W

ith alleged human rights abusers and graft suspects still gaining support in polls, I know for sure Indonesia is the most forgiving and forgetful nation in the world. I do not know why it is so easy for us to forgive and forget the sins of our leaders that every year we are condemned to rebuke the very same politicians who have let us down so many times and who should never be reelected.

That is one of the things about Indonesia that I find hard to comprehend. Is it because we are in fact, such forgiving people, or is it because we are just so dumb and gullible? I am afraid I have to say the answer is pretty hard to pin down. I am even more puzzled when I think about how ludicrously forgiving we are when our leaders almost never apologize for their mistakes.

Consider those who have been expelled from their homes for having a different interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and those barred from praying in their places of worship, some of which have been burned down, for believing that Muhammad was not the last of the prophets. I believe they deserve an apology from the government for the latter has failed to protect or, worse, has been complicit in the very acts of violence against them. It isn'€™t that long since the leader of this nation was honored for upholding religious freedom, but never have I heard the government make a formal apology to those who suffer religious persecution.

Recently, a group of indigenous people whose lands were taken away by the government demanded an apology, but their demand went unheard. I don'€™t know whether there is even any use in once again reminding the government of those who were killed and went missing in days before the downfall of Sukarno in 1965 and Soeharto in 1998. They deserve rehabilitation, and a sincere apology.

 Sorry really is the hardest word in Indonesian politics. Some may have said it, but it is doubtful whether they were sincere, while the rest have never bothered. Consider those corrupt politicians. Have they ever apologized, let alone repented? After claiming they were framed and serving a few years in jail, they can always make a political comeback, sometimes the day after getting out of prison, as if the people suffer from collective amnesia.

This is the reality of Indonesia, where people are so forgiving of their leaders who almost never apologize and never have the political will to right past wrongs. But my confusion does not stop there, indeed it increased recently when I learned that our leaders actually did make an apology. It is just that it was not made to us, but to our neighbors instead.

I am one those who deplore President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono'€™s decision to apologize to Singapore and Malaysia for the smog of haze caused by forests fires in Indonesia. It is not because I don'€™t care about our neighbors. They have suffered from the forest fires, and I sympathize. But it is too early to say we are the only ones to blame for it and after all, Indonesians in Sumatra have been the victims too. If anything, in my opinion, the government should apologize to its own people first.

The argument posed by those who blame Indonesia for the forest fires is that its government has failed to enforce the law and prevent the fires from happening. If this is the case, please note that Indonesians have long suffered from weak law enforcement. If the government is now admitting its mistakes, it should apologize to its own people first, especially to those minority groups who have been oppressed by the majority.

But then we may not be the only party to blame for the forest fires. If media reports that several Malaysian companies have been responsible for the haze pollution are true, then the Malaysian government has some explaining to do. Indonesia is a land where corruption is believed to be endemic, but that does not mean that foreign parties can do whatever they like here and then put the blame on our government for being so blatantly weak and corrupt.

Maybe if the Malaysians could be more critical of their own government they could press it to make sure that Malaysian companies operating in other countries live up to their ideals of good governance. But I do not intend to patronize our neighbors. I know that nobody likes being told what they should do in a time of crisis, except our leaders.

And so I say to the President that the apology you made could be perceived as untimely at best and an insult to your own people at worst. After years of neglect, Indonesians who have suffered from your lack of leadership also deserve an apology.

I am sorry for being so blunt, but you really need to know that your people may not be so forgiving in the polling stations next year.

The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.