nad's notes

Notice

2006-01-09T00:51:00.001+07:00

This is my last posting for Nad's Notes. No, I'm not quitting blogging--just relocating to my old "home" that I had once lost but finally regained: onceuponaweb!og.

25 Most Popular Posts in 2005

2005-12-30T10:47:00.000+07:00

Since I attempted blogging in late 2003 and stopped it awhile before I started hitting it again in mid 2004 onward, I have posted quite a bit of rants with time. Obviously, most of the posts contain trivial notes that are very ephemeral or highly personal. Yet, I have noted that some posts contain ideas that hold as much relevance today as they did when they were one by one posted. It seems to me these posts have had the potential to endure the test of time or to be developed further through future posting--by myself, at least.

The following links to 25 most popular posts are humbly presented to you for having made the time to visit Nad's Notes and bear with me, as a way of wishing you a great happy new year 2006 and great holiday--you prefer some cash, I know. (They have been sorted out of this blog thanks to the most amazing Google and most wonderful statistics service from Statcounter.)

So, happy new year, everyone!

1. 700 New Cars
2. A Country on the Make: In Memoriam Cak Nur
3. A Great Folly
4. Annotated links to free blog tempates
5. Blogging Axioms and Rules in but 1 Post
6. Ceteris Paribus: A Most Dangerous Tool
7. Indonesia's Fuel Subsidy-Reduction Compensation Program
8. Indonesia's Islamic Banking: Draconian Tasks Ahead
9. It's Not About the Economy, Stupid!
10. Kekebeletan yang Memiskinkan [In Bahasa]
11. Keuangan Internasional dan Otoritas Fiskal Kita [In Bahasa]
12. Menyaksikan Rumput Tumbuh: Demografi dan Tenaga Kerja Indonesia [In Bahasa]
13. Million dollar ideas
14. Nothing is Nothing
15. One Stitch at a Time
16. Our Greater Common Good
17. Polemik yang Harus Segera Berakhir [In Bahasa]
18. Potensi Bencana di Depan Mata [In Bahasa]
19. Sahur Blogging 2: The Ulysses Awards
20. Sinetron dan Bajaj Bajuri Kita [In Bahasa]
21. The Curse of Inflation
22. The Dismall Malls
23. The Need to Ghost-blog
24. The Perils of Sedekah, Infaq, Zakat or the like of it
25. Thoughts from a Fancy Car

The greatest problems of philosophy

2005-12-29T16:01:00.000+07:00

Now that the world is entering the "injury" time nearing the close of 2005, I am lucky enough these days to have been blessed with freer time on my side--and more books on my hands. The other day I thought perhaps I should blog about personal "reflections" as the year turns, but the Jakarta Post preempted it by its Life is an Onion. Life is an onion, they say; we peel one layer at a time, and sometimes we weep. Life is what we do with that one layer at a time, and, unlike an apple, there is really no core inside.

Recently I have been painstakingly reading two philosophy books written in Indonesian by two Indonesians. One is Postmodernisme, Tantangan Bagi Filsafat by Bambang Soegiharto, and the other is a newer book Derrida, on the philosopher's thoughts and his position in philosophy, by a younger writer Muhammad Al-Fayyadl. The vast knowledge on the subject matter and tenacity of both writers are highly admirable. As among the first books written on Postmodernism by Indonesians, they deserve commendation and have won my respect and admiration.

But I must also say each of them has been a disappointment. I had to put them down for awhile. To my very limited mind, these two books have failed in imparting better understanding. After going almost half of each, I was able neither to make a coherent sense nor grasp the gist of it. The pages seemed to concurrently contain descriptions of ceaseless concepts that yet called for other explanations in order to understand them. Then this question faced me: is it about me or them?

I am an adult, quite an experienced reader, especially in my own mothertongue. I generally know sort of the limits of my understanding and would be able to tell if texts fail me and when I am required more careful reading.

So finally I was forced to arrive at some personal conclusions: of the greatest problems with philosophy may be that it is a problem to itself and how it is conveyed. In this case, something must have been wrong about the way these books were presented to the general audience.

By saying this I don't mean to say I have given up on these books, though. Yesterday, I did some Internet research to assist me with my reading, and was brought by Google to some much friendlier sites. Frankly speaking, I felt more illuminated by the sites than by the books, and this fact I find quite regrettable.

More questions remain unanswered. Have it to do with a writer's personality or the sophistry of a subject? Can difficult subjects not be presented in a simple way ? What good is it to write something turgid that most people don't understand? Why the additional complexities fir things with complexities in themselves?

See, this all had been personal--until today, when I found an article written by Noam Chomsky (one prominent linguist) on the problem similar to the one I encountered. On Rationality/Science Chomsky wrote:

"… I have spent a lot of my life working on questions such as these, using the only methods I know of--those condemned here as "science," "rationality," "logic," and so on. I therefore read the papers with some hope that they would help me "transcend" these limitations, or perhaps suggest an entirely different course. I'm afraid I was disappointed. Admittedly, that may be my own limitation. Quite regularly, "my eyes glaze over" when I read polysyllabic discourse on the themes of poststructuralism and postmodernism; what I understand is largely truism or error, but that is only a fraction of the total word count. True, there are lots of other things I don't understand: the articles in the current issues of math and physics journals, for example. But there is a difference."

He proceeds…

"In the latter case, I know how to get to understand them, and have done so, in cases of particular interest to me; and I also know that people in these fields can explain the contents to me at my level, so that I can gain what (partial) understanding I may want. In contrast, no one seems to be able to explain to me why the latest post-this-and-that is (for the most part) other than truism, error, or gibberish, and I do not know how to proceed. Perhaps the explanation lies in some personal inadequacy, like tone-deafness. Or there may be other reasons. …"

As some subject matters are, no doubt, difficult. Some writers are difficult, too. Some snobbishly confuse size with clarity, and the longer such writers write, the more they perplex their readers.

I still hope that some day I can make more sense out of these books. If that day never comes, I should accept that philosophy is for me too much of a challenge.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-23T15:10:00.000+07:00

Yesterday S, this moslem friend of mine, forwarded an email message attaching some articles in which an Islamic preacher tried to explain in great details, quoting out of context some references to the Qur'an , that it was haram (forbidden) for moslems to wish Christians a Merry Christmas! Arggh!

Here's heartful greeting and wishing for a Happy and Merry Christmas to all bloggers and visitors who celebrate it all over the world. If it were sinful for me to do so, I, a moslem myself, would be as willing to commit it.

(Update: A few such articles can be found, in varying degrees of (in)tolerance, here--in Bahasa, though.)

The dismall malls

2005-12-20T14:27:00.000+07:00

With the completion of its newest to the south of Jakarta, the city has had another one mall too many. The façade still a departure from beauty, furnished with a glass-covered bridge connecting it to its older sister mall across the road, PI Mall 2 is already presenting itself as another center of 'convenience.' Combined, they establish themselves as a gigantic shopping center to some people.

As a commuter that has to pass it almost every day, I had often wondered who these people might be. For one, who would be patient enough to roam about the congested city to explore a new mall so sizely? Who would be blessed enough with the "shop till you drop" luxury in this city? The logical answer seems clear: such a mall is but for a small circle of Jakarta's elites and a handful of expatriates and tourists.

On the second day of Eid Fitr this year, our family finally went there, in seach of meal. I witnessed its inside look resembled to beauty more than its outer. Frenzied people amassed on the floors offering motley of food; smells of newness and of tasty food mixed everywhere. Compared to other floors, these foodstall floors were busiest. We had to wait for minutes for seats and yet more for the food. When it arrived our appetite had diminished significantly, especially that of our daughter.

Excepting these affordable food stalls, I observed many shops offering world-class articles that only big money can buy. I swear I could have picked in blindfolds stuff that would deprive my entire salary at one buy. Still, I also saw teenagers flocking around window-shopping in small groups looking at things beyond their financial reach. That'd have been counterlogical, if I hadn't thought that they were hanging about there for "un-shopping purposes," which only God and they themselves knew. Most of them couldn't afford the objects on display.

It is hard to deny that most Jakartans cannot afford the items offered by many luxurious shops in that mall. This proposition is as hard to reject as saying that the value of Rupiah will only decrease in time. Their low puchasing power is no secrecy and with the recent fuel price hike, it has been even reduced by around 30-50 percent. Expensive malls like this new one, therefore, will have to depend on three patrons: a small circle of Jakartan elites, a handful of expats and some tourists. (We can add the upper middle class here, but as they have been fiercefully pressed in the middle-as tax subjects and victims of inflation and exchange rates. The last thing for them to do is to spend money there. Those who fail to see it now will be brought to their senses soon.)

The dependence on such last two patrons will be very high for malls located in a city whose majority of population is poor. Therefore, sustainability of such malls will have to depend on their ability to attract non-locals, such as foreigners. Since Jakarta is not particularly a touristic destination, like Singapore for instance, these showy malls are doomed from the start. Their collapse is but a matter of time.

Exploited in Batam

2005-12-19T16:16:00.000+07:00

~~A good soul in Batam~~

This one is dedicated to a good friend whom I have come to know as one of the most honest and most trustworthy Indonesians I ever know. K, as I should call him in this post, lives in Batam with his wife and one daughter, their first daughter in the care of K's older sister in Bangka, a neighboring Island.

I was in "his" Island last week on a business assignment to attend an environment workshop at one of the hotels. The workshop itself was nothing special, but I was glad to be able to meet this good "long lost" friend.

About a couple of hours before I left Jakarta, I managed to get his sister's phone number in Batam. From his sister I got his official number. As I learned later, my friend had worked for a shipyard company called PT. Nan Indah in Tanjung Uncang, Batam. One of his colleagues gave me his HP number. In short, we promised to meet late after 9 pm that night at the hotel lobby.

K is older by several years than I am. When he rang my doorbell and showed up that evening, his younger looking appearance reminds me of that. I handed him a little something I bought at the airport for his daughter. Our discussion continued from Room 702 to the restaurant on the first floor.

It was where he told me about his work, when I almost couldn't believe him when he said that all these years he had worked for that same company practically without holidays! From Monday to Sunday, from 8 to 6, with overtime arrangement that makes him stay until 9:00. That explains why he saw me very late that night. Under the working environment, hundreds of other workers are being exploited like that. It was a good chat as ever, but I asked him to go home quickly; his family must have been waiting at home. When K left, I was inundated by mixed feelings. I have always admired him for his integrity. I always know he is one of the toughest men alive, now I learn he is one of the most exploited workers in the country. I am so sorry I cannot do anything to change his situation (how I wish, though, that the company management would by chance read this post and improve this killing situation).

Before I checked out from the hotel the next day, the concierge told me there was something for me: a small parcel of chocolates and two jars of tauco (soybean ketchup). For my family, he wrote.

(This post was retitled by Nad on Dec. 24)

Million dollar ideas

2005-12-18T22:37:00.000+07:00

I'll probaby never be one who knows very much about product development or design, but there are times when I wish I did. That's mostly when I am made amazed either by the beauty, practicality, or functionality of an object.

When the three qualities unite in harmony, the perfection only confirms the undeniable existence of well measured poetry in every cranny of technology. From a business viewpoint, the perfection often translates into secured streams of cash. Toward this end, advertising stresses on, or exploits, any of the three qualities in introducing a particular product to the consuming mass.

Speaking of which, back in 1992 when the fax machine was on the rage, and when my job required that I received daily scrolls of rolled faxpaper from the other end, I recall once thinking how I would be grateful if they could create a similar gadget that fed on normal pieces of folio paper.

I also remember, a year later when I had my first and bulky handphone (more popularly called as a "radiophone" that day in Bp city), thinking that the world needed vibrating handphones. Well, I never discussed such "silly" ideas with anyone; while I am posting about them now, these ideas have no doubt been made obsolete by the ephemery of product cycle.

Quite some time ago now, with a friend of mine Tris we once landed on a discussion on what we thought could be a million dollar idea. It concerns cigarettes. (Yes, we are both fellows foolishly hooked by Lady Nicotine--while I'm struggling to terminate the affair, Tris has never indicated, at least to me, a slight wish to discontinue being enamored with her). That particular day was the first time we thought about a new and better way to present this particular one worst type of stuff men ever created. Anyway, cigarettes in our opinion should be made shorter. Rather than tucking them tall in a pack of 12, it would be better to shorten the size and put them short in a pack of, say, 24. A few days ago, the idea struck us again. This time we felt more convinced than before that any cigarette brand would have an edge over the tough competition just by re-presenting the coffin nails this way. We both were, of course, being very biased. But we couldn't help believing it would be a reality. We still can't.

Recently, a "brilliant" idea about toothpaste or toothbush struck my mind. It's a sort of about innovation that I'm weirdly convinced enough will dramatically triple or quadruple the sales of any toothpaste or toothbrush if it is sold accordingly (my heart is pounding as I'm blogging this now). I'm still wondering what's best to do with it. I mean it may be high time that this particular hunch didn't just die away unembraced.

Response to "IMF Aid - Helping the Poor?"

2005-12-12T17:57:00.000+07:00

It was indeed interesting to read Inside Indonesia's IMF Aid - Helping the Poor?, which reminds one once again of the IMF's "sin" and "fiasco" during Indonesia's crisis in 1997. I must from the onset say while I share some of the points raised by Sugeng Bahagijo, the writer, while I subscribe to some of his views, I also must say here that sometimes I can't help wondering this way: why the need to blame others? As a citizen of this crisis-laden developing country, I have pained in seeing and being actually affected by our economy so dreadfully mismanaged. Here, I'm just trying to examine my own perspectives on this issue, so this is no final stance on my part.

I still like to liken Indonesia as a big family with an awful lot of children. Our "parents" had no money so we borrowed-from the IMF, the World Bank, ADB, IDB, etc. Like any money lending agency or individual money lender, there are always conditionalities we have to meet before we are allowed to borrow. Very well, we have decided to consent to comply.

Then in the course of the process, some of our own fellow Indonesians in charge of the borrowing used the money unwisely. Maybe they collaborated with foreign cronies, but this is beside the point. First we felt we were left with not much; then we were left with dependence on debts, and before we realize it debt servicing is already a trap.

Of course it is not fair (tell me what's fair in life?). The older generation did the borrowing, and enjoyed the defty embezzlements. In the long run, some of them died with impunity and inherited the wealth to their children and grandchildren. The rest of us, the young, have to foot the debt servicing through the nose.

And that's not the end of the sad story. Since early this century, our big family has not only borrowed from external sources; we have also borrowed domestically through bonds and other government securities. In fact, the total amount of domestic borrowing, in a mere matter of years, has outsized the foreign loans (which have accummulated after 3 decades or so), and in terms of interest rates and tenors, the terms are prohibitive.

Now, some of the arguments against the IMF as put forward in the media, sadly, tend to be easy to thwart. Weak arguments, good natured they may be, are dangerous and can backfire to the detriment of the struggle for equity and equatability. I can say with confidence that for one negative thought about an IMF-originated policy has at least a couple of justifications. Readily, the counter arguments outnumber such objection. If this were a battle of arguments, the victor would be obvious all of us. Take a deep look at the Letters of Intents prepared by our government and the IMF, chances are we will see how very good most of them are. The need for Indonesia to privatize SOEs, for instance, can't have been wrong in an environment where corrupt government officials were and are rampant; the need to stop subsidies would make a sound advise for a fiscally strapped government.

Actually, one of the "most dangerous" things from the IMF perhaps concerns its accounting system whereby government expenses in servicing principals and interests can be counted as "negative financing," with its consequence of hiding the true amount of deficit. As far as I know, not many people have treaded this path for questioning the intent of the financial agency. This can well be a strongest argument against the IMF, and thus worth pursuing.

I can go on forever on this, but what I'm trying to hint-tentatively at least, as I am still formulating my views on this--is that I suspect that rather than playing opposition from afar it may be far better for pressure groups, such as international or domestic NGOs to work closely with the government and even external financial agencies without sacrificing their critical mind.

While this issue needs to be satisfactorily addressed, the main problem for the big family is how to earn income. No government can rely solely on debts. It has to make money. It has to create jobs. These are real issues to concentrate on. Thus the title: IMF Aid--Helping the Poor? is, seen from a certain perspective, a naivety. Expecting other people, let alone business entitities, to really help this country is too good to be true. Expecting such institutions to really really really help the poor... is wishful thinking that gets us nowhere.

Keuangan Internasional dan Otoritas Fiskal Kita

2005-12-12T15:26:00.000+07:00

Tulisan singkat ini menanggapi artikel Bambang Kusumanto di harian Kompas, Selamat Tinggal Kebijakan Fiskal.

Di dua paragraf pertama Bambang dengan cerdas membandingkan fenomena keuangan domestik-internasional dengan penilaian karakter orang berdasarkan roman mukanya.

"Ibarat wajah manusia, suku bunga, nilai tukar, indeks saham gabungan adalah "air muka" ekonomi kita. Ketika datang berita menggembirakan, indeks harga saham akan naik, nilai tukar akan menguat, suku bunga akan menurun. Keadaan sebaliknya akan terjadi apabila datang berita-berita yang tidak menyenangkan."

"Reaksi pasar itu sama sekali jauh dari menunjukkan kondisi fundamental ekonomi sebenarnya. Dalam mengambil keputusan, para investor, terutama investor jangka panjang di sektor riil, melihat indikator-indikator lain yang lebih fundamental, yang sering tidak dilihat, bahkan sengaja diabaikan para ekonom pasar uang dan modal. Itu karena semakin fluktuatif pasar uang dan modal, kian besar kesempatan "profit making" dalam bisnis mereka."

Dua paragraf pertama dari Bambang Kusumanto ini menggambarkan fenomena pasar yang sebenarnya sangat dahsyat secara terlalu bersahaja. Seolah hal tersebut memang terjadi karena hukum alam, by virtue, atau "sudah dari sononya". Padahal fenomena yang telah dan akan terus merugikan sebagian besar negara berkembang ini menunjukan "gejala" atau mengindikasikan suatu "kesalahan" yang amat serius, jika tidak boleh disebut sebagai cacat besar dalam sistem keuangan intenasional. Sengaja atau tidak, sistem hedonis yang manipulatif ini terus bertahan atau dipertahankan karena cenderung menguntungkan para negara kaya dengan kurs mata uang asing yang lebih kuat. (Betul, ini sekadar klaim, karena saya tidak punya bukti saat ini; namun demikian, keyakinan saya kuat sekali.) Padahal, yang normal kita sebut "pasar" dalam dunia keuangan internasional sebenarnya tidak lain dan tidak bukan adalah suatu konstruksi yang didominasi para pemain kuat yang umumnya berasal dari negara-negara maju; distribusinya cenderung lopsided, sehingga tidak dapat dianggap sebagai suatu distribusi yang normal. Padahal, seringkali yang kita disebut "pasar" tidak identik dengan "pasar" dalam artian ideal yang dibayangkan Adam Smith dalam An Inquiry to the Wealth of Nations. Hm, saya sudah memakai kata padahal tiga kali sejauh ini ...

Lebih lanjut, di paragraf berikutnya, Kusumanto menulis:

"Inilah sisi "evil" dari bisnis pasar uang dan modal yang kurang manusiawi, dilihat dari sektor riil yang menjadi sumber pendapatan bagi banyak orang."

Penggunaan kata "evil" di sini cukup menarik untuk tidak disikapi secara otomatis. Kata ini termasuk terminologi moral yang biasanya dipakai untuk melukiskan sesuatu yang religiously sanctioned atau berasal atau mengacu kepada unsur ketuhanan. Dengan memakai istilah moral, seolah-olah "bisnis" atau "pasar" memang memiliki "karakter" demikian yang tidak dapat diapa-apakan, padahal sebenarnya, pasar adalah hasil konsensus manusia. Sebagian pebisnis atau pemain pasar dapat bersifat "evil" karena menyangkut aspek moral manusia. Dengan menyebut market atau bisnis sebagai "evil," kita tergiring untuk percaya bahwa kondisi tersebut tidak dapat diutak-atik lagi.

Evil atau tidak, karakter ini tidak seharusnya dipakai di sini tanpa menggugat keabsahannya, karena "pasar" tidak termasuk ranah ketuhanan melainkan hasil atau alat interaksi sesama manusia.

Selanjutnya, mengenai kondisi dan mekanisme fiskal negara ini, saya cenderung setuju dengan penulis bahwa jawaban sebenarnya terletak pada bagaimana para pengambil keputusan publik dapat menghayati pentingnya ketiga kondisi kebijakan fiskal di atas terhadap pertumbuhan ekonomi. Bagaimana pengambil keputusan dapat mewujudkannya dalam suatu kesatuan kebijakan fiskal yang konsisten dan efektif.

Saya juga sependapat bahwa pada saat ini kondisi pengambilan keputusan ini kurang menggembirakan. Juga benar bahwa pengambilan keputusan kebijakan fiskal saat ini terpecah di berbagai lembaga dan instansi. Saya dapat mengerti maksud penulis ketika mengatakan bahwa otoritas fiskal terbagi atas tiga jenis, yaitu pada departemen teknis sebagai penyusun dan pengguna anggaran, pada sidang-sidang komisi DPR, dan pada ratusan pemerintah daerah yang mengelola lebih dari 25 persen APBN melalui dana perimbangan.

Namun, saya sepakat untuk tidak sepakat dengan Bambang ketika ia mengatakan bahwa Depkeu atau Bappenas tidak lagi dapat disebut sebagai otoritas fiskal, melainkan tidak lebih dari juru tagih dan juru bayar keuangan negara. Sekarang kita sudah memiliki UU Keuangan Negara. Di dalam UU tersebut dan UU rencana pembangunan jangka menengah serta UU Perencanaan Negara sesungguhnya kekuasaan Departemen Keuangan menjadi semakin besar, dan kekuasaan Bappenas tidak kalah pentingnya. Dalam semua UU tersebut tersurat serta tersirat pentingnya Departemen Keuangan untuk berkoordinasi dengan Bappenas dan Bank Indonesia. Hanya saja, reformasi departemen keuangan yang belum selesai dan tuntutan yang cukup tinggi dapat membuat para pejabat kelabakan. (Beberapa ekonom, misalnya Raden Pardede, menyarankan pembentukan otoritas fiskal secara terpisah, juga otoritas moneter di luar Bank Sentral. Saya kira ide ini hanya akan membuat komplikasi persoalan.)

Menurut hemat saya, kondisi pengendalian dan pengelolaan fiskal suatu negara sudah sepatutnya berada dalam kondisi yang saling "tegang." Seperti demokrasi pada umumnya, semua unsur pembentuk harus "bersitegang" satu sama lainnya agar dapat berfungsi dengan baik. Laksana dawai biola atau gitar, tidak akan dapat tercipta musik yang baik jika dawainya tidak tegang. Dalam hal pengelolaan fiskal, salah satu isu kritis justru adalah transparensi dan keterbukaan satu otoritas fiskal untuk berinteraksi dengan otoritas fiskal lainnya. Isu kritis lain adalah bagaimana menabuh dawai tersebut agar menghasilkan nada harmoni sesuai irama yang diinginkan. Di negara dengan eksperimen desentralisasi terbesar di dunia, hal ini seharusnya dimengerti dengan bijaksana. Tahun 2005 adalah tahun pertama mekanisme perencanaan keuangan baru diterapkan seiring dengan reformasi besar di tubuh departemen keuangan dan di dalam sistem perencanaan jangka pendek, menengah dan panjang Indonesia. Sebagai contoh, tahun depan perencanaan keuangan negara, sesuai cetak biru reformasi di departemen keuangan, diharapkan dapat menyiapkan anggaran untuk jangka menengah.

Pada akhirnya, masing-masing pihak otoritas fiskal ini hanya perlu "ngotot" memberikan yang terbaik secara jujur dan terbuka. Jika terjadi benturan kepentingan, tinggal ditentukan kebijakan mana yang terbaik buat orkestra kita--dan buat para pendengarnya. Jadi, alih-alih mengatakan "Selamat Tinggal Kebijakan Fiskal," kita dapat mengatakan sebaliknya, "Selamat Datang Kebijakan Fiskal Sejati."

Cabinet Reshuffling: Some Facts and Opinions

2005-12-06T14:46:00.000+07:00

This rather long piece of writing concludes my previous posts on the issue (see Farewell to the Ministers and Selamat Tinggal. After waiting for about three months, President SBY finally announced his cabinet reshuffling. The announcement was made yesterday (Monday, Dec.5) at Gedung Negara in Yogyakarta and aired live through TVRI state television station. I was glad to be quite accurate in predicting that Jusuf Anwar and Andung would lose their posts.

The Reshuffle

The reshuffling removed three ministers of their position, and rotated three others. It introduced three "new" names: Boediono, a nonpartisan; Paskah Suzetta, a veteran politician from the Golongan Karya party; and Erman Soeparno, a deputy-treasurer with PKB. The replacement and rotation can be summed up as follows:

1. Ir Aburizal Bakrie, former Economic Affairs Coordinating Minister now People`s Welfare Coordinating Minister replacing Alwi Shihab;

2. Dr Budiono, Economic Affairs Coordinating Minister replacing Aburizal Bakrie.

3. Dr Sri Mulyani Indrawati, former state minister for national development planning, now Finance Minister replacing Yusuf Anwar;

4. Fahmi Idris, former Manpower and Transmigration minister, now Industry Minister replacing Andung Nitimihardja.

5. Ir Paskah Suzetta, state minister for national development planning/head of the national development planning agency (Bappenas).

Up Close and Impersonal…

As for the economic team, a seasoned technocrat Budiono replaces Aburizal Bakrie as the coordinating minister for the economy. Aburizal, however, will retain the coordinating minister position being named the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare replacing Alwi Shihab.

Alwi Shihab is now made SBY's advisor and special envoy for cooperation with Middle East countries as well as the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank (ADB).

Former State Minister of Development Planning and chairwoman of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Sri Mulyani is now Minister of Finance, replacing Jusuf Anwar. Sri Mulyani's former position is occupied by a Golkar Party politician, Paskah Suzetta, currently chairman of the Commission XI for Finance Affairs at DPR (the House of Representatives). Jusuf Anwar is said to be named as ambassador to "an important country," which remains to be announced.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris replaces Andung Nitimihardja as Minister of Industry. It is not clear as to Andung's new position. Fahmi's former position as Minister of Manpower and Transmigration is filled in by Erman Soeparno from the National Awakening Party (PKB). Currently he is deputy chairman of House Comission V for Communication and Infrastructure.

All these new ministers will be sworn in on Wednesday.

Profiles

Boediono, the only name revealed by the President to join the economic team; a doctor of economics from Wharton School University of Pennsylvania, USA (1979); obtained his master degree in Economics from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Born in Blitar on 25 Februari 1943. Minister of Bappenas during Presidency of BJ Habibie; Minister of Finance under President Megawati, a highly successful minister. Recent issue of the Far Eastern Economic Reviews dubbed him as one of the four people who have changed Indonesia. Was highly internationally acclaimed as a very successful in maintaing Indonesia's economic stability through the transition era.

Paskah Suzettta, his last position was Chair of Commission XI on Finance, national Development Planning, Banking and Non-Bank Financial Institutions (Chairman of Comission XI). Affiliated with Golkar, he was born in Bandung, West Java, on 6 April 1953.

Education and Career:

1994 : Graduate, National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas)
1990 : Degree from the Political & Social Science Faculty, Padjajaran University (Unpad), Bandung
2005-present : Deputy Treasurer, Golkar
2004-present : Chair, DPR Commission XI, (Finance, National Development Planning, Banking and Non-bank Financial Institutions)
1999-2004 : Deputy Chair, DPR Commission IX (Finance and Banking);
: Member, Special Committee investigating case of Bank Bali;
: Member, Special Committee for amending Bank Indonesia Law
1997-1999 : Member, DPR Commission VIII (Energy and Natural Resources)
1992-1997 : Deputy Chair, DPR Commission IV (Transportation & Infrastructure)
1998-2003 : Chair, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin), West Java branch.

Business : 1993-1998 head of Regional head of (Real Estate Indonesia), West Java; 1994-2004, head of advisory board, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.

Some critics mentioned that Paskah, a veteran parliamentarian, though experienced in finance by serving as deputy chair of DPR's Commission IX from 1999 to 2004, is far from liberal with regard to views on economics. He was said to have adamantly opposed the independence of Bank Indonesia and have favored Indonesia's withdrawal from the IMF program. He has been viewed as one resisting privatization, especially strategic sales involving foreign buyers. I'd say as long as he remains open minded, he can play an important role in keeping the checks and balances, e.g. keep our conscience against too government-pro economists or "external" interests.

Erman Soeparno, born in Purworejo, on 20 March 1950. Master degree from Newport University, California USA; former President Director of PT PP Taisei Indonesia Construction; former member of the Parliament from the Kebangkitan Bangsa faction (1999-2004) of which he became leader of the faction; former Deputy Leader of Commission V of the DPR; closely linked to Head of the PKB Board Abdurrahman Wahid and PKB Leader Muhaimin Iskandar.

Opinions

Some economists (e.g. Chatib Basri of UI) said that there would not be any significant change in economic policies. Major issues would remain the same: creation of macro stability, actions to contain inflation and solution to rising unemployment. Others (e.g. Aviliani of INDEF) were of the view that the President was merely playing safe. His decision would not impact much, especially to the real sectors.

Various comments from the business circle have no doubt also arisen following the presence of three new ministers in the cabinet. Generally speaking, business and industrial players welcomed the reshuffling, particularly on the economic team, although it had not really represented the interest of the real sectors.

Yet others viewed that the appointment of Paskah Suzetta and Erman Suparno was more a political compromise than astute strategic thinking. Indra J. Piliang, researcher of Political and Social Changes with CSIS, was among those sharing this view. Political compromises like this, said Coordinator of the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) Rafendy Djamin, tended to weaken the effort. He argued that other as serious problems, such as legal matters, remain untouched by the reshuffling.

Still, some commented that SBY had applied political accomodation throughout this limited reshuffling. SBY had accomodated Golkar by offering one additional ministerial portfolio (now there are three ministers from Golkar) while at the same time he tried to take PKB by the hand by recruiting Erman. A political observer from Universitas Indonesia (UI), Maswadi Rauf, noted that this strategy of the president was quite understandable to strengthen its political support.

Of the three new ministers, Erman Suparno, the new minister of Manpower and Transmigration was the one received with skepticism. Relatively unknown, he has been regarded as an "alien" by the secretariat General of the Association of Workers Indrayana, and by General Charman of Front of Indonesian Laborer's Struggle (FNPBI) Dita Indahsari. Understandably, Erman was deputy chariman of Commission V at the parliament, which deals with issues of transportation, housing and public works.

Deputy Chairman of Parliament Zaenal Maarif said that the reshuffle has been met with positive sentiment at the House.

Some foreign investors said they tended to focus on what the new ministers would do next. They also hoped that the new team could work together in addressing the complex situation facing Indonesia's economy. They hoped that the reshuffling could be a strong basis for changes and embetterment in Indonesia's economy. They also hoped that the new team would be able to lessen the impact of fuel price hikes and the destabilized rupiah.

Economic observer and also Parliament member Drajad Wibowo said that the economic policy would tend to be conservative with the entrance of Boediono as coordinating minister and Sri Mulyani as finance minister. Although believing the two made a good combination, he said the problem Indonesia faces calls for revitalization in industrial and agricultural sectors. These are precisely the areas that the two bigwicks lack of experience. As regards the new positions of Paskah Suzetta and Fahmi Idriss, he was of the opinion that they were just in the right positions.

Meanwhile, a member of Indonesia's Senate (DPD) from Jakarta, Sarwono Kusumaatmaja, said that the reshuffling proved that the President SBY had erred at the beginning of his presidency. In his opinion, the President should be firm in appointing his minsiters. This reshuffling would only be good with strong leadership from him.

(Major sources: Kompas, Bisnis Indonesia, Media Indonesia, Neraca, and Koran Tempo issued on Dec. 5 2005)

Menyaksikan Rumput Tumbuh: Demografi dan Pasar Tenaga Kerja Indonesia*

2005-12-05T15:18:00.000+07:00

Perkenalkan anak saya semata wayang: L. Barusan berulang tahun keenam. L, demikian ia kami panggil, sekarang murid kelas 1 SD. Sesuai dengan hasil seminar dari Lembaga Demografi Indonesia (LDI) minggu lalu, L dan anak-anak sebayanya akan berusia 21 tahun pada tahun 2020 nanti. Ia akan berjuang mencari rejeki dengan lebih dari 250,5 juta penduduk Indonesia. L akan tumbuh sebagai seorang perempuan di antara sekitar 70 juta perempuan Indonesia dalam usia subur. Di tahun itu, akan ada sekitar 170,9 juta jiwa manusia dalam usia kerja.

Bonus Demografi

Menurut LDI, dekade 2020-2030 merupakan dekade istimewa yang memberi apa yang disebut sebagai bonus demografi atau demographic dividend, yaitu ketika nisbah ketergantungan orang-orang tua kepada anak-anak muda mencapai titik nadir 44 per 100. Bonus ini konon hanya akan terjadi sekali sepanjang sejarah perjalanan suatu bangsa. Dengan demikian, bonus ini menyediakan Indonesia semacam jendela peluang untuk menaikkan kesejahteraan masyarakat.

Kondisi Sine Qua Non Pemanfaatan Bonus
Menurut catatan LDI pemanfaatan peluang ini dapat terjadi antara lain: 1) jika terjadi kelangsungan penurunan angka kelahiran hingga tahun 2030; 2) jika mulai sekarang jangkauan pendidikan diperluas dan kualitasnya dipertinggi; 3) jika pelatihan kerja digalakkan; 4) jika ada koordinasi yang baik antar sektor; 5) jika iklim investasi kondusif untuk membuka kesempatan kerja produktif; dan 6) jika sumber daya pemerintah yang terhindarkan karena penurunan proporsi anak dapat dialihkan untuk investasi pendidikan dan peningkatan kualitas SDM.

Kondisi Obyektif Indonesia
Mengingat kondisi Indonesia saat ini, dan sesuai dengan tanggapan salah seorang pejabat kunci dari Departemen Tenaga Kerja RI yang hadir saat itu, kondisi sine qua non di atas berada di luar kendali pemerintah Indonesia. Hingga saat ini Pemerintah masih "mencoba merumuskan arah pengembangan dan pengendalian SDM dan tenaga kerja Indonesia." Sementara, seperti dikatakan oleh pakar demografi Sri Moertiningsih, kebijakan demografi ini baru dapat dirasakan 30 tahun kemudian. "It is like watching the grass grow." Pergerakannya tidak terlihat tetapi nyata.

Pengangguran
Tingkat Pengangguran Indonesia sejak krisis 1997 terus meningkat dengan akselerasi 2 juta per tahun. Pada tahun 2005 jumlahnya sekitar 68 juta jiwa atau 10.3% dari angkatan kerja. Kebanyakan mereka berpendidikan sekolah menengah, umumnya tinggal di perkotaan, mayoritas berusia muda antara 15-29 tahun, dan sebagian besar perempuan! Anak perempuan perkotaan seperti L termasuk kelompok paling rawan. Posisi mereka dalam pasar tenaga kerja Indonesia secara rata-rata dapat disimpulkan dalam satu akronim: LIFO-last in, first out, atau yang paling akhir direkrut, tetapi paling awal akan ditendang jika terjadi gonjang-ganjing perekonomian!

Elastisitas Tenaga Kerja dan Pertumbuhan Ekonomi
Satu catatan penting adalah bahwa proses pemulihan ekonomi Indonesia sejak krisis hingga kini tidak mampu menyerap tenaga kerja sebanyak yang dibutuhkan. Menurut Islam dan Nazara (2000), diperlukan penyerapan 400-500 ribu pekerja untuk setiap persen pertumbuhan ekonomi jika, Indonesia ingin mengurangi tingkat pengangguran. Dengan kata lain, ekonomi harus tumbuh 3-5% di atas pertumbuhan tahun lalu agar dapat menyerap tambahan 2 juta pengangguran baru.

Bukan Asal Tumbuh
Kita ketahui bahwa dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, pertumbuhan perekonomian Indonesia dimotori oleh konsumsi; sementara, yang disebut sebagai pertumbuhan yang ramah tenaga kerja adalah pertumbuhan yang dapat menyerap tenaga kerja; yang dimotori oleh investasi dan ekspor, dan bukan oleh konsumsi. Pertumbuhan yang labor-friendly adalah yang padat karya, meskipun padat modal dapat juga menyumbangkan efek pengganda yang cukup besar.

Peran Pemerintah
Peran Pemerintah, menurut pakar demografi Nazara, adalah menciptakan kondisi pasar kerja dan hubungan industrial yang kondusif dalam mendukung daya saing Indonesia pada tenaga kerja murah yang produktif. Pertanyaan yang tidak sempat kita tanyakan adalah: jenis pekerjaan murah dan produktif apa sih yang dapat Pemerintah sediakan untuk penduduk Indonesia? Jawabannya, paling-paling tenaga kasar semacam kuli, TKW, TKI dan yang sejenisnya. Itupun belum bisa dipenuhi.

Yang Tersirat
(Bagian ini berisi sesuatu yang nyaris tidak terucapkan, meskipun sebenarnya cukup gamblang keniscayaannya. Bagian ini juga ingin menggarisbawahi bahwa: mau tidak mau, kita harus melepaskan konsep-konsep tertentu yang kita anut selama ini terhadap pemerintah dan perannya.)

Kesimpulan pertama: kecil sekali Pemerintah Indonesia, apalagi Kementerian Tenaga Kerja semata, dapat menggagas atau menerapkan konsep perbaikan dan peningkatan mutu pendidikan bagi teman-teman seangkatan Lla, apalagi untuk dapat menyiapkan lahan kerja yang memadai untuk mereka atau untuk para penganggur Indonesia di masa depan.

Kedua: sadar atau tidak sadar, sebagian besar dari kita, termasuk para pakar atau akademisi yang berkecimpung di bidang sosial, masih terus "menggelendoti" paradigma bahwa Pemerintah adalah agen pemilik kunci jawaban terhadap persoalan-persoalan besar kita, padahal dalam banyak hal pemerintah adalah justru bagian dari persoalan hidup warganya. Sebagai contoh: ambil contoh kemacetan lalu lintas. Mengapa sebenarnya kemacetan di Jakarta dan di kota-kota besar Indonesia terjadi?
Oleh karena itu, daripada menunggu pemerintah merumuskan arah perkembangan peningkatan kualitas manusia, lebih baik kita sama-sama serukan bahayanya bergantung pada pemerintah. Sebaliknya, perlu dianjurkan agar orang-orang berlomba-lomba mengembangkan potensi diri sendiri, misalnya dengan menjadi wiraswastawan.

Ketiga: Menganggap bahwa Pemerintah akan berjuang keras memperbaiki, meningkatkan atau memperjuangkan kualitas dan sumber daya manusia, seperti misalnya meningkatkan mutu pendidikan Lla atau teman-temannya, adalah asumsi yang terlalu muluk. Mungkin ini terdengar agak keras, tetapi yang paling realistis adalah tidak menyerahkan pemecahan perkara ini kepada pemerintah.

*) Sumber utama: makalah Sri Moetiningsih Adioetomo (Demografi Indonesia) dan Suahasil Nazara (Pasar Tenaga Kerja Indonesia), dalam Seminar Prospek Perekonomian 2006, FEUI.

Tergusurnya bahasa Indonesia

2005-11-28T16:33:00.000+07:00

"Banyak ... yang tidak punya ikatan emosional yang kuat pada bahasa Indonesia. Bahasa apa pun menjadi sekadar sarana promosi jualan, ujar ahli bahasa Anton M Moeliono dalam seminar Mencari jalan keluar dari kondisi bahasa Indonesia yang memprihatinkan, di Jakarta, Sabtu (26/11).

Menurut Anton, saat ini ada identifikasi antara peradaban yang tinggi dan mutu produk yang unggul dengan bahasa Inggris yang mengantarnya. Masyarakat percaya bahwa bahasa Inggris itu jadi jaminan mutu. Ia mencontohkan maraknya nama bahasa Inggris pada hotel, mal, restoran, bank, dan hiburan.

Ia menekankan bahwa kedwibahasaan atau ketribahasaan, tidak merugikan, bahkan menguntungkan pemakai bahasa asal saja tidak mengorbankan bahasa kebangsaan sendiri. Patut dicatat, lanjut Anton, bahwa globalisasi tidak mengakibatkan penginggrisan bahasa di Jerman, Perancis, Italia, Jepang, Korea, dan China seperti di Indonesia. Jadi, globalisasi tak perlu menjadi alasan penginggrisan berbagai kata dalam bahasa Indonesia..."

Yang ikut prihatin dan setuju dengan, atau ingin baca, opininya, sila klik di sini.

Annotated links to free blog tempates

2005-11-17T15:24:00.000+07:00

Anyone of you who has visited this blog more than once may have noticed that I tend to change templates after awhile. Yes, templates do amaze me with their capability to affect how blogs look and behave. They make blogs change dramatically at just some clicks! So, to template-designing artists who have been kind enough in offering freebies, this post is dedicated to all of you. To the rest of you who are end-users, like myself, this is to share with you the following good links. They are must-visit sources offering free blog templates--some of them were darn hard to find! (Sorted by my preference.)

1. BLOGSKINS; Exhaustive digging necessary, containing many rubbies but also much rubbish. I have found it impressive and very functional.
2. PANNASMONTATA A non-english site I just discovered, actually, but some of the most breath-taking templates I've ever seen are here! Just to give you an idea of what I mean by it, click here. Unfortunately there are only a handful templates for Blogger...
3. ISNAINI; Arguably one of the world's most productive template artists--and this guy's from Yogyakarta, Indonesia! Great pieces, some very exotic!
4. YE$ aka BLOGGER TEMPLATES Great, lovable templates! This is currently the source of my blog template. I wish the designer would update it. It's been a while, eh? (My suggestion to all template designers is to start considering tinkering with collapsible posts:)
5. NOIPO.ORG Neat pieces from Martyn in the Netherland. I have been a great fan of his templates.
6. CAZ Great artistic pieces from the Downunder by Caz. Some designs were made with female bloggers in mind.
7. BLOGFROCKS Possibly on hiatus now, but the female artists have created great templates for everyone. You will easily fall for them! No commenting system...aah!
8. KARYSIMA The last time I visited it, it contained a variety of free and paid templates. Always enjoyable.
9. POINT OF FOCUS Apparently I mistook this site for another, so my previous comments were rather misleading. This site does contain nothing but intriguing designs, and for this I just moved up its rank.
10. ERIS DESIGN Customizable elegant, business-like and formal templates--2-3 columns available.
11. FIRDAMATIC Customisable templates, 2-3 colums available.
12. EHSANY Not a huge collections, but contains Persian templates. With a slight retouching one or two could be darlings!
13. FLYABILITY Highly interesting pieces available. Highly recommended. Highly need for a commenting system, though.
14. BECCARY only four templates today; but quite neat and classy.
15. SPIDERMAN For the Spiderman fans no doubt, but the basic layouts and graphs are cool.
16. THEN THERE WAS DESIGN This growing source of templates has the potential to become something it aspires. Uh oh, I'm sounding an oldie...
17. WEBLOG DESIGNS Good looking but not so-ready-to-paste templates.
18. IMACLLANNI.COM Yet to read the terms and cond, but of all, i like the Beatles template most.
19. RAVASTHI Blogger-compliant. Professional looking. I found the layouting and coloring interesting, but some backgrounds are rather disturbing.
20. THURS TEMPLATES Good exercises in 2-3 columns. No update for quite some time. Not a nautical accident, I hope.
21. REAL SOLUTIONS Quite a few good templates, also with drawings and cartoons.
22. TEMPLATES 4 FREE Only few templates available currently.

PS:

1. Watch out this dark horse!
2. If you happen to know how to add a commenting systems for Blogger in a user-friendly way, please let me know. I followed the instructions from the Blogger Help section, but it didn't work well (the blame may have been mine, though).

(Updated and resorted on Nov. 18)

Islamic Banking: Fiqh and Financial Analysis

2005-11-11T00:02:00.000+07:00

Here's to hail the publication of Islamic Banking: Fiqh and Financial Analysis, a first-of-its-kind and reader-friendly textbook--a comprehensive premier that readily imparts the beauties and strengths of sharia banking as an alternative banking, even to the uninitiated. Perhaps not yet available in local bookstores, it has marked a milestone in the development of Islamic Banking in Indonesia. In its preface, Dawam Rahardjo, chairman of the International Institute of Islamic Thoughts in Indonesia, succinctly illustrates the early development of sharia banking in Indonesia. The author, Adiwarman Karim, presides the Karim Business Consulting, a Jakarta based firm with a presence in Singapore. Adiwarman has fared well in his attempt to combine the fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) perspective with that of finance. Published by Rajawali, the book is highly useful not only to those beginning to land on the subject but also to those already in the business.

Farewell to the ministers

2005-11-10T10:29:00.000+07:00

It's been almost three months since my post (in Bahasa) on the looming cabinet reshuffling, and things have gone off hand almost beyond the the government's control. Messy compensation programs resulting in soaring inflation, the poor performance of the Rupiah, plus other, unfathomable, God-only-knows factors saw the president with very little option other than using the last option: cabinet reshuffling--a poor term in itself, btw. According to JakPost, SBY finally announced yesterday he would replace one or two ministers only. Again, as I predicted. Personally, I'd rather see Ical being replaced, but he's too strong a man of "real politik" and wealth. So, I surmise the minister of finance Jusuf Anwar will have to receive the sack. Pak Andung, Minister of Industry, may be another victim. Former finance minister Boediono is the best successor for Jusuf Anwar. As for the candidate to replace Andung, a dark horse is possible and I cannot predict who. It remains interesting to see how all this unfolds...

The need to ghost-blog

2005-11-10T00:02:00.000+07:00

A. Fatih Syuhud's recent post on the need to ghost-blog has drawn my interest. He said he couldn't understand why on earth bloggers living in free democratic countries like in the US or Indonesia use pseudonyms. He wondered what they were afraid of. Well, a pseudonymous blogger myself, I hope this sharing of thoughts can be of use. In sum, I think fear has little or nothing to do with it.

A great deal of resources has been either invested or wasted in the realm of textual/literary criticism and discourse analysis amidst the battle of wits between the intrinsic and the extrinsic. Until today, the battle is not entirely resolved or satisfactorily settled. Critics that opt for the former approach have argued that a work cannot possibly have been made in void and thus better understanding can derive from understanding and knowledge of the background of the very person behind the work itself. The extrinsic have taken an opposite view. They believe the work itself should be the main focus of attention. Once a work is released to public domain, it thus becomes public and its interpretation therefore rests with the eyes of each beholder. Since postmodernism was a household word with deconstruction "theories", literary criticism has become more complex and textual truths have become relative (something that can be either virtuous or vicious, depending on the purpose of writing).

It is generally acknowledged now that readers are not free by default of personal bias. A writer's name to a reader may carry with him or her additional information (e.g. gender, geographical origin, and all the stereotypes or imageries associable with the name), and unless the reader is extra critical, s/he will already be led into certain bias or expectation even before s/he lays eyes on the the text. To one who is aware of the danger of biases (like Fatih himself), or to one who believes (as I do) that gender issues do exist, this is no small matter. One of the uses of pseudonyms, I believe, is to minimize such tendency. On the other side of the coin, some writers use pseudonyms as personal "liberation" so as to be able to hit the pen, or the keyboard, unrestrained or with ultimate freedom. They realize the disadvantage of remaining in obscurity but are willing to abandon their own person or personification so as to focus the pursuit on ideas. They believe in the importance of writing as well as that of being as accurately interpreted. They have as high regard for writing as for other people's reading of what they write. (Photo credit: Harapan MediaTech)

Inflasi kata-kata dan inflasi uang

2005-11-09T10:17:00.000+07:00

Tulisan bersambung Yosef Ardi dengan judul di atas di harian Bisnis Indonesia rasanya menarik diikuti. Rasanya bahkan seperti mendengar gema suara saya sendiri, seperti dalam beberapa postings re inflasi di Nad's Notes (The Curse of Inflation; Terpedaya oleh Angka, dll.--tips: ketik "inflation" atau "central bank" di kotak pencarian di bawah lalu enter :)). Siapa saja yang terlibat dalam pengambilan keputusan ekonomi nasional atau para mahasiswa atau calon pakar ekonomi yang mendalami mazhab mainstream harus membuka diri terhadap pemikiran alternatif. Saya sendiri sangat menganjurkan agar kita di Indonesia mendalami pemikiran para ekonom aliran Austria, yang memang kurang populer, tetapi jelas menegaskan sejak awal bahwa ilmu ekonomi bukan matematika.

The Perils of Sedekah, Infaq, Zakat or the like of it

2005-11-09T00:21:00.000+07:00

Schools of beggars flooded some mosques and thoroughfares last week, nearing the time of Eid Fitr celebration in the city and a few days after. Males and females, adults, children and even babies, most of them aggressively approached bypassers for money. A few were seen flocking desolutely on the sidewalks. Just to give a quick snapshot!

Jakarta isn't unique and 2005 is not a special year either. Major cities in Indonesia, such as Yogya, have started seeing such an unsighlty sight since a few years back. They only see it more often now. I can't say if a similar situation applies in other countries, especially where Moslems are majority, but it appears to me little inquiry has been made on the perils of such benevolent acts. Giving alms--be it sedekah or infaq (voluntary alms), zakat (mandatory alm) or the likes, is a noble deed indeed. The idealized concepts and benefits are beyond qualms, but it doesn't mean there aren't things to be critical about.

Voluntary and involuntary alms have great likelihood and pose many loopholes to be abused and misused, supply or demand wise alike. Of sedekah, infaq and zakat, all can be abused and misused. The first two are the most fragile, though, because there is no fixed amount as to how much and when one can be so generous as giving out money. Supply wise, they can be, and have indeed long been, abused as the and most liked and most flexible vehicles to launder filthy money, i.e. that which is obtained crookedly, e.g. through corruption. Demand wise, all of them have perilous potential to sedate when distributed improperly. The worst messages are that which tells lazy bones they are given carte blanche through poverty to God-sanctioned or man-made obligations (e.g. to fulfill God's instructions, to keep order and cleanliness or obey the traffic); that which tells them they are righted to beg and mistake begging as a profession. To me, there has been ironic confusion here, or a terrible mistake.

The general surmise is that the distribution system lacks the power to scrutinize the targeted recepients. Practical-minded charity givers usually have no capacity to know whether their alms eventually go to the intended needy souls or some lazy bones instead. Moreover, the precept is that they simply don't need to know. "The left hand does not need to know what the right hand is doing," so the teaching goes. Again, very noble, indeed. But that's partly the root of the problem. (Photo credit: Detick.com)

Moral--It is surprisingly difficult to give away money properly! The challenge is how to do it without encouraging the people to get the wrong message, steal, or beg ;)

Eid Fitr greetings for bloggers all over the world!

2005-11-02T20:46:00.000+07:00

With the last fasting day of Ramadan completed today, here's greetings and best wishes for all muslim bloggers on the celebration of Ied. To Indonesian muslims, "Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1 Syawal 1426H, semoga anda sekeluarga senantiasa dalam berkah dan lindunganNya." I also wanted to share with you some haikus on the festivities as well as on daily trivias.

Thou Shalt Not Kill

2005-11-01T10:14:00.000+07:00

"I wrote Thou Shalt Not Kill Unless Otherwise Instructed as a protest against the war, and not least, for a sane fight against terrorism." --Mike Sharpe

Dan.. Anda pun Terhipnotis

2005-10-29T00:35:00.000+07:00

Kontan tabloid no. 6 hari ini memuat artikel dengan judul di atas, tentang juru hipnotis muda bernama Romy Rafael dalam acara reality show-nya di TV dan usaha klinik hipnotisnya. Sekian kali saya menonton acaranya dan acara-acara serupa di teve, sekian kali itu pula menjadi geram sendiri atas kebohongan-kebohongan yang dipertontonkan buat khalayak pemirsa. Pihak media, sebagai penyandang gelar pilar keempat demokrasi dengan misinya yang--konon--agung, seharusnya tertantang untuk menyelidiki kesahihan dan kebenaran acara demikian, bukan mengekspos keanehan tanpa tertarik sedikitpun untuk memberi penjelasan rasional. Rakyat yang semakin susah hidupnya memang perlu hiburan segar, tapi bukan dengan menyajikan pepesan kosong yang kian mengaburkan batas-batas realitas dan absurditas.

A new blog

2005-10-28T01:47:00.000+07:00

Started a new blog. Somewhat laconic, but it suits my mood these days. Dedicated to L, my only daughter; hope she recovers soon :(

On Decision Making

2005-10-24T09:52:00.000+07:00

"There is another angle to this. We may also choose to do nothing --like the late prime minister of India, Narasimha Rao, who was famous for not making decisions even on crucial matters of state. Not making a decision was also a decision. Another chief minister (from my home province in India) was well known for his non-committal replies. 'We will see' (neither 'yes' nor 'no') became a hallmark of his nine-year administration." -- D. Chandramouli, Jakpost Oct. 24

On Fasting

2005-10-24T09:51:00.000+07:00

The challenge is not just fasting from dawn to dusk, but in avoiding the temptation to overeat after the fast is over.
Fasting is not an end in itself. It is a process -- a journey one goes through, with a positive outlook, to test the power of mind over body. -- D. Chandramouli, Jakpost Oct. 24

Some notes about my Notes

2005-10-23T10:47:00.000+07:00

NN is under reconstruction. Our maintenance division is working hard to crack the problem ;)
NN will be up and blogging soon. Thanks.

Update: I have sort of finished modifying this "old" template by Caz. The problem I'm having now is that it doesn't view well with my browser, Opera, or with Firefox. It behaves the way I wanted under the Internet Explorer. (Blogging Lesson #102: Don't fight your browser!) I also have to fix the bug with the Freefind search. *Sigh*

On human choices

2005-10-19T00:24:00.000+07:00

The Paradox of Choice; Why more is less, Barry Schwartz.We might have an abundance of options, but the multiplicity conceals within it hidden costs. Rather than liberating us, the banquet of choices available to us has enslaved, tyrannized and paralyzed us. Schwartz seeks to undermine from within the whole idea of the self-interested, utility-maximizing consumer, arguing that the theory of choice ignores the fact that the very act of maximizing desires tend to leave us all worse off. It assumes too much: that we are all-time rational, independent individuals, and capable of making up minds without regrets. Many goods we seek are "positional", e.g. having the best haircult in the class or the nicest view of the lake, all impossible to achieve.

The Era of Choice: The ability to Choose and its Transformation of Contemporary Life, Edward Rosenthal. Less polemical, more eclectic in intellectual influences, but rather flabby and digressing. Edward wants to demonstrate that the ability to choose "has transformed what we are as persons and as a society." Like Schwartz, believes we are not always adept at weighing up risks. We fear getting into an aeroplance while at same time we may be happy to smoke ourselves to death.

The Laws of Fear: Beyond the Precautionary Principle, Cass Sunstein. Salient sources of fear, e.g. of terror. war, pandemic,etc . Citizen consumers suffer from systematic "probability neglect," whereby they ignore the probability of harm and focus on the worst possible outcome, irrespective the likelihood. This is the main problem, at least in today's living. This precautionary principle, which began in Europe, simply means that in risky situations we should fear the worst and then play safe. Argues that this principle is an incoherent and potentially dangerous response to them. Overall, the idea of utility-maximizing consumer has its uses but turns out to be too shallow a foundation on which to construct either a social theory or a human identity. (Notes from James Harkin's reviews, FT, Oct. 15-16.)

On the ability to mend and repair

2005-10-18T23:30:00.000+07:00

"Repairing and restoring are difficult and slow arts. It's become a cliche, but is nevertheless true, that we live in a throw-away society, where seven or eight times out of 10 is cheaper to discard an appliance than to mend it. Many objects are designed to be more and less unmendable."

... The ability to repair and mend things is deeply connected to the ability to repair and mend ourselves." -- Harry Eyres, FT Last Word, Oct 15-16, 2005

Bird flu and its pandemic risk

2005-10-17T09:24:00.000+07:00

To update my earlier post on the subject (titled 'The Pandemic of Our Time'), here's a link from ADB sent to me by John MacDougall on the avian influenza and the risk of an influenza pandemic. One who finds it rather ADB-ish can instead trace this link from WHO (but then it may be a bit WHO-ish).

Sahur Blogging 4: Quote of the Week / On Scarcity

2005-10-13T05:44:00.000+07:00

"Capital isn't scarce; vision is." Sam Walton, as narrated by Simpleology guru Mark Joyner

Sahur Blogging 3: Sign of the Town

2005-10-13T05:16:00.000+07:00

The sign more or less reads: "It's your choice, Sir. Speeding or Reckless Driving=swollen face or damaged car/motorbike. Slower Driving=Safety." It was not a standard sign made by the DLLAJR, the local traffic authority. I've come across such street signs not only in my vicinity but also in the many somewheres I have travelled in the country. They invariably overwhelm me with mixed feelings. One interpretation, I guess, is that it reflects what one thinks of the underpinnings and fabrics of the society." I may want to share my own interpretation later on. Have you BTW ever thought this way?

Sahur Blogging 2: The Ulysses Awards

2005-10-12T04:31:00.000+07:00

"Verdicts" by the Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage will be out this Saturday (15 Oct), and I'm somewhat looking forward to the results (as if it would prove me something). According to OpenDemocracy the finalists are:

* Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq, by Riverbend;
* Of Wars: Letters to Friends”, by Caroline Emcke;
* Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier, by Alexandra Fuller ;
* A Season in Mecca: Account of a Pilgrimage, by Abdellah Hammoudi;
* The Outlaw Sea: Chaos and Crime on the World’s Oceans, by William Langewiesche;
* Maximum City: Bombay lost and found, by Suketu Mehta;
* Death in the Little Pentagon: The Secret Killing Fields of the Peruvian Army, by Ricardo Uceda.

It quickly came to my mind that most of these writings were promises of a wealth of "classic" extremes--abnormal or twisted situations or views of life being taken as the central focuses: wars and crimes, criming and soldiering. They are great themes every writer envious to write about, but war stories have cloyed me up here. Great reports they are, they come with a question for us to answer, on why in our age we still have to be exposed with such horrors and monstrositites. I've learned enough how some societal fabrics are spun in this life, so I hardly found nomination of such stories surprising. In fact, my guess is that the Baghdad Burning may be the winner, due to the double (if not multi-) sensations that the work carries with it. It is about living the Post-Saddam Hussein's Iraq (whose occupation by international troops was a modern time tragedy in itself) and the fact it was taken from a blog written by a blogger who is Iraqian by the name of Riverbend, who is a 27 year old female. My sympathy with what's been going on in and with Iraq and the people has nothing to do with this, but finding Baghdad Burning win will be cause enough for me to take a long deep breath and to smile relief; otherwise, my next hope is A Season in Mecca.

Sahur Blogging

2005-10-11T04:00:00.000+07:00

The first week of Ramadhan will be over today, and 3 more weeks are ahead. Things of significance (or the lack thereof) have unfolded quietly, and I've just been unable to post on anything since the first day of the holy month. Outside my windows muezzin's calls for early morning prayers are pierching the lazy windy morning. I still have nothing to crow about, but this is definitely my first sahur blogging.

Happy Ramadhan!

2005-10-04T10:12:00.000+07:00

Best wishes and greetings in peace to all Muslims in the world on the coming of the holy month of self restraint: Marhaban, ya Ramadhan!

Indonesia's Fuel Subsidy-Reduction Compensation Program

2005-10-04T09:53:00.000+07:00

(Program Kompensasi Pengurangan Subsidi Bahan Bakar Minyak -- PKPS-BBM Tahun 2005)

Following is a complete summary of the government's plans relating to its subsidy reduction program. Reliability is very high; all data have been gathered from scattered governmental sources and media reports.

Sector of Education
Total amount: 6.27 trillion rupiah.
Programs:
i) Bantuan Operasional Sekolah (BOS ) - Block grants for state and private elementary as well as junior-high schools including: SD/MI/SDLB/SMP; MTs/SMPLB; To support the mandatory 9-year basic education policy
ii) Bantuan Khusus Murid (BKM) - Special Assistance for students of senior high schools, state and private, including SMA/SMK/MA/SMLB. Executing agencies: Minister of education and Minister of Religion.
Beneficiary: 28,65 million of elementary students and 10,85 million of junior high students
Time frame: Starting 1st semester of 2005-2006 education year.

Sector of Health
Total amount: 3.87 trillion rupiah.
Programs:
i) Program Jaminan Pemeliharaan Kesehatan bagi Masyarakat Miskin (PJKMM), or Program to Guarantee Health Maintenance for the Poor, namely free health service provision at Puskesmas and its networks, health referrals, and in-patient treatment in appointed state or private hospitals (Class III in-patients), with funding channeled by PT. ASKES;
ii) Program Penyelenggaraan Pelayanan Kesehatan di Puskesmas Puskesmas service provision and referrals to appointed hospital (Class-III in-patients) with funding channeled by authorized budget users appointed by Minister of Health. Executing agency: Minister of Health
Beneficiary: 36,146,700 poor.
Time frame: Starting 1 July - 31 Dec. 2005

Sector of Infrastructure
Total amount: 3.34 trillion rupiah.
Programs:
Infrastructure development for backward villages. Each village will get Rp250 m per year. Executing agency: Minister of Public Works.
Beneficiary: 12.834 poor villages; selection of poor villages with help from Ministry for Development of Left Behind Regions. Note: According to statistics poor villages amount to
28.000.
Time framce: August 2005 onward.

ADDITIONAL PLUGGED-IN INCENTIVE PROGRAMS AS OF 1 OCTOBER (a.k.a. THE OCTOBER 1st INCENTIVE PACKAGES)

Intended stakeholders: i) Low income households; ii) farmers; iii) laborers; and, iv) businesspeople.

Coverage:
A.Fiscal incentives;
B. Reform in the trade sector;
C. Reform in the transportation sector;
D. Presidential decree on Govt's Purchase Price of rice;
E. Direct cash subsidy.

A. The fiscal incentives. Objective: A number of policies aimed to stengthen industrial competitiveness, improve business climate and compensate to household groups (particularl workers) not targetted at the direct cash programi. Time frame: Effective October 1, 2005 up to January 2006.
Scope:
1. Status change of value added taxation on primary products to non-taxable goods. Purpose: To give incentives to primary agricultural products. Time frame: Effective January 2006.
2. Postponement of State non-tax revenue charges to export and import transactions. Objective: To smoothen and ease transactional costs in exportation/importation. Time frame: Specifics will be stipulated in the amendment of PP No. 44/2003, which will be effective for 3 months starting November 1, 2005.
3. Uplifting ceiling of nontaxable income brackets. Objective: to ease taxpaying burden particularly to low income workers. PTKP subject to tax will increase from Rp 1 million per month to Rp 1,1 million per month. Time frame: January 1, 2006.
4. Exemption of import tariffs for some products. Objective: to improve industrial competitiveness to users particularly SMEs. In regard to sugar, import duties will be reduced by heeding the interests of sugar cane farmers, processing industry and end users. Import duties will be totally uplifted to the following products:
a) Raw materials and heavy-duty industrial components, to 0%;
b) Importation of engine assemblies for public transport, to 0%;
c) Import duties for sugar:
- Raw sugar import duties reduced from Rp 550/kg to Rp 250/kg;
- Rafinated sugar from Rp 790/kg to Rp 550/kg;
- White sugar from Rp 790/kg to Rp 550/kg;
d) Import duties for energy-related converter kits.

5. Expediting cancellation of regional regulations on taxes and retributions. Objective: to improve business climate; on-going program, part of the government's annual workplan for 2005 and 2006, for which purpose the law No. 34/2002 will be amended.
6. Reduction of tax basis for public-transport vehicles.
Objective: to ease the burden of public transportation, subject to MOHA regulation No 16/2005.

B. Reform in the Trade Sector. Objective: Efforts to smoothen flows of goods so as to increase industrial competitiveness and product domestic products from unfair competition.
Scope:
(a) Termination of technical verification processes in importation of salt and sugar for pharmacheutical purposes; tire cord; filter cloth; gunny cloth (goni); and gunny- sacks.
(b) Addition of priority and green lanes to importing producers;
(c) Combating smuggling by applying the so called red line to general importers of lubricant, cigarrettes, garments, shoes, cosmetics, and electronic goods, and tightening the checking of Letters of Origin (SKA).

C. Reform in the Transportation Sector. Objective: Endeavor to curb high cost economy. Attainment of lower cost is expected to improve competitiveness of Indonesia's products in domestic and international markets and strengthen domestic economic integration. Main target in the reform is more competitive agricultural products.
Scope:
a) Reduction of truck-weighing stations (jembatan timbang) from 127 to 64;
b) Reduction of container handling charge (CHC) and set surcharges to not exceed 50%, which is expected to lower terminal handling charge (THC) from US$ 150/container to US$ 93;
c) Cancellation of 36 local govt-imposed regulations in the sector exempting charges on overloaded containers; time frame: effective October 2005.

D. Presidential decree on Govt's Purchase Price of rice. Objective: Through amendment of Presidential decree no 2/2005, it aims to maintain stability of farmers' income vis a vis the fuel price hikes.
Scope: The GOI will increase by 36.2% its purchase price of unhusked rice from farmers; the GOI is indicating to increase the rice price by 34.4%. Time frame: The decree on rice takes effect on 1 January 2006

E. Direct cash subsidy. In place of commodity-subsidy, the GOI is now implementing direct cash subsidy 15.5 low-income households (approx. 30% of national households). Time frame: 1 October 2005 until end of the year (3 months of October through December 2005. Possible continuation until end of 2006. Amount: Rp 100.000 per month.

Vouchers for direct cash subsidies for poor families, Rp300,000 for 3 months: October, November and December 2005, to cover 15.5 million families, or 62 million people

Mechanism:

1. BPS to census the poor;
2. Data to be sent to and validated by Ministry of Social Welfare;
3. The Ministry to instruct PT Pos Indonesia to print the fuel compensation vouchers;
4. Vouchers to be distributed to regional postal offices;
5. Regional postal offices to cooperate with local governments;
6. Vouchers to be distributed to Kecamatan (sub-districts) all over Indonesia;
7. Kecamatan to distribute vouches to Kelurahan (Village offices);
8. Village officials to hand in vouchers to beneficiaries.

Variables to Identify the poor:
1. Size of home less than 10m2;
2. Floor made of soil, bamboo, wood;
3. Walls of low quality
4. Dependence on public toilets/latrines;
5. Unprotected source of water;
6. Nonelectrification;
7.Use of wood or carcoal for cooking;
8. Consume no meat in last 1 weekl;
9. Meal frequency only once a day;
10. No new clothing in last 1 year;
11. No financial capacity to go to puskesmas or hospital when ill;
12.Breadwinner has a job;
13.Breadwinner eduicated as low as elementary school level or less;
14. Owning assets of Rp 500, 000 or less;
15. Recipient of no business credits in last 1 year.

Classification
Very poor: 16 million
Poor : 24 million
Near poor : 22 million
Total: 62 million

MAIN ISSUES

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Issues: Widespread perception of totally free education, while actually it is very highly limited. Each schools is allowed to charge students if the amount of BOS subsidy is smaller than its actual need.

HEALTH PROGRAMS

Issues: Actual numbers being bigger than that targeted by the center, local governments are expected to mobilize additional funds; but this assumption is too optimistic. There have been reports on rejection of some appointed hospitals in providing services to the poor.

RURAL INFRASTUCTURE PROGRAMS

Issues: This program cannot cater to all needy villages. By design it only cover about 50% of the nation's poor. Even some regions that have been selected as beneficiaries still have not enjoyed it.

DIRECT SUBSIDIES

Issues: Inaccuracy and discrepancy of data on the poor. Susceptibility to corruption.>

The Year of Living Utopianly

2005-10-04T00:35:00.000+07:00

If complaining changed things, the world would've been a better place long before the first time we discovered it.

The other day I found a small writing pad from last year's symposium of the "National Symposium on Poverty Reduction in Indonesia." I'd been following the issue in the last two years, but on that particular other day a personal conclusion was established: all such stuff simply doesn't work. It'll only be terrible wastes of resources. Nah, that's quite an establishment, but not a complaint (and I'm not complaining either now). In fact I also made a vow to refrain from complaining to or cursing about the government--even silently ;p The problem any government faces in making changes is no dissimilar in nature to the difficulty a citizen faces in affecting personal changes.

OK, now I just want to take some notes on a reality-check article from William Easterly. He recently wrote on something that crossed my mind: the practically futile efforts in the "politically correct," formal fight against poverty. He wrote about the fiasco too, at the global level that is, with amazingly familiar conclusions.

Democracy Comes Second

2005-10-04T00:03:00.000+07:00

When system fails, people go for personality. Sometimes I think my country needs enlightened bigotry, though I realize the term is contraditio in terminis. Still, Guido Tabellini will be unforgiven--for his reminders on Democracy quoted almost intact below, from Democracy Comes Second.

"But how important is democracy for economic success? Not much, the empirical evidence suggests. This might appear surprising. After all, is it not true that virtually all rich countries have democratic forms of government, while the poorest countries (mainly in Africa) are non-democracies?"

"The positive correlation between income and democracy that one sees across countries could be due to reverse causation: democracy is more likely to persist as a country grows richer. It could also be due to special historical or cultural circumstances: some societies are just more successful than others, both in terms of economic development and with regard to their ability to develop and maintain democratic political institutions.

Who was tolling the bell?

2005-10-03T10:08:00.000+07:00

The three blasts shattering parts of Bali, Indonesia, put a tarnish image yet again on the bloody face of Islam in general and the moslems in the country in particular. Jemaah Islamiyah was already branded the alleged culprits. Rohan Gunaratna, head of a terrorism research center in Singapore said, "The only the group with motives and capabilities to attact western interests in Indonesia in a coordinated fashion is Jemaah Islamiyah." A fatal labelling, if you asked me. These days some local tv stations are running amateurish videos from a tourist (with identity protected) who happened to be videoing the site before one of the blasts. They were all three suicidal bombs, concluded the police, rather too quickly. Were they? if anything, all this news has eclipsed reports on the first "bomb" when the government hiked the fuel prices--a decision feared to kill many poor.

Moreover, before the blasts foreign governments had issued several warnings of the possible acts of terrorism. But who blew them off? what was the motive? How on earth could agencies predict terrors? Endless questions continue being asked and as many answers are being made available. Conspiracy theories eventually work to provide the thinking paths one wants to believe in the attempt to design "truths." Conspiracy theories work best when they are impossible to prove.

Thus Donne's question "For whom the bell tolls?" is as vague a pertinent one to ask as mine: "Who was tolling the bell?" The truth either doesn't exist, or it has fled the country. The hoi polloi cannot any more expect or afford a "one-size-for-all."

G30S-BBM and the Bali Blasts

2005-10-02T22:48:00.000+07:00

the last two mornings and nights of september saw jakarta an unusually jammed city. cars and motorbikes lined up along the roads where gas stations were, making the queues for fueling the engines. one local newspaper headlined a warning: watchout for the G-30S-BBM, alluding the government's plan to hike fuel prices to a mystery still shrouding the country's history with the 30th september 1965 a coup d'tat.

the eve of this new month of october sent omens for the rest of the year. with the holy month of ramadhan coming very soon, the government on late 30th September finally announced the outrageous news most people had feared to hear: the second fuel price hikeof the year since last march. like many people, i had anticipated the bad news, but still couldn't escape from the shattering news. the hike turned out to be at an average of 126.6%! the figure had come from nowhere transparent. government officials including the vice president himself had explicitly said it would be just around 50%-60%.

as if the blow were't fatal enough. on the way to the airport i heard from a local radio evening news that two bombs went off at kafe nyoman and kafe menega in jimbaran, and another one at kuta square, bali, killing more than twenty locals and tourists and injuring even many more...

Blogging Axioms and Rules in but 1 Post

2005-09-27T23:06:00.000+07:00

I honestly don't know much about Seth Godin, but I think he has something to say. I got the link to his latest ebook on blogging from Enda Nasution's. Click here should you want to grab the free PDF file. To busy fellows who want to get the gist of it, well I hope what follows is good enough:

Three axioms about the blogosphere (Seth calls them "truths")

Clutter: The amount of noise we're living with is exploding and it is changing everything. When you apply for a job, so do a thousand other people. No one cares about you. Almost no one even knows you exist.

Quality: Despite the so kalled the decline of western civilization, more stuff is better and cheaper than it was. As a result, we've become astonishingly picky about what we buy, watch and read. When it's something we care about, we go to enormous lengths to find the best.

(Un)Selfishness: Bloggers may be selfless, but blog readers are selfish. The readers are strict. They have very little choice because they have have as little time when there's a whale to read. A tool like RSS can make a big difference for bloggers to get heard.

On some blogging rules (He dubs them "laws)

Blogging calls for credibility. It's not who you are, it's what you say. Besides, on the Internet, everybody knows you're just a dog. But then again, it doesn't matter what you say, it matters who you are.

Better blog WITH and FOR your audience, not AT or TO it. Because the audience isn't yours. It belongs to itself and it has as much license as you do. Talk about the dramatically changing relationship between writers and readers.

Most great blogs have these components: 1. Candor; 2. Urgency; 3. Timeliness; 4. Pithiness; 5. Controversy; (6. Utility).

Blogs are like movies, working best over time. One frame of a movie isn't enough and one post on a blog isn't enough to make a huge difference.

Small is the new big only when the person running the small thinks big. Bloggers, don't wait! Get small. Think big!

Polemik yang Harus Segera Berakhir

2005-09-26T11:49:00.000+07:00

Polemik tentang perlu tidaknya pemerintah mengurangi subsidi masih berlanjut. Jumat minggu lalu (23/9), Pemerintah lewat Jusuf Kalla bertekad menaikkan harga minyak sambil secara paralel akan memberi santunan kepada kaum miskin untuk menekan ekses jangka pendeknya. Persentase kenaikan tetap belum diumumkan. Ribuan orang dari berbagai lapisan masyarakat turun ke jalan untuk memprotes hasil keputusan tersebut. Bahkan jutaan penduduk Indonesia terbagi dua dalam pandangan mereka terhadap perlu tidaknya kenaikan harga BBM untuk kedua kalinya tahun ini. Pejabat atau mantan pejabat pemerintah, anggota atau mantan anggota parlemen serta TNI terus bersilang pendapat. Sebagian setuju, sebagian menolak. Persoalan fundamental yang selama ini tampaknya cukup membingungkan dan menimbulkan perbedaan pandangan masyarakat.

Debat semacam ini harus diakhiri, sebab soal mendasarnya memang bukan itu. Menyubsidi BBM adalah ide yang sungguh amat buruk! Silakan sediakan waktu untuk menyimak tulisan jernih dan lugas saudara Priyadi mengenai hal ini. Dua posting dari blogger ini merupakan argumentasi terbaik tentang polemik perlu tidaknya penghapusan BBM, dan saya senang bisa mendapatkan tulisan dengan kualitas yang cukup tinggi. Priyadi menekankan bahwa cara terbaik untuk kemajuan Indonesia adalah dengan tidak menyubsidi BBM. Beberapa kekeliruan berpikir terkait isu sensitif ini berhasil ia soroti dan urai dengan singkat namun tetap jelas. Priyadi mencoba meyakinkan, bahwa soal mendasarnya bukan tentang perlu tidaknya subsidi BBM dihapuskan (the why), melainkan menyangkut kapan waktu yang tepat dan bagaimana caranya--the when dan the how. Mengenai isu ini, kita sudah memasuki wilayah mikro yang memerlukan kajian mendalam, khususnya oleh dan bagi mereka yang terlibat langsung dalam pengambilan keputusan.

Sebaiknya pemerintah segera mengumumkan berapa persentase kenaikan untuk bulan depan. Perlu pula diarusutamakan bahwa isu tentang BBM bukanlah isu kabinet atau pemerintahan semata, melainkan isu nasional. Oleh karena itu harus ada kesepakatan atau kebijakan nasional yang jelas. Kebijakan penghapusan subsidi energi harus dituntaskan sesegera mungkin dengan sequincing yang jelas. Jadi tidak penting, siapa kelak yang akan menjabat pemerintahan, subsidi energi harus dihapuskan.

Trying to blog with Writely (beta ver...

2005-09-25T22:30:00.000+07:00

Trying to blog with Writely (beta version)

The Pandemic of Our Time?

2005-09-23T17:23:00.000+07:00

We should worry a bit. Panic can wait. A reading about the avian influenza in today's National Geographic (Indonesian version) sent chills down to my spines. Very little do we know about this. Following are some links to the latest info. Is Asian Bird Flu the Next Pandemic?

"Are we scaring people? I don't know," he said. "But rather than springing on people some terrible event, it's better that they get emotionally ready for what they could face. We think a pandemic is coming. Nobody knows when. But it is good to get people prepared before it arrives."

World Unprepared for "Bird Flu" Pandemic, Experts Say

"Vaccines can be effective against some influenza strains, but they currently promise little help in the event of an avian flu pandemic." "[Medical] technology has improved, but the capacity to make vaccines is not great," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the Bethesda, Maryland-based National Institutes of Health. "We have to be careful we don't assume we have everything that we need—because we don't."

Kekebeletan yang Memiskinkan

2005-09-17T14:07:00.000+07:00

Sebenarnya bagaimana sih caranya memastikan dengan tingkat kepercayaan yang cukup bahwa kapasitas produksi minyak mentah pengilangan minyak x adalah y ton barel per hari? Bagaimana kita bisa tahu kapal anu pengangkut minyak mentah membawa z ton barel? Berhubung melibatkan volume yang besar, sistem peneraan volume dalam produksi minyak pasti tidak sesensitif peranti tera pada SBU. Tapi siapa yang mengaudit produksi minyak di negeri ini? Bagaimana kinerja dan kredibilitasnya? Apa pernah kita pertanyakan hal beginian?

Pencurian dan penyelewengan hasil produksi minyak milik rakyat Indonesia, sebagaimana dilaporkan oleh media baru-baru ini re Lawe-Lawe, mustahil baru. Pasti sudah dari dulu. Lagi pula, ini bukan dugaan; ini hasil obrolan saya dengan mantan pejabat di bidang perminyakan. Salah satu harian nasional hari ini menurunkan beberapa tulisan yang intinya senada. Mana ada yang pernah atau mampu menghitung berapa besar kerugian rakyat Indonesia selama ini!

Perlu saya sebut di sini, program penghilangan subsidi BBM memang suatu kebijakan yang perlu didukung. Saya juga mendukung penuh. Namun, penghilangan subsidi ini mesti dilakukan dengan benar dan adil (fair), yaitu setelah pemerintah memaksimalkan efisiensi produksi minyak. Kalau harga BBM dinaikkan Pemerintah secara drastis 50% atau lebih, seperti disebut Nyonya Mulyani dan Tuan Kalla, tanpa pemerintah melakukan sesuatu terhadap hal-hal mendasar di atas, ini sama artinya menganggap bahwa semua hal mendasar di atas mengada-ada. Padahal hal-hal tersebut untuk kepentingan bersama kita sebagai anak bangsa.

Bahwa kompensasi kenaikan BBM secara langsung dari pemerintah kepada orang-orang miskin akan berjalan sesuai harapan adalah suatu asumsi yang sangat mahal! Tapi, taruhlah harapan ini dapat terpenuhi 100%. Kebijakan penaikan harga BBM secara mendadak mendekati harga minyak dunia akan membuktikan diri sebagai satu dari sekian program pemiskinan rakyat. Segelintir orang, akan untung--mis. para penyelundup dan oknum serta aparat yang terlibat. Mayoritas rakyat Indonesia akan "buntung"; kita akan merasakan kemelaratan yang semakin merata.

Kenaikan BBM akan menaikkan hampir semua harga. Inflasi sebagai konsekuensinya adalah keniscayaan, karena hampir semua produk jasa dan konsumsi terkait langsung dengan transportasi. Kapan tekanan inflasi akan mengendur, ini tidak dapat dipastikan, kecuali bahwa tekanan tersebut akan bertahan lebih lama dari 3 bulan (sedangkan program subsidi langsung secara kontan akan diberikan selama 3 bulan). Sementara itu, tingkat bunga perbankan dan non-perbankan akan meningkat dan sumber-sumber pendanaan akan semakin mahal didapat.

Mengapa pemerintah kita tampaknya "kebelet" untuk menaikkan harga BBM tanpa memaksimalkan efisiensi dulu? Ada kepentingan "pasar" dalam hal ini. Hanya sejumlah kecil dari penduduk Indonesia mengetahui, bahwa mulai bulan Nopember nanti Pertamina untuk pertama kalinya akan melepas monopoli penjualan bensin di Indonesia, sehingga konglomerasi penjaja bensin swasta, seperti Shell dan Petronas, akan dapat menjual bensin mereka di pasaran Indonesia. Jadi, kekebeletan ini pasti akan baik untuk kemashalatan mereka, tetapi juga akan sangat mencekik leher rakyat Indonesia.

Tapi apa benar masalahnya sehitam-putih begini? Kok, mudah sekali; padahal ratusan juta penduduk ini terbagi dua antara mereka yang setuju dan tidak setuju dengan penghilangan subsidi.

Good Governance in Indonesia: Principle #1

2005-09-16T23:57:00.000+07:00

One cannot afford to be too general when talking about good governance (GG). Given the gargantuan issues in the spectrum, GG can only be dealt with effectively, de- and re-constructed meaningfully under limited designs and confines. In the context of Indonesia, a country so much fiscally strapped when one third of its budget is allocated to debt servicing, GG issues should be more limited and sharply focused if one wants to maintain coherence. Realism should be applied at all times; know that in Indonesia GG means more or less "good enough governance."

Good Governance in Indonesia: Principle #2

2005-09-16T12:00:00.000+07:00

Priority is a crucial principle, too. Take for instance the time after the downfall of Soeharto. The government decided to prioritize on salvaging the banking industry. That was one grand mistake. The government should have let the collapsing banks collapse. The money could've been used to reform... the military, for example.

Selamat Tinggal, Tuan Menteri?

2005-09-12T15:50:00.000+07:00

Justru SBY sendiri yang di awal kepemimpinannya, November tahun lalu, menyatakan akan mengkaji ulang kinerja para pembantunya. Ketika dicecar para pewarta setelah menyampaikan paket ekonominya di ujung Agustus lalu, ia menjawab akan konsisten dengan kebijakannya. Memang banyak pihak yang menyuarakan desakan serupa, tapi hal tersebut bukan murni menagih janji, melainkan dilatari jatuhnya nilai rupiah hingga mendekati titik nadir krisis Juli 1997, saat 1 dolar mencapai Rp 14 ribuan. Pihak-pihak ini menuntut perombakan kabinet, khususnya para menteri urusan ekonomi.

Akankah SBY melakukan merombak kabinet? Tahan sebentar: apakah perombakan bentuk jawaban terbaik? Menurut saya, kita tidak bisa bilang ya secara definitif. Kita toh tahu, pergantian bukan jaminan yang akan menghasilkan satu atau sederet nama yang cocok. Lagi pula, memangnya banyak tokoh sejati di negeri pertiwi ini? Pergantian menteri hanya akan berefek positif jika kinerja para penggantinya lebih baik dan tidak mendapat resistensi politik. Jadi, ada risiko tersendiri dengan pergantian susunan menteri.

"Mungkin" adalah kata yang tepat, dengan catatan bahwa pilihan perombakan kabinet hanya akan diambil sebagai "kartu truf" terakhir sang Presiden. Sementara, SBY akan menunda keputusan ini sambil menunggu perbaikan kinerja rupiah. Pertimbangannya adalah sbb: pertama, kalau kebijakan perombakan tertempuh, SBY akan melakukannya secara menyeluruh. Demi konsistensi dan tatakrama ketimuran. Strategi menyelamatkan muka masih diperlukan bagi kita, sebagai bangsa yang agak muna. Kedua, yang cukup aman bagi SBY adalah mencopot para menteri yang tidak memiliki dukungan kuat parpol, atau yang bukan hasil penunjukan politis oleh parpol, misalnya saja menteri perdagangan, menteri industri, atau menteri keuangan.

Pertimbangan lain, mengingat bola panas reshuffling dilatari oleh kegagalan kebijakan ekonomi menyangkut nilai rupiah dan kenaikan inflasi, maka sasaran tembak yang tepat adalah melengserkan menteri keuangan. Untuk itu, skenario yang cukup elegan dan berkesan santun begini: menteri tersebut akan diminta secara halus untuk mundur dari jabatan, atas alasan kesehatan.

Jika kita telusuri terus skenario ini, maka pertanyaan berikutnya adalah: siapa yang pas menggantikan menteri Jusuf Anwar? Mantan penyanyi Randi Anwar, atau Syamsul Anwar mantan petinjukah? Ini pertanyann lain. Jawabannya perlu posting tersendiri. Sementara menunggu posting berikutnya, kalau saya masih tertarik menelusurinya, mari pinjam perkataan menteri tersebut tatkala rupiah mendekati ceban tempo hari:

Don't worry; be happy, lah!

A Great Folly

2005-09-11T23:35:00.000+07:00

i, for one, used to think that motorists were the blessed ones: they would inherit jakarta roads. they could still ride on faily freely when roads became congested with cars like tins with sardines. now i am seeing things much worse these days. it's becoming more and more real...

go pass my town, ciputat, where traffic jam smirks in front of the big police office. pick any morning, and you'll witness forlorn police officers blow whistles in vain. they don't have the capacity to excercise their simplest duty. the problem was hard enough for them then. it is harder now as it will stand beyond belief, very soon. the police should be among the first to scream about this monstrosity, but do they ever use this line of thinking?

i've posted articles elsewhere in my old blog on how many new cars are adding everyday in indonesia or in this illfated town alone. have had no wonder why people in rich countries are unwilling to buy personal cars. they don't really them; what for? car producing countries blabber on the need to construct more roads, and more freeways. this won't help. more toll roads go in harmony only with their own interest, so that they can export their cars. with our needs for basic needs?

mainstream economists take the growing number of vehicles available within in country as an economic indicator. if anything, it is to be used as an indicator of folly of a government unable to provide basic transport infrastructure to its people.

welfare has been insufficiently measured by gross domestic products. its calculation should take into account how much time one needs to travel from one's home to office and back home again.

does it matter what we drive or what we ride on? one day the city traffic will find us helplessly paralyzed, totally immobilized.

A Country on the Make

2005-09-09T13:23:00.000+07:00

IN MEMORIAM: CAK NUR
(Photo credit: http://www.pergerakan-indonesia.org/)

Following are Cak Nur's, or Nurcholish Madjid's, living thoughts on Indonesia as far as I could grasp them, based on a meeting with him on 21 February 2002, Venue: Campus of Paramadina Mulya, Jl. Gatot Subroto Jakarta. It's also an excerpt from Towards a New Indonesia, a book that I compiled in 2002. While part of the plethora of problems Indonesia faces today is believed to have stemmed from its past, insight into its history and sufficient knowledge about what has shaped the country today may contribute in the processes of identifying and solving the problems as well as the nation building. In this part, Nurcholish Madjid presented historical insight into the country, starting off by highlighting the country's relative similarities with and differences from its older brother, Japan.

For over three thousand years, the Japanese culture has been such a continuous phenomenon. It's very amazing: 3ooo years without real interruption, despite the fact that the people borrowed some things from outside from everywhere in the world, for example China, which makes it-although not very unique, very interesting. Indonesia, too, borrowed the Latin alphabet for its language.

But one thing that makes it very sharply different from Indonesia is Japan being a very homogenous country. If it is not strictly speaking, then in term of education, which is just about the same from one end to the other, just like America, which is also the same from end to end. On the contrary, Indonesia still suffers from developmental gap. Some of us here in Jakarta have already gone into what Toffler dubbed as the Third Wave; quite a few Indonesians have already entered the second wave, but most of us still dwell in the third wave, being agrarian, something that had been begun by the Sumerians six thousands years ago!

What may be most striking, there are also those who haven't even arrived at the first wave, still living in pre-Sumerian stage. We were taken by surprise by some of the documentation made by activists who showed how some people were still involved in killing, chopping the head of the victim and eating it. Some used to think these were only things of the past when they were innocent children. But it is still happening in Indonesia.

Which makes it somewhat valid to reflect that one of the passive crimes of Soeharto is that he didn't educate his people, although he had the means to. He could have mobilized teachers or intellectuals.

Indonesia is not a nation. Rather, it's a collection of nations. Aceh is a nation; Batak is just another. Indonesia is just like the USA in a smaller format. Some of the nations within Indonesia are bigger than those in Europe. "Indonesia" itself is not a name. It is a mere anthropological term concocted by the German Adolph Sebastian back in 1864. In those days, the large part if not all of Southeast Asia was still called Java. The Malay language was called Jawi, bahasa Jawi, or tulisan Jawi. Prof. Hamka once speculated, if we had not found word "Indonesia," the republic perhaps would be called "Jawa" today.

A look into the development of the national language would provide interesting and important evidence. Back in 1938, the language of unity was the Malay, not bahasa Indonesia. Both sides of the Malay areas, the peninsula and the Sumatra sides, were centres of activities. The Minangkabau (or west Sumatrans), being one most sophisticated "nations," contributed a great deal to the development of the Malay language. (Through the works of literature and linguistics from their poets and writers-red.)

Indonesia only emerged out of imagination and creative vision of its founding fathers. Bahasa Indonesia, which has developed out of a political decision, has been a very successful example. One can say that (early) Indonesia, in term of "software," was the Sumatrans, but these people had neither power nor experience to govern. In term of "hardware," Indonesia was and is Java, and the Javanese do have both the two elements.

The Javanese are a big people inhabiting a broad area up to Mindanao. They may have a tendency to be imperialistic, as a demarking dichotomy of "the Javanese" and "non-Javanese" reflects. Like it or not, big nations do have such tendencies, e.g. the Chinese who differentiate the "middle kingdom" from "peripheral kingdoms;" the Arabs marked areas of "abode of peace" and "abode of war."; the Romans used such terms as "civilized" against "the barbaric"; also "the West" and " the rest" dichotomy that may remind one to the thoughts of Samuel Huntington and Francis Fukuyama.

Such is also the Javanese mindset. In the shadow puppet play, there exist two groups of people. The characters on the right hand side of the master are the good people--the Javanese themselves, while the ones on the left are always wong sabrang, people from out of Java, who are destined to be dumb and dark and doomed to fail and lose. This pattern still clings until today.

There was, in fact, a scenario of burgeoning Indonesia into a big state, but understandably, the Javanese did not like the idea. Then when the time arrived for Indonesia's founding fathers to decide on how to manage the country, they looked at America. If one studies the writings of Soekarno, they are rampant with ideas and quotations from Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln, and his favorite Franklin de Roosevelt.

It is quite clear that when the Dutch attempted to make a comeback to regain their colonial "right" by joining the British troops, America opposed. Australia was also among the first to support Indonesia's struggle for freedom. In short, we ended up as a republic. As for the cabinet, President Soekarno chose a presidential one, not a parliamentarian, for he considered the latter as a bourgeois democracy.

Soekarno was keen on the idea of pluralism. Following the American example, we then inherited the plurality motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika and were also left with the broadly defined national values in a document misnamed later as the Jakarta Charter, where we first learned of "Pancasila." We are left with a garuda bird as our symbol of freedom. But one thing we didn't borrow from America is federalism, and now we're dearly paying for it. The Javanese did not quite like the idea.

It was no accident that the cultural pattern tends to parallel with the Islamic, although things are somewhat intermingling today. Geertz once used the terms "santri" and "abangan," but the abangan today has greatly changed. For example, in 1950 it was impossible for the PNI people (where the PDI-P party fundamentally originates from--red) to say salam or read the Qur'an. Now, it's a common thing.

Much of the tension happening today may have its root in the perception of and against the Javanese. But to liken it to the movement of a pendulum, it is now coming to the middle; one day it may stop right in the middle. Interestingly, today, it is symbolically represented by Pekalongan, an area in the middle of Java. Modern journals in Indonesia, such as Tempo, are established by the Pekalongan people. Most outstanding poets and writers of today's Indonesia also come from this area.

*
Indonesia is taking shape. What's happening now is not it. The new balance will be attained some 20 years from now. The promotion of Gus Dur as president was very symbolical, although unfortunately he was not very productive. But then again, actually the time was not ripe yet. We should wait for about another two decades. One thing is clear, though. Since 1998 we have committed ourselves to democracy, and this is no wishful thinking; it's optimism. When Sukarno said his commitment to democracy, it was mere rhetoric.

Soekarno is the greatest textbook thinker, something that he himself condemned once. In reality, he got confronted by his own personalities; he was a man of many faces. Being a Pekalongan son of priyayi, he grew up in Surabaya, where under the guidance from Cokroaminoto he learned to be a good Moslem. In Bandung he was exposed to and internalized western ideas when studying at the now ITB. Soekarno was overwhelmed by such cultures and ideas as Javanese, Islam, Western, and Socialism and couldn't resolve them within himself. Sometimes he was Javanese, conservative; sometimes he was a fiery man from Surabaya. He once declared "Revolution is to uproot and rebuild." He had the chance to uproot, but never rebuild. To find remnants of western influences upon the man, the presidential palace still stands gracefuly in European glamour.

*
Since 1998 we have experienced something new in the form of freedom of expressions, a novely unthinkable even just one year earlier. To some people who couldn't stand it, it's rather excessive, but are we really to mistake the excesses for the essence? Following a series of harsh criticisms over the performance of his ministers, President Gus Dur panicked and invited the five of us: Akbar, Amin, Alwi, Mega, and myself. We concurred that his ministers did not perform effectively, and it was not about lack of coordination in term of managerial administrative coordination. It was more with vision management. Gus Dur seemed at first interested, but he did nothing about it. Indonesia needs a strong, benevolent and enlightened leader. If we don't see any these days, we have to ensure that such kind of people can emerge to the top. So high is the hope for the next general election.

Blogging: Lesson #101

2005-09-08T00:23:00.000+07:00

Current bloggers and wannabes, hark:
Never say never blog. Ever!

notes on the independence day (2)

2005-08-16T14:29:00.000+07:00

This year I decided not to decorate the neighborhood for our Independence day. I may not want to take the initiative to arrange some games for the children tomorrow. Maybe i'm being most cruel with this decision. Some of them came over last Sunday, asking about another war of es mambo, like last year, and two years ago. Actually, I challenged them: if you all have something in mind and prepare to sweat it, I'll take part. Nobody came up with an idea. I have learned today's children are so fond of getting instant stuff. They are getting more deprived of those do it yourself things. (I wonder when we learned that instant gratification would not get us them very far?) So, we probably won't do anything planned this year. We'll see...

notes on the independence day

2005-08-16T14:28:00.000+07:00

seventeenth of august independence day tends to inundate me with waves of feelings inside more than my own birthday would. i know not exactly why, but it's becoming well confirmed with most current repetitions.

today's Kompas, the leading national newspaper, features several stories surrounding the commemoration of indonesia's 60th anniversary. what is so special this year? it features "portraits" of a decaying nation. it probably wants to show and testify how after 6o years of Independence indonesia does not fare well. the bitter reflection is shown in some titles:

"Democracy without Democrats; The State's Gross Neglect over the People's Future; To Rebuild the Waning Bargaining Power; The Always-Rocked RI's Sovereignty; Involution towards a Colonialized Nation; Agriculture, the Unloved Stepdaughter; Education without Visions; Indonesia's Manufacture, A Fragile Sand Castle; The Asian Young Tiger's Asleep; A Toothless Tiger in the Region.

meanwhile, the Post writes strongly about the Wasted 60 Years. talk about painful articles that have been made of tears! we've got flooded today. yet, despite everything, happy anniversary! there's so much to fix. no other choice; we must get better together!

sharia gets more attractive?

2005-08-15T20:33:00.000+07:00

(Translated from KONTAN Tabloid, no. 45, Year IX, 15 August, 2005 Edition)

Sharia Gets More Attractive: Three Foreign Investors Interested in entering Islamic banking

After commercial banks, now Islamic or sharia banks are being pursued by foreign investors. Recently, JBIC, the Kuwait Financial House and the Commerce international Merchant Bankers Berhard, made their start to enter this anti-interest banking business.

Silently, the prestige of sharia based finance draws attention. Not only more and more clients and debtors have become attracted by the Islamic banks, but the same enthusiasm has also oozed to foreign investors. By the end of last July, three foreign investors such as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the Kuwait Finance, and a Malaysian Bank visited Bank Indonesia (BI). "They have interest in entering the sharia business in Indonesia," said Deputy Director of Sharia Banking at BI, Edy Setiadi.

If this is true, they may follow the earlier footsteps taken by those entering through Bank Muamalat Indonesia (BMI). After its IPO in May 2005, the composition of BMI stockholders underwent a total change. Besides the ADB, Bank Boubyan (Kuwait's SOE bank), and a consortium of three investors from Saudi Arabia (Atwil Holding Ltd, MNF Holding and IDF Investment Foundation) are now sharing the ownership of BMI. The majority of owners of this first Indonesia's Islamic bank are with foreign investors.

The fact shows that the development of Islamic banks in Indonesia has been more outstanding. According to data from the central bank, the total assets has increased fast. In 2003, it stood at Rp 7.9 trillion; in 2004, it became Rp 1.5 trillion. Meanwhile, by March this year, it already touched Rp 17 trillion. Their financing and third party funding have been as impressive. By March this year, the Islamic banks channeled financing of Rp 12.48 trillion worth. Third-party depositors' funds hit Rp 12.8 trillion, from Rp 11.8 trillion in 2004.

From New Establishment to Acquisition and IPO

The central bank offers various ways to investors. Those aiming for fast establishment, said Edy, may resort to acquisition of general banks. The moment has arrived for this. Sooner or later, the central bank's regulation stipulating that general banks ought to strengthen their capital up to Rp 80 billion by 2007 and Rp 100 billion by 2010 will find investors to fulfill the requirement. Moreover, according to BI data, some 30 banks need fresh capital for that purpose. Once the investors enter the general banks, "They can convert into sharia banks,"said Edy. Acquisition would exempt them from having to start from scratch; and would only require them to develop the banks.

In addition, they can start by establishing general banks based on the Islamic Law in Indonesia, for which they will have to reach further down the pocket. Establishing a new bank these days requires them to have a deposit of by Rp 3 trillion.

Another option is by just opening a branch in Indonesia, as what Citibank and HSBC did. "The cost is far lower than starting a new one,"continued Edy. Yet another alternative offered by the central bank is through IPOs of sharia banks, precisely as some foreign BMI stockholders did.""They can enter through the market,"said Edy.

Sukasah Syahdan, a researcher with JBIC, acknowledged that the head quarters is interested in investing money in Islamic banks in Indonesia. However, the pattern would not precisely resemble any option offered by the central bank. The reason is that, "We look into possibilities of co-financing, providing cheap financing funds, such as through two step loans,"said Sukasah, who joined the delegation of JBIC Tokyo led by the Director General of Project Finance, Ryuichi Kaga, in a meeting with the central bank. This mode is not especially developed in Indonesia, but not impossible. "It actually classifies as a pattern of mukayadah (loan), whereby JBIC can act as a shahibul maal (owner of fund),"said Edy.

Despite the interest, according to Sukasah, JBIC is now thoroughly studying the prevailing regulations. Sukasah said that there were some sharia regulations in Indonesia that are different from the ones practiced in other countries. The decision based on fatwa (edicts) by the National Sharia Council for sharia instruments, for example, are nationally binding and applied. In other countries, such as Singapore and Middle East, each bank can issue its own fatwa. "It's applicable only to the banks and their clients,"said Sukasah.

Different from the case in these two countries, in Malaysia, the sharia Council resides within the central bank. So, "All the decisions therefore will comply with the banking regulations,"he continued. Meanwhile, the sharia council in Indonesia is under the Indonesia's Ulema Council (MUI), "It can happen that the rules will be different from the banking regulations,"said Sukasah.

Then, how about the Kuwait Financial House and Commerce? According to Edy, they seem to be still studying the nooks and crannies of the sharia business in Indonesia. The central bank was hopeful that the two institutions would eventually place capital by establishing new Islamic banks. The thing is that, despite the fast growth, in quantity there are still only 3 Islamic banks in Indonesia, the 16 others still take the form of business units [of commercial banks]. To grow even faster, "We want to see the number increase," said Edy.

the truth about GAM

2005-08-15T14:29:00.000+07:00

an eastern asian colleague wondered about this unfolding deal between the government of indonesia and the gam movement and said he could use my opinion about it. after trying to crack my brain, i realized there was not much inside, and so i finally gave up. i could not answer and felt deeply sorry for not being able to estabish an opinion. for isn't it terrible to have no opion about something that has ended many lives, ravaged homes and families, and many tears are still being cried?

he asked why not. i added because i didn't know which one to believe; which one the more credible. i remember reading an article not so long ago in Inside Indonesia, a journal published in australia, which sounded very sympathetic to the acehnese. i have heard a lot from some friends about the sufferings caused by the military rules in aceh. i have also read articles on some gam members firing bullets to armies working on the tsunami victims. two or three friends of mine even suggested they didn't mind aceh becoming an independent country--like timor timur, as long as they have a real lasting peace that they may deserve. very humanitarian, of course, if one could assure peace would perch on this rencong land.

but who could do that, and for how long? most of us fear that peace is but a brief pause between two guerilla wars. the most crucial problem to most civilians is this: which story is true? which truth to believe? i guess it would be easier to most people speak about the reconstruction efforts in the wake of the disaster. there sure is a whale of problems there, but the situation is much clearer. in regard to aceh and gam, none has been able to show their credibility. not even the local nor international media.

besides, about 3 weeks ago i had a chance to interview a former governor of jakarta. an aging, retired general, still rich after all this time. (this country is run by the military--and the mafia, in case you don't know.) i'd heard he was in the know about the development with gam-ri. i asked him the same question about indonesia and gam? he said he didn't know, and guestimated that noone really knew about it. for a meeting proving disappointing, why should i be quoting him now? heck, he practically knew next to nothing. but i was glad he was no longer a governor, and appreciated his honesty. anyway, the point is this: without credibility, even a perceived one, one oughtta button his or her lip. shut up. poffa be. end of post.

indonesia's islamic banking: draconian tasks ahead

2005-08-02T20:33:00.001+07:00

I have been one acquainted and attracted by it. But without further ado, let me be just straightforward. While I am convinced that Islamic banking has been here to stay not only in Indonesia but also in the world, I also believe that unless more political support is rendered, its beauty will eat itself to maintain the current subsistence level. Islamic banking does need political support at an extent greater than or beyond what most scholars like Dawam Raharjo thinks. Rahardjo's excellent views, as traceable in some Islamic banking literature at home, have been based on historical accounts, going back to the struggle to establish the sharia in Nusantara. In a changing Indonesia, however, the arguments are insufficient. After Indonesia's Reformasi, the political constellation, players, and "rules of the game" in Indonesia has been so much altered with something resembling nothing that anyone knows of. The interplays of political forces and ensuing conflicts are something that neoliberalism has so far tended to ignore or belittle. Globally, the old political structure post the cold war, too, has crumbled. The world is increasingly becoming an unstable ground.

From philosophical perspectives, Islamic banking has yet to be capable of justifying itself that it is not merely a "newly-found" variant of banking as a discipline. Its banning of interest is indeed beautiful, but the fact that Islamic banks do resort to commercial interest rate in the determination of their own profits and in offering attractive shares for third party funds (TPFs) seems rather pitiably inconsistent. At the moment, I have been tempted to "surmise" that, until Islamic banking has a sharia-compliant yield curve of its own, and if this hedonic benchmarking is still used, Islamic banks are morally sanctioned to offer higher profit rates to tPFs while smaller shares of interest for themselves. Should this sound unattractive, part of the "untractiveness" for the banks' shareholders should be offset by the "purity" or tabarru' concepts designed for the hereafter. Besides, the banks can also play the mudharib part if they aspire for higher profits. I have been led into thinking this also because the ownership accountability of a great many Islamic banks has been an issue rarely addressed, unlike commercial banks. Individual shareholders are hardly if ever involved in decision making, because part of the chunks lies in the hand of ALCO meeting, the rest to the sharia board. Thus, the roles of more legitimate and more transparent Islamic banking managers and the national sharia jurists are critical for the success of Islamic banking, both as a discipline and as an institution. No room, really, for complacency.

thoughts from a fancy car

2005-08-02T20:33:00.000+07:00

Last Friday I caperoned a senior economist from Japan and another Japanese guy from Tokyo. Was sitting next to Pak Arifin, an Indonesian driver, in one of the two mercedes tigers belonging to his office. We were on our way to the biggest noodle producer in Indonesia.

The four of us I'm sure disliked almost every minute of this travel, albeit maybe for different reasons. The two Japs looked horrified at the traffic jam, the typical variant we Jakartans have to put up with every day on the way to offices or homes. Pak Ali was perhaps too focused driving to notice this for fear of hitting or being hit by another vehicle. As for me, I perhaps belong to a group of few people who get disturbed by travelling in fancy cars in this seemingly rich metropolitan. It often gives a pang in the heart, contributing to the mockery against the poor evidently abundant in the metropolitan. True, the majority of us are poor; anyone can check the statistics. But oh yes, there are all kinds of fancy cars in Indonesia: Jaguar, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Porche, you just name it. The owners must belong to the filthy rich. I know not who they are, but every thinking layperson can come up with reasons how they got the money, which in short commands contempt, not respect, at least from me. (Duh; this is no jealosy for God's sake. Most of them are either crooked businesspersons, lawyers, or parliamentarians.)

The time was nearing half past 4 pm. This senior economist, whom I have known for some time, blurted:

"My country, Nad, is having a mind boggling growth problem. The last decades have seen Japan's economy in the down. Consumption has contributed some 60% of our economy. Thing is, the young generation in our country do not want to buy cars."

How so unlike Indonesians, I thought. He continued. "Car sales have been very low back at home. The young save money, unlike the older generation. We need consumption to invigorate the economy, you see. Once the older generation perishes, I don't know what's to become of Japan."

In the meantime, the jam was developing even more dreadfully. Our appointment was 16:30. I took a long breath to signify we just failed to be be punctual. From the darn car we couldn't help not smelling the occassional traffic carfumery usurping in, mostly from the Japanese cars that ambushed us from the four directions.

The other Jap spoke in agreement. Yes, it's true; very tough, ne.

But you can't mean that's the main cause, can you M---- san? Are you seriously meaning Japan's economic woe has been caused by plunging consumption? Come on. We are are talking about our consuming folly here; about the paradox of savings. The investment-saving curve may be true in mathematical equations, but economics is never mathematics as life is never an equation. Too many variables are ignored under the ceteris paribus. We know it but tend to forget it when we need it the most. Believe this: consumption will never cease, because there is no limit to human needs and wants. Economic growth is only a method we are capable to measure development successes or failure; we know from the start it is never accurate. Human logics has no way to know it. I think basing economic growth on consumption is one of the most damaging errors in contemporary economic theories. Think of yourself, or your own family. Can you face the future by consuming? It doesn't matter how much you make in a month, but how much you save! How can you blame the younger generation for saving their money? Any nation is essentially nothing but a bunch of its people. Like you and your families. The problem with most of the people out there is this, Mr. senior economist: they cannot save!

Well, that was about my self righteous thought. I kept the whole paragraph for myself. To the two nervous looking Japs I commented: "Well, that's an interesting phenomenon, M------ san."

When we got there, we were handsomely late for almost an hour.

how MUI got slammed for "opening the gate"

2005-08-02T14:29:00.000+07:00

Scholars and activists issued a joint statement on Monday condemning the MUI for undermining the principles of nationhood and democracy. "The issuance of the fatwas shows how weak the concepts of nationhood and democracy are in this country. The association also urged SBY to be proactive in maintaining pluralism. For more info visit today's Post or read Rei's comment below in the previous post on the same issue.

august 1, 2005

2005-08-01T14:29:00.000+07:00

farewell august 1, 2005. just want to thank you god, before it's over. she finally joined the real world today, our only daughter. my wife and I had been senewen, but everything seemed fine. may you bless her with lots of days like this for as long as she lives.

how MUI opened the gate of parochialism

2005-07-31T14:29:00.000+07:00

Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued 11 fatwa (religious edicts) in Indonesia in the Jakarta Post yesterday. Among the controversial ones are those fatwa treating pluralism, secularism and liberalism as "unIslamic" and haram and according thus should be banned. The council also now disallows interfaith prayers, interfaith marriages, interfaith inheritance. Welcome to the 21st parochialism!

The paper wrote: "After Indonesia's success in hosting an interfaith dialog involving 39 Asian and European countries in Bali last week, the nation would do well to address a no less pressing issue at home: promoting an intra-faith dialog, more specifically among different Muslim groups. The predominantly conservative Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is about to close the door on any further dialog in the search for truth if it goes ahead with issuing a fatwa (edict) that would effectively ban liberal interpretations of Islam."

Islamic scholar Azyumardi Azra was not alone in saying that this MUI's move would be counterproductive. The people at large can and will abandon them. This really is a major setback in progressive Islamic development in the country.

untitled

2005-07-26T14:29:00.000+07:00

"if looks could kill i'd need a licence for my face." (d.a.)

shame

2005-07-25T14:36:00.000+07:00

You often looked at her at some nights, when she was asleep so sound so tight. You said, this is the very child innocent who managed to drive a grown up man mad and impatient. Every thing as you know always comes with a price, but as for this one oh what a price! In such nighttime a new day would creep briskly, but sleep was a drag. A hung mirror would reflect an image of someone too familiar: the face of an exhausted father who could have done better than hurting the ego of his own God-sent china. With all the foolishness you could muster you wondered what was wrong with all those years of breathing, of education, of all the travel to faraway lands, of the talking with wisest tongues, of the listening to wisest words of wisdom…Another morning would unfailingly arrive, sometimes to discover your regret and how you wished to play back time or reset it altogether. But nothing was ever the same, you just hoped the damage was a mendable one. When the sun rose and fresh air entered your bedroom with birds chirping outside, your cracked china woke up. Her angelic face, she did not care. Her wings crippled, she did not notice. Instead she would seek something in the pair of eyes looking so unsightly last night. You gave her the best of hug, or maybe you didn't. She said sorry, when you should have been the one to employ the word. Neither fully understood why adults behave the way they do.
posted by Nad | 11:59 PM | 2 comments

richard oh's the rainmaker's daughter

2005-07-17T14:36:00.000+07:00

To stumble upon this beautiful Rainmaker's Daughter was a rare delight. This is a kind of work that must get celebrated for a bevy of reasons. In the midst of a severe and protracted draught in Indonesia's literary prose landscape, the finely-written novel in English is a thirst quenching oasis. One may not recall ever reading such a beautifully written piece with uncanny observant details by this fellow Indonesian Richard Oh. Oh's The Rainmaker's Daughter makes a very arresting reading. If not for some obligation, I would have finished reading it at one go! What is it about? Well, first of all and chiefly it's about … romance, involving a young professional lawyer Hadrian and a woman who refused to tell him let alone me her name--the rainmaker's daughter. It's about the pursuit in life. It's about the relation of one's past, present and future, in fashion that would remind one of Kundera's Immortality and Roy's presentation of the God of Small Things. It's also about portrayal of almost-dynamic mundane living with Jakarta backdrop and the workings of uncanny tribal belief systems interwoven not always in harmony deep in the heart of Borneo Island. This novel can be light or serious--depending on whether one is impressed by its surface or inner layer. To me, it is a bit of both. One may, as I did, find many gems in this deceivingly simple work of art. In terms of diction, the Rainmaker's Daughter is as beautiful as it is rich.

I'd heartily classify it under the must-read and would look forward to Richard's next masterpieces.

sinetron dan bajaj bajuri kita

2005-07-16T14:36:00.001+07:00

Sinetron memasuki ruang pribadi keluarga kita tanpa permisi. Tahu-tahu, dengan menjamurnya stasiun teve di negeri ini (lebih dari 14!), setiap hari penduduk negeri ini disuguhi dengan berbagai macam sinetron, yang tema-temanya dapat digeneralisasi sbb: sinetron berbumbu materialisme (voyerisme), kekerasan, mistik-gaib, sensasionalitas dan seksualitas, serta ... humor. Posting singkat ini menukil tentang bahaya tayangan teve pada umumnya; tentang sinetron, khususnya; lebih khusus lagi, yang ber-genre humor.Ya, tulisan ini tentang bahaya yang mengintai keluarga di balik sinetron humor.

Sebagian dari kita mungkin siap siaga terhadap bahaya yang mengintai di balik acara-acara yang berbau kekerasan, kriminil mistis, atau pornografis. Penayangan adegan sadis secara terus menerus-dengan dalih reportase atau bumbu "action"--akan membiasakan diri kita, secara pasif paling tidak, kepada tindakan kekerasan dan sedikit banyak akan mempengaruhi respons kita terhadap kejadian-kejadian semacam itu. Di lain pihak, acara-acara mistik menyeret anak-anak dan generasi muda Indonesia kepada alam mitis, instan, dan cenderung melupakan proses berpikir bagaimana persoalan seharusnya diselesaikan. Bahaya dalam tayangan berbau porno, khususnya bagi anak dan remaja, sesungguhnya dapat dengan mudah dikenali.

Sementara itu, tayangan-tayangan yang "ringan" dan "lucu" di teve cenderung kita anggap "aman", sehingga sering luput dari kewaspadaan kita selaku kepala/anggota keluarga, dan tanggungjawab kita manusia dewasa terhadap anak-anak atau orang-orang lain yang masih mencari atau mendefinisikan nilai-nilai kehidupan. Secara tidak langsung, posting ini hendak mengatakan bahwa humor adalah medium komunikasi yang paling hebat sekaligus paling berbahaya, karena kita cenderung siap "menelan" permukaan humor tanpa mencernanya "lapisan dalamnya."

Salah satu acara favorit di Indonesia saat ini adalah Bajaj Bajuri, dengan dua versinya, yaitu versi Salon Oneng dan versi Bajaj Baru Bajuri. Meskipun tidak sampai menunggu-nunggu tayangannya, saya sempat beberapa kali menonton acara ini hingga selesai jika kebetulan keluarga kecil saya menonton acara tersebut di malam hari.

(Gbr dari www.tabloidnova.com)

Suatu hari anak saya, 5 tahun lebih, bertanya: "Ayah, ayah senang ngga sama Bajaj Bajuri?" "Yah, cukup senang." Lalu dia bertanya lagi, "Siapa yang ayah senengin? Oneng, Ucup, Bajuri, Pok Indun, Said atau Mak?" Saya tanya balik duluan,"Kalau kamu, nak, seneng siapa?" Ia menjawab, "Oneng, Mak dan Ucup. Aku ngga seneng sama Bajuri." "Kenapa," tanya saya, "Abis dia sukanya marah-marah. Juga kasar sama semua orang, termasuk sama istrinya sendiri."

"Kamu senang sama Mak, kenapa?"
"Sebab dia lucu kalau lagi marah dan kalau lagi ngerjain orang."
"Hhm. Sama Pok Indun?"
"Seneng juga."

Begitulah, tentang Bajaj Bajuri, saya merasa ada hal yang perlu dan mendesak untuk dicermati. Salah satu alasannya: popularitas yang cukup tinggi. Sesuatu yang populer bagi khalayak biasanya berdaya besar terhadap khalayak tersebut, secara positif ataupun negatif, dalam memperbaiki ataupun untuk merusak masyarakat yang bersangkutan.

Anak saya, yang baru mau masuk SD ini, sudah mulai dapat menangkap perilaku dan kekasaran--dalam hal ini si Bajuri, yang nyaris dalam semua episode memang kasar (walaupun sisi kebaikannya juga kadang ditampilkan). Namun, dalam banyak hal si upik ternyata belum bisa dan harus perlu dibimbing dalam menangkap nuansa tabiat-manusia yang lebih subtil. Dalam hal sinetron ini, mari kita lihat figure si Mak. Di balik aktingnya yang luar biasa, kehebohan yang ditimbulkan aktor kawakan Nani Wijaya cukup banyak ditunggu-tunggu. Tapi coba bayangkan jika anda benar-benar hidup bertetangga dengan orang semacam itu. Si Mak ini adalah gambaran seorang Ibu yang culas, licik, serakah, pendengki, sombong--pendek kata: jahat. Si Mak adalah seorang ibu yang menginginkan anaknya sendiri, Oneng, untuk menceraikan suaminya, Bajuri, yang seorang sopir bajaj.

Coba tengok keluarga macam apa Pok Indun itu. Pok Indun digambarkan sebagai perempuan menikah tanpa-anak; siap berselingkuh dengan setiap pria, karena suaminya juga seorang hidung belang. Figur keluarga semacam ini dijadikan hiburan bagi masyarakat Indonesia! Atau lihat Pak RT, yang beberapa kali melakukan kecurangan-kecurangan serta tindakan yang kurang terpuji, seperti korupsi, mengintip pengantin baru, money politics, dan lain-lain.

Apakah semua tindakan mengintip orang mandi/pengantin baru, mencuri hak orang lain, berbohong sana-sini, atau mengajak orang lain yang bukan anggota keluarga ke kamar tidur kita, merupakan bentuk-bentuk perilaku terpuji atau ucu?

Hampir semua "kelucuan" dan tabiat buruk di atas benar-benar disuguhkan kepada keluarga di Indonesia dengan pemanis, tentunya, berupa "humor" yang mengundang tawa! Penyajiannya sebagai suatu bentuk "kelucuan" tersebut tanpa penjelasan atau wanti-wanti kepada penonton, khusunya penonton belia, adalah tindakan pemakluman terhadap kebejatan "kecil" yang akan memerosokkan diri ke kebejatan moral yang lebih dalam. Konsep kelucuan dalam BB terlalu bermain di wilayah instingtif primal kita--kekerasan, keculasan, eksploitasi seksual, dsb.

Karakterisasi Oneng, sebenarnya sudah sangat cerdas dan jenial, tetapi kurang digarap secara lebih intens. Figur Oneng juga merupakan magnet yang membuat BB sangat populer. Kelucuan yang ditampilkan melaluinya adalah jenis tersendiri yang perlu diperbesar porsinya.

Acara teve adalah cermin sosial dari kehidupan nyata; demikian pula sebaliknya, yang terjadi di dunia nyata dapat juga mempengaruhi acara teve. Ini adalah intisari pandangan para pakar tentang hubungan interdependensi teve dan masyarakat. Salah satu peran terpenting media adalah peran edukatif.

Media teve dapat menjadi sarana ampuh untuk mendidik masyarakat pemirsanya, khususnya di sebuah negara berkembang dengan mayoritas penduduknya yang terjajah kemiskinan serta berpendidikan rendah. Media teve sangat berpengaruh dalam hal design; maksudnya merancang atau memodifikasi perilaku ke arah yang lebih baik, lebih bermakna, lebih mulia.

Mengingat kondisi masyarakat dewasa ini di tengah-tengah keadaan transisi yang semakin sulit, menyerahkan sepenuhnya kepada diri masing-masing merupakan asumsi yang gegabah dan akan kita bayar mahal suatu hari. Menurut hemat saya, sehubungan dengan BB, jika semua "kelucuan" ini tuntutan naskah yang tidak dapat diubah lagi, setidak-tidaknya mereka yang terlibat di balik produksi acara ini menjelaskan secara tertulis atau lisan di awal atau akhir episode bahwa acara ini perlu bimbingan orang tua, atau mengandung adegan, atau karakterisasi manusia, yang kurang atau tidak terpuji. Tanpa penjelasan semacam ini, acara semacam ini bukan saja dapat memberi stigma negatif terhadap suku tertentu tetapi juga merugikan masyarakat luas.

confessions of an economic hit man

2005-07-16T14:36:00.000+07:00

i found budiarto shambazy's article in kompas today too important to ignore. it's about a book written by Perkins on the network of corporatocracy. i did a little research about the book on the net this morning and come up with some links (articles and photo) from quite reputable sources, such as this and this. i wonder if anyone has read this book? they say the indonesian version has been slated for publication, but its release date is still unknown.

tribute to karen armstrong

2005-07-13T14:36:00.000+07:00

here's tributes to karen armstrong for god knows why--and for her article today in the post. (photo credit: www.pbs.org)

simplify, simplify!

2005-07-12T14:36:00.001+07:00

after hitting the quota hit counter last week, the free counting system reset it to point zero, i decided to uninstall it all together from my template. so, it's simpler and leaner.

in some corners of the world, blogging is dying, or so i sense--but not in my part of the world. in fact, i could not care any less. i'll just try to blog as often as i can now, now that i've finished translating a 18-chapter and 2-annex book i promised a publisher, which kept me away from blogging al this time ...

an sms from sby

2005-07-12T14:36:00.000+07:00

3 weeks ago i received 1 sms message. it basically says: let's fight narkoba (an indonesian short for narcotics and drugs). guess who it came from. my president! he could also have written this: let's not corrupt today. always put off until tomorrow things we shouldn't do today.

nothing is nothing

2005-07-03T14:41:00.000+07:00

a good friend emailed the other day to say she had nothing to say and that was it. nothing else. so brief. then it kept me thinking about nothing--i mean about something she wrote about, which revolves around, er...yes, nothing. first, i thought about her nothing in particular, then about nothing in general. i mean the nothing in general application by anyone. obviously there is something truly intriguing about nothing. this nothing is quite something. thus: is nothing nothing? nothing is nothing? is no thing nothing? is nothing no thing? or is no thing no thing? nothing successfully got me confused. nothing confused me. to generalize, therefore, nothing confuses.

humpty dumpty

2005-07-02T14:41:00.000+07:00

daughter: what happened to humpty dumpty, ayah?
father : he was pushed!

one stitch at a time

2005-06-17T14:41:00.000+07:00

Yesterday I attended a workshop on Indonesia's decentralization, sat there for hours and listened to the bureaucrats, experts and consultants talk about the results after almost 5 years, didn't say a single word, and went home.

Indonesia's decentralization started in 2000/1 and is basically a political decision to decentralize powers to the lowest levels of government, down to provinces and kabupatens. It has been dubbed, of course, the world's most ambitious decentralization plan--if a plan at all. Many scholars and consultants haved laid interest in it to observe what happens in this biggest laboratory. First off, I'm not pro or against it--it's too big something that I know I can hardly affect. Here's just from a citizen that wishes for some things to run well.

The findings of the World Bank's survey on the impacts of decentralization on public services have been pleasing to many ears, especially at a time when cases of chronic and fatal under-nourishment emerge from many parts of Indonesia. At best, these findings represent long-awaited rationalization over the money nicely wasted on projects related to decentralization. At least, they should do for boosting the spirit of some people too intimately charged with this mega project: government officials, heads of regions, decentralization experts and consultants. To a majority of the general public, they want to see changes, not surveys. They are too busy surviving to bother whether there is a kernel of truth in the findings. With globalization already in our living room, the clock is ticking, time thinning out, and the momentum for change soon dying out.

After almost five years, most of us have no idea how large resources were spent (and corrupted) on this issue and how much more will have to be provided. The preoccupation still lingers over the questions: do you think decentralization will work? Has it been working? Is there proof that our decentralization is successful? These questions have underpinned the mindsets of those engaged in such studies.

A synthesis of a few major studies on decentralization suggests that we cannot suggest that decentralization by nature will render better services to its habitat: the general public. One would not be mistaken in concluding that no matter how a country is run; centralized or decentralized, if it is run well it runs as well.

Indonesia's Big Bang decentralization was not something well designed. It was a bang. It was not planned at all--but I'm being bombastic in stretching the line-----now. Still, it might as well have sprung out of some spontaneous urges of several "decision makers" exercising decisions in a toilet room, or over cellphones to other fellows" "OK, let's decentralize, shall we?" After the big bang, they quieted, some no longer around.

To parties genuinely concerned with the process of decentralization, there is no room for self complacency yet. Who are they trying to fool around anyway? In spite of the big bang approach, even without expensive sophistication in the proofing we would arrive at this undeniable fact: the singular approach ensuing up to today have been nothing far than patchwork--still one bloody stich at a time! The lessons in our decentralization have been literally too expensive to learn, and with still many lessons ahead, we have not done our best as a learning nation.

Yesterday's decentralization workshop held by the World Bank re-proved the already proven: a great major issues that circulated at the dawn of our silent revolution almost 5 years ago among government bureaucrats, and expensive experts and consultants have virtually gone round and around. We have allowed ourselves with the counting and labelling jobs on the failures we keep harboring. For after five years, do we already have a grand strategy where we want to go? If yes, where could one read it? What happens with the minimum service standards? Has there been a change in the local budgetting process? Why did we change the faulty laws with new ones as faulty? When will implementing regulations be prepared? Would one be such a wet blanket to ask these questions?

So here's a point of embarkation, an important hook to guide our thinking if you will: Indonesia's decentralization is unlikely to stop or be stopped without further wastes of resources. The country is therefore left with but one damn option, this decentralization must work! We cannot afford to fail. Nobody ever mentioned the Big Bang was a blatant fiasco, but the folly is history now, anyway. What we must do now is design our decentralization and work our purposes.

One way or another these points have been raised in some occassions--whether by others or by myself. And that was two or three years ago. Yesterday I was convinced the relevance still holds.

The Curse of Inflation

2005-05-16T20:27:00.000+07:00

Important Update from the blogger: I have lost count on how many visitors visited this article. Unfortunately, along with my growing understanding on the very issue, I must confess that my thought in the later part of this posting has been flawed, so it a serious revision is in order. Please accept my apologies. As a quick fix, I have crossed the lines where I think I was mistaken. Suffice it to say here here that inflation is man-made; and as long as governments keep printing money "out of thin air," inflation will haunt us.

A household word practically at the tip of every tongue, inflation is an invisible hand that curtails what every unsuspecting citizen earns, like any other authority-imposed taxes. Ours is the age of inflation; its existence goes so much without saying that one would be equally damned whether or not to question about it.

What is inflation by the way? What do we know about it? Can we live without it?

By popular definition inflation is "an increase in the general price level, which results in an excessive or persistent increase, causing a decline in purchasing power" [G. Mankiew]. Having witnessed how prices move all this time, you'd probably agree with the casual definition.

Yet that definition actually does not define inflation; rather, it only defines the consequences of inflation. It does not tell us what it is and what causes it.

There is another, and relatively older, definition saying that inflation is "an increase in the amount of money and credit in relation to the supply of goods and services." This irrefutable proposition offers a clearer and more straightforward definition of what inflation is. It seems rather strange to me if this more straightforward definition is often neglected or "abandoned" by many economists today--I haven't seen it quoted so except in "out of date" texbooks and dictionaries (maybe I just need to search more). Anyway, in simpler terms, inflation means there is more money pursuing the available goods or services.

Since inflation essentially concerns the behavior of money, the concept and nature of money cannot escape the discussion about inflation; but this is beyond the purpose of this posting. Fiat money, or the money as we generally know today, is a kind of limited good in itself. It is subject to the supply and demand. Thus, inflation can happen under any of the following supply-demand circumstances:

a) The supply of money goes up; b) the supply of goods/services goes down; c) the demand for money goes down; and d) the demand for goods/services goes up.

At the time of this posting, in Indonesia there has been a new frenzy about buah merah, or the red fruit of Papua. This fruit is believed by many to have amazing potency to cure various diseases. Its market price, sold as elixir, has remained on the increase. Three months ago, a relative of mine bought the elixir at Rp. 100,000 a bottle. Last week, a colleague sold it to two other colleagues at Rp. 375,000 each. Has inflation occured? Yes, it has; it has caused a price increase, albeith perhaps just a temporary phenomenon, hardly imparting pressures other goods.

What if a government increases the price of fuel, which as a result, causes other prices to move correspondingly? Has inflation taken place? Indeed; in this case inflation is working itself as a force towards price readjustment following some sort of price distortion. This kind of inflation is more long lasting and 'infectuous".

An important feature of the price increase from such inflation is that it does not happen at once; it happens sequentially and needs time before it peaks up and eventually steadies or abates. (Bank Indonesia has been criticized for not moving quickly to tamper inflationary pressures caused by the government's decision to remove the fuel subsidy. Moreover, the rising price of world's crude oil has been reason enough to be worried of global inflation.)

To return to the 2nd definition above, the major cause of inflation is the increase in the supply of money. Of course, as implied in the case where demand increases, inflation can occur for other reasons. Still in Indonesia, in areas struck by natural disasters in North Sumatra, which destroyed the supply systems, we saw an almost immediate rise in prices, as goods were becoming scarce relative to money. Yet this kind of situation is extraordinary; for the most part, it is caused when the money supply rises faster than the supply of other goods and services. This is a strong reason why that any effort to combat inflation in any country should attack the causes of increase in the money supply.

A systematic increase in the amount of money and credit occurs through and by banking activities. Most banking activities in the world have been possible through the so called credit formation due to the adoption of the fragmentary reserves by the central bank. Thus, a great many factors of inflation rests with the central bank, an institution that, ironically, vows to "maintain stability" and "curb inflation."

In a world shrinking with globalization, in a more and more open economy where capital can trottle the globe at a time when exchange rates are allowed to float freely, the phenomenon of inflation has aggravated and become so complicated that no country may be able to solve it singlehandedly if it so aspires. The world's economy has interlocked in such a system, and most governments and central banks are preoccupying very hard with the efforts to curb the consequences of inflation without addressing its main cause.

This brief article has tried to hyphotesize that the interlocking of the world's economy under the present hedonic monetary arrangement cannot mean otherwise than that inflation has been and will remain with us. With no alternative system on the horizon, it seems that the curse of inflation will remain with us for a very long time--perhaps for as long as we live.

our greater common good

2005-05-12T20:20:00.000+07:00

President SBY's signing of the Government Regulation no. 36/2005 on land acquisition as reported in Jakpost's editorial yesterday is indeed a crucial move to address one most important aspect in the public infrastructure development. Land acquisition has been a major obstacle to infrastructure development, and this kind of development is one domain where Indonesia is seriously lagging behind its neighbors. As Indonesia does not have adequate fiscal capacity to finance infastructure development, it usually turns to external borrowing.

Tris, a good friend working for an international development agency, confirmed that land procurement was among the most crucial problems in infrastructure development. He added that land acquisition guarantee is a conditio sine quanon at the time of signing of loan agreements. Ideally, land acqusition problems have been resolved by the time of the signing. Otherwise it will create serious problems to the national and/or respective regional government. Moreover, cases were abound where the prices of land for future public infrastructure projects skyrocketed, mostly by well-informed preempters. Soon, in extreme cases where acquisition negotiation cannot resolve within 90 days, regional land agencies can ask the national land agency to revoke the property rights under the President's approval.

I agree this is a good move from the government, albeit with some reservations. This stern policy may work well without gravely violating basic human rights or impairing the sense of justice of the people if and only if the stipulated conditions are thoroughly met and the procedural steps are properly obeyed; hence the crucial importance of the implementation. It's often too easy for the powers that be to justify themselves by saying: it's for our greater common good. To officials, pieces of land acquaired may mean a job well done; to affected individuals, this may shatter their whole universe. How are landowners, for instance, protected against the oknum? Such overacting officers do exist everywhere in the country, as everyone Jack (or Badu?) agrees. It would thus be ideal to include elements of civil society and/or local wisdom/traditional leaders in regional land committees so that the people can get fair representation. Surpressing and squezzing the common folks is an old song. It's time to deliver, really. To show that the government actually exists, and serves its people.

5 paragraphsful of 'nothing'

2005-05-07T20:27:00.000+07:00

This piece of dross may echoe with the sound of incoherence. If it does, I, as a blogger, if I decide to use a groupthink's opinion about the lightness of blogging, need not apologize to the reader, because I am unmistakeably exercising the one priviledge as a blogger. All the same, I am by this not telling any personal opinion about what a blog should be nor what bloggers should post. If I have many drosses to share, I'll make sure I tell it one at a time.

Yet, I think it is in the fitness of things that I apologize for the incoherence as it reflects the current state of my mind, plus a little anxiety from a personal struggle to beat smoking for good. Just mind: this post is not powered by Lady Nicotine! :)
Now I'm all set to post about nothing: Some happier days ago I took a leave from work but eventually had to cancel the family plan to do Yogya because our daughter was slightly ill. But in no way was slightly ever an appropriate word when concerning the welfare of your only child, especially when the the event in question was still unfolding! Besides, very few are the occasions when we really have full handle of the situation. Anyway, as later this little darling of ours recovered, guilty feeling was elsewhere; it didn't accompany me as I drove alone to visit some friends in one university I once attended. The last time I was really there for them I couldn't remember. Then I ended up sitting in classroom where a guest lecturer from Milan, a Russian-born American whose great grandfather--a friend told me later--once invented a machine for orgasm(!), was throwing an unpaid lecture about his cup-of-tea subject: hollographic media and psycho-physiological responses it can emanate to the viewer's attitude.

The audience itself consisted of college students and some lecturers. Most of the former were quintessential of what I had in mind about today's MTV generation should look or be: pretty similar to one another. Some of the latter were actually well known literary critics, albeit rather esoteric. Asking for our impressions in return, this outspoken lecturer then ran two bizarre films. The titles escaped me but for their short duration, they were unbelieveably boring--but of course we all paid him our best attention. Then at his prod, a literary critic commented that one of the movies was about estrangement. Another, a senior lecturer, said that it was probably something related to the Tsunami, and that it had probably been made to show how people were not sufficiently symphatethic. When our eyes met, I knew it was my turn to speak. I said I could tell you how these images were produced, but I would not go so far as to tell there was meaning in what you produced. Actually, this was my long version of saying they were b-s, but this lecturer is actually my friend's new husband. He laughed at my remarks, and said, "Yep, that's it; there is no meaning in them all" and went on with something I could reduce at something like, "To those of you in search of meaning in the many faces of media, you might as well forget it. There is no meaning." Most of the audience laughed in relief over something God only knew. There is no meaning! As simple as that; not new, but it was the first time that I had heard from someone in the flesh. I was looking for loopholes behind what had been said. I needed more context, but the situation gave me no further chance for discussion..

Now this is about the justification of which my mind seems to have been programmed for--and my heart, for some sort of denial. Is it true that today's living has ushered men to nihilism; or rather, have we reduced ourselves to nihilism and pointlessness that postmodernism has triumphed with writings that captured the very phenomenon?

excess and essence

2005-04-28T20:11:00.000+07:00

In less than one hour I will be watching the super soccer match, Chelsea vs. Liverpool; my guess is Chelsea will be victorious by 2 or 3 goals. If I err in my judgement, well, I'll have to buy someone a pack of Gudang Garam tomorrow.

To pass time, I'll keep my promise to blog based on the comments I received from my previous posting. I got two comments! One comment wrote something about posts before comments; the other from someone, big hearted enough to show understanding over a blogger's block, preferring to read on something about Indonesia. So, here it goes:

Recently, when trapped in the usual traffic jam on the way to office, this particular sentence has rung in my head. "If complaining solves problems, this city would be a better haven." That was when I suspected myself of having harbored too many grunts--mostly against how things are run by the government. Then I began to feel sort of self-assured that the term "rebels without a cause" has been a misconception; for, I think, every generation must have its own curse, no matter how stable, democratic, or advanced the country is.

Such line of thinking, I mean that particular kind of thinking, as well as the ensuing disatisfactions, presupposes that government is responsible for governing most aspects of our lives, from cradle to grave. To further the issue in my previous posting, citizens should limit themselves in entertaining the idea that government will do them good. This mode of thinking has been subscribed by too many, perhaps without ever asking why. Realities are already too punishing to be added by yet another hope against hope.

That said, would that make me a pessimist or an optimist? Would be nice to say I am a cautious (or responsible) optimist, but I'm basically as optimistic that pessimists can be truly pleasantly surprised as I'm pessimistic that optimists cannot go to the dumps. Hhm, I think I'm digressing now, but let me digress a bit more. I believe Thoreau was somewhere near the truth when he said the best government is one that governs the least, but, heck, I'm not promoting civil disobedience (at least for now). I rather symphatize with SBY, that's why.

To come back to my point: part of the thoughts that we have about our country, or the memories of it, depends on who we are, the people our parents warned us about (he, he). We can agree that as beings we are the products of nature and nurture. Nature aside, only very few are lucky enough to adopt fresh values and ways of thinking.

***

On the other hand, the heart of the matter itself, Indonesia, is one country unable to solve its developmental gap. Some of us in big cities have already gone into what Toffler dubbed as the Third Wave; quite a few have entered the second wave, but, most strikingly, most of us still dwell in the third wave, being simple peasansts, something resembling the Sumerian state six thousands years ago!

Strictly speaking, Indonesia is not a nation. Rather, it's a collection of nations. Aceh is one; Batak is just another, Moluccas yet another, etc. It's a USA in a smaller format; some of our nations are even bigger than those in Europe. "Indonesia" itself is not a name but a mere anthropological term concocted by the German Adolph Sebastian back in 1864. Then was the time when the large part if not all of Southeast Asia was called Java. The Malay language was then called Jawi, bahasa Jawi, or tulisan Jawi. Hamka once remarked, had we not found word "Indonesia," the republic I'm in now would be called "Jawa."
Indonesia is taking shape.

So, what's happening in Indonesia now is not it. Since 1998 we have experienced something new in the form of freedom of expressions, a novelty unthinkable even just one year earlier. To some people who couldn't stand it, it's rather excessive, but are we to mistake the excesses for the essence? A new balance may be attained some 20 years from now.

We live in one country, but over the 240 millions of us here are living in different ones.

Hope this isn't too bad for half an hour blogging. (The match already starting!)

Sensitivity or over reaction?

2005-04-28T14:41:00.000+07:00

Posted by Rei Talk about the freedom of expression, last night I watched a talk show on our national television regarding the dispute between the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and rock group Dewa. I'm wondering if this kind of controversy will suppress the right to freedom of expression.

FPI reports this group to police for blasphemy based on the word Allah that appeared on the floor of the stage during their recent concert aired by a television station. The word Allah is also written in Arabic script on the cover of its Laskar Cinta album.

The controversy takes an interesting turn when some ulama, including Quraish Shihab and Gus Dur say that the group didn't commit blasphemy. Later on, National Council of Ulama (MUI) that acts as a mediator in this case declares that using the calligraphy of Allah for commercial purpose is permissible.

Blasphemy is not an easy issue, and not one to be taken lightly. Before accusing someone of committing blasphemy, one has to be sure that the blasphemy accusation is well founded, valid and credible.

One thing that we must not forget is that, blasphemy can be due to unintentional carelessness. Regrets and public apology from this group should've been enough.

Religion is the human quest for coherence and meaning in the understanding of the world. It is something about "PEACE" and "BALANCE". It defines rights and duties. It should not defy reason or do harm to others.

The trouble is, there are too many people out there who believe they were ordained or called by God to punish people on his behalf. Political correctness in the name of protecting religious sensitivities and religious overdose can have destructive effects because it can be used to justify intolerance and violence on religious grounds.

Religion is a sensitive subject. One has to be very careful in dealing with religion. But that doesnt mean it can't be discussed and doesnt mean it can't be argued over, although in the end it comes down to belief.

I think people should leave judgment to God, rather than acting as arbiters.

it turns out that i am austrian

2005-04-19T14:41:00.000+07:00

I JUST LEARNED that I am 80% Austrian! Obviously, I was surprised; for how come they never told me about it all this time? Not even my aging parents!

It unfolded just recently, through the Internet, when I was browsing a Mises website. An unassuming sign struck my eyes. It read: Are you Austrian?. One magical click took me before a panel of most erudite scholars. To me they appeared somewhat intimidating. Then they asked me questions, which were no less intimidating. I oscillated between darting away or bracing myself, but a voice within reminded me: hey this is about your life; some mundane matters, maybe, but like it or not, they influence your very life! And so I braved the answers, one by one and by one. Then they left me on my own for some time,to come back again before I realized it. One of them cleared his throat and read out the verdict: You are 80% Austrian! His voice deep baritone, but hey, wait a sec; what is it? What's the matter with you people?

Yet, knowing a bit about their contribution to man's history of thoughts (although mainstream waves washed them ashore and burried them in deep sand, almost to complete oblivion), kept me from blurting out. So I'm Austrian then? I didn't think I was being flattered, nor did I feel the need to thank them. (Pardon me, but if you lived as a young man in the part of the world I'm in now, you'd know that nationalism as concocted to you as a kid has been just an empty word--no I correct myself, a mantra for concealing state's robbery and mass suppression.)

Anyway, at parting the the pundits handed me a token: Human Action by Ludwig von Mises.*) A kind of book that easily interests people in search of the kernels of truth, and certainly one of the most thickest, too. For this I thanked them and promised to read it with an open mind.**)

*) In a less ideal, bodily world, this means downloading a handsome megabytes and printing out over 900 PDF pages.
**) Now that I'm still reading it, every page of the book has got me equally enlightened. The fact that I'm not done with it doesn't nullify the authencity of my feelings, and this is what I'm trying to say: Whether or not you are Austrian doesn't matter, but Human Action DOES matter regardless of your nationality. I guess I cannot thank those Misesians well enough for this.

wanted: young global leaders

2005-04-10T14:41:00.000+07:00

When a friend called from Davos last week and said he planned to nominate me for a Young Global Leader, I sure felt one most flattered guy on earth!

He emailed this link for me to learn more from, and asked me to send a bio. Later that same day at home I found myself once again a boy, as full of curiousity as when I was about to unfold a first "secret." To say that I have no interest in it would be to "divide ice from snow", both to him and myself; in fact I began a brief discussion with my own conscience what I'd done to deserve such nomination when, if I may shamelessly so claim, the good things I ever did to my neighborhood were very few and far between?

Minutes of reading of the YGL requirements and browsing the profiles of members already gave me trepidation...it says: you should be under 40; have substantial leadership experience; have already clearly demonstrated a commitment to serving society; are willing to devote their energy and expertise for five years to tackle the most critical issues facing the world....etc.

I am under 40, and yes I am willing to devote energy and expertise for as ling as it takes to tackle the most critical issues... But willingness and ability are two different things, and when it regards a global effort, something I can't fathom. Besides, another look at the existing member profiles made me feel that my nomination would be a joke; some of them are ministers, former ministers, CEOs, presidents! The jurries would throw away my CV the moment they lay eyes on it.

If it happened, it wouldn't bother me. But the thought that this good American friend of mine would probably be ashamed of himself for having picked me up in the first place was rather disturbing. It might as well mean he did not know me at all. All this time he's only been accurate about two things: one, I am under 40. Two, I wish to see the world a better place (but then name any father who doesn't?). Now I feel peculiarly sorry. But, boy, how I wish to see someone, an Indonesian truly qualified, join it and work for solutions...

ceteris paribus: a most dangerous economists' tool

2005-04-02T15:41:00.000+07:00

Whilst ceteris paribus helps economists indulge in their propositions, the naked reality has been such that nothing is ever in that state in life. Those employing the concept while trying to solve practical problems are condemned to be erroneous--the more serious the problems, the graver the mistakes. The announcement in Kompas today by head of the statistics bureau about March inflation rate has proved that the mainstream economists were wrong in estimating the effect of the latest fuel price hike on the inflation rate. The invisible poor are already starting to suffer more "beautifully"; let everyone be reminded once again. That ceteris paribus doesn't live here. It never did and never will.

it's not about the economy, stupid!

2005-03-29T15:48:00.000+07:00

The biggest problem the country faces isn't economic. It appears so but it's not; it's pseudoeconomic. With all the e-j-a-c-u-l-a-t-e-d fuss and resources wasted on Indonesia's economic achievement, our sons and daughters will be "lucky" enough to endure moments of mediocrity before they kill each other in the race to the bottom. A Harvard-full of brightest economists could not save, for the heart of the matter lies deep down in the psyches of the people. It's, yes, within us; not without. It is, yes, mental, the domain where we are all rotting away. And it is, yes, you+me. Dare we expect something from the government, amateurish but most dominant in the predatory tripartite government-business community-civil society relation that consitutes Republik Indonesia? The government comprises the civil servants. Saying civil servants must be reformed has left us nowhere. Asking it to reform itself would be asking for its own political demise. It's a looong winding way. It's not about economy, and what we citizens must do, we must figure it out ourselves. Alone or together.

in order to be try not to seem

2005-03-21T15:48:00.000+07:00

Was left with two unrelated thoughts after reading this delightful article, Seven steps to looking and acting intellectual. One is that it may tell something about some things that matter nowadays, a phenomenon not unique just to my country. Two: my blog definitely needs updating. So, to whom to be seems too hard, try to seem?! To those who still fail at seeming, aim at failing...

untitled

2005-03-08T15:48:00.000+07:00

If Robert Frost said that a diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age, what would he call one who does not know her exact birthdate, does not know her age, but does sincerely want to wish her many happy returns of the day?

bull....

2005-02-23T15:48:00.000+07:00

It is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth, writes Harry G. Frankfurt, emeritus professor of philosophy at Princeton in his recent book : On Bull----. A person who lies is thereby responding to the truth, and he is to that extent respectful of it. The bull artist, on the other hand, cares nothing for truth or falsehood. The only thing that matters to him is getting away with what he says. An advertiser or a politician or talk show host given to [bull] "does not reject the authority of the truth, as the liar does, and oppose himself to it," he writes. "He pays no attention to it at all." ... More on the b-s article; or on the essay/book.

a drowning tragedy

2005-02-22T15:48:00.000+07:00

An otherwise ordinary Sunday of Feb. 20th between the hours of 13 to 14 PM in Taman Sari Pesona Bali swimming pool in Ciputat where we live turned tragic for a man.

I was playing a rubber durian volleyball with a neighbor boy, friend of my daughter's, when he suddenly stopped the game."Look," he said, pointing to a terrible sight. At first I thought I saw two men kidding themselves by wrestling in the pool. Then I realized it was a "lifeguard" trying to tow away another man out of water. The guard couldn't pull the victim out of it, so I instinctively swam fast towards them and could give the victim a push below the water, then jumped myselfy out of the pool to help drag the body out. This guard instructed me to help carry the victim and lie him down on a wooden bench, which we did. Then he tried to press his hands several times to the victim's belly, when soon water and froth came out of the victim's mouth. He said to me, "All right, now do it." I responded, "Do what?" He didn't respond at first, then he said, or perhaps suggested unconfidently, "Let's move him out of the sight?," which we did. "This man had epilepsy, he said to me as we burden the cold body. Oh? I thought, that explained things (and that's the information I passed on to Chandra and my daughter Lej, later). A middle aged lady came approacing. As she began to recognize the victim, she started sobbing in panic.

Somebody had cleared the ticketing table, and a guy whom I thought was one of the pool management, told us to put down the victim on the table. A quick decision was made. The victim was to be taken to Gandul hospital, which , I don't really know, half an hour from the site? The weeping woman went with him. And that's it. Everything went flashing very fast, like in a dream. I didn't know even the least information about the victim. The 2-m part of the pool was empty for some minutes. When people came back swimming again, way too soon! As if nothing mattered had happened. As if nothing happened at all.

The guy who took the victim out came back, wearing an official lifeguard uniform by then. That's when I knew he was a guard. Apparently he didn't go to Gandul. As he walked slowly and passed by me, he gave me a nod, perhaps an unncessary gratitude, I inquired about the victim. Do you know this guy? What made you think he had epilepsy? " No, I don't, I don't know him at all. His mouth was frothing, as you saw it yourself. He might have been seized by it." I sat down aghast and became quickly consumed by remorse.

Two nights have found me unable to go to sleep without me having to confront countless of questions about the man and the whole situation. He was about 25-30, but who was he? How was he transported to Gandul? Did he die? What did they do? What should have been done? etc.

Now that I've learned from surfing the net something about drowning these two days ex post, I can only feel certain that that everything we did as soon as we left the water was inappropriate! The man either died or survived with irreversible brain damage. People can survive without food for days, but suffocation allows only 2-3 minutes before tragedy. It is with deep and bitter regret that I'm posting this. My purposes are: 1) to pay tribute to the victim; 2) to share a very costly lesson.

700 new cars

2005-02-17T15:48:00.000+07:00

I REMEMBER visiting her home in Tomang after school back in our high school years. Some schoolmates came from filthy rich families, but had I ever thought this particular friend as one of them until that very day! Her family, of 3 children including herself, gave me a shock. They had five cars: one car for every member of the family. Why that many? What a great share to the congestion. Out of either innocence or ignorance, I snapped those remarks, in a teenager's spontaniety that was never to condescend her nor her family. If her reactions at that time failed me, well, they still do. I did not apologize.

Thousands of days must have passed since that day and plus one today. We have never met again. After lunch at the office foodstall today, I instead met an acquaintance, a finance manager with an auto leasing company. In our fleeting, less than three-minute, chitchat he spoke of the anomaly of our age in this country. He said that every day some 1,600 new cars were flooding this country's roads. In this old mean city Jakarta alone, over 700 new cars, every day! My instinctive response ruled in a flash: surely great for your line of business, but I was wise enough to hold my tongue. Besides, this man did not seem jolly as he spilled the bin, only concerned. Though I had read about this info in some reports, the cold facts coming from the mouth of a man in the business sent chills right down to my spine. I think I gave him a grin from my feeling of powerlessness. I waved him a silent goodbye on my way back to work.

In the elevator that brought me to the seventh floor where I work, memories of that high school friend emerged to the foreground from a long buried past. Then I remembered that afternoon visit. I felt more convinced than ever today, that something has been grossly wrong in my country. Of course, it was never my friend's fault, nor her family's. But I knew there is a good cause for an apology, the next time we meet again, maybe.

THE INDONESIAN PSYCHE

2005-02-15T21:27:00.000+07:00

Published in a shorter version for the Indonesia Now & Beyond: The Indonesia Yearbook 2002, published by Andrew Tani Communications

THE INDONESIAN PSYCHE
The Loss of Soul of a People and Nation

By

Julia I. Suryakusuma*

The Great Malady

It is said that the great malady of the twentieth century that affects us all, individually and collectively, is the loss of soul. This is certainly true of Indonesia; loss of soul is a phenomenon that is the root cause of so much of our problems and pain, and it is reflected in so many aspects of our lives and behaviour.

Psyche is defined as soul, self, spirit, or mind, and is manifested through action, character, personality, but also our social structure, culture, leadership patterns, etc., and our ways of relating on a personal, local, national and international basis. A crisis - especially a prolonged one - is an opportunity and perhaps one of the best ways of knowing and understanding someone's psyche as it teases, indeed forces out the various aspects of the psyche, including the dark sides, without which none of us would be whole.

Indonesia has been going through a 'kristal'' (krisis total - total crisis) which started in 1997 as a monetary crisis but developed into fully-fledged economic, social and political crises, and which was clearly felt also to be a crisis of morality, justice, and integrity. If May 1998 can be considered the beginning of the Reformasi (Reform) Era, it was a transitional era hoped to bring about solutions which would 'transport' us into an era of democracy. However, so far Reformasi has been a continuation of the crisis, bringing about some improvements - true, but also new problems and contradictions, and no real clarity about where we are headed.

Most would agree that, overall, we are still very much in a state of crisis - what Durkheim would call anomie, or normlessness, caused by too rapid social change whereby the customary limits to what people want and expect from life are disrupted. Social controls are weak, and moral obligations, which constrain individuals and regulate their behaviour, are not strong enough to function effectively. It is also a situation whereby "the scale is upset, but a new scale cannot be immediately improvised". To see this in the Indonesian context, we're trying to demolish the so-called New Order, but are not at all clear what the new rules of the Reformasi Order are (resulting in New Orderism seeping in all the time).

In some ways, Indonesia has been in a state of anomie for decades, even centuries, in the sense that the rules have always been imposed on society by a minority group - whether it be a colonial power or an authoritarian state - rather than something formed jointly by the collective will of the society itself. So when the powers that be are shaken up, as they are now, the degree of anomie is great indeed. Thus, it is not only our values and norms that are being distorted, but where our already psychotic and neurotic psyche is being stripped, and even more of its soul is pushed to the point of barrenness.

Five Aspects of the Indonesian Psyche

So how does one start to understand the Indonesian psyche? Is it not a bold and foolish endeavour to even try to make any generalisations, considering Indonesia's socio-cultural-religious diversity, class disparities, and (not to mention) gender differences? However, there is such a thing as a collective psyche and consciousness shaped by a common history, conditions and 'fate'.

Carl Gustav Jung was the proponent of the theory of the collective unconscious, which is based on memories inherited from one's ancestors which one does not have to experience personally. But then there is also the collective consciousness, which is based on empirical experience. While the psyche is made up of the two, in this essay I place more emphasis on the collective consciousness which is more affected by political, sociological and historical factors. This is because there is a greater likelihood that we can do something about it rather than feel that we are stuck in a cultural determinism that cannot be changed.

Thus I will attempt to describe 'psyche' as it is manifested through collective attitude and behaviour. I have identified five main categories of traits broadly related to immaturity, fearfulness, powerlessness, irrationality, and the inability to manage ourselves. These categories are not distinct, but are closely connected with one another.

We are an immature people who are going through a severe identity crisis. The identity of such a young nation as Indonesia is, in any event, still in the making. In our history we seldom have had a period where we were able to maintain stability long enough to forge this collective identity of ours, an identity so fragile due to the diversity and geographical composition of the country. It is, indeed, the identity of an 'imagined community', one held together artificially. The New Order regime understood this need for stability well enough, but its understanding of it was to impose a developmentalist paradigm and so-called Pancasila democracy, which of course, were merely the tools of authoritarianism in disguise.

As a result of being led by the nose for so long, we lack self-esteem, and have a need for constant recognition and acknowledgement, often seeking status without substance. This is manifested in many ways: the endless demonstrations which we take to be a sign of democracy (it is not. It is a sign that our democratic institutions don't work); by the need of various groups - whether they be ethnic or religious - to 'assert' themselves in attention-seeking ways which are not always constructive, indeed, often destructive or divisive (e.g. the periodic raids of bars by groups who claim to be Islamic, bombings of churches and mosques, etc.); in the celebrity-aspiring tendencies of many of our intellectuals, who are more keen on appearing in TV talk-shows and expressing their views about everything under the sun (or continuously regurgitating what they have said over and over again, as they have produced no new thoughts or ideas), than engaging in reflection and the production of knowledge for the new society we all desire; the utterly shameful practice of buying and selling of academic titles - Masters' degrees, PhDs and even professorships - that has become increasingly sought after; in the behaviour of our honourable members of parliament who are vocal but also often without a real grasp of the issues and who are ignorant themselves of the aspirations of their constituents.

We demand our freedom, but it is often one that is divested of responsibility, e.g. clamouring for prestigious social positions or lucrative bureaucratic posts without fully acknowledging the obligations that are inherent in them. Or our press, which has flourished in numbers, but not in quality, a press that is still on the whole, reactive, rather than responsive to the needs of the society. It is a press that leads public opinion by publishing sensationalistic stories, instead of educating the public and shaping mindsets in a way that leads to the building of social solidarity, the institutions of democracy, and democracy itself.

We are self-righteous, with a very prominent and active tendency to engage in blaming and scapegoating, in fact, we are a nation of scapegoaters par excellence. We do not take responsibility for our fate; it is always the fault of the foreign powers, the communists, the extremists, the subversive elements, the formless organisations, etc. etc. When we blame, we are looking for a scapegoat for a real dislocation which is difficult to find (or that we are unwilling to see) and in which we ourselves, as individuals and as a society, are implicated. Blame is a defensive substitute for an honest reflection and examination of our lives and condition, the necessary foundation for seeking guidance in our mistakes.

Everybody and all nations have their contradictions, but too many of ours are negative. For example, we can smile and yet stab someone, even a friend, in the back, with considerable ease. We also have a tendency to engage in self-deception, in our dishonesty, our ease at committing fraud, manipulating figures and statistics, in the unwillingness or reluctance of our state and government officials to declare their wealth; in money politics, in the students or civil society organisations who claim to demonstrate, speak or act on behalf of the people but are in fact doing so out of self-interest. We are unable to learn from our history, from our mistakes, and it is also for this reason that we rely still on strong leadership, which we then permit to slide back into dictatorship.

We are a fearful people, lacking in spirit due to years of authoritarian rule, first by our kings and queens, then the colonialists. Leader after leader colludes with the neo-colonialists who come bringing loans, laden with conditions that strip us of our autonomy and often, dignity and self. No wonder we have become selfish and petty, mediocre and conformist, all a function of fear and characterlessness. We are a jealous and envious people, coveting what another has or afraid that someone will take what we have. While these tendencies are corrosive to the heart, we are strangely attached to these traits as they act as a prop for our insecurity. Envy is a compulsion which is made up of desire but at the same time self denial, creating frustration and obsessiveness, which Indonesians are clearly manifesting. And, in the thick of envy, one is blind to one's own nature when in fact knowing and understanding who we are is a fundamental prerequisite to solving our manifold problems.

We are a closed people, which is perhaps a cultural predisposition of the East (the notion of Oriental inscrutability), but it is also related to our fearfulness, stubbornness, 'masked' behaviour, narrow-mindedness, pettiness, defensiveness; these traits prevent or at least inhibit our ability to engage in open dialogue from which new insights could arise.

We oscillate between playing ostrich (i.e. denial), for example, unwilling to acknowledge that we are capable of committing heinous crimes as we have done in so many instances in our history (as in 1965, East Timor, Aceh, Papua, and many other human rights abuses), or running amok, often as a mob, after having engaged in self-repression for a long time. Ours is a shame rather than a guilt culture, meaning that a wrongdoing only becomes a problem if it is found out, not because there is some form of internal control which a healthy sense of guilt can provide.

Fearfulness also results in lack of integrity, often acting with no guiding principles (or simply bad judgement), and thus allowing ourselves to be driven by personal interests, desires, and greed. This results in hypocritical (even using religion as a cover up for corrupt or immoral practices), opportunistic or irresponsible behaviour, engaging in betrayals, backstabbing, a comprador mentality, the tendency to manipulate others' misfortune or weaknesses, and even torturing, maiming or killing our own people. Yet, each time we murder our activists - most recently Theys Hilo Eluay, leader of the Free Papua Movement - we are killing our own spirit because they are precisely the people who most embody the spirit of freedom, independence and justice, to which we claim to aspire. But we kill in so many other ways: by our development policies that favour the rich, that seize land away from people, that deprive many of their basic needs and human rights, that appropriate traditional knowledge and wealth through the corrupt actions of government officials who take money and resources that rightly belong to the people, and by neglecting indigenous arts and crafts. In doing all this, we are killing the very spirit that we need to save our souls, and the soul of the nation.

We are powerless, weak and irresolute, easily influenced and inflamed by others, and power-hungry precisely because we are power-less. However, due to our fear, we are influenced by the wrong people or things, for the wrong reasons. We are resentful of others - because of what they impose on us - be it ways of being or doing, or criticism - but don't have the courage to assert ourselves and speak up or out against what we believe or want. Instead, we mutter, grumble or gossip behind people's backs. We fritter away our power (and energies) by engaging in back-biting, infighting, factious rivalry and mutual annihilation. We lack the courage and political will to do the things we have to do, such as eradicating KKN (collusion, corruption and nepotism) which has been a destructive virus for decades. We only too often engage in a NATO (no action, talk only) mentality and speak with loud voices that sound heroic, 'poetic', or pleasing to the ego, and which serve to rouse (the masses) or to appease (the self), but that are seldom backed by purposive, thought out, planned action and deeds.

Culturally, we are still feudal in our orientation, both in mentality as well as in social structure; this is not conducive to people developing and expressing their own power. Those who are 'powerful' exercise their power on their 'subjects', making their decisions and imposing their will on them. The only way 'ordinary' people can survive is to use the 'weapons of the weak'. Some Indonesian favourites are: lying, various forms of deception, twisting words, beating about the bush, nagging, or behaving in passive-aggressive ways. This mentality leads to an inferiority-superiority complex, and is also the psychological basis for a culture of violence which can be sadomasochistic, vengeful and victimising. The roots of violence of course are many, complex and interlinked - social, political, economic and psychological, and cannot be reduced to one single cause. Indonesia has many of the ingredients needed to develop a culture of violence. The Javanese brand of violence can appear to be quite 'halus' (refined) - backstabbing would be one method - but it is violence nevertheless.

We are irrational and as a result, often overly emotional. For decades, even centuries, we were never taught to be logical, because it was never in the interests of the powerful to have subjects who could think logically. In fact, one of the major successes of the New Order regime was in its 'program' of pembodohan (literally, 'stupidisation'), a process that virtually deprives people of their capacity to think independently, force-feeding the populace with ideological indoctrination, lies, imposing on them an educational system which was never designed to teach people to think, and a political system which did not allow people to participate in decision making processes. We were inculcated to be considerate (tenggang rasa) but never to be analytical or critical. We need to balance out the two, because only being considerate can result in problems being swept under the carpet, but being only critical can dismiss sentiments that are very important to people's existence. The one without the other simply results in a categorical and reductionistic way of thinking. Israel is the devil, we say, but how is it possible that these millions of people are all bad, reducing them to one single (negative) trait? We need to know and understand how others are, but this categorical way of thinking (of defining people or events according to stereotypical givens) prevents it. It is this tendency that facilitates the factious ruling elite to politicise and cultivate the various racist, ethnic, religious, sexist or class prejudices that exist.

We have difficulty in managing ourselves. While Indonesia is a land of promise, that promise feels unfulfilled, chaotic, corrupt and directionless. If we were never taught to be logical, we were also never taught to manage ourselves, whether it be our time, money, emotions, or relationships. We need to learn how to manage ourselves by gradually taking on more and more responsibility - this is something that needs to be taught starting at home, in the family, as children. Learning to manage ourselves also means learning to prioritise and see the global, 'big' picture, something we are often incapable of doing.

In Indonesia we don't know what we want because we are not used to formulating what we want. We were never really educated in the family or at school to clearly articulate our needs and wants; this is carried over in our political system and culture which stresses compliance rather than encouraging negotiation and even less, of the pressing of demands. Thus, if we catch a thief, we just beat him to death as the legal system is not one that inspires much confidence. In this way, applying the principle of "vox Dei, vox populi" to, say, the extremist 'Islamic' group, the Laskar Jihad (who resort to violence to meet their ends), becomes problematic if not horrific. On the other hand, if the people can take the law in their own hands when it comes to, say, a chicken thief, what happens to those who are suspected of being implicated in Buloggate I and II, starting from the President, the head of the House of the People's Representative, the ministers and businessmen? In relative terms, if proven guilty, these people have caused far greater damage than a chicken thief. Should they then also be beaten to death, burned at the stake, hung at the gallows at Monas, or drawn and quartered, since the law will not touch them in quite the way they deserve?

Because of the nature of the crisis in Indonesia and the lack of systematic means to unravel the chaos, leadership is particularly important in the nation's ability to solve all other problems. However, the lack of leadership is precisely one of our fundamental problems. Megawati's waffling and silence - often seen as characteristic of her leadership - is also indicative of the deep tensions and differing pulls within Indonesian society. She has difficulty in leading because we simply cannot agree where we want to go. While we pride ourselves on our philosophy of harmony, the reality is cacophony, very difficult for any conductor to orchestrate.

Corruption, which can be categorised as 'mismanagement' (of the deliberate kind), is endemic in Indonesia, one of the most intractable problems we face. It is destroying the nation in more ways than we think. Indeed, it is often those who are in power who allow and practice corruption. How can democracy and confidence in the government and state institutions be developed in this kind of atmosphere? The mentality and practice of corruption however is not limited to high-level government officials, it has spread to all sectors and levels of society, making it standard practice. Like sex, money is numinous, filled with fantasy, emotion and resistant to rational guidance. It is beyond our powers of control, filling us with compelling desire, longing, envy and greed. Acquisitiveness, rapacity, cheating, fraud and embezzlement are widespread, even endemic in Indonesia. When a society becomes corrupted by money's shadow, it falls apart. When one considers that money is central to our attempts to live a communal life, corruption and other obsessions with money become an obstacle to communal flow, no longer serving community exchange, and thus creating a blockage in our collective spirit - a loss of soul.

What a grim picture of the people we are! Do we not have any positive traits at all? Many traits have drawn people to the archipelago, whether to enjoy or exploit us, to celebrate or to take advantage of us. Some foreigners who have come to stay for a short period have ended up staying longer or not returned to their country of origin at all, more 'developed' though it may be. Why is this so?

The Other Side….

Indonesians are a friendly, warm, charming people, traits which often have been distorted and easily manipulated. Many of us are naturally artistic but our work is undervalued in the shadow of modern technologies. We are elegant and refined, passionate, sensual, and hardworking too, which has left us exploited. We are quick learners, and have a highly adaptive culture with a long history of assimilation, clearly seen in much of our arts and crafts, our religion, our language, our cuisine. Assimilation, however, has often given way to instant copying of products, mannerisms or lifestyles. We are family oriented, and believe in mutual co-operation and social solidarity, which leads to KKN and silent support for bapakism. We are believers, i.e., we love to believe in things, but at the same time having a certain degree of cynicism. If this cynicism is applied rationally, it could produce a healthy, balanced outlook to life.

We have an array of ethnic tendencies, from the West Sumatrans who are more intellectual and rational in their approach, to the Javanese whose approach to life is more with feeling (rasa); some ethnic groups are more direct, others more discreet and reserved. We pride ourselves on being tolerant and peace-loving, which is in essence true, but turned around by the divide-et-impera tactics of the New Order (and previously by the colonial powers), it has become the opposite. We are essentially mystical and spiritual, traits which have been distorted into religious fanaticism and bigotry, as a defensive stance against the oppression of successive authoritarian regimes as well as the onslaught of globalisation. We tend to live for the moment, a positive, even spiritual quality, but if distorted becomes short-sightedness and opportunism. Almost all our ethnic groups tend to be merry, cheerful and have a sense of humour, which now only too often has been reduced to shallowness and superficiality.

The Indonesian Psyche as part of Anima Mundi

In many ways, any people who have gone through the historical, economic and political circumstances that the Indonesian nation and people have, would be likely to exhibit similar traits. More than plural, we are a fragmented society (in a fragmented world), with no single majority (that can lead), fixed within a 'moral' social hierarchy, overly centralised (still), with uneven human and natural resources and a gaping social, political and economic chasm between the elite and the rest of the people. Since the crisis, we have become one of the poorest nations (currently an estimated 60% below the poverty line), and we endure a prolonged economic crisis; regional, ethnic and religious strife; an ineffective legal system; a culture of violence; a colossal foreign debt; stimulation overload (often of the crass or negative kind); bombardment by products (both commodities and 'cultural'); foreign values; internal strife and conflict due to decades of control and repression. All of the above, occurring together and over decades are to a large extent the reason why we are the way we are, resulting in the soulless entities we have become.

And truly, life is difficult to manage nowadays, crammed as we are by internal demands and needs, external influences, the conflict between the two, and the dizzying pace of change which does not allow us to process an acceptable change of values. People react in different ways: by being defensive, aggressive, self-protective or opportunistic and hypocritical. The confusing complexity of life can only be coped with by simplification: engaging in pragmatist, reductionistic mentality. Conflict of values is 'managed' by reducing the issue to something that can be easily focused on, e.g. permissive sex comes from the West - so it's bad and sinful - forgetting that Indonesia has a very erotic culture, which is part of our indigenous spiritualist religion (i.e. pre-Islamic). But if this pragmatic, reductionist mentality is applied to religion, race, ethnicity, class or gender, it provides the basis for misunderstandings, prejudices, divisions, strife and violence.
We allow ourselves to be trapped in stereotypical social roles which are prescribed and rigid, and forget about the archetypes - the primeval content of the collective unconscious of inherited ideas and predispositions - which can provide guides to soulfulness. This is particularly true of gender roles which, in the New Order especially, were also politically and ideologically defined: man as head of the family, woman as wife and homemaker, in the context of a 'Pancasila' family and society. Indonesian families have also been pushed to subscribe more and more - through 'modernisation', but also through the New Order social construction of gender roles - to the notion of the Western nuclear family when traditionally we have had extended families.

This stereotyping of socially constructed gender roles has resulted in the loss of the masculine and feminine archetypes, the ideals of manhood and womanhood, motherhood and fatherhood, that are essential for providing guidance and wisdom for us individually, in our family lives and in the life of the community and nation. If in the current Reformasi Order the women's movement in Indonesia is struggling to revive itself, it will be hard pressed to do so in the context of the collective fatherlessness we are currently suffering. This is also a major source of our lack of leadership. Ideology is not enough to lead a people and nation, and even of that, we have precious little. Feminists deplore the oppressiveness of patriarchal values and structures; indeed, what we sorely need is the resurrection of positive patriarchy. With the likes of Soeharto and Bush, what hope do we have?

In present day Indonesia we have not yet reached the level of modern ways of being, grounded in an intellectual, rational, open, pluralistic and egalitarian approach. Yet we have left behind the traditional ways, where wisdom is grounded in intuition and a kind of humanism whereby contradictions - an inherent part of life - are contained through a holistic, yin-yang approach, where darkness and light, like day and night, exist together. Somehow we need to recapture this traditional wisdom. Perhaps this way, we can derive our peace. But what to do with the onslaught of globalisation and how do we keep up with the competition?

To understand the Indonesian psyche, we need to understand the context in which it exists. If we believe in the notion of anima mundi, or the soul of the world, and that we are all - whether as individuals or nations - a part of it, this also provides the key to understanding the Indonesian psyche. This being the case, especially after September 11, in many ways Indonesia is no worse off than the rest of the world right now. We live in a soulless world - is it surprising then that Indonesia suffers from the same malady?

Development and modernisation are being spread by globalisation. Yet they are a threat to the caring for and healing of the soul. Globalisation is driven by psychological modernism: an uncritical acceptance of the values of the modern world, oriented towards a mechanistic and rationalistic understanding of life. This psychological modernism is manifested in a blind faith in technology, uncritical acceptance of scientific progress, devotion to the electronic media, and a lifestyle that is dictated by advertising. If something goes wrong, the tendency is to adopt a "let's fix it" approach, rather than attempt a reflective and philosophical approach. This soulful approach becomes increasingly rare in the 'modern' world.

The notion of a globalised world is actually a very ancient one. Ancient philosophers and theologians taught that the world is a cosmic being, a unified organism with its own living body and soul. However, today we literalise this philosophy in the notion of the Global Village, created by fibre optics. Literalisation and cultural numbing, no poetry, no rituals (save for neurotic ones like watching TV, eating processed food, or smoking), no imagination, no holiness, no involvement in the creation of one's daily lives (using instead, mass-produced goods). This is an inherent modernist syndrome, a major cause of the destruction of the soul. Globally we live in a time of materialism and consumerism, of lost values and a shift in ethical standards; we live in the information age where only too often there is an inverse relation between information and wisdom. Throughout human history the expression of individuality is a threat to the status quo. For all of the modern world's championing of individuality and individual freedoms (led by the U.S., that Golden Child of the Iron Age), most of our cultures, certainly the global culture, favour conformity. This is true of political and economic systems, lifestyle, consumer patterns, fashion, and ways of thinking. It's enough to step briefly into a mall, whether in Indonesia (or in the U.S.), to get an onslaught of global culture: KFCs, McDonalds, Coca Cola, the Gap, and all the rest. You've seen one, you've (practically) seen them all. This, on top of the Indonesia's own propensity for conformity, inculcated by the New Order regime (ironic in such a diverse nation as Indonesia), only serves to make us more soulless.

There is a flatness in the quality of life, which may be connected to our insoluble violence world-wide. The other side of violence is creativity and self-expression - both stem from the life force. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the soul has power, a power that can be creative or destructive, gentle or aggressive, and which can hurl a person into ecstasy or depression. Because we don't do enough to acknowledge the soul, in fact, actively engage in activities that negate it, no wonder adjustment disorders abound, in Indonesia, but also the rest of the world.

The Need to Heal and Restore our Soul

There is always a feeling of pride among Indonesians because we are a big nation: the largest archipelago, now the fourth most populous nation in the world, endowed with rich natural resources in a beautiful land. Yet there is at the same time a constant feeling of inferiority because these are never translated into power in military, political, economic or even cultural terms. On the contrary, Indonesia is now one of the poorest nations on earth; human resources are of low and uncompetitive quality, especially in managerial and communication skills, and in progress and advancement in many other fields. We are proud of our history, culture, traditions, etc., but sometimes they hinder our efforts at modernity.

Many of the problems that Indonesia and Indonesians face are to do with the fact that we have never had a chance to be democratic. In Indonesia, 'democracy' took shape in a culture that was not ours. It became something that was imposed, and for so long politics has simply been an arena for competing interests, not the general good (and for a long time, for the good of the generals). Personal interest has been the driving force of politics. Our parties are 'as-if' parties, geared at vote-getting (i.e. collecting people) rather than advocating ideological interests or even a political agenda. So they break up easily because there is no real commitment to a cause, a belief, and even less, to principles.

If we truly want to pull ourselves out of the crisis, now is a time when we need to muster our collective courage not only to face the trials we are going through, but also to grieve for our past tragedies and losses. At the same time, we need to develop a healthy sense of shame with regards to our present and our past. This requires an honest examination of our history (e.g. of 1965, and other well-known debacles), not based on propaganda, but through research, study and knowledge. We need to address the problem of regional autonomy and the inherent strife as a reflection of an unhappy, fragmented soul. We need to address the issue of human rights abuses, both past and present. We need to develop and build our democratic institutions, processes and practices, induce transparency and accountability, and establish rule of law and social, economic and political justice. We also need to rekindle a healthy sense of nationalism, not the inward looking, xenophobic, blame-all-our-problems-on-others-and-therefore-they-have-to-pay attitude that we have now. We need to make peace with ourselves and our history, lest we remain in an 'existential limbo' which prevents us from developing ourselves and becoming a strong nation.

Up to now, the prospects for healing are not visible on the horizon, but we're damned to an eternal hell if we don't. In order to regain our soul power we need to be good at what we are good at. Many of us spend time and energy to be something we are not, and because we fail, we reach for substitutes of power which makes us even more powerless. Care of the soul requires space for reflection and appreciation, as well as a willingness to embrace contradiction and paradox, inherent features of life. Indonesia once had soul - this is obvious from our culture and historic relics. The issue here is not to be trapped in a romanticisation of the past, but to engage in some sort of 'post-modern' project that draws upon the memory of our past - both painful and glorious (if we ever had it), but which also recognises the needs and realities of an Indonesia which is on the brink of disintegration. For this we need self-knowledge - of both our light and dark sides. For this we need self-sacrifice rather than the sacrificing of others. We need to recognise that like most people, our cardinal virtue is also our pivotal fault - perhaps that could be a starting point. We need more than anything else, to reclaim our souls, for without them, we are empty, and Indonesia, even if it continues to 'exist', will be a churning, chaotic entity, dissolved of meaning.

* Julia I. Suryakusuma is a sociologist and social commentator based in Jakarta. Her work appears in various national and international publications. Her API (Almanac of Indonesian Politics) Foundation published the Almanac of Indonesian Political Parties (1999) and the Indonesian Parliament Guide (2001).

blogging my headache away

2005-02-14T15:48:00.000+07:00

As I continue blogging this moment, the migrane (migrant? whatever!) on the temple and around my left eye has become more severe than lastyesternight. Took a painkiller tablet minutes ago; now just wanted to find out how blogging turned out with headache. So, what to write? How about my own birthday? OK. It's 4 days ago now, when I received two presents: "Sebuah Kitab Melawan Lupa" (or A Book Against Forgetting, and a steel ashtray.

No, wait, three presents actually. The other one is a blog posting, which I learned last night, from a friend. Could one, who never received birthday presents or even simple bday wishes from the parents, expect more? But to do justice, couldn't have written the last sentence without this little addition: the fact they never did me that does not mean they don't love me; this always goes without saying beyond qualms. Some people just don't show love.

Anyway, on my birthday last week, I felt truly happy and loved. Birthdays should be more about what you give others rather than the opposite. I learned this long ago, but let it be said again today. For, I am grateful, and the feeling is is strong enough to beat this killer...

kerentanan terhadap kekeliruan berpikir

2005-01-25T21:12:00.000+07:00

Dalam satu seminar tentang prasarana yang saya ikuti di ujung tahun lalu, seorang ekonom terkenal Indonesia memaparkan tentang pentingnya infrastruktur listrik bagi perekonomian. Ia mencoba meyakinkan bahwa menaikkan investasi listrik di negeri ini akan meningkatkan pertumbuhan ekonomi. "Berdasarkan hasil analisis skenario di lembaga kami," katanya, "setiap kenaikan pasokan listrik sebesar 1% akan meningkatkan perekonomian Indonesia sebesar 0.6 persen. Sektor ini harus diprioritaskan pemerintah." Tanpa ceteris paribus, pernyataan ini menyesatkan. Bahkan dengan ceteris paribus pun, pernyataan ini tidak dapat dibenarkan secara serta merta. Ada banyak hal yang menentukan peningkatan ekonomi suatu negara. Banyak faktor lain yang ikut menentukan--dan bukan faktor ekonomi belaka, seperti faktor hukum, faktor keamanan, stabilitas politik, dan lain-lain.

Dalam satu kesempatan lain, seorang ilmuwan senior (dari sebuah lembaga penelitian nasional) yang telat hadir lebih dari 40 menit karena hujan berkata, "Sebetulnya kita tidak perlu memperlambat laju kendaraan kita di waktu hujan, asal saja semua pemilik mobil menjaga kualitas ban mobilnya. Di Amerika, contohnya, para pengendara kendaraan bermotor tidak mengurangi laju kendaraan mereka di waktu hujan." Dari mana ia dapat menarik kesimpulan ini? Generalisasi gegabah biasanya berisi kesalahan berpikir. Faktor ban hanyalah satu penyebab; ada banyak hal yang membuat orang harus memperlambat laju kendaraan di kala hujan.

Ada juga suatu waktu ketika salah seorang gubernur Jakata menyatakan dalam peresmian sebuah lapangan-golf baru bahwa banyaknya jumlah lapangan golf di suatu negara mencerminkan tingkat kesejahteraan masyarakat. Jumlah lapangan golf tidak dapat dipakai sebagai indikator kesejahteraan masyarakat.

Pakto 88 berisi kebijakan deregulasi perbankan dari pemerintah yang berniat mempermudah pendirian bank-bank di Indonesia. Gagasan utamanya adalah bahwa bank merupakan institusi keuangan yang memfasilitasi transaksi bisnis. Semakin banyak jumlah bank di suatu negara, semakin mudah transaksi bisnis dapat dimungkinkan. Menyusul 'kebijakan' ini, bank-bank baru tumbuh menjamur seperti cendawan di musim hujan. Ketika krisis melanda di pertengahan 1997, imbas terparah terjadi di negeri ini. Hingga sekarang dan di masa depan, kita dan anak cucu kita yang menanggung akibatnya.

Semua contoh yang dikutip di atas memiliki satu kesamaan: semua gagasan yang disampaikan adalah gagasan sesat yang berasal dari proses berpikir yang keliru. Masing-masing subyek setidaknya telah melakukan kekeliruan berpikir atau fallacy (Fallacy merupakan topik utama dengan ulasan cukup lengkap (jika bukan yang terlengkap di Indonesia) di onceuponawe!og-persisnya, di bagian Prometheus. Tulisan ini cuma ingin menunjukkan bahwa kesalahan berpikir dapat terjadi kepada siapa saja. (***)

reducing poverty by reducing government

2005-01-18T21:27:00.001+07:00

reducing poverty by reducing government (1)

On 28 Oct the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) released a 1st draft of national poverty reduction strategy (PRSP). A quick look would tell one that the new format is slightly better than before, when the doc was under the Poverty Committee. Talk about a national blue print that the government is preparing to affect the lives of so many poor in this country! I am still reading it, and am not inclined to comment here.

But last week I read an interesting article written by a prominent economist. The title of this posting is after the very title of his article. Anyone interested in poverty reduction may benefit from reading it.

Now I can't go on without a mention how Indonesia has been undergoing a drastic but silent transformation, until decades from now. Through a largely unnoticed process of big-bang decentralization, Indonesia is fragmenting exacty to the opposite direction. Decentralizing Indonesia cannot stop itself from fragmentation, distributing central authorities first to provincial and then onto district governments. Nobody seems to care about all the consequences that entail.

reducing poverty by reducing government (2)

I am no exponent nor opposant to the idea of decentralization. I believe in both its goodness and badness, in theories at least. Nor do I intend to blog about it. To go back to the economist, Reisman wrote his article in refutation to an "economist" who had written of complains about the low wages of millon working families but offered, according to Reisman, misleading advise. In the refutation, Reisman interestingly echoed the voice of David Henry Thoreau, an early American thinker who believed that the best government is that which governs the least:

Workers, the poor, and the public at large do not yet see the benefits of economic freedom. They have been misled by generations of intellectuals ... to believe that the means of alleviating poverty is the seizure of wealth from the businessmen and capitalists, who use their wealth overwhelmingly precisely in the production of wealth, and who produce less to the extent that they are deprived of the means of producing it. And in much the same way, people have been misled into believing that the means of alleviating poverty is government policies that are nothing more than various forms of prohibiting the production of wealth, or at least prohibiting substantial numbers of people from producing this or that particular form of wealth. Reisman argues that it is economic freedom, not government interference, that is the means of overcoming poverty. However, he says that workers, the poor and the public at large do not yet see the benefits of economic freedom. If they did, they woud:

... rise up in outrage at the injustices foisted upon them [...] not against their usual targets, the businessmen and capitalists, who create the demand for the labor they sell and the supply of the products they buy, and who progressively raise real wages and the general standard of living by introducing ever newer and better products and more efficient methods of producing all products, but against the ignorant, incompetent politicians and intellectuals who have so misled them that moreoften than not they have been duped into positively yearning for the fetters that make them poor. Reisman further argues that it is time for everyone to open his eyes to the knowledge provided by the science of economics and to understand that it is economic freedom, not the government’s violations of economic freedom, that is the way out of poverty and is the foundation of prosperity for all.

On his last point, I suppose Reisman could have clarified what he means with economic freedom. But overall, his interesting observation deserves further critical thoughts.

terpedaya oleh angka

2005-01-18T21:27:00.000+07:00

(This is a translated article written by Antony Mueller. Click here to read the original.)

Bank sentral modern menyatakan bahwa tujuan mereka adalah menjaga stabilitas ekonomi dan moneter. Namun, yang mereka kejar sebenarnya bukanlah sesuatu yang nyata melainkan sebuah fantasi statistik. Menurut Ludwig von Mises:

“Ekuivalen dari uang sebagaimana dipakai dalam melakukan tindakan dan dalam perhitungan ekonomi adalah harga-harga uang, seperti nisbah nilai tukar antara uang dan barang atau jasa lain. Harga-harga tidaklah terukur dalam uang; mereka termasuk (consist in) dalam uang itu sendiri.”

dan

“Segala metode yang disarankan untuk mengukur perubahan dalam nilai tukar unit moneter kurang lebih terbangun tanpa disadari di atas gambaran ilusif tentang sesuatu being yang abadi dan mutlak. Melalui penerapan standar absolut, being ini menentukan berapa kuantitas kepuasan yang disampaikan oleh unit uang kepadanya. Bahwa apa yang diinginkan hanyalah mengukur perubahan–perubahan nilai tukar uang adalah justifikasi yang lemah terhadap idea yang keliru ini. Inti dari ide tentang stabilitas itu terletak persis pada konsep nilai tukar yang demikian.” (hal. 221)

“Stabilitas harga” adalah konsep yang menyesatkan dan secara inheren kontradiktif. Bila konsep yang demikian, seperti misalnya dalam indeks harga, dijadikan panduan oleh bank-bank sentral, mereka justru cenderung akan menghasilkan dan meningkatkan instabilitas yang konon akan mereka perangi.

terpedaya oleh angka (2)
(Sambungan)

Apa yang dipublikasikan sebagai “indeks harga konsumen” itu hanyalah bagian dari kekacauan statistik. Siapa saja dapat menyusun indeks semacam itu hampir dalam cara tanpa menyalahi kaidah umum statistik. Perhitungan hedonis ini hanyalah satu contoh. Terlepas dari segala kiat kiat statistik yang diciptakan dan diterapkan, masalah intinya tetap tak tersentuh: apa sih sebenarnya yang diukur oleh “nilai tukar” dan nilai apa sih di dalam uang yang dipakai sebagai dasar perhitungan—selain daripada pertimbangan subyektif dan individualistis?

Seiring dengan [penggunaan] statistik yang terkait dengan angka-angka tentang produksi domestik dan nasional, indeks harga adalah angka statistik yang paling tidak andal, paling menyesatkan dan paling sering diobok-obok. Ini sering terjadi karena memang indeks tersebut menyediakan dasar untuk serangkaian indikator statistik lainnya, juga sebagai deflator dan termasuk sebagai angka pertumbuhan ekonomi dan produktivitas.

Angka atau besaran makroekonomi semacam itu muncul akibat ilusi bahwa obyek utamanya—“ekonomi” atau “perekonomian”—memiliki ciri dan sifat yang dapat diamati dan diukur secara obyektif. Padahal keterampilan apapun yang diterapkan demi akurasi perhitungan angka-angka tersebut, invaliditas dasarnya tetap tidak dapat disingkirkan, karena ukuran nilai standar yang baku dan tetap tidak mungkin diperoleh.

Upaya untuk mengukur perekonomian seolah sebagai obyek berawal pada perencanaan pemerintah. Memperlakukan perekonomian sebagai satu keseluruhan menjadi keharusan bagi para perencana pusat kaum sosialis dan dalam kondisi peperangan total. Hal ini terlaksana dengan prasumsi bahwa pemerintah pusat sebagai pengambil keputusan memiliki pengetahuan yang tepat mengenai cara dan tujuan dari tindakan ekonomi. Hasil dari rencana-rencana ini sudah sangat dikenal; tetapi sementara perencanaan perekonomian total tipe-sosialis itu terjadi di balik panggung, bahkan bagi banyak pengikut-sosialisme yang taat, perencanaan moneter secara sentral melalui manipulasi uang, kredit dan nilai tukar masih tergolong tinggi dalam agenda publik. Tentu, perbankan sentral dapat disebut sebagai tempat pelarian terakhir bagi mereka yang masih tersihir oleh pretensi pengetahuan.

terpedaya oleh angka (3)
(Sambungan)

Dengan memusatkan perhatian pada apa yang disebut “stabilitas harga” atau dengan mengikuti skema penargetan inflasi (yang kini sedang menjadi trend), para banker sentral tidak saja mengejar sasaran yang bergerak tetapi juga yang lebih bersifat simbolis daripada riil. Dengan cara ini mereka mengabaikan inflasi yang terjadi dalam ekspansi uang dan utang.

Para bank sentral secara teoritis memang memiliki instrumen paling tidak untuk mengontrol uang dasar; namun mereka jarang bersedia membayar harga dari sebuah kontraksi; alih-alih, mereka lebih menyukai ekspansi permanen yang ilusif. Mereka bertindak seperti penganjur pemakaian obat-obatan murah kepada publik yang lugu dengan perantaraan sektor perbankan. Hampir tidak ada bank sentral yang tidak terjangkiti penyakit semacam ini, yang memang inheren bagi sebuah sistem perbankan dengan cadangan fraksional tanpa pengaman.

Sebagaimana halnya dengan harga barang/jasa secara individual, harga kelompok barang dan jasa juga bergejolak naik-turun. Selalu ada titik inflasif atau deflasif dalam tiap perekonomian pada saat yang sama. Ketika pergerakan harga agregat kecil berlangsung, atau ketika kekuatan-kekuatan yang saling bertentangan terjadi, indeks harga tidak memberi sinyal yang berarti. Tetapi bila ada kecenderungan pergerakan kuat ke salah satu arah tentang tingkat harga secara umum, dan bila hal ini akhirnya tercermin dalam indeks harga, biasanya bank sentral terlambat bertindak.

Nilai indeks harga harus berupa rerata dari semua nilai ekstrim. Indeks harga tidak mampu memberi sinyal tentang pergerakan-harga yang lebih halus dan indeks juga mengabaikan hal-hal lain yang relevan, seperti harga-harga aset. Dengan demikian, yang terpedaya bukan saja masyarakat umum, melainkan juga para bank sentral yang menjadi korban kalkulasi mereka sendiri, ibarat lelucon tentang ahli statistik yang mati tenggelam ketika menyeberangi air yang dia anggap mudah dilalui berdasarkan rata-rata aritmatik tentang kedalaman air tersebut.

Akhir-akhir ini, misalnya, nilai depresiasi dari dolar sudah terlihat dalam harga-harga minyak, real estate, logal mulia, jasa domestik, layanan kesehatan, tuition atau bahkan jika dihitung terhadap uang fiat lainnya, seperti Euro. Dalam perspektif ini, maka inflasi sedang berlangsung dan dia telah berjalan sekian lama pada tingkat yang besar. Namun bila menghitung dalam porsi besar dari kapasitas penyimpanan komputer dan peralatan yang diimpor, gambarannya berubah dan perspektif tentang kecenderungan deflasif dapat saja didiagnosis dengan tolok ukur tersebut.

Tipuan besar dari para penjaga stabilisasi terletak pada penyebaran ilusi bahwa indeks harga yang stabil atau meningkat perlahan akan mengimplikasikan stabilitas perekonomian dan tidak berakibat apa-apa pada struktur permodalan. Tindakan berupa kebijakan moneter yang dipublikasikan di bawah judul stabilisasi juga tidak mengimplikasikan loyalitas dari daya beli. Tindakan-tindakan semacam itu lebih berarti bahwa distorsi lama sudah berhasil ditutup dan distorsi baru sedang diciptakan.

Sukses sementara, seperti juga pembelanjaan defisit, membuat bank sentral lebih berbahaya. Bank sentral modern adalah usaha yang mengerikan. Dimensi sejati dari kerusakan-kerusakan yang ditimbulkan oleh kebijakan uang longgar hanya terlihat jelas dalam jangka panjang ketika inflasi mulai menjadi liar dan dengan demikian hanya bisa dihentikan dengan kontraksi deflasif.

Belum lama ini para bank sentral kembali gagal mengenali atau tetap berlaku pasif ketika berhadapan dengan banjirnya likuiditas. Membanjiri dunia dengan utang dalam bentuk uang, tidak dapat tidak, berarti menyetir sistem ke suatu jalan di mana alternatif-alternatifnya (berupa percepatan inflasi atau justru deflasi) menjadi kian mendesak. Ketika para aktor perekonomian akhirnya membentuk pengharapan yang dominan, sebuah spiral dari proses feedback pun dimulai, dan aksi selanjutnya akan diadaptasikan sesuai dengan arah tersebut. Ini adalah titik di mana permainan telah menjadi lepas dari kendali para penjaga stabilitas; dan hiperinflasi serta depresi pun mengancam.

Abouts

2005-01-17T21:33:00.000+07:00

My name is Nad, aka Tjipoetat Quill, or TQ for short. I am an Indonesian living in Ciputat, a small hilly town that borders with and used to be part of South of Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, or a country where Bali is.

A researcher by profession, I consider myself an independent thinker, unaffiliated with any political party whatsoever. I view blogging as act of liberating--myself mostly, perhaps also others along the way.

Thank you for visiting this blog. Please leave intelligent comments--they'll make my day.

potensi bencana di depan mata

2005-01-15T21:12:00.000+07:00

Di balik solidaritas yang mencengangkan dari dalam dan luar negeri menyusul malapetaka yang melanda sekurangnya 13 negara Asia dan Afrika, ada bahaya mengintai yang sangat mungkin tengah dimulai. Yang akan menjadi korban bukan cuma para korban bencana yang berhasil selamat atau diselamatkan, melainkan juga masyarakat dunia yang telah memberi bantuannya dalam berbagai cara. Bahaya ini berpotensi menjadi bencana baru terhadap manusia dan kemanusiaannya. Sejak terjadinya bencana gempa bumi dan tsunami dua minggu lalu, ulasan di media mengenai hal ini belum memadai dan proporsional. Tulisan singkat ini mencoba mengantarkan pembaca ke wacana tersebut.

Moral Hazards

Masyarakat dunia termasuk rakyat Indonesia hingga detik ini layaknya berlomba berduyun menyisihkan rejeki atau menyingsing lengan baju guna membantu meringankan penderitaan para korban. Beberapa relawan bahkan kehilangan nyawa (seperti yang terjadi di Singapura). Sementara, sejumlah orang justru mengambil keuntungan pribadi atas hak para korban.

Memang, satu jenis bahaya yang mengancam adalah moral hazards dari sebagian mereka yang terlibat dalam mata rantai proses derma, dari tahap pengumpulan hingga distribusinya. Satu bentuk moral hazards di sini adalah korupsi, baik oleh petugas birokrasi pengelola bantuan di tingkat pemerintahan maupun partikelir.

Tentu, sebagian derma ini pasti akan sampai, mengingat besarnya jumlah yang terkumpul; kejahatan korupsi memang tidak bermaksud menyikat habis rejeki yang bukan hak pelakunya.

Sejauh pendekatannya masih "bagaimana nanti saja", tanpa rancangan skema intervensi yang baik, sistematis, dapat diterapkan, serta benar-benar diimplementasikan secara saksama, maka masyarakat yang sudah sangat terbatas kemampuannya, tidak akan dapat memastikan 'keamanan' distribusi. Sebagian besar dari mereka hanya akan memasrahkan hal ini kepada hati nurani pekerja dan 'petugas' yang terlibat dalam pengelolaan derma.

Di tanah-tanah yang subur akan korupsi, sulit diingkari potensi bahaya ini. Di tempat-tempat semacam itu, menyerahkan mutlak perkara kredibilitas dan transparansi kepada hati nurani penyelenggara bantuan sama saja membiarkan diri menimbun frustrasi kolektif. Emosi negatif masyarakat pada akhirnya dapat mengancam semangat kemanusiaan itu sendiri.

Dalam konteks pengumpulan dana tunai di Indonesia, inisiatif beberapa media massa tampaknya relatif lebih transparan dan menjanjikan untuk dapat dipertanggungjawab-kan. Inisiatif kemanusiaan mereka rata-rata telah disandingkan dengan mekanisme pelaporan inheren yang cukup terbuka, dengan pelaporan tertulis di media cetak dan TV tersebut.

Meskidemikian, keteladanan semacam ini perlu ditingkatkan dan pemantauannya perlu diperkuat, mengingat agregat dana masyarakat yang terkumpul sangat besar tanpa ada satu pihak penjamin atas ketersampaiannya.

Yang sesegera mungkin harus diciptakan adalah mekanisme pemantauan eksternal yang transparan dan preventif sifatnya dengan melibatkan unsur-unsur pemerintah, perbankan, pihak profesional, dan civil society.

***

Hingga kini belum ada tim atau organisasi pemerintah maupun swasta yang mengomandoi atau membentuk Tim pemantau; padahal pemantauan bantuan adalah suatu pekerjaan yang sama mulianya dengan menjadi relawan. Tindakan ini dapat diartikan sebagai bentuk pemberian bantuan itu sendiri.

Kebutuhan akan pemantauan yang andal dan dapat diakses siapa saja sangatlah mendesak untuk dipuaskan, apalagi mengingat pemerintah melalui pemimpin tertinggi kita telah memberi jaminannya (yang seharusnya tidak terbatas untuk pinjaman luar negeri saja).

Mendesaknya hal ini juga atas pertimbangan faktor manusiawi berupa pelupaan horisontal--meminjam istilah Yasraf Piliang, akibat singkatnya rentang perhatian kita pada umumnya sebelum kembali kepada rutinitas dan "banalitas sehari-hari."

Ill-Conceived Planning

Ancaman lain dapat berasal dari niat baik kemanusiaan untuk membantu tetapi berbekalkan perencanaan yang buruk (ill conceived planning), demikian menurut pionir bantuan kemanusiaan almarahum Fred Cuny, sebagaimana dikutip dalam edisi terkini The Economist. Kamp-kamp pengungsi misalnya, tulis Cuny, adalah bentuk bantuan yang mungkin memudahkan bagi para penyedia bantuan, tetapi dapat berakibat sangat buruk bagi para korban.

Tempat penampungan memisahkan para korban dari komunitas asali yang sesungguhnya paling memahami dan paling dapat memberi mereka dukungan. Belum lagi risiko tertularnya para korban oleh berbagai penyakit menular. (Keputusan Departemen Sosial Indonesia yang melarang adopsi secara gegabah anak-anak Aceh, adalah contoh kebijakan pemerintah yang baik dan patut dipuji.)

Demikian pula halnya dengan pemberian bantuan berupa makanan, yang hanya efektif dalam jangka pendek. Dalam jangka panjang, subsidi yang terus menerus akan merusak tatanan perekonomian masyarakat. Para nelayan, misalnya, terancam akan kehilangan usaha jika ia "keluar" terlalu lama dari pasar secara berkelamaan. Bencana ketergantungan semacam ini bukan semata teoretis, melainkan fakta empiris yang acap terjadi di wilayah krisis, seperti yang terjadi dalam kasus Micronesia (David Osterfeld, Prosperity vs. Planning, p. 146).

Kita sering diingatkan bahwa dalam kebanyakan malapetaka, koordinasi dan informasi merupakan hal yang langka. Akibatnya, duplikasi pekerjaan akan gampang terjadi. Juga, ketakutan yang berlebihan dan mengada-ada, misalnya mitos bahwa bangkai manusia adalah penyebab utama penyakit, dapat membuang waktu yang amat berharga sehingga kebutuhan 'remeh' tapi mendesak, seperti perbaikan klinik atau pembangunan jamban, menjadi tertunda. (The Economist; 'Now Spend it sensibly').

***

Satu sisi bantuan luar negeri

Pemandangan sekilas tentang bantuan luar negeri (BL) segera mengantarkan kita pada bahaya lain. Dengan sifatnya yang khas, misalnya agregat nilainya yang besar, BL memiliki sisi destruktif jika dikelola secara amatiran. Hingga kemarin, total angka sementara bagi niat (baca: pledges) keuangan dari negara-negara donor bagi negara-negara korban tsunami telah mencapai angka yang mencengangkan: US$4 miliar. Namun, sebagian besar dari niat tadi ditujukan untuk rekonstruksi jangka panjang-atau jangka menengah dalam istilah perencanaan Bappenas.

Pertanyaan dari para pederma internasional, yang seyogyanya telah belajar dari kesalahan masa lalu dalam hal pemberian BL, akan segera berubah dari "How much aid is needed? menjadi "How well is it spent?"Tersirat disini kondisionalitas yang harus dipenuhi pemerintah negara penerima bantuan.

Kecepatan dalam mengutarakan niat baik ini tidak berbanding lurus dengan dengan kecepatan dalam hal pencairan dana BL. Perlu ditegaskan sekali lagi bahwa BL tidak cair seketika, melainkan harus melalui gang-gang birokrasi yang sempit, gelap dan licin. Sementara keputusan final dari pemberi dana sangat mungkin akan didasari pada kejelasan dan transparansi program yang masih harus diajukan pemerintah negara korban bencana.

Dalam beberapa pertemuan termasuk dalam pertemuan puncak yang dihadiri para pemimpin ASEAN dan beberapa negara lain, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Presiden Indonesia, telah memberikan beberapa pernyataan kunci.

Pertama, beliau menyerukan perlunya menjajaki negara yang dipimpinnya untuk memperoleh berbagai bentuk keringanan utang (moratorium, debt reduction, swap, dan writeoff); kedua, beliau memberi jaminan bahwa semua BL kepada bangsanaya akan disalurkan secara transparan, dan ia akan memimpin sendiri tim khusus untuk ini.

Mengenai peluang keringanan utang, beberapa anggota parlemen dan LSM di Indonesia mendorong pemerintahnya untuk segera menyambut tawaran moratorium utang dari beberapa donor (Jerman, Inggris, Italia, Perancis dan lainnya), dan tidak mengadakan utang baru. Logika ini dapat dimengerti; idealnya, pemerintah menerima hibah uang maupun barang sebanyak mungkin. MPR sejak tahun 2002 telah mengamanatkan negara ini untuk mengurangi utang secara bertahap; Badan Perencana Nasional (Bappenas) juga telah komitmen untuk menunaikan amanat ini.

Dalam hal penjaminan penggunaan BL, pernyataan politis yang normatif seorang Presiden akan terus mengawang jika tidak segera dikonkretkan dalam bentuk kebijakan teknis. Pemerintah Indonesia perlu melibatkan unsur non pemerintah. Meskipun hal ini terlihat atau dianggap sepele, pemerintah tetap tidak akan efektif melakukannya sendirian, karena pemerintah baru ini menanggung begitu banyak urusan 'sepele' lainnya.

Keringanan Utang

Paskah Suzetta, ketua Komisi XI parlemen Indonesia, dan Mulia Nasution, Dirjen Perbendaharaan di Kementerian Keuangan, dalam sebuah program TV lokal beberapa hari lalu menyatakan bahwa seharusnya semua penyaluran BL berada dalam kerangka program yang jelas dan harus melalui pemerintah pusat.

Semua pandangan tersebut tentu dilandasi niat baik tentunya: agar transparansi, keterpaduannya dan efektifitasnya terjaga. Tetapi dalam pernyataan semacam terdapat unsur fallacy (kekeliruan berpikir) ekonomis, yang meniscayakan bahwa negara tahu semua apa yang terbaik bagi rakyatnya.

Kembali terkait dengan korupsi, yang skalanya dapat menjadi sangat besar untuk urusan dana BL, masalah ini bukan satu-satunya dalam kaitannya dengan pemberian bantuan luar negeri. Ada berbagai risiko lain.

Pertama, sebagaimana dinyatakan oleh Bauer dalam bukunya the Development Frontier (1991), BL itu bukanlah suatu 'bantuan' per se melainkan transfer atau subsidi yang pada umumnya tidak ditujukan kepada para korban yang telah mengalami pemiskinan mendadak, melainkan kepada pemerintah suatu negara.

Efek Dominan

Kedua, efek dominan dari BL adalah kecenderungannya yang nyaris niscaya dalam memperbesar "ukuran" dan "cakupan" negara, dan yang berpotensi mencederai kemakmuran dan kebebasan rakyatnya (dalam konteks Indonesia, kebebasan dalam hal menentukan apa yang terbaik bagi rakyat Aceh, misalnya).

Yang lebih buruk, peningkatan kemampuan pemerintah yang mendadak ini dapat menuju kepada sentralisasi kekuatan pemerintah, karena transfer BL ini selalu ditujukan kepada pemerintah pusat. Bagi Daerah Istimewa NAD, otonomi dengan sendirinya sudah terlucuti dan ketergantungan kepada pusat hanya akan semakin meningkat di tahun-tahun mendatang.

Maka mengingat tingginya kemungkinan bencana di atas, apabila pemerintah negara korban bencana tidak menyikapi, merencanakan dan bertindak secara bijaksana dan bertanggungjawab, tidak mustahil para rakyatnya suatu hari akan melihat berkah bantuan yang luar biasa ini sebagai 'bencana" dahsyat terselubung yang justru kian menyengsarakan rakyatnya.

your almost famous quotes

2005-01-15T15:52:00.000+07:00

Distinguished bloggers and bystanders,

Do you have your own quotations, epigrams, oneliners, personal maxims, mottos, poems, or bumper-sticker 'wisdoms' on any subject matter? Would you care to share your masterpieces to the world? ... (More)
2/18/2005
Edit

Your Almost Famous Quotes
nad View Delete

Distinguished bloggers and bystanders,

Do you have your own quotations, epigrams, oneliners, personal maxims, mottos, poems, or bumper-sticker 'wisdoms' on any subject matter? Would you care to share your masterpieces to the world?

There's this simple but workable plan: when the total number of these almost famous quotes reaches 2006 1000 (!), I intend to get them published in Indonesia as a book--tentatively titled "Almost Famous Quotes". (If this quota's unmet, whoah, at least they will enrich this weblog, together with all the comments.)

For this purpose I require that your works be original and have never been published before. They can be in ENGLISH or INDONESIAN; just don't mix them.

You can easily submit your works by emailing me, or through the commenting system below this post. All you have to do next is sit back and unwind. Allow some time--or days, depending on my availability;-), before your works get displayed in this weblog, asap.

Your contribution will be greatly appreciated. All your works will be duely acknowledged. As for royalty: 1) hold your horses there, and; 2) stop wishful thinking.

Thanks very much! Peace and warm regards,

nad at onceuponaweb!og
contact: nadhays (at) hotpop (dot) com

*********************************************
Quotations Received To Date

Quote reference #: 0001 Writer: Kaxah
Email - retained. Date: 07.01.2005 Time - 14:28
OK, Nad, since you insist, here's a piece of wisdom.
Seriously, though, don't take it too seriously!

"Of all the weblogs to which I have paid a visit so far,
ONCEUPONAWEBLOG is really, truly, honestly...one of them."

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Quote reference #: 0002 Writer: Imma
Email - retained. Date: 16.01.2005 Time - 14:47

"If you sit and blog long enough the whole world will come to you."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote reference #: 0003 Writer: Zairin
Email - retained. Date: 18.01.2005 Time - 23:57

"Sing waras Ngalah yo."

----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote reference #: 0004 Writer: Nad
Email - retained. Date: 19.01.2005 Time - 09:17

"The limits of my blogs are the limits of my world."

----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote reference #: 0005 Writer: Nad
Email - retained. Date: 19.01.2005 Time - 09:17

"I blog therefore I'm broke."

----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote reference #: 0006 Writer: Nad
Email - retained. Date: 19.01.2005 Time - 09:18

"Some people's blogs are a waste of some other people's time."

----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote reference #: 0007 Writer: Nad
Email - retained. Date: 19.01.2005 Time - 09:21

"Should to you nothing be flower I may be offering a lot of roses here."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote reference #: 0008 Writer: Nad
Email - retained. Date: 19.01.2005 Time - 09:37

"Blogs do clog."

----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote reference #: 0009 Writer: Nad
Email - retained. Date: 19.01.2005 Time - 09:40

"If you can read this blog post, get another life."

----------------------------------------------------------------
Quote reference #: 0010 Writer: ???

Join the fun by submitting your works!

'the acehs inside us'

2005-01-10T21:12:00.000+07:00

At one extreme, the question popped by the perplexed pious might be: What did we do, dear God, to deserve this kind of punishment? At the other, it might be Voltarian: Could there be a God capable of doing that? Which side are we on? Did we manage pacifying answers to the quest? A number of western papers that came to me recently highlighted such "eternal" issues, if not satisfactorily, but this stimulating article, Aceh dalam Diri Kita, or The Acehs Inside Us, written in Indonesian by a fine Indonesian poet, while offering an original angle to view the Tragedies and many other disasters, provided readers with comments on the existential questions. His major concern, however, is on the civilization fallacy.

korupsi: bukti besar kegagalan...

2005-01-07T15:52:00.000+07:00

Yg terpikir beberapa menit lalu adalah berbagai kemungkinan hazards sehubungan dengan penyaluran dan bantuan kepada korban-korban bencana.
Pikiran ini membawa kepada topik korupsi, lalu merembet ke pengajaran agama...

Kebanyakan manusia beriman setuju bahwa satu fungsi terpenting agama adalah untuk mengajarkan kebaikan umat manusia dalam hidup bersosialisasi di dunia dan dalam persiapan pribadi menyongsong hari kemudian. Semua agama, yang berdasarkan wahyu dan yang tidak, mengajarkan umat masing-masing untuk berakhlak baik, berbudi luhur, penuh cinta kasih kepada sesama.

Misi agama memanglah universal, walau penerapannya dapat berbeda di berbagai penjuru dunia. Untuk tujuan penulisan artikel singkat ini, mari ambil satu contoh yang berlaku universal: korupsi, yang bagi kita sesama warga Indonesia, definisinya tak diperlukan lagi.

Di manapun kita berada di alam fana ini, tidak ada tempat yang membenarkan praktik korupsi. Di sisi lain, tidak ada satu negara pun di dunia yang benar-benar bersih dari perkara ini. Tidak di Indonesia, tidak pula di Nusantara. Praktik korupsi di suatu negara memang tidak tepat diklasifikan dalam oposisi biner (ada atau tidak ada), melainkan harus dilihat dalam spektrum 'pengejewantahannya' dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.

Indeks terkini hasil kajian Transparency International di akhir tahun lalu enempatkan Indonesia sebagai salah satu negara terkorup di dunia. Kita maklum, tetapi merasa perlu untuk merasa kaget; dan kita agak paham, kita harus pura-pura kaget. Secara matematis, mengingat Indonesia paling padat penduduknya, dapat dipastikan bahwa secara kuantitatif jumlah koruptor terbanyak di dunia dalam suatu negara ternyata justru menghirup udara kebebasan di negeri ini.

Dimensi tersensitif dan 'termenegangkan' serta merupakan pati dari posting ini mulai terlihat tatkala kita mengaitkan kebejatan akhlak ini dengan fakta: bahwa tanah air kita adalah negara berketuhanan yang maha esa. Negeri indah yang para warganya sejak di sekolah TK hingga PT para warga telah dibekali pelajaran agama. Dari sini banyak yang kemudian dapat dan perlu dipertanyakan di sini. Jika tidak diusik sekarang, cepat atau lambat pertanyaan-pertanyaan eksistensial dan agak metafisis ini pasti akan muncul.

Dua di antaranya adalah:
1) Kalau begitu, apa agama telah gagal?;
2) Apa pengajarannya yang gagal?

Silakan menjawab yang pertama; coretan pendek ini cuma membahas (atau lebih tepatnya, menyinggung) yang kedua, secara singkat, padat dan sintal saja.

Untuk itu maka dengan ini dapatlah saya hipotesiskan (tanpa riset yang didukung oleh institusi manapun) sebuah proposisi berupa kalimat pendek afirmatif dengan satu-kata saja: Ã¢Â€ÂœYaÃ¢Â€Â. Pengajaran agama di Indonesia telah gatot! Gagal total!

Pengajaran agama di Indonesia cenderung mementingkan pengajaran agama secara formal tanpa Ã¢Â€ÂœruhÃ¢Â€Â, yang pada akhirnya cuma mampu mengajarkan dan meneladani kesalihan formal.

Pembekalan agama di negeri ini mengajarkan akhlak secara psikologis berdasarkan instilasi rasa takut kepada azab Tuhan (misalnya, siksa api neraka); mengajarkan perilaku Ã¢Â€ÂsalihÃ¢Â€Â™ secara ekonomis berdasarkan untung rugi (tidak mau masuk neraka, mengejar setoran, eh, pahala, dan sebagainya); berdasarkan melulu kepada dogma-dogma tanpa keinginan mempelajari konteksnya apalagi mencari pembandingnya, ataupun memberi ruang secuilpun untuk interpretasi kritis.

Maka, sebagian dari kita menelan bulat-bulat ajaran agama secara membabi buta, sebagian lagi masuk ke jurang fundamentalisme tanpa berpikir kritis, sebagian lagi menggunakan terperangkap dalam kesesatan berpikir sehingga merasionalisasikan ajaran (wahyu atau hadis) untuk mengelabui sesama atau bahkan Tuhannya sendiri.

Lho, kemana perginya perkara korupsi tadi?

Sudah hampir jam 2 pagi; saya harus berhenti di sini.

150,000

2005-01-05T21:12:00.000+07:00

Donate to Tsunami Relief. Now. "If you have difficulty to imagine 150,000 dead victims, here's a pointer: What does 150,000 look like?
All the information on how to make the donation is available on this site. Start with the radio-button on the left sidebar.

(With thanks to folks at http://indonesiahelp.blogspot.com)

more news extracts

2005-01-04T21:12:00.000+07:00

94,100 Death Toll, 400,000 refugees
Official death toll has risen slightly to 94,100, with 387,607 people listed as refugees, the health ministry said Tuesday.

Annan off to Asia
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Monday headed to Indonesia to visit, meet regional leaders and bring a "message of hope" to millions affected by the Asian tsunami disaster.

UN to set up relief coordination center for tsunami victims in Singapore
The UN will establish a coordination center in Singapore to help victims, the city-state's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
UN food agency says it has delivered enough food for 100,000 in Aceh

UN FAO said on Monday its aid efforts for victims in Aceh were accelerating, with enough food and water delivered to the remote region to feed more than 100,000 people for a week. The UN FAO said it had delivered 318 tons (351 U.S. tons) of rice, noodles and biscuits and 40,000 liters (10,567 gallons) of water to Aceh.

Debt Rescheduling
The government wants to reschedule debts with foreign donors to finance reconstruction of Aceh and North Sumatra. The country is facing a projected widening state-budget deficit from the calamity. "I am optimistic that we can reach an agreement for debt rescheduling outside of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) legal frame as this is for humanitarian aims," Minister of Finance Yusuf Anwar said on Monday.

The IMF is considering granting Indonesia debt relief to help cushion the massive financial impact of the calamity. The offer came after Italy, Germany and the U.S. indicated their willingness to consider offering debt relief to tragedy-hit countries, including Indonesia. The rescheduling is expected to be proposed without the IMF as an umbrella and assistance to the deal, since Indonesia is no longer under the IMF program.

Jakarta to hold International relief summit
Indonesia is preparing for an emergency summit of the ASEAN leaders and other nations to help coordinate relief efforts; it will be in Jakarta, Thursday. Presidential spokesman Dino Pati Djalal said confirmed attendants were: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; Malaysian PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi; Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo; Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Chinese PM Wen Jiabao; New Zealand PM Helen Clark; South Korean PM Lee Hae-chan; Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi; and Australian PM John Howard. Annan will be accompanied by World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, already in Thailand now, will visit Jakarta on Tuesday on a 3-day visit, though it’s unclear if he will be at the summit. He is scheduled to visit Aceh along with the U.S. special envoy Jeb Bush.

The European Union Delegation of the European Commission to Indonesia said in Jakarta on Monday that the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Assistance Louis Michel would arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Souce: The Jakarta Post (unless otherwise stated).

news extracts on tsunami calamity

2005-01-03T21:12:00.000+07:00

• Latest number of tsunami victims in 13 countries as of Jan. 2 is 127,672.
In Indonesia, at least 79,940 were killed; in Sri Lanka, 29,744; India, 14,488; Thailand, 5,000 (almost half of them tourists); Myanmar, 90; Maldives, 80; Malaysia, 66; Bangladesh, 2; East Africa (Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya, Seycheless and Madagascar), 143.
• Actual total figure may be forever shrouded in mistery , but UN has estimated it to be at least 150,000 and Kofi Annan says 5-10 years is needed for restoration.
• In Indonesia and Sri Lanka, local conditions and weather made rescue efforts more difficult.
• On Day 8, total worth of material loss in Indonesia remains to be revealed.
• Medical support severly lacking, plague and famine are imminent.
• Hundreds of refugees in Blang Mangat, Aceh, ran away from camp tents due to lack of clean water.
• Offices in Banda Aceh remain paralyzed.
• World sympaties keep pouring in. The Germans are considering debt relief for Indonesia. Japan is said to extend a max of 500 million US$ to disaster affected ASEAN countries. US troops sent food and medical aid. (Source: News articles in Kompas today.)

year end notes (2)

2004-12-29T21:12:00.001+07:00

Three days now since last Sunday. Death toll media tolled by has passed 27,000. For first time last night, air view reporting was made possible by SCTV, which covered a small densely populated Meulaboh, a small island-village that had been literally swallowed by rising tides. Communication and transportation has been cut dead. Its population used to be about 50 thousands. Official figure of dead bodies found has been released by MOH of over 10,000.

Corpses pilling up have begun rotting. Imminence of disease outbreaks loom too deadly to ignore. Though government finally opened Aceh to foreign journalists, aid workers, bureacracy is enemy within. As Jakarta Post quoted secretary to coordinating minister for social welfare Sutedjo as saying: “Jakarta-based foreign journalists could go direct to Aceh after they had secured a pass from local military authorities.” Aid workers and journalists not based here are required to submit application letters, which may take two weeks to process! Such bureaucrat should be…! Not, complaining isn’t good policy either.

Idle Tears took words out of my mouth, and I cannot agree more: Parachuting tons of rice, noodles and blankets will not be enough. Tomorrow and days after should be considered and decided fast. Empathy wanes easily with today’s soul-blunting infotainment. (Precisely what I said to I. last night, after exhausting herself from mobilizing and transporting boxes of food, blankets and used clothing to Aid Posts at Metro TV in the morning and on Wijaya XIII at night. Tomorrow we will do it again. But how long before we both run out energy?)

“A catastrophe the scale of this latest disaster calls for more than this simplistic, myopic and haphazard attitude. Without careful coordination and long-term planning, we are only offering passionless, hopeless grief to these victims.”

links to Aceh and North Sumatra Reliefs

2004-12-29T21:12:00.000+07:00

This is to update recent postings.

Here's some quick but reliable info about how to help the victims of earthquakes and tsunami attacks in Indonesia.

Cash donations

Via bank transfer to the following addresses/accounts:

1. PT. Kompas Media Nusantara/DKK-Bencana Aceh. Bank BNI Jakarta Kota, acc. no. 001.007.55555.1001 or Bank BCA Gajah Mada branch, acc. no. 012.3016600. Via cash delivery to Redaksi Kompas, Kompas Building, Unit II Fl. IV, Jl. Palmerah Selatan 26-28, West Jakarta. This service lasts for 14 days, from 28 Dec-14 Jan only. Donations will be dispatched to Aceh and North Sumatra.

2. PT. Media Grup (Metro TV); Dompet Indonesia Menangis. Bank BCA, KCP Kedoya Baru, account no. 309.300.7979. Atas nama PT. Citra Media Nusa Purnama.
(Translation: PT. Media Group (Metro TV); Donation for "Indonesia in Tears", via Bank Central Asia. Accout no. 309.300.7979, c/o PT. Citra Media Nusa Purnama.)

3. Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI); "Lumbung Sosial TVRI"; Bank Mandiri, Cabang Kantor Kehutanan, acc. no. 102.000.303.0126.
(Translation: Television of Republic of Indonesia (TVRI); "TVRI Social Safety Net"; Bank Mandiri, Cabang Kantor Kehutanan, acc. no. 102.000.303.0126.

4. TPI Peduli, Bank BNI acc. no. 259.439.932001 ; or via Bank BRI acc. no. 0206.01.000.592.30.4 further information will be updated asap.

For non-cash/material reliefs via:

1) Metro TV, Contact tel. (62-21) 583 00077 ext. 21014, Pilar Mas Raya street, Kav. A-D, Kedoya, West Jakarta. (24 hours)

2) Grand Wijaya Center Blok A/8, Jl. Wijaya II, South Jakarta; Tel. (62-21) 720-2924. (24 hours)

3) Posko Bencana Alam Aceh:
Food, clothes, medicine directly can be sent to:
Jl. Wijaya 13 no. 21, South Jakarta . Contact persons: Mrs. Muna and Ms. LIA, HP: 0811896468;08129953359.(24 hours)

more media channels for aceh relief

2004-12-28T21:12:00.000+07:00

Photos of victims.

TRANS TV: Donation via this TV station can be transferred to "Rekening Dompet Amal" or TransTV Relief Funds via Bank BCA, Setiabudi branch, acc. no: 766-012-1000 or Bank Mega Cabang Priority Banking, acc. no: 01-901-00-11-11110.

INDOSIAR: Indonesiar's WE CARE program (Program KITA PEDULI Indosiar), via Bank Central Asia (BCA), acc. no: 001-304-0009

(See also 27 Dec. posting.)

action for tsunami reliefs

2004-12-27T21:12:00.000+07:00

Here's some quick but reliable info about how to help the victims of earthquakes and tsunami attacks in Indonesia.

Cash donation to victims in Aceh and Medan, Indonesia, can be done via bank transfer to the following addresses/accounts:

1. PT. Media Grup (Metro TV); Dompet Indonesia Menangis. Bank BCA, KCP Kedoya Baru, account no. 309.300.7979. Atas nama PT. Citra Media Nusa Purnama.
(Translation: PT. Media Group (Metro TV); Donation for "Indonesia in Tears", via Bank Central Asia. Accout no. 309.300.7979, c/o PT. Citra Media Nusa Purnama.)

2. Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI); "Lumbung Sosial TVRI"; Bank Mandiri, Cabang Kantor Kehutanan, acc. no. 102.000.303.0126.
(Translation: Television of Republic of Indonesia (TVRI); "TVRI Social Safety Net"; Bank Mandiri, Cabang Kantor Kehutanan, acc. no. 102.000.303.0126.

3. TPI Peduli, Bank BNI acc. no. 259.439.932001 ; or via Bank BRI acc. no. 0206.01.000.592.30.4 further information will be updated asap.

For non-cash/material reliefs via Metro TV, e.g. used/new clothing, food and medicine, 24 hours.), contact Tel. (62-21) 583 00077 ext. 21014, Pilar Mas Raya street, Kav. A-D, Kedoya, West Jakarta.)

Alternative address for non-cash aids: Grand Wijaya Center Blok A/8, Jl. Wijaya II, South Jakarta; Tel. (62-21) 720-2924; 24 hours.

(Source: Newstickers from respective TV station.)