Sunday, April 24, 2011

First Brigadier Norman Camaru: Indonesia’s Yearning for a Hero

He merely tried to give his troubled colleague consolation by lip-synching an Indian song, then uploaded the footage on Youtube and out of the blue he becomes a celebrity. He unintentionally drives the nation into frenzy. He is First Brigadier Norman Camaru, a member of Police Mobile Brigade Unit of Gorontalo.

Why does he deserve the stardom without any significant achievement as a singer or a dancer much less a policeman? Do we live in sick society who can’t give a true appreciation?

In my opinion, it’s because we are dearth of heroes in every aspect of life.

In governance, we see no policeman matching former Police Chief, Hoegeng, no politician of integrity like M. Natsir, IJ Kasimo; no leaders with technological prowess inheriting Habibie, etc. Instead we are overwhelmed with the wrongdoing of barefaced lawmakers, incompetent-coward-feeble leaders, and corrupting government officers.

Moreover, our politics, the suitable arena to nurture a hero, fail giving birth of even a single hero. Instead, the politics becomes laughingstock to many of us. It gives us comedians, soap opera actress/actor to become regional leaders or lawmakers. Their speech is boring and uninspiring, their action is dull, their vision is … sorry, do they have a vision?

Neither does in business. There are no outstanding entrepreneurs or industrialists arise from Indonesia’s business environment with competitive-innovative products selling all across the world. Producing killing cigarettes, selling raw commodities, extracting coals/minerals from the earth, or assembling foreign-made products is still the most lucrative business in Indonesia.

In short, there is no one to be proud of.

In vacuum of hero, we desperately co-opt anyone – this time is Norman Camaru – to quench the national thirst. As our proverb goes if there is no rattan, roots will do.

Our subconscious seems to poke fun at our leaders, our government officers, our lawmakers who never show heroic struggle to improve people’s life. They have never been applauded sincerely as much as we give it to Norman. They just don’t realize they are being mocked by our adulation to Norman.

However, whatever happens, keep enjoying life and let us sing: chaiyya, chaiyya, chaiyya.

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