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[COMMENTARY] Will Indonesian leaders ever apologize for their mistakes?
An apology might mean nothing for some. But it could mean everything for Indonesians who feel they have been wronged by the very leaders they helped put in power.
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A volunteer evacuates residents affected by the flood in Petogogan, South Jakarta on Saturday. Heavy rain in the past few days caused several parts of Jakarta and its surrounding areas to be inundated by floodwater. (Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat)
I
ndonesian leaders rarely apologize to the people they serve for their mistakes. This is the norm, the cynics jeer, perhaps even tradition, so there’s no point making a fuss about it.
But this is no ordinary time, and we should be treating it as a big deal.
I know it is not easy to address today’s challenges, be it the unravelling pandemic, the recurrent flooding or the entrenched corruption. The problem is not so much whether our leaders are able to solve them, but whether they are willing to acknowledge the pain of Indonesians who are suffering because of their failure to keep their promises. These people deserve a mea culpa from their leaders at the very least.
Let us begin with Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who is in the spotlight after widespread flooding over the weekend paralyzed the capital, displaced thousands and hurt the already struggling economy. The flood could not come at a worse time, when the city remains the nation’s COVID-19 epicenter.
Twitter immediately filled with horrifying videos showing the scale of the disaster. While it may not be a catastrophe of biblical proportions, the videos carry a post-apocalyptic vibe: one shows a group of people in protective gear transporting the casket of a COVID-19 victim on a rubber dinghy down a narrow, flooded alley.
Anies, a potential presidential candidate in 2024, is neither the only nor the first Jakarta leader to have their reputation constantly on the line because of the recurring floods. His predecessors faced the same problem, as do his counterparts in Greater Jakarta.
But this is no excuse for the governor to try and shift responsibility.
