When Love and Hate Collide: Forgiven and Forgotten

I am not going to discuss an online so-called campaign, eventhough “Fitna” controversy gains more and more online popularity each day today. This is more into “notorious gone nice” hocus-pocus of a political campaign in any country. Pilkada winners have just started their first days of work, after a year long campaigning days. Hillary Clinton was accused of lying about Bosnia (somehow, she must step aside). Barack Obama was being flirtatious to JC Penney female factory workers (ah, he’s probably trying new campaign gesture).

From balon bupati to caleg, they must have certain track records. However, the very basic of being a leader is consistency of thoughts and acts. Unfortunately, her or his inconsistency–for one–is somehow “forgiven and forgotten” in this country. People make mistakes, we may say. We are the lumrah society. We have a very very very short term memory on burn-Jakarta-burn chaotic situation in 1998.

My grannie once loved PAN (Partai Amanat Nasional) to the bones, and today she still does. I adored Amien Rais, but no more. I still like Gus Dur, but today is no longer his utmost day. I praise Soeharto and Soekarno essentially. Many leaders, including Mbak Indrit (of my previous working space) or Hillary (just because of her birthday date). Now I seldom update any news about Mbak Indrit, and many have turn their heads to Obama.

There is a vicious backward-forward effect when it comes to terms of campaigning. Any genre of campaign. When she lied about Bosnia, she lied about any thing behind her. When he’s caught naked in Youtube, he remained in the history book. The point is that a puritan image shall be anyone’s middle name if she or he wants to stick it ‘there’.

I was feeling a little bit uneasy when someone shouted at me yesterday. “Campaign with heart”. Oh please, no such of such! Wiranto, for example, ‘is talking about’ the poor. How does he really feel when campaigning this? I mean about having ten thousand rupiahs to buy nothing today. His deepest and most honest answer shall not gain my sympathy. Liar liar pants on fire. There must be a super duper extraordinary basic thought to divert my feelings for him.

Yet I’ve learned something of such strategy. Touch the very heart of any voter, this is the real reason of any campaign. Face it, “Fitna” has nudged the most sentiment not on religious reason per se, but also for him being a scam of a lifetime. Roy Suryo, another bad news I actually avoid to mention in any of my writings, has touched down the most basic of being an intellectual person: intellectuality. Both “Fitna” and Roy have gained popularity for not being nice. Yet, one day, everyone in this country shall forgive them. Worse, everyone forgets both have ever existed. Yes, we have invented a new genre of campaign.