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s one of the people who used to live nearby Komodo Island and originally from the same regency where the island is situated, I am very much touched by the recent publicity about the site, knowing that if the people nationwide vote for the dragon via a surprisingly cheap text message, there is a huge possibility that Komodo Island could yet become another representative of Indonesia in the list of wonders of the world.

News on TV even shows someone willingly giving up millions of rupiah of their own money to help the promotion. Never in my life have I seen such hype involving the whole nation with their government in the driving seat.

However, there questions remain left to be answered by the government. I am not going to ask them about the prosperity of all people in and surrounding the island as the government does not seem to be prepared with the right answer just yet. What really bothers me is the end to all these sudden proactive efforts by the government.

Let us assume that the voting result places Komodo as one of the winners and thus makes it one of the wonders, what will happen afterwards?

And apart from urging the nation to support the island in a poll, what has the government realistically done to attract more attention to the site?

What I see so far is the government relentlessly telling the people to vote for Komodo without telling us what will happen and what they can offer should we win the vote or even lose it. This thought brings me back to the site, and the general picture of the site, which I think is far from a deserving place for the title of wonder.

I am talking about infrastructure, the easiness and comfort with which visitors can access the place, not to mention the appreciation given toward the few people who dedicate and willingly risk their lives taking care of both the site and the dangerous dragons. The place needs a better port, for example, better housing facilities for its workers, and other types of improvements.

In my view, the government would do better to improve the balance between telling people what to do and doing something of a tangible nature, something that really puts the site in the limelight.

Expecting Komodo Island to be listed as the new wonder will not suffice without consistent efforts to improve the site as a tourist destination.

The government must also guarantee that if the result of the vote is not in our favor, the dragon, the island, and especially the ones who face the dangerously beautiful creature on a daily basis are not forgotten.

Herbert Irawan
Jember, East Java