Berhutang pada Rakyat

Title	:	Berutang pada Rakyat
Language	:	Bahasa Indonesia
Author	:	Chaidir
Editor	:	Mahyudin Al Mudra et al.
Publisher	:	Adicita Karya Nusa, Yogyakarta
Edition	:	First, May 2002
Pages	:	xxi + 187 pages
Dimension	:	0.9 x 19.9 cm

 

Looking at Chaidir’s position today, as head of Riau Regional House of Representatives, the book Berutang Pada Rakyat (In People’s Debt) maybe fits best to represent himself. It is normal and perhaps “mandatory” for a high official to talk about debts to the people. In this book, Chaidir seems to soliloquize or talking to himself about what he has done, or will do, or plans to do for Riau and Indonesian people.

It is, thus, important for the representatives to read the book because it can be an alarm to control themselves. Chaidir’s fluency in explaining his views pleads for the book’s small mistakes – for instance, the word “berhutang” (to owe/be in debt) in the cover is written with “h” in it despite in the content, the word is written without “h” (which is the right spelling).

Promise and Debt

Debt for some people is very disturbing. It can even lead them to committing suicide. When someone borrows money from bank and cannot pay it off, he will be stressed, or feel disgraced, and maybe hang himself later. However, for some others, owing money is in fact “a must” because being in debt can provide them motivation to work. The merchants in traditional markets often say that they have to be in debt because it can force them to come earlier to their kiosks or stalls. It is, however, unfortunate that the merchants’ logic of subsistence is used by the creditors or usurers to take as much as they can from the humble people’s money.

What if the people’s representatives who are in debts? Or are they ever in debt? They are rich people because otherwise, it is impossible for them to step up nominating themselves as representatives in the election, aren’t they?

It is true they are all rich. But it by no means shows that they do not have debts. Ask them how much money they have to deposit on the parties or they provide for making campaign stickers, banners, and for the hairdressers and beauticians or the photographers in order to make their faces appropriate enough to be shown on the side of crossroads. Aside from financial debt, those in the House do in fact have a greater amount of debt, namely promises. This debt is the promises they make when they are being all the mouth to persuade people to vote for them.

During campaign, they easily make promises of wellbeing, health insurance, free education, employment, and millions of others with interesting “interests”. Nevertheless, most or even all of the promises are only lip-service without real action. The promises are not set in stone so that after the election, people will not know how to make them pay their promises. Even promises written upon a paper, signed with a seal and stamp on it can be broken, let alone those that are only said (p. 15).

Promises are actually heavier to bear than financial debt, but what is wrong (not to say it shameless) with them is that they think the other way round. The people are forgetful and easy to deceive, moreover after given those t-shirts and stickers, aren’t they?

Hoping on the Power of Culture and God

When people find it difficult to provide evidence for the representatives’ debts and broken promises they do not want to pay, what do they do? Do people protest by holding a demonstration, burning and plundering things, killing those promisors, taking over the parliamentary building until the residents go out? In fact, all of those things have been done by Indonesians but the representatives remain who they were before. They are drunk and walk on air after everything having what they want.

Man makes mistakes and forgets things. But it is not appropriate to make an apology with the saying. Malay culture has taught us that if a leader can no longer bear his words, it is better to cling back to culture.

Besarlah batang sagu bertampin

Bila dikerat mati ujungnya

Besarlah hutang para pemimpin

Dunia akhirat kan ditanggungnya (hal vii)

(Big it is the sago with the quid

If gnawed dead will the tip be

Big it is the debt of the leaders

They will bear it in the world and the Hereafter)

Aside from learning from culture, we should rely on God. It is only to God and culture that a man can moan and complain and surrender because God will not break His promises and culture contains the symbols, artifacts, and wisdoms that can bring him back to the right path.

Malay people as a great ethnic group should really be proud of their culture as it protects them from their leader’s evil. Malay man of letters and wise men have taught us how to be a good leader. Knowing so, it is really disgraceful if there is a Malay leader who is in people’s debt but does not want to pay it off.

Yusuf Efendy

Translation by Reza Daffi (trans/15/04-10)