In the 19th century, when the England government-controlled India, there was an epidemic that made the Delhi government stressed. The plague was called the cobra plague. Lots of cobras roaming there can even threaten people's lives.
The England government also had to intervene, the governments made a competition for the people of Delhi, For anyone who was able to catch a cobra and give it to the authorities, would be given a prize. The people in Delhi are happy and hunt cobras.
Despite such a policy, the number of cobras that roam in the city of Delhi has not decreased, but the gifts that must be given by the government are increasing. Incidents like this are very similar to the rat epidemic in the city of Hanoi when the French government took control of Vietnam.
After being traced, the cause of this problem was that many Delhi people were trading cobras at that time. Cobras are raised like cattle and bred. In the end, the government banned the activity and it became an illegal act. When there are people who keep cobras illegally, the England government arrests them, and the cobras are released from the cage. Finally, the city of Delhi was filled with cobras roaming the community.
In the medical world, there is a term called Autoimmunity. That is the state of the body that is attacked by the body's immunity. Immune, which is supposed to keep the body healthy, becomes a disease that attacks the body's cells.
Autoimmunity is a concept discussed by French philosopher Jacques Derrida when he talked about terrorism after the 9/11 attacks in America. According to him, it is a political Autoimmunity. The terrorists were formed by America itself. They were formed to protect America during the cold war against the Soviet Union. The terrorist group that was supposed to protect America attacked America back.
This event is an unwanted effect of a policy, and that adverse effect is called the cobra effect. Just like what happened in the city of Delhi in the 19th century, the England government's policy of wanting to solve the problem created a new, bigger problem.
The same thing happened in my country. The government's policy in dealing with Covid-19 cases has created fear and poverty. A policy like this may create the next terrorist movement.
There is an important thing that we must pay attention to regarding the cobra effect and political autoimmunity that has occurred, namely that both occur because of a lack of thinking. Governments who make policies only think technically, in thinking, critical and reflective power is needed. Don't just rely on technicals.
This lack of thinking is shaped by a narrow technocratic paradigm. Governments that make decisions in policy are only subject to data. The data is not always true, a lot of data is not the same as reality. Many of us are subject to data, this is because humans have lost their humanity.
The characteristics of humans who have lost their humanity are that there is no consideration of conscience, and even become deaf when people scream. Humans who still have their humanity will hear and know what the people need and want. This is what the government has forgotten in making a policy.
If the government has a clear conscience and is willing to hear what the people are going through, then the government will understand the source of the problems. The policies that are made will not create new, bigger problems. This kind of government figure is what the people need.
Mistake in taking a policy made by the government, usually due to dishonest interests. These policies only benefit themselves and their groups, so that the interests of the people are ignored and even sacrificed.
This wrong policy is sometimes also influenced by global pressure. Developing countries like mine follow the policies of developed countries like the European Union and the United States without critical thinking. The government is only submissive and obedient to global trends.
The policy that was supposed to solve the problem created a new, bigger problem was the cobra policy. This must be prevented by the way the government and the people work together and can think critically and also reflectively in solving problems and challenges. Do not just rely on existing data, because the data is not necessarily true in reality.
Policies that are created must also be based on conscience and also rational. That way, the analysis of the root cause of the problem becomes precise, thus providing a useful solution to implement.
It is time for us to erase the personal and group interests that are carried out by bad governments. Only greedy corruptors put their personal and group interests first. Global trends should not be absolute views, everything must be viewed critically using rational common sense, not forgetting to use conscience and take sides with the people.
Wrong policies are created by wrong ways of thinking, this will destroy the nation and state. If this continues, what happened in India in the 19th century will repeat itself. The cobra effect and cobra policy will kill us all. Let's learn from historical experiences in the past, to create a harmonious and peaceful life.
