained on a daily basis by the various people who ask for and expect financial help to deal with their own woes?
Barry Grossman
Denpasar
