Queuing or not Queuing

Dewi Anggraeni*

Indonesia, my native country, has just turned 69. As it happens every year, I became sentimental. I have now lived over half of my lifetime-happily-in Australia, frequently spending time in Indonesia. I still have, embedded in my psyche, attitudes I associate with living in Indonesia. For instance, I respect age seniority-though I must say as a sexagenarian there are increasingly fewer people senior to me nowadays-and a certain degree of chaos does not perturb me as much as it does my Australian relatives. A certain degree, I've had to emphasize, because the Indonesian version of queuing, or not queuing rather, drives me senseless. Interesting to see how a people usually so well-mannered and courteous turns instantly unscrupulous in front of a manned table, window or anything from where they have to obtain something.