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because this is just an amateur political analysis, please forgive my shallowness.
BEFORE
then comes this news (not news actually but concern) about the heads of her husband’s political opponents who vie for the president post next july.
then, look at this AFTER picture
well, i never know why ms. ani yudhoyono cover her head. is it purely religious reason? is it about fashion? is it political reason, so she could boost her husband’s electability amongst the muslim voters?
to be honest, i never know the answer. i have no right to be judgmental either. however, i know for sure that you can politicize everything…everything… including your wive’s head.
ah so anal this politics is.
ps: again please forgive my shallowness, i have no time to searh for better picture of the covered ms. ani. in the second picture: ms. ani is the lady in light blue blouse and white head cover.
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.
