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i don’t plan to post anything serious during this idul fitri festivity mood, but this story really makes me sit my ass down and log in to my wordpress account.
you know i really can’t stand stupidity! Read the article taken from the jakarta globe below if you want to know what i mean:
September 25, 2009
Ade Mardiyati
A young recruit from anti-Malaysia group Bendera taking part in combat training. (Antara Photo)
Indonesian Vigilantes Prepare For Battle in Malaysia
At this moment in Jakarta, a group of Indonesians are putting the final touches to their plan to invade Malaysia and wage war. Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat has announced Oct. 8 as the date of this D-day, when it says it will avenge all the wrongs committed against Indonesia by its neighbor .
Established during this year’s presidential election, the group, also known as the People’s Democratic Defense, has attracted public attention with its protests calling on Indonesians to “kill Malaysians.” Earlier this month, the group set up roadblocks in Menteng, Central Jakarta, in an attempt to detain Malaysian citizens.
However, the roadblocks failed to net any Malaysians, according to Mustar Bona Ventura, the group’s coordinator. “If we had caught them, we would have sent them home,” the 32-year-old economics student said.
He said the group’s anti-Malaysian stance was not motivated solely by claims that the neighboring country has been busy stealing Indonesia’s culture.
“It’s the whole thing, including the claims on our islands and the abusive treatment of Indonesian migrant workers,” he said. “The breaking point was when they insulted us through our national anthem, ‘Indonesia Raya.’ ”
Tensions between the neighboring countries have reached a fever pitch this year due to unresolved sovereignty claims in the Ambalat waters; accusations that Malaysia has claimed Indonesian cultural heritage as its own, including the Balinese pendet dance, various dishes and batik; a recent offensive parody of Indonesia’s national anthem; and the abuse of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.
Mustar said Bendera had already recruited more than 1,200 members and expects to sign up at least 300 more. The group said it recruited 600 volunteers in Greater Jakarta alone last week.
“People from all sorts of backgrounds came and registered,” he said. “We have students, farmers, lawyers, fishermen, teachers and many more. Disabled people also signed up.”
The group reportedly has 40 recruits who are deaf, 10 with limb deformities and 10 who are confined to wheelchairs.
Bendera’s seeming enthusiasm for conflict and claims that the planned invasion is going forward is contrary to government warnings: Teuku Faizasyah, a spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, has said the group’s members won’t get anywhere near Malaysia.
“If there are any Indonesian nationals who are intending to go to Malaysia for a confrontation, they will be arrested. It will be impossible for them to enter the country,” he said.
However, Mustar said that self-defense training and black magic spells designed to protect the troops had already been provided, with 150 members taking part in two sessions held at Bendera’s headquarters. The offices are located on Jalan Diponegoro in Menteng, Central Jakarta, an address that was formerly used as the headquarters for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
“This [training] is to support our people, and we have also armed them with weapons that volunteers donated, such as samurai swords, ninja sticks and sharpened bamboo sticks,” Mustar said. “We really meant it when we said we were going to deploy [troops] to Malaysia to fight them on [Octoer 8].”
Asked how they intended to get their weapons through airport security, Mustar said, “It’s just a matter of technique. But of course we’re not telling you how.” He added that the cost of traveling to Malaysia was being covered by each individual.
He said the group had earlier sent letters to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta containing its list of demands.
“First, we asked the government to close the Malaysian Embassy here and send all the country’s citizens back home. Second, the government should close our embassy there and send home all the Indonesian migrant workers.
“And last of all, we demanded that the government declare war against Malaysia.”
Single mother Yuni said she felt it was her duty to help Indonesia protect its cultural heritage from Malaysia and to stand up for the rights of abused migrant workers. Just last month, she registered as a volunteer for Bendera and said she was ready to go to Malaysia to join the war, even if that meant leaving her three children behind in Pandeglang, West Java.
“Malaysia stole our islands and insulted our national anthem. As a citizen, I am called to participate [in the war],” she said.
She said that if the Indonesian government and military failed to take action, it was up to citizens to take over. “My will is strong for saving our beloved Indonesia,” the 40-year-old said. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
Another recruit, Endo Kosasih, echoed her sentiments, saying he was not afraid to die if he had to go to the battle zone.
“It will be the same if you die now or tomorrow,” the 26-year-old said. “I am brave.”
Like his fellow Bendera members, Endo took part in the self-defense training course. He also learned how to shoot a bow and arrow, and said his aim had become quite accurate.
Endo said he had the support of his family and was determined to join the troops going to Malaysia so he could defend the motherland.
“We don’t want our nation to be harassed, our culture to be stolen or [the lyrics of] our national anthem to be twisted,” Endo said.
Mustar said the group had already sent 10 people to Malaysia, to conduct reconnaissance and draw up battle plans. “You could say they are our spies,” he said.
And on Oct. 8, Mustar continued, 1,500 Bendera troops will leave for Malaysia by air, land and sea, although he refused to elaborate. The group also plans to deploy a second batch of troops at a later stage, he said, adding that Bendera would work with Indonesian migrant workers and students in Malaysia to help boost its numbers.
“And once we get there, we will fight furiously in an open war with the Malaysians. Just like the wars you’ve seen on TV,” he said. “For us, Malaysia has really crossed the line.
“And if our government has no courage, then [it is time] we start a war.”
Volunteer Sugeng Widodo plans to leave his wife, who is four months pregnant, should the group call upon him.
“I prioritize my country,” the father of two said. “My wife and children breathe the air of this country. That’s why [I prioritize it].”
Back home in Klaten, Central Java, 37-year-old Sugeng is a farmer but said he had been trained in Jakarta to use arrows and spears. He said Bendera members would also be trained in the use of guns.
He said he was determined to fight and would stay in Malaysia until the issue of Indonesian ownership in the Ambalat waters was resolved.
“We see how our migrant workers are treated and the government doesn’t do anything about it,” he said. “Every citizen has the right to be protected.
“I will fight until the last drop of my blood. That is what I will do to defend my country.”
Asked what the group would do if the planned invasion on Oct. 8 failed, Mustar said they would evaluate and then go back to the drawing board. The main priority, he said, would be to demand the Malaysian government publicly apologize to all Indonesians.
However, he said he was optimistic that nothing would stop the invasion, not even the Indonesian government, and that everything would go according to plan.
“Indonesia will win! Indonesia will win!” he said.
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I only have one sentence for them: ARE YOU NUTS?
sigh, these people are really a complete joke. What a disgrace.
i cannot hide my agony over this (i hope the last) suicide bombing wreaking havoc JW mariot and Ritz Carlton, Jakarta.
I am flabbergasted, it was only last week my country made headlines for successfully holding a peaceful election (it’s really something to be proud of cause we are the third largest democracy mind you and most Muslims on earth live in my country), but now indonesia is once more making headlines. yet it is not something to be proud of: suicide bombing!!!
immediate effect: the ghost of the bali 1 and 2 bombing and JW mariot bombing 2003 has comeback; the wound obtained from those bombings start to bleed again; fresh travel warning, weaken rupiah; chaos in the index market; MU cancel their visit.
Most Importantly, FEAR RULES THE DAY OF EVERY ORDINARY INDONESIAN.
Man, whoever you are, whatever faith your believe in, whatever ideology you uphold, whatever devil posses you sanity, KILLING THE INNOCENTS IS NEVER A FASHION.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DIE JUST FUCK OFF AND DIE BUT NEVER TAKE THE INNOCENTS WITH YOU.
well, actually i wanted to blog about our last presidential poll on wednesday but because i really did not know how to catch up with the hocus pocus of my ill-managed schedule, its only today i am able to sit my ass and blog.
so, after a week of mourning, waking up late and swollen eyes, i forced myself to raise early on wednesday. man, i was difficult. being a bachelor and living alone in my rented room, all assortments of rules (especially DA RULE on “thou shalt raise early”) i need to abide while at home with my parents seem to evaporate. however i managed to reached the bus station quite early (early my ass! it takes two hours from padang to bukittingi and another thirty minutes from bukitting to my kampung. i arrived at the bus stop at 8 and needed to waited for an hour before my bus departed. and the polling station at home was scheduled to close at 12. call it early delvi!!) and left for bukittinggi with i-dont-know-how-and-why renewed spirit.
padang, as the capital of west sumatra province, was unusually calm on wednesday. the traffic was surprisingly easy as well. well, it was okay for me because for the first time since coming home i was able to recognize the beauty boasted by this city by the sea.
however, despite the calmness that ruled that morning the sense of festivity was so intense. on my way to the main street, spirited election officers had already manned the polling station erected in the front yard of a private university across my building and were ready to welcome voters. then, i eavesdropped a nurse in her early thirties conversing with one of the election officials. she was wondering whether it was ok for her to vote early since she needed to go to work. i was wondering myself on how devoted this nurse could be. poll day was a national holiday yet she was still working.
nearing the city outskirt, i saw less car yet more and more people getting out of their houses and headed to the near by polling stations. some of them are in their best dress yet some were on their working apparel. i saw a farmer fresh from his paddy field carrying his plough tailing scores of hopeful voters to the polling station. the same thing went to a jamu (indonesian herbal drink) peddler. she appeared in the polling station to cast her democratic right fully armed.
but the most beautiful sight of that morning is an elderly couple walking hand in hand to the polling station. i cried a soft chuckled when i spotted them thru the glass window of my bus. ah, for a few seconds, my mind flew to a city where i left my heart. they walked slowly and carefully as if to signal that love could defy time yet time was too strong to be defied by their frail frame.
the old couple floated past me and panoramic shrub laced estuaries hurrying to the sea welcomed me. i did not know how i could find those estuaries were so beautiful. padang was no stranger city to me. i spent five years doing my undergraduate there. how come it was only now i realized the beauty those estuaries possessed. they were the same estuaries i passed on my going to and forth bukittinggi-padang for the past decade, the same routes and the same railway bridge. sigh, it must be the election fever.
yes, even the speeding driver did not get my scold this time. i really hate speeding driver; they are my sworn enemy. apparently, everybody on board was in a good mood.we didn’t even realized it that we had entered lubuak aluang, a regency well-known for its tasty telur asin (salted duck egg) and sala lauak (fried balls made from a dough of flour mixed with various species of salt water fish). you know we are minangkabaunese are serious gastronomers. none will best our tasty [spicy] culinary (we he he he he).
suddenly, our driver pulled over and hurriedly got out of the car. there was a polling station next to a small stream separating the station and our bus. the driver hopped over the stream and walked straight to the first table he encountered; grabbed a ballot paper handed by the election officer; darted to the ballot booth; got out of the booth; half- ran to the bus; and started the bus. it was less than five minutes i bet.
back on the bus, a curious passenger asked, “so this is your kampung?”.
“yes, mam”, he answer cordially. “who did you voted for?”, another equally curious passenger shouted from the back.
“SBY”, he giggled.
like me, other passengers on the bus went home to bukittingi to vote. what a coincidence!
entering sicincin, another regency town well known for its fish nursery and various restaurants serving barbecued fish, we were greeted my more scenes of people pouring to the polling stations. i could not remember how many polling stations we had passed but every ten minutes drive, there would be bands of people walking in and out of a polling station.
what was unique about the polling station was their location. it could be a school, in a puskesmas (community health center) yard, near a lapau or a coffee shop, near a market, and near a slaughter house. despite the variation of the places where people erected the polling station, the common sight flagrantly seen was the presence of one or two policeman in their brown uniform or vigilant officers in their green khaki.
entering kayu tanam our nose was harassed by this sweet smell of pinyaram, another snack made of rice flour mixed with brown sugar and other undisclosed ingredient to the outsider. yeah, the bus was air conditioned yet the driver opened the window on his side to let the smoke coming from his burning cigarette. so good was the mood, i didn’t even complain about this heavy misdemeanor.
again, after fifteen minutes, another smell capable of watering our mouth came billowing from a dangerous turn in the Valley of Anai. it was the smell of perkedel jagung (savoury corn pancake) and serabi beras (sweet smooth rice pancake). well, that dangerous turn by cliff , known as kelok perkedel, was a heaven for hungry passengers coming from padang. customarily, every driver will stop there and let the sellers of the snack enter the bus and offer their merchandise to the passengers. the combination of exhaustion from hours on the move on the side of the travelers and the cool air of the valley was enough to help scores of perkedel sellers (most of them are jobless [if selling perkedel is not a job]) survive day by day.
i was wondering who these sellers voted as their president. what i knew was whoever their choice was must be responsible for improving those men’s meager lives.
another twenty minutes drive passing crazy spirallic road and deadly turns along the valley of anai, we safely reached padang panjang, the city where i completed my three years boarding islamic junior high school. it was ten thirty and it was so quite.
padang panjang was always a serene city. located between a more famous bukittingi and a more bustling padang, this city has to accept its predestined fate to be a city of just-to-drop-by (my own word o.k.). yeah despite its position as a transit city, padang panjang does not enjoy prosperity and development a transit city or port like singapore or malacca should have. this beautiful and cool padang panjang cannot beat bukittinggi for tourism and trade and it has a long way to go to match padang in terms of sophistication. however, no place in west sumatra can beat this city for its sate (another spicy food for your information). and so religious the people of padang panjang are, this city holds the records on the existence of so many boarding islamic school in it. so, if you have a too-difficult-to-handle sons and daughters just send them to this city (as most of the case when i studied there).
the next ten minutes we waved good bye to padang panjang and entered koto baru. brrr……i could feel the cool breeze coming from either mount merapi or singgalang caressing my skin. koto baru is an important place for those who want to climb the two mountains i’ve mention before. they will set their base there, buy supply for a day or two days hikings and get some rest if their mountaineering has done. merapi is an active volcano but singgalang boasts a large lake on the area which is supposed to be its volcanic crater. it can never cough hot lava no more. one more thing, koto baru is also famous for its bika (yup! another food). for me, it is not the taste that thrill me but the way they cook it. they cook the dough in an earthen ware. so what’s so special about that? they put the burning log on the top of the ware and heat the bottom of the ware by using burning charcoal only.
it was only another fifteen or twenty minutes before reaching bukitting and i was getting anxious. i kept on checking my wristwatch. the source of my ants in pants was we needed to pass padang lua to get to the bukittingi bus terminal. even though it was the election day, padang lua, the most important traditional market in west sumatera would not stop pulsing even for a single second. as a result, we would have to brace ourselves for a gridlock in the street passing the market.
that market, despite the trillion rupiahs circulating in it every day, has a very ugly face. my parents run their petty business there and i also grew up there. muddy surface especially when it is rainin is just an every day treat. the smell of the rotten vegetables i’ve learned to love since my childhood will forever linger assaulting noses of market goers. lack of sanitary facility i’ve dealt with since my tender age is not news. (i’ve known various size of human penis since i was 5 because when the nature call most men in the market prefer going to the waste land just next to my parents’s veggi stall than going to the nearest equally dirty musholla) and….the list is on and on and i do hope the next president will have to think about how to improve things in that market where thousands people earn their living there.
leaving the gridlock behind, our bus manage to reach the terminal at 11 a.m. i hoped off the bus and half-ran crossing the super busy street of aua kuniang, another important business centre (and inter city bus terminal) in west sumatera. the condition of this so called business center is not far from that of padang lua. their illness is the same “mismanagement” if not ” lack of management” or “no vision for improvement” despite the trillions of rupiahs circulating in that biggest convection centre in sumatera.
in a minute i was already on my way to my kampung. i kept pestering the driver to be quick. “faster please, i need to vote” i told my driver and he understood it well.
in 3o minutes i got to my polling station. i was greeted by the officers and told me to be quick. “we are about to close”, they kidded with me.
i dont know about other indonesians, but on last wednesday i was so spirited. i was busy comparing my country with our more “prosperous” neighboring countries . singaporeans and malaysians despite their economic prosperity never enjoy this luxury of choosing their leader directly. they might have the tallest twin erections on earth or the most effective mass transportation system on earth. but in terms of democracy, they are no where near us. it is something to be proud of. i belied that economy can grow fast with healthy democracy supporting a country.
well, indonesia, with its striking beauty and apparent ugliness, i love this part of the world i was born in.
well, well, now i am serious into politics. i mean i am serious into being an amateur political commentator.
nah, my very first comment will be launched against this political statement made by president and vice president hopeful, megawati-prabowo on the effect of foreign culture on indonesian culture. at first, i would applaud these two for their concern about indonesian national culture, butt….eh but……
Indonesian too open to foreign culture: Mega – Pro
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 05/24/2009 4:24 PM | Election 2009
Culture and art experts applauded Megawati Soekarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto on Sunday after the two pledged to tackle the foreign culture invasion, which they considered the main reason for Indonesians’ poor awareness of local culture and heritage. (how? concrete plans please! not rhetoric ya. but, is every foreign culture, like free and fair judiciary and good public service evil? or is every local culture, like corruption, collution and nepotism holy?)
“Our elites now are too ‘polite’ to foreigners; they are too welcome. Without realization, foreigners have slowly occupied Indonesians,” Prabowo of the Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party said on a talk show “Cultures and Presidency” held at The Jakarta Playhouse (Gedung Kesenian Jakarta). (isn’t politness the core characteristic of indonesian culture? )
“This nation has been too naive, accepting every country and believing that they always have good intentions,” he added. (first, i am an indonesia and m not too naive. it’s you who is too naive to think that there rest of us are too naive to think in the same manner as you do)
Four panelists, Thamrin Amal Tomagola, Budi Dharma, Radhar Panca Dahana, and Sapardi Djoko Damono, along with an audience of hundreds crowding the hall, applauded Prabowo who attended the show with his running mate, Megawati of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
During the one-hour show, Megawati and Prabowo repeatedly cited the negative effects of the foreign invasion when answering every question from the panelists. (mmm? are we being invaded? the way iraq isbeing invaded by U.S.A or the way fundamentalist Taliban wrecked havoc Swat Valley?)
“Your statements are substantially good, but still a bit too general,” Rhadar responded to Prabowo.
“I need concrete solutions from you, when facing the fact that the Western lifestyle has influenced our poor neighborhoods under bridges and slum areas along riverbanks. I noticed that a farmer in a remote area sold his farm because his child had been asking him to buy a Tamiya [a toy car made in Japan],” he added. (oh boy, he is too naive on this. listen mister guardian of indonesian culture, the old farmer buying a tamiya car for his son is not about the farmer getting westernized but about to please his son so that he can play along with or stand out amongs his rich boys friends. it has nothing to do with nationalism at all. it’s about class, i repeat class…eerrr Japan is West now?)
“I would say that this is because of our elites, whose lifestyles are too Western. They have idolized [Western culture],” Prabowo said. (mmm…can’t agree more, including you. you are an elite, aren’t you. are you too westernized too? )
Megawati added that mixing culture and tourism could be bad for Indonesian culture. “Selling culture for tourism may be good economically, but not for the culture itself,” she said. (mmm good good, by the way what do you mean by culture? tradition or ways of life?)
“I have seen it in Bali, where Western culture has slowly influenced local traditions. Balinese artists have become inconsistent because of financial concerns,” she added. (nah, it’s your job, provided you win in the next presidential race, to provide them with “good job” which will make them stay consistent with their idea)
“I see that many culture and art practitioners are reluctant to be inside the political ring. That is an obstacle too,” Megawati said, a statement followed by applause. (arts is political you know……it’s laden with ideology say…nationalism. haven’t you read Anak Semua Bangsa by Pramoedya or Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe or poems written by Jose Rizal)
Budi Dharma acknowledged that the two had given hope for the future of Indonesia’s culture. “Good answers, still too general though. However, their concepts have given us a good insight,” he told reporters after the show.
“However, Megawati and Prabowo will definitely face a lot of challenges in applying what they have said if they are elected. Because, any president, whoever they are, will be greatly involved with political interests during their tenure,” Budi said. (bbs)
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well, this is what i hate about indonesian politicians: they tend to think that we are stupid, NAIVE lot, victim of the ideology or platform of their political opponents. it’s proved by this kind of apocalyptic discourse on indonesian culture. moreover, i am also irked with this remark that indonesian culture is invaded by foreign culture whereby what these politician mean by foreign is always western.
now i am wondering does every foreign mean western? now who is too naive?
most importantly, we need to remember that culture does not exist in a vacuum. it is just normal that a culture is influencing other or influenced which does not necessarily mean negative. what is not right is when you think that yours is the best and reducing other people culture to caricatures: that is chauvinism to boot.
yes, of course, i support any effort to preserve national culture. however, we need to be cautious here since Frants Fanon has predicted “the Pitfall of National Culture” when the native intellectuals turn to be neo-colonizers colonizing their fellow less successful-powerful-socially mobile country men.
moreover, we need to remember that nationalist discourse is a masculine discourse. in its logic, woman is the bearer and preserver of the national culture. that’s what really bothers me about this business of preserving our national culture. those elites, with the political power they have, can raise a discourse on how Indonesian women should dress or behave in order to preserve the national culture, without taking into consideration the view and the want of the women themselves. as a result, they can just point our nose women who do not adhere to their set of rules (of what they think as national culture) as un-nationalistic or unpatriotic. Worse, we woman have no say about what is best for our interest. IT IS DOUBLE COLONIZATION.
most importantly, this blind nativistic discourse raised by the Mega-Pro Duo is feared to be an early omen on the premature death of our hard fought freedom of expression. Supposed they come into power, it is likely they will curb any expression in the form of arts as un-nationalist or un-patriotic if they do not follow their prescription of what a national culture should be. as a result, we again will see the bloody ideological war between artists who inserted that art is for art’s sake versus those who believe that art is for society. to put it on other words, whoever in power either the art is for the art’s sake proponents or the art of society supporters will repress their opponents. so, WHERE IS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?
*the title is inspired by the talk show at the PlayHouse mentioned in the above news clip.
** i am no supporter of other presidential candidates, mind you. I am still undecided or swing voter or whatever you call me. yet i am all for pluralist candidates who are not sexist, chauvinist, and racist.
i dedicate this provocative title to this lady. (this post is also dedicated to the lady in this pic and all people who suffered injustice just because their professional job is become a maid)
huh! another maid was beaten by her employer. this is an unknown story then, especially when this bestiality happen to take place in malaysia. everybody know, we, indonesia, is the biggest supplier for maid to that neighbor country of ours (as if the maids are commodities and you are free to beat them as though they are hordes of cattle).
i don’t say that they, those malaysian, are maid killer or hostile toward indonesian. but i heard this sad story too often; it’s either the maids are beaten, tortured, extorted, exploited, raped…..other grim things. and because lots of indonesian maids there, so there is high possibility that the victim of this cruelty is indonesian.
well whoever they are, indonesian, filipinos, thais, indians, bangladeshis, pakistanis, nepalese, myanmaris, vietnamese, cambodians, WHOEVER…those maids do NOT deserve this barbarity. then whoever you are, yes you murderous maid EMPLOYERS, where ever you are, you cannot, you have no for god’s sake fucking right to treat them that way.
they are people, mind you, HUMAN BEING.. with the same dignity as what you fucking asshole have.
god i am so mad here. MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will raise an urge to abolish the porn bill.
2. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will never agree to any bill which will rule out how the people should behave and dress.
3. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will agree that no racist, sexist, and chauvinist fellow should become RI 1 (The president of Republic of Indonesia). read my i need a president not a muslim president.
4. i wish that somebody sane in the parliament will seriously think how to press the government to improve any sorts of public service.
5. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will put forward an urgent assembly to discuss about annulling any variety of religious-based by-laws. that’s god’s prerogative not ours mortal.
6. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will press on how to include sex education in the school curriculum. i’m tired of reading ill-informed government sponsored ad that you get HIV because you commit pre-marital sex.
7. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will demand to scrap the rule that a wife must obtain her husband permit before she can process her passport. ayolah sir and madam, my mom is nagging me to get married soon day in and day out. yet, i am too afraid to be married out of a phobia to get a confining husband.
8. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will seriously think about improving our educational system. what about sekolah gratis (free basic education) up to senior high school? i think we can afford it.
9. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will pay more attention to our ailing ecological condition. god is not mad at us when when we are afflicted by massive flood or avalanche or mind-choking haze coming from forest fire. it’s us who are insanely inconsiderable when it comes to damaging the environment. i believe most of today’s disasters are man-triggered.
10. i wish somebody sane in the parliament will instigate a move to criminalize war. living in a peaceful country like mine, i could not bear myself to read or watch the plight of those living in war zones or conflict areas like gaza, afganistan, sri lanka or swat valley, pakistan. worst, i know as everyone does, those who suffer more in wars are women and children.
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m quite happy that secular and nationalist parties won at the last ge. you are free to say that m too allergic to religious or sectarian parties. yes, i am. you know what i think, so much blood has been shed just on the name of religion and narrow-minded sectarian movements. i don’t want it to happen to my beloved country. and i think god is with me since god’s listened to my pray.
yeah, you must have heard about multi-cultural family or multi-lingual family even multi-religion family. now, I’ll introduce you to another kind of family with hyphened-identity: multi-party family. well, we have such thing in Indonesia, my country. I’ll take my own family as the sample for this term.
there are seven eligible voters in the family. they are my pop, my ibu, me, sis numero 2, the third sis, first kid bro, and kiddies sis. the youngest kid bro are still ten y/o yet no less enthusiastic when he trailed us to the poll booth yesterday. he was busy persuading us to vote for partai patriot since he really liked that party’s name. he freely came to the very booth where we were trying to decide on some mp hopefuls and party’s fate and pestered us to vote that party. this kiddiest brother of ours reasoned that this party was a good party for its name showed that this party was patriotic. i reckon, this mindset is the direct result of the compulsory ppkn subject, which introduces students to the country’s ideology pancasila or five basic principles and stuff, constitution, principles of nationhood, and governmental system, he takes (and will be taking up to his college years) at school. last night he even told us during dinner that when he grow up he would vote for that party. anyway, the party did not even pass the 2.5% parliament threshold. so, there would be no more partai patriot on our next poll.
get back to my topic of the day, i hereby declare that my family is a multi-party family. i am almost sure that none of us choose the same party. in other words, each of us support different political party. well, i can’t guess what party they have casted their votes for, but i can guess parties my family won’t vote.
you know every tv stations in Indonesia is now frantically busy doing what they call a quick count and hiring various political commentators, analysts and party people (fungsionaris partai, we call them here) to comment on the result of that quicky count. so, to put some more carnivalesque tint to this big happening of our nation, here i am presenting my analysis on my family’s choice.
Father. i am dead sure he did not vote gerindra. he told me, during our after dinner discussion every time i pulang kampung, that he was afraid that that party would gerinda us, the people when it took to power. yeah to a minangkabau speaking like my father, gerindra reminds him of gerinda (in english the verb will be to grind). nah, now you must know why my father won’t vote for it. he envisions suharto’s style repression will re-emerge if this party wins. i can take some blame for this. i informed my father that the party’s god father was suharto’s son-in-law and blue eye general, head of kopassus, alleged to involve in a massacre in East Timor and alleged to mastermind the kidnap of several student activists during the Jakarta big riots in 1998. i also lectured my pop that those in power can re-write history. But, i don’t think it’s my fault if pop disfavors this party. i was merely informing ok. I broke no law. it was just a bad choice of name.
ibu. delvi is super sure that her mom did not vote for golkar. how does she know? her mom told her yesterday afternoon that she would never vote for golkar, a partai orang jahat (evil people party). her mom was referring to the golkar which was the political vehicle of indonesia’s second and longest ruling president, suharto. Delvi tried to inform her mom that there was no more golkar today. “what we have now is partai golkar of which boss is JK, the orang sumando orang minang (urang sumando is the son in law in a minangkabau family’s house. Jusuf Kalla is married to a minangkabaunese lady)”, she told her mom. delvi added that they’d done many things (she was not sure the exact numbers of that “ many things” actually) to reform themselves and help develop the nation. Yet, the damage is done and beyond repair. she’d made her mind. well, no banyan tree and yellow color in her political aspiration at the last ge. It’s not her fault nor delvi’s. they are ordinary yet free (and powerful) people to choose.
The second sis. she was not home during the last ge, so i couldn’t practice my psychic power upon her. you know, to make this prediction i need to look deep into her eyes. but i’m pretty sure she won’t favor pks. that party has let her down. yeah she was once in love with this party. yeah that sis is more religious than me. yet, things went wrong somewhere along the so many dates. April 9 was her second poll, so I think she now knows more about who to choose and who not to consider.
Third sis. this first-time-voter, according to my crystal ball, followed my mother’s stand. the same ball told me that she did not vote for any newly emerged political parties either. but i predict she will choose JK for president in july since she really likes his prowess in business.
Kid bro numore uno. he voluntarily did not vote. the night before the poll, he watched a football match and got so sleepy in the morning that he refused to exercise his political right. i say it was his loss since yesterday was his first chance ever to vote. Yet, he was being wise to say that because he did not vote he wouldn’t protest the ruling government on whatever act they take. he reasoned that he has no right to do so since he did not participate in the poll. but I felt glad when he told me he would join the presidential poll in july. alhamdulillah then.
the youngest sis. she is another first timer voter. i just pestered her on what she chose yesterday. she kept running away from me. she is really truth to the secrecy principle of the poll. It is a good thing. since she is still a kid, I teased her this way, “you voted for golkar, rite?” she showed me her tongue which means she did not. you chose pdi-p, rite? she snickered which means she did not. she told me that her party of choice was on the top ten list. “aaaa, you voted for gerindra, rite?” i pestered further on. she said, “huh, what is the use of voting for that party?”. orite. finally, she confessed that she chose for different parties. she means for district level representative house she chose this so and so party; for province level representative house, she chose another party; and for national representative house, she trusted different party. still i m in blue about names of those parties of hers. not bad. it’s good and it’s rite.
nah, that is the story of my multi-party family. we are democratic, ain’t we. we are much more democratic than any family in the most democratic country, rite? we are way cooler than any american family, ain’t we?
Of course we beat them since they only have two political parties there.
Will give more analysis on our presidential election next july.
Yup, aku baru saja nyontreng horeeeee
yeah, i just casted my vote. you can see that my left little finger is navy blue in color right now. this is my third General Election and i have chosen different party and MP hopefuls in every poll i am in. For my kid sister number 3 and 4 who is 17, this is their first GE. they looked excited yet did not fail to frown at a large paper which bear the name of the parties and mp hopefuls on it. there were 38 political parties to choose and more than 11.ooo mp hopefuls to choose all over indonesia. it was really a big party.
on my choice, i frankly said that i chose young female mp hopefuls. my instinct told me that they can represent me. yeah, it was so pathetic that i resorted to instinct. but it never fails me so far. i was still an undecided voter when i entered the poll booth. so, instinct will do.
however, despite being undecided i’ve pledged that i will not cast my vote for any party with religion as their ideology and any party which enacted porn bill last october.
SERVE YOU RIGHT SUH. YOU’VE LOST MY CONFIDENCE SUH
Happy menyontreng Indonesia………
well, this is my first serious take on indonesia’s general election. few days ago we just saw the beginning of the open campaign season. for the next 21 days we’ll be hearing all sorts of crabs and crappy promises from 11.ooo member of parliament hopefuls.
on my way from home to padang on last monday, i noticed scores of youths wearing jersey bearing a photo of an MP hopeful (we call them as Caleg here). they occupied an open truck or minivan weaving all sorts of buntings, posters and flags promoting the MP hopeful whose face and name were imprinted on the jersey they were wearing. I expected I would see some hilarious antics such as soaking your whole body with the signature color of a particular party; or shaving your head and leave only some segment of your hair that will form a symbol of a party. I did not see those antics though. Probably the party people thought it was not necessary yet at this early stage of the campaign.
During this election fever (shall i call it euphoria?) i develop a habit of studying all sorts of slogan written on posters of the MP hopefuls. let me introduce you to examples of them:
1. (Fill in the Blank) Bsc, Msc. Anak Petani. Memberi Untuk Nagari/ (Fill in the Blank) Bsc. A Son of a Peasant. Willing to give his all to his district.
2. Mohon Do’a Restunya. (Fill in the Blank), MM, MBA. Menuju Indonesia modern and religious/ I am seeking for your prayer and blessing. (Fill in the blank), MM, MBA. Toward Modern and Religious Indonesia.
3. (Fill in the blank)
19….elementary school no …. Bukittinggi.
19… junior high school no… Bukittingi
19… senior high school no….Bukittinggi
19… Stekpi, Jakarta
19…Southeast Washinton University, magister of economics ……
19…(Someting university in the USA,) liberal arts school, magisterial of International affair.
20.. a Ph.D candidate at UNP
Caleg DPD Bukittinggi.
4. (fill in the blank)…. pilih (……) ya! (fill in the blank)…….vote for me ok!
5. (fill in the blank), the granddaughter of Syeikh something something the founder of the great school something something.
I still have more ridiculous slogans but I’ll save them for future postings. But I surmise that none of these MP hopefuls’ slogan is appealing. None of the slogans can educate voters on why they should vote for them.
Lots of MP hopefuls are asking for our Do’a dan Restu (Prayer and Blessing) but they never tell us why we should mendoakan them (pray for them) and merestui them (give our blessing). Even those with the most sophisticated education have no clues on how to appeal to the voters. They might obtained their double magisters from universities in the US of A, but they cannot come out with a tagline which will make voters trust him to get their voice thru in the parliament. at least for my case, i am not impressed with this double master guy. however, if he tell me how he would help to eradicate poverty and stupidity in my neighborhood on his poster, probably i will spare my time to listen to his ceramah (campaign).
and this one “toward a religious and modern Indonesia” MP hopeful who looks intellectual enough has let me down. He does not give his topic sentence the controlling and ideas and supporting details it deserves. i m still in blue on what he means by a modern and religious indonesia. like i said before, i m allergic to religious people.
then, i just can’t stand MP hopefuls who use their father or mother or grandfather or grandmother or uncle’s name to attract voters. it clearly shows that they are nothing but a bunch of spoiled brats who do not know how to differentiate between a general election from a family debut.
i must say i feel like screaming, “Hello MP hopefuls…where is your program? where is your platform?”
so far, no body’s answering me. therefore, i surmise most of these MP hopefuls are unbelievably dimwits. I still don’t know who to vote for. I’m still skeptical since everybody is asking for my doa restu without telling me what i, the ordinary people, will get if give them that restu. i won’t vote for blockheads.
i do hope that my people can be smart enough not to vote for those dullards. at the last GE, we had already made some big mistakes. we voted for corruptors ( read the paper and you will know lots of MPs have been charged for taking bribes or gratifications), easily sexually aroused dunces who enacted the porn bill, or self-righteous MP from religious political party who can’t be faithful to his wife.
so, this muchdi fella has been acquitted of all charges in the murder case of munir, indonesia’s celebrated human right activist. it means we are still in a blue on who the big boss behind this killing is. well, polycarpus, munir’s executioner, will be soooo lonely in serving his twenty years jail term then.
this case is sort of rendevouz for me. here, in malaysia where i study, few weeks ago razak baginda, the suspected mastermind behind the blown-up body of altantuya shaaribu was also acquitedof all charges against him. in other words, it is still a mystery who ordered the two cops ( i forget their names) to c4 the dead body of that mongolian beauty. now those cops need to stand alone to defend themselves before the court.
thinking about these two top murder cases, i draw a conclusion. indonesia and malaysia are really negara serumpun. we have such a great resemblance: our judiciary system sucks.
i won’t elaborate further. u must know what i mean. ranting this early is not good for my health and beauty.
