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First, I heard a piercing sound, reminding me of the 7.3-magnitude earthquake in 2007. Yet no one reacted. Five minutes later, I heard a thunderous boom, followed by silence, and the sound of bending and breaking, with a white wall of smoke blocking all view, racing outward and upward. There were a few screams, but mostly I heard the sound of destruction and saw what seemed like the building being obliterated before me. The only pathway and exit was behind me, and I followed the only other person that I could see down the stairs, out onto the street and then onto the field.

What was it? It seemed like another earthquake. Others said that it was a horrific construction accident and that the first sound was a car wreck. All of us were wrong. It was terror returning to Mega Kuningan.

At that point, I realized that I was without my wallet, passports, cell phone, Blackberry and jacket. I had no identification or way to contact anyone without assistance.

I will not further describe what you have watched on television. I prefer to write an account of those who deserve praise in the aftermath of the tragedy. For some, it was their finest hour, while for others it proved their incompetence, incoherence and apathy. You will read of few surprises. Reputations were enlarged rather than changed.

Take the emergency services. They displayed grand ineptitude. It was at least 20 minutes before they were on the scene, and they employed no helicopters or technology to speed their movement. The families of any injured who died deserve restitution. The listlessness of the response teams compares to the useless US reaction to the New Orleans tempest.

Compare the response of the US Embassy. Once we were safely in the Oakwood building’s dining room, the US Embassy’s vice consul was there asking each person if he or she was a US citizen, if we were OK, if we had contacted loved ones and how he could assist. He was a sympathetic and helpful voice. No other embassy sent a representative.

The Ritz-Carlton employees could have been forgiven for falling into introspection, but they displayed aplomb and caring for each other and guests. The management was organized, friendly and helpful despite the heat of the sun and of the moment. Neither earthquake nor terror shook their commitment to their fellow “ladies and gentlemen” or their guests. This was my 40th visit, and I look forward to returning. If we follow the poor example of Manchester United, the terrorists win.

What about the crime scene agents? One decided to take my jacket, with my cell phone and passport, as “state evidence.” My insurance company says terrorism is not covered. Is theft covered?

Singapore Airlines deserves applause. My entry visa was in what is now a crime scene agent’s British passport. I had no flight back to Britain, but an airline employee overcame the trials facing me, getting me through immigration and back home without a financial penalty. All she asked in return was for me to not forget Jakarta and to return. She was the best send-off that Jakarta could provide.

Going forward, Indonesians and visitors are looking to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for protection and retribution. He must dramatically enhance security and bring creativity to the prediction of future attacks. He must severely punish miscreants: The frightening Saudi Shariah system is severe, swift and certain. He should add conservative Islamic politicians to his coalition despite their poor election showing. He should be a productive force in the Middle East peace process.

SBY must ensure that Islamic schools teach the correct version of jihad and encourage religious leaders to provide a narrative that can defeat the terrorists’ defamation of Islam. The front line is not between the West and the Islamic world or between secular Muslims and religious Muslims, but between religious, modern Muslims and those who prefer a medieval version; they forget the Prophet Muhammad wrote the following: Those that kill the innocent will spend 10,000 years in hell.

Ten thousand years is a long time. The next weeks will test the people of Jakarta. Fewer foreigners will visit, isolating Indonesia. The economy may suffer. Normality will include the fear of a repeat. Terror terrorizes. I feel for Jakarta’s residents, especially the hotel staff who must return to the buildings and to the place where their lives were momentarily shattered.

A distortion of Islam destroyed the Ritz-Carlton’s restaurant. The best way for Jakartans to protest the attack, and for Muslims to celebrate the liberal and modern Islam they profess, is to return to the scene of destruction upon renovation. Let the sounds not be of destruction but of song, dance and nourishment.



Erik Stern is president international and managing director of PT Stern Stewart Indonesia.