14 April 2008

Boring is as boring does!


The past week has seen the President get a little hot under the collar and admonish some poor regional official for dozing off during the President's speech.

I have gotta be honest here that I have not read or heard the speech, but maybe it was not worth being awake for? And the question then is who should take the blame for a boring speech that sends people to la la land?

Maybe this person was so tired from working hard in supporting and lobbying for his constituents (remembering that a meeting of this nature would be a prime opportunity for this) that a little shut eye could not be avoided…then again maybe they had a big night out the night before in some karaoke joint until 4 or 5 in the morning!

Maybe being obviously asleep is better than having a captain with their eyes wide open but figuratively asleep at the wheel!

It seems that a couple of Indonesians have come out in support of the sleeper by suggesting that the President's speeches are not all that they are said to be and in fact Effendi Gozali, a political communication expert at the University of Indonesia, said this; "He should hire a consultant to provide him with fresh jokes so it is fun to listen to his speech. I think most leaders have done this." Then Indra J. Pilliang of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) chimed in and suggested that this occurred because Yudhoyono's speech was "boring, normative and preaching".

Ouch!

Might be worth checking out the DPR building every now and then and see how full or empty (depending on whether you are “the glass is half full” or “the glass is half empty” type)…This individual might have been asleep at a workshop and perhaps on the job but there are quite a few politicians not on the job at all!

Not a uniquely Indonesian issue as it was not so long ago that the former Australian Foreign Minister and now opposition back bencher, Alexander Downer, decided a long lunch and a game of golf were better options than hanging around in the chamber for boring to and fro on the political front!

It is pretty sad that this is headline news in a country where there are probably a whole range of more worthy subject matter for headlines in Jakarta’s English Language Newspaper! Although a childish outburst by the President is probably newsworthy in the sense that the President might be showing his true colours, but all the same there are more pressing issues that need discussing!

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