•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

The Bitter Truth: Finding a Cure for Jakarta’s Infectious Ill-Manners

Giant trash bins made by WWF Indonesia as part of the 'Do Better For Earth' campaign were displayed at Taman Impian Jaya Ancol theme park in Jakarta last year. The display of the 3-meter high trash bins aim to raise awareness over waste issues in the country. (JG Photo/ Yudhi Sukma Wijaya)

Some men say finding a girlfriend is the hardest thing in Jakarta. Whether you agree or not, male or female, I think the most difficult thing to find in this city is a good, honest person in general.
 
I’m sure you all have been there, no matter how decent you think you are. Remember that one late night when you were making your way home after a midnight movie or after a great time at the bar with friends, you stopped your car at an empty intersection, just as the traffic light turned red. It was late so there were no cars or motorcycles around, not even a single person passing by. The cops weren’t around either, so you had an opportunity to run the light without getting caught. But somehow it just felt right to obey the law, and for a few seconds you felt proud of yourself.
 
But suddenly the worst thing happened. Out of nowhere, a stubborn car started to honk repeatedly at you from behind, as if you were deaf. You wanted to open the car window and point at the red light, showing the guy how stupid he was. But a second later, looking around at the deserted streets, you told yourself, “Oh well, perhaps he’s right.” So you drove your car through the red traffic light.
 
Another scenario. You know that securing a seat on a crowded TransJakarta bus is a true blessing. It had been a long, tough process to get it. First, you had to wait frustratingly in line at the bus shelter, jostling with other ambitious passengers all wanting to feel the cold air-conditioning on the bus. Once on the bus, you had to stand for more than 15 minutes before somebody finally gave up his seat. Without thinking, you took the opportunity instantly.
 
You told yourself that nothing would make you stand up again, not until you reached your destination. You were so determined that it didn’t even touch your heart when an old lady got on the bus. Instead of giving her your seat, you turned your face away, pretending that she wasn’t there. To be convincing, you decided to busy yourself with your smartphone.
 
The deepest part of your heart said that you should have given the seat to the lady. But then when you looked around, you saw that other people stayed in their seats as well. You waited for one to two minutes, but nothing happened. Nobody, not even the healthy men on the bus, said the magical sentence: “Ma’am, please take this seat.”
 
You kept silent, too. “Oh well," was the only thing you could say to yourself.
 
What about that time when you were having a picnic at the park with friends? It was so much fun to talk to friends under the trees, while enjoying tasty snacks and cold drinks.
 
As you were about to leave, you saw all the garbage lying on the ground. You reminded yourself to keep the environment clean, and you picked up the trash and tried to find a bin.
 
Unfortunately, you couldn’t find one. Then you wanted to collect the trash anyway so that you could throw it away when you found a proper place. But that wasn’t quite the same idea that your friends had in mind. They discouraged you from picking up the litter. “Are you a saint or something?” they asked you.
 
“Just leave it there, someone will pick it up.” Instead of complaining, you thought they might be right. “Oh, OK then,” you replied.
 
I know there are still many good people in this city. Unfortunately, it looks like the bad guys outnumber them significantly. These bad guys are consistently discouraging the good guys from doing good things in the city, so that they can feel better about themselves. Look, nobody wants to go to hell by themselves.
 
It’s not easy to fight against them — against their irresponsibility and ignorance. f you fight back, they’ll call you nasty names.
 
But doing the right thing is not an impossible mission. Together, we can beat them!
 

Jakarta Jungle follows the stories and views of individuals from every walk of life in our maddening, bustling, and colorful city.