Creative Writing III

SACRIFICING YOUR FREEDOM

Have you ever think that you have to let go your personal freedom in order to live in a safe society? Have you ever imagine that the safety you are enjoying today is costing your freedom? Either it is your freedom of speech, belief, or want? “To live in a safe society one has to sacrifice personal freedom.” I agree with this because the government, laws, and constitutions are the ones who prevent us from having our personal freedom.

Look back to Indonesia’s situation in the New Order regime. Indonesians were much safer in those days. They did not have to be afraid to go out by themselves anytime of the day, the crimes rate was not as high as it is now, and they were truly protected from any harm. Except that if they said the wrong words or opinions, they would have been thrown to jail. In April 1982, Tempo magazine was closed for two months for reporting the incident where seven people were killed in an election rally. This is one of the violations of press freedom. Back in those days during the Soeharto’s presidency, there were not a lot of demonstrations either. Or if there were, the government hid them well. When Marsinah, an employee of PT. Catur Putera Perkasa participated in a demonstration which demanded a raise for the labourers, a few days later she was founded dead. She was killed and it was reported that one of her killers was a soldier. These cases show us how the government worked during that time where people opinion did not matter. A different opinion directly seen as a heresy and people were punished because of it.

It was a safe society without a freedom of speech or expression. Something alike happened in the novel 1984. The “Big Brother” controlled everything in the country called Oceania. They had thought polices, telescreens, and rules. Laws or rules that sometimes did not make sense. They forbade the Party members to go to the ordinary shops. They prevented the party from thinking any thought or they would be charged with thoughtcrimes. The “Big Brother” kept the Party members in a safe society because one was not allowed to think. It is a depressing novel with a window to the reality when it is actually happens. When the government watching us with security cameras to prevent crimes and provides us a safe society.

Furthermore, the constitution could restrain us from having our personal freedom. In Prita Mulyasari case, she was accused of casting aspersions on Omni International Hospital and enmeshed in the Constitution of Electronic Information and Transaction (UU ITE) article 27 part 3. All because of her expressing a complaint about the hospital in the internet. This constitution was supposedly made for protecting the society of any harms or crimes. On the contrary it impedes us from our freedom of expression.

In conclusion, one has to sacrifice personal freedom to live in a safe society. The government, laws, and constitutions are made to keep us safe in exchange of our liberty. That way, one must be willing to give up liberty to deserve safety.