By Dewi Kurniawati, DPA
Jakarta : With their country wracked by continuous accidents and natural disasters, terrorism, bird flu, inflation and endemic corruption, Indonesians need a reminder of how their diversity can turn into a proud, cheerful celebration.
These days they need only turn to the Asian Cup, which the country co-hosts along with Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand since July 7. The event has united Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, and fired the spirit of nationalism that has become rare in the 10 years since the fall of former strongman president Suharto.
"I get goose bumps standing here singing our national anthem along with thousands of my fellow countrymen, it's just an amazing feeling since I don't remember the last time singing our anthem," said Triwinoto Pararto, 24, one of 90,000 raucous Indonesian fans who skipped work to cheer on the national team Wednesday at Gelora Bung Karno stadium Jakarta.
"I don't get this experience every day," he said, draped in the white and green team colours.
Alas, Asian football giants and a 2002 World Cup semi-finalist South Korea shattered Indonesians' dream of securing a quarterfinal spot by handing them a heart-breaking loss of 1-0.
The fast-attacking style preferred by the Indonesian team earned them an opening 2-1 win over Bahrain on their first match in Group D. Since then, cheering throngs who flock to Bung Karno Stadium and millions more watching Bulgarian coach Ivan Kolev's squad play on television, have seen the national team's awakening from a long deep sleep.
Even when they lost a draw and fell to Saudi Arabia 2-1 in injury time, Indonesians still kept their hopes high. "Lost but with pride" read the headline of the Kompas, a leading daily newspaper, the next day. Similar proud and nationalistic intonations abound in the national media.
The nation seems to have temporarily put aside their differences and life's daily burdens, coming together to celebrate patriotism and turning the stadium into an intimidating place for opposing teams.
The mood is a total contrast from the prevailing violence that usually accompanies the inflamed rivalries of Indonesia national league matches.
"I can see those football matches temporarily erased hatred among Indonesians," said Arbi Sanit, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia.
"When other tools of integration such as education, politics, and economy fail to unite Indonesians, sport can handle such thing," he said. "The bad news is, we hardly ever win," he said with a hearty laugh.
Football, as a universal religion, has given the pluralistic nation something to ponder together, in terms of nationalism. The Indonesian team itself is indeed a reflection of the country's various ethnic groups, regions and religions; the very same differences that in the past has wrecked the country through internecine conflicts.
"When we are winning, then we can forget about our daily life's difficulties, but now that we are sacked, we are forced to go back to those bitter facts in life," Sanit said. "That is unfortunate."
Witnessed by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, who at the end of the match gave each player a cheek-to-cheek, Indonesian supporters showed their pride in the national team for giving their all in the 90-minute contest.
Thousands shouted "Indonesia!" over and over while giving a standing ovation to players who walked off with their heads down.
"I'm proud of them. I am very optimistic that we will do better in the next match," Ilham Rizky, 24, a student who came all the way from west Java province to watch the match.