The Fading Jasmine

Have you ever noticed the flower engraved on a 500 IDR coin? It’s a jasmine, the Indonesian national flower.

The jasmine has long been regarded as the “sacred” flower in the tradition of our people. Jasmine wreaths decorate the bridal crowns of the Javanese and Sumatran brides. Jasmine is the most essential flower used in various rites. And it is never absent in funerals and commemorations of the deceased.

Why has jasmine been established as the national flower of Indonesia? It is perhaps due to two reasons:

• Its color: white, being the symbol of purity. As we all have been taught in school concerning the colors of our national flag: red symbolizes courage and white talks of purity, hence the white jasmine represents the purity of our nation’s character and uprightness in morality.
• Its fragrance: jasmine has been known worldwide as one of the ingredients in perfume-making. Thus, having jasmine as our national emblem signifies the good international reputation our country has.

But, frankly, do our national character and reputation these days are appropriately resembled by the jasmine?

I dare not say so.

Corruption, collusion, nepotism, bribes, human trafficking, prostitution, moral degradation, and other demeaning issues have robbed us of dignity that even our neighboring countries mock and make sport of our people. It’s quite unlikely that our reputation in the international world represents the fragrant white jasmine. If there is a flower that aptly stands to represent us, then it is a fading jasmine.

Won’t the next generation do something to refresh and revive this fading flower, restoring it to the freshness of a full-bloom white jasmine?