Mengapa Bendera Setengah Tiang Berkibar di Rumahku?

Why I have a flag flying in half-mast in front of my house? (this is not the translated version)

The controversy over the reportage of Soeharto and the seven days of mourning for Indonesian was also heated in wikimu. It is sad to see Indonesian people wasting their energy for fighting like this. The energy should be focused to seek the solution for a better tomorrow. Prices are escalating due to the world's economic worsening situation, the poor are being hopeless. One reason why people remember the good things from Soeharto is because they remember the "old good days", there was a better life situation, no bombing, etc. Not all people knew what was going behind the published story. A discussion on "Indonesia 2008-2009" covered by the daily Kompas today also stressing this and the sign that authoritarianism is on the rise.

I was sincerely mourning, not only for one reason...I revealed my seven reasons in this article in wikimu.

Now, as I write this post, I also remember the controversial story behind the flag that flied in half-mast on the Buckingham Palace for Lady Di. I saw the film that revealed how Tony Blair as the newly elected Prime Minister tried to convince the Queen to fly the flag. I did not know it before. That film change my view on Blair. Before seeing the film, I only related him to the UK's decision to join the USA in attacking Iraq. I can see that being a political leader is difficult, trying to be a good person for everybody is impossible. Yet, there are so many people chasing that "hot" chair...

The story here is a bit the other way around. Some people didn't like to see the flag fly in half-mast as the first President Soekarno did not get the "proper treatment" during his last days. But as the former president Soeharto passed away before having any legal judgement, he had the right to be treated as a former president of Indonesia. Leaving negative prejudice behind, we've got to admit it was the best way the government can do. Ironically, the president had to leave his duty to open a UN's Convention against corruption to fulfill the funeral ceremony duty. I hope he was able to differentiate between his duty as a president and his personal feeling, and the decision he took came out of his presidential obligation.