The Rainbow Warriors

This time next week, Jakarta will be able to take a breath of fresh air resulting from a virtual absence of cars, pollution generator buses and Valentino Rossi wannabes motorcyclists. Alas this heavenly period only lasts for one week before the well-travelled permanent visitors headback to the nation's capital.

Anybody who was in Pondok Indah Mall tonight must have been wishing for an early Lebaran. The place was jammed with cars , bumper to bumper. It took as long to leave the underground parking lot as it does to travel from Kebayoran Lama to the mall itself. The heat and pollution underground was unbearable and I felt really sorry for the security team and the parking attendants who were still there and could not escape from the netherworlds.

Of course this being one of Saturday night plays a factor for this additional hot air but I wonder if the other reason is the showing of Laskar Pelangi, based on an acclaimed best seller about the travails of two idealistic teachers and their students in Belitong ("Biliton").

Your correspondent, generally speaking, is not a big fan of local movies. But I am making an exception for this wonderfuly touching movie. The story is well known therefore it is not repeated here.

All sorts of emotions came up. Childhood memories, emotional attachment and perhaps even social cohesion.

Childhood memories

Watching the movie brings back your correspondent's childhood memories of the situation around 1979. The products, newspapers, cars, music. Did anybody see the blue Datsun Pick up ?

Emotional attachment

The more emotionally accomplished might feel blessed that despite their problems living in Jakarta, all their whinings are nothing compared to the very basic needs of education that those very brave children in Belitong were fighting for.

It also reminds me of all my teachers from my SD years. I have lost touch of all of my SD friends and I wonder what happened to them. I am now 37 years old so it has been 25 years since the last time I saw them.

Social cohesion

But perhaps the real message of this narrative is further proof of Indonesian diversity and that Indonesians of all background can and should forget their differences and focus on how to make the most of it. The children are malays, chinese; moslem, mysticists and buddhists. And yet , despite the odds stacked against them, they blended into a solid, close and loyal team.

In preparation for the maelstrom of bad economic news from the US and the politics for the parliamentary and presidential elections of next year, this spirit would really come in handy inside each and everyone of us, Indonesians.