While I was going through yesterday’s newspaper I read half-page Obituary (on page 49 of Kompas daily newspaper dated August 22, 2007) for Bapak Haroen Al Rasjid from Chevron IndoAsia Business Unit.
The news as appeared on The Jakarta Post: Former Chevron boss dies at 74.
Haroen Al Rasjid, a former president of PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (formerly Caltex Pacific Indonesia), passed away here Tuesday morning. He was 74 years old.
He is survived by his wife, Astari Rasjid, and three children.
Haroen recently suffered a stroke and was being treated at Jakarta's MMC hospital.
The body was taken to the family's home on Jl. Teuku Umar in Menteng, Central Jakarta, before being transported to Kalibata Heroes Memorial Cemetery in South Jakarta for burial.
Many remembered Haroen as sincere and hard working, and a man of numerous achievements.
"He was full of charisma, pleasant and warm in person," CPI president Suwito Anggoro said during Haroen's memorial service. "His apt social skills led to his being respected and regarded not only within the company, but also outside."
Born in Medan, North Sumatra, on March 14, 1933, Haroen spent his childhood in Blitar and Malang, East Java.
He earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.
It was during his university years in Australia that Haroen received his first hands-on professional experience working for a number of different companies.
Returning to Indonesia, Haroen went to work for CPI in 1958, climbing the corporate ladder through dedication and hard work. He became CPI's government relations superintendent for the Rumbai region in 1967, and in 1977 took over as president from Julius Tahija.
Haroen helped transform CPI into a world-class oil and gas company.
He resigned in 1994 and served as chairman of CPI's board of commissioners until 2003.
I met him once when I presented seismic-processing output at then PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia, located in Rumbai, Riau. I was still a rookie in this field and Jeff – my co-op advisor when I was there – made me do it. Pak Haroen was about my height but he’s very charismatic. (Pak Zen – my former advisor when I was studying in ITB – made a practical joke specifically on short men: genius and charismatic leaders are usually short, for example Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, BJ Habibie, and the likes.)
How strange... as I and one of my Client made a good comment on him in our meeting about two weeks ago. Rest in Peace, Pak Haroen.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Bentuk Nasionalisme
Berikut adalah rangkuman komentar beberapa orang yang dimuat di harian Kompas (16 Agustus 2007) mengenai bentuk nasionalisme sehubungan dengan peringatan hari kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia yang ke 62.
Kususui sendiri bayi-bayiku sampai umur 2 tahun, jadwal ketat imunisasi, kusiapkan sendiri makanan yang bergizi, kuajari sopan dan ramah, kuajari melakukan pekerjaan rumah tangga sehari-hari. Jadilah mereka anak-anak yang pandai dan berbudi. Nah kini mereka kupersembahkan untuk jadi pandu pertiwi. (Farida, 50 tahun, Jakarta)
Dulu selama 3 tahun, selain kuliah di UGM aku membantu jadi guru Bahasa Inggris di SD Jatisari Sleman tanpa dibayar. Aku tak mau kemiskinan struktural membelenggu murid-muridku untuk maju. (Thomas, 31 tahun, Semarang)
Walaupun aku gak bisa nerusin sekolah SMA dan sekarang bekerja tapi aku akan berusaha belajar dari media apapun yang bisa membuat aku tidak bodoh. (Rastikawati, 18 tahun, Jakarta)
Saya lebih memilih tas buatan Tanggul Angin-Sidoarjo ketimbang tas bermerek meski bisa nitip ke suami yang kadang-kadang dinas ke luar negeri. (Dhani, 42 tahun, Jakarta)
Saya terjun ke kelompok-kelompok tani untuk penyuluhan Pertanian ORGANIK. Mendorong untuk bertani secara ramah lingkungan, non kimia, menyehatkan dan mampu berdaulat secara pangan. Menyadarkan petani semata-mata untuk tidak menjadi obyek produk perusahaan trans-nasional. Ini nasionalismeku! (Gons, 30 tahun, Pematangsiantar)
Gw cuma pake 6 gayung sekali mandi. Kalo keramas nambah 2 gayung. Ini bentuk nasionalisme gw demi menjaga lingkungan Indonesia, apalagi nggak semua orang di Indonesia punya akses terhadap air bersih. (Svetlana, 19 tahun, Yogyakarta)
Adikku hari ini beranggkat mengikuti ekspedisi ke Natuna, dalam rangka menguatkan pertahanan sosial budaya pulau-pulau terluar. Kudoakan tim mereka dapat menjalankan tugas dengan baik. Rasanya bangga dengan kiprah anak-anak muda itu. Pertahankan kedaulatan Indonesia seutuhnya! (Nataresmi, 28 tahun, Tangerang)
Gw cinta budaya Indonesia! Sampe sekarang, gw masih suka maenin permainan ’asli Indonesia’ seperti bekel, congklak, gw pikir permainan Indonesia bener gak ada matinya! Sampai sekarang permainan kayak gitu tetep seru, itu dia yang bikin gw cinta Indonesia! (Gracia, 16 tahun, Jakarta)
Dengan bersepeda ke kantor walau 2x seminggu dan selalu memanfaatkan kertas bekas di kantor dapat membuat bumi Indonesia lebih sehat, ini nasionalisme gue. (Petrus Simanjuntak, 27 tahun, Bekasi)
’Pemulung’ itulah sebutan yang dilontarkan oleh teman-teman untuk saya. Karena saya sering memungut sampah dimanapun berada. Tak jarang saku saya tebal, bukan karena uang banyak, tapi karena penuh dengan bungkus permen. Inilah ekspresi nasionalisme saya! (M. Sholich Mubarok, 21 tahun, Demak)
Saya bertani di desa agar berkurang 1 beban negara karena pengangguran, itu nasionalismeku! (Adi, 24 tahun, Cianjur)
Saya dan istri membuka Sanggar Kreativitas Seni di teras halaman rumah di bawah pohon mangga. Tiap minggu menggambar bersama dengan anak-anak tetangga. Menumbuh-kembangkan imajinasi, intuisi, ide, gagasan adalah bentuk kesadaran nasionalisme juga! (Munadi, 44 tahun, Tangerang)
Tugasku menjaga kerapihan barisan setiap Senin dan membuat kelas selalu tertib, adalah bagian dari nasionalisme juga kan? (Muhammad Rifky, 7,5 tahun, Depok)
Bikin kursus komputer gratis bagi anak SD, SMP, biar generasi kita melek teknologi. (Adja Djadja, 39 tahun, Bandung)
Saya dirikan LKM khusus untuk KK miskin dengan modal sendiri. Memberikan pinjaman berupa sepasang kambing untuk 47 KK miskin dengan target 800 KK miskin dalam 6 bulan dengan sistim bagi hasil 70-30. (Mulyadi, 29 tahun, Kabupaten Limapuluh Kota)
Aku terus menabung agar aku bisa jadi sarjana hukum, biar di negeriku tak lagi ada jual beli hukum. (Imam Subkhi, 23 tahun, Brebes)
Lalu bagaimana denganku? Apa bentuk nasionalismeku? Bentuknya biasa saja sih. Menurutku segala sesuatu harus dimulai dari hal-hal kecil dalam diri kita sendiri.
Indonesia terkenal dengan korupsinya – jadi aku berusaha nggak korupsi dalam bentuk sekecil apapun, nggak korupsi waktu apalagi duit... walau nggak ada yang lihat.
Indonesia terkenal sebagai orang yang jorok dan tidak dapat memelihara barang dengan baik – jadi aku berusaha untuk tidak membuang sampah sembarangan, menjaga ruang dan barang bersama juga barang-barang yang menjadi tanggung-jawabku sebaik mungkin. Kalau ruang kerja kotor ya bantu dibersihkan. Kan tidak harus kudu tunggu office boy. Lagipula kebersihan itu tanda orang berbudaya… sikap masa bodoh dan kejorokan adalah tanda orang tidak atau kurang berbudaya.
Indonesia terkenal sebagai orang yang suka saenak udele dewek alias kurang bertanggung-jawab – jadi aku berusaha bertanggung-jawab dalam mengerjakan apapun yang menjadi tugasku. Tidak menunggu sampai besok kalau ada yang bisa diselesaikan hari ini. Berusaha bertanggung-jawab untuk bagian tugasku sehingga tidak menyusahkan orang lain. Bertanggung-jawab untuk semua kata-kata yang pernah kukeluarkan.
Indonesia terkenal sebagai orang yang suka iri akan keberhasilan orang lain, nggak bisa liat orang lain seneng *sigh* – jadi aku berusaha bersyukur atas apa yang kucapai, mau belajar dari sekelilingku, memperbaiki kekuranganku, dan berusaha untuk menjadi lebih baik dengan cara halal. Ada satu terminologi yang terbawa sejak aku kuliah di ITB – MTQ. Contohnya, ”Jangan MTQ”... artinya ”Jangan makan tulang q(k)awan”. Namanya juga teman, jadi jangan dikhianati atau dikadalin.
Indonesia juga terkenal sebagai salah satu negara yang banyak hutangnya – jadi aku berusaha untuk tidak berhutang. Kalau berhutang ke kartu kredit berusaha untuk cepat bayar, apalagi kalau berhutang kepada teman, pantang tidak membayar kembali.
Kalau aku keluar negeri aku tidak malu mengatakan aku orang Indonesia (walau citra Indonesia dan orang Indonesia sangat buruk di mata negara-negara lain) dan aku tunjukkan bahwa orang Indonesia itu nggak bodoh, jujur, disiplin, bertanggung-jawab, pekerja keras, dapat bekerja-sama, tidak sering mengeluh, dan tidak gampang menyerah. (He, he, he,... ini gue banget ya.)
Aku belikan mainan asli Indonesia untuk keponakan-keponakanku yang tinggal di luar Indonesia. Supaya mereka tahu tentang Indonesia walau hanya lewat mainan.
Aku ikut membantu kelompok LSM HAM walau hanya sebagai penterjemah, penghubung ke nara sumber, dan penyumbang berita. Kita harus berani berpihak pada yang benar (dan seringnya tertindas) walau mereka lemah, miskin, dan tidak terkenal. Kita harus berani jujur mengatakan yang salah adalah salah dan yang benar adalah benar, yang salah harus dihukum dan yang benar harus dibela. Justice for all. Tegakkan hukum agar kekuasaan dan kekayaan tidak membinasakan hati nurani dan tidak membungkam kebenaran dan keadilan.
Selamat merayakan hari kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia yang ke 62!! Mari menjadikannya lebih baik dari 62 tahun yang sudah lewat.
Lalu apa bentuk nasionalisme-mu?
Kususui sendiri bayi-bayiku sampai umur 2 tahun, jadwal ketat imunisasi, kusiapkan sendiri makanan yang bergizi, kuajari sopan dan ramah, kuajari melakukan pekerjaan rumah tangga sehari-hari. Jadilah mereka anak-anak yang pandai dan berbudi. Nah kini mereka kupersembahkan untuk jadi pandu pertiwi. (Farida, 50 tahun, Jakarta)
Dulu selama 3 tahun, selain kuliah di UGM aku membantu jadi guru Bahasa Inggris di SD Jatisari Sleman tanpa dibayar. Aku tak mau kemiskinan struktural membelenggu murid-muridku untuk maju. (Thomas, 31 tahun, Semarang)
Walaupun aku gak bisa nerusin sekolah SMA dan sekarang bekerja tapi aku akan berusaha belajar dari media apapun yang bisa membuat aku tidak bodoh. (Rastikawati, 18 tahun, Jakarta)
Saya lebih memilih tas buatan Tanggul Angin-Sidoarjo ketimbang tas bermerek meski bisa nitip ke suami yang kadang-kadang dinas ke luar negeri. (Dhani, 42 tahun, Jakarta)
Saya terjun ke kelompok-kelompok tani untuk penyuluhan Pertanian ORGANIK. Mendorong untuk bertani secara ramah lingkungan, non kimia, menyehatkan dan mampu berdaulat secara pangan. Menyadarkan petani semata-mata untuk tidak menjadi obyek produk perusahaan trans-nasional. Ini nasionalismeku! (Gons, 30 tahun, Pematangsiantar)
Gw cuma pake 6 gayung sekali mandi. Kalo keramas nambah 2 gayung. Ini bentuk nasionalisme gw demi menjaga lingkungan Indonesia, apalagi nggak semua orang di Indonesia punya akses terhadap air bersih. (Svetlana, 19 tahun, Yogyakarta)
Adikku hari ini beranggkat mengikuti ekspedisi ke Natuna, dalam rangka menguatkan pertahanan sosial budaya pulau-pulau terluar. Kudoakan tim mereka dapat menjalankan tugas dengan baik. Rasanya bangga dengan kiprah anak-anak muda itu. Pertahankan kedaulatan Indonesia seutuhnya! (Nataresmi, 28 tahun, Tangerang)
Gw cinta budaya Indonesia! Sampe sekarang, gw masih suka maenin permainan ’asli Indonesia’ seperti bekel, congklak, gw pikir permainan Indonesia bener gak ada matinya! Sampai sekarang permainan kayak gitu tetep seru, itu dia yang bikin gw cinta Indonesia! (Gracia, 16 tahun, Jakarta)
Dengan bersepeda ke kantor walau 2x seminggu dan selalu memanfaatkan kertas bekas di kantor dapat membuat bumi Indonesia lebih sehat, ini nasionalisme gue. (Petrus Simanjuntak, 27 tahun, Bekasi)
’Pemulung’ itulah sebutan yang dilontarkan oleh teman-teman untuk saya. Karena saya sering memungut sampah dimanapun berada. Tak jarang saku saya tebal, bukan karena uang banyak, tapi karena penuh dengan bungkus permen. Inilah ekspresi nasionalisme saya! (M. Sholich Mubarok, 21 tahun, Demak)
Saya bertani di desa agar berkurang 1 beban negara karena pengangguran, itu nasionalismeku! (Adi, 24 tahun, Cianjur)
Saya dan istri membuka Sanggar Kreativitas Seni di teras halaman rumah di bawah pohon mangga. Tiap minggu menggambar bersama dengan anak-anak tetangga. Menumbuh-kembangkan imajinasi, intuisi, ide, gagasan adalah bentuk kesadaran nasionalisme juga! (Munadi, 44 tahun, Tangerang)
Tugasku menjaga kerapihan barisan setiap Senin dan membuat kelas selalu tertib, adalah bagian dari nasionalisme juga kan? (Muhammad Rifky, 7,5 tahun, Depok)
Bikin kursus komputer gratis bagi anak SD, SMP, biar generasi kita melek teknologi. (Adja Djadja, 39 tahun, Bandung)
Saya dirikan LKM khusus untuk KK miskin dengan modal sendiri. Memberikan pinjaman berupa sepasang kambing untuk 47 KK miskin dengan target 800 KK miskin dalam 6 bulan dengan sistim bagi hasil 70-30. (Mulyadi, 29 tahun, Kabupaten Limapuluh Kota)
Aku terus menabung agar aku bisa jadi sarjana hukum, biar di negeriku tak lagi ada jual beli hukum. (Imam Subkhi, 23 tahun, Brebes)
Lalu bagaimana denganku? Apa bentuk nasionalismeku? Bentuknya biasa saja sih. Menurutku segala sesuatu harus dimulai dari hal-hal kecil dalam diri kita sendiri.
Indonesia terkenal dengan korupsinya – jadi aku berusaha nggak korupsi dalam bentuk sekecil apapun, nggak korupsi waktu apalagi duit... walau nggak ada yang lihat.
Indonesia terkenal sebagai orang yang jorok dan tidak dapat memelihara barang dengan baik – jadi aku berusaha untuk tidak membuang sampah sembarangan, menjaga ruang dan barang bersama juga barang-barang yang menjadi tanggung-jawabku sebaik mungkin. Kalau ruang kerja kotor ya bantu dibersihkan. Kan tidak harus kudu tunggu office boy. Lagipula kebersihan itu tanda orang berbudaya… sikap masa bodoh dan kejorokan adalah tanda orang tidak atau kurang berbudaya.
Indonesia terkenal sebagai orang yang suka saenak udele dewek alias kurang bertanggung-jawab – jadi aku berusaha bertanggung-jawab dalam mengerjakan apapun yang menjadi tugasku. Tidak menunggu sampai besok kalau ada yang bisa diselesaikan hari ini. Berusaha bertanggung-jawab untuk bagian tugasku sehingga tidak menyusahkan orang lain. Bertanggung-jawab untuk semua kata-kata yang pernah kukeluarkan.
Indonesia terkenal sebagai orang yang suka iri akan keberhasilan orang lain, nggak bisa liat orang lain seneng *sigh* – jadi aku berusaha bersyukur atas apa yang kucapai, mau belajar dari sekelilingku, memperbaiki kekuranganku, dan berusaha untuk menjadi lebih baik dengan cara halal. Ada satu terminologi yang terbawa sejak aku kuliah di ITB – MTQ. Contohnya, ”Jangan MTQ”... artinya ”Jangan makan tulang q(k)awan”. Namanya juga teman, jadi jangan dikhianati atau dikadalin.
Indonesia juga terkenal sebagai salah satu negara yang banyak hutangnya – jadi aku berusaha untuk tidak berhutang. Kalau berhutang ke kartu kredit berusaha untuk cepat bayar, apalagi kalau berhutang kepada teman, pantang tidak membayar kembali.
Kalau aku keluar negeri aku tidak malu mengatakan aku orang Indonesia (walau citra Indonesia dan orang Indonesia sangat buruk di mata negara-negara lain) dan aku tunjukkan bahwa orang Indonesia itu nggak bodoh, jujur, disiplin, bertanggung-jawab, pekerja keras, dapat bekerja-sama, tidak sering mengeluh, dan tidak gampang menyerah. (He, he, he,... ini gue banget ya.)
Aku belikan mainan asli Indonesia untuk keponakan-keponakanku yang tinggal di luar Indonesia. Supaya mereka tahu tentang Indonesia walau hanya lewat mainan.
Aku ikut membantu kelompok LSM HAM walau hanya sebagai penterjemah, penghubung ke nara sumber, dan penyumbang berita. Kita harus berani berpihak pada yang benar (dan seringnya tertindas) walau mereka lemah, miskin, dan tidak terkenal. Kita harus berani jujur mengatakan yang salah adalah salah dan yang benar adalah benar, yang salah harus dihukum dan yang benar harus dibela. Justice for all. Tegakkan hukum agar kekuasaan dan kekayaan tidak membinasakan hati nurani dan tidak membungkam kebenaran dan keadilan.
Selamat merayakan hari kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia yang ke 62!! Mari menjadikannya lebih baik dari 62 tahun yang sudah lewat.
Lalu apa bentuk nasionalisme-mu?
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Another Inspiration
I got this from a friend of mine.
In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.
And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.
The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words! (Comment: I laughed and cried too. I know my body is not as fit and perfect as when I was in my twenties – size 2 to 6, due to additional 10 kgs of work load and contentment – but I love and grateful for every ounce and inch of it.)
Maya Angelou said this:
"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow." (Comment: Agree!)
"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights." (Comment: True, I guess.)
"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life." (Comment: Agree! I missed them so much when I was away studying in the US, or working in Japan and Canada. Sometimes, I wonder how they can be so annoying and yet I miss them.)
"I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'." (Comment: Agree! I guess I’m still making a living and not yet making a life.)
"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance." (Comment: True.)
"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back." (Comment: Life is wonderful because you give your best for others without thinking to get something in return.)
"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision." (Comment: Yes, true. It happened couple times.)
"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one." (Comment: Couldn’t agree more.)
"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.
People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."
"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn." (Comment: True! Life is a never ending journey for learning.)
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." (Comment: True! I still keep the framed picture a student gave to me when I was a teaching assistant in Oklahoma State University. (It is about two cupped hands, praying and blessing.) She was a single mother with two kids who said that I inspired her to keep on going despite her life’s challenges. Until now I didn’t know what it was in me that inspired her.)
In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.
And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.
The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words! (Comment: I laughed and cried too. I know my body is not as fit and perfect as when I was in my twenties – size 2 to 6, due to additional 10 kgs of work load and contentment – but I love and grateful for every ounce and inch of it.)
Maya Angelou said this:
"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow." (Comment: Agree!)
"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights." (Comment: True, I guess.)
"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life." (Comment: Agree! I missed them so much when I was away studying in the US, or working in Japan and Canada. Sometimes, I wonder how they can be so annoying and yet I miss them.)
"I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'." (Comment: Agree! I guess I’m still making a living and not yet making a life.)
"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance." (Comment: True.)
"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back." (Comment: Life is wonderful because you give your best for others without thinking to get something in return.)
"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision." (Comment: Yes, true. It happened couple times.)
"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one." (Comment: Couldn’t agree more.)
"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.
People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."
"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn." (Comment: True! Life is a never ending journey for learning.)
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." (Comment: True! I still keep the framed picture a student gave to me when I was a teaching assistant in Oklahoma State University. (It is about two cupped hands, praying and blessing.) She was a single mother with two kids who said that I inspired her to keep on going despite her life’s challenges. Until now I didn’t know what it was in me that inspired her.)
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Independence Day Sensations
The country experiences some sensations as the 62th Independence Day approach. The following are just two that ‘worth’ to mention. *smile*
On August 4, 2007, Roy Suryo – the self-proclaimed information technology expert – yet again created sensation, this time around the original version of the country’s national anthem. He claimed that he found the original, complete version of Indonesia's national anthem “Indonesia Raya” (Great Indonesia) at a museum linked to Leiden University in the Netherlands. This is the three-stanza version, in the form of a black-and-white film clip. The footage was filmed in 1944 and it has duration of 3 minutes and 49 seconds and a tempo quicker than what is currently sung. Roy said that he tried to trace it for years and he finally found it via Air Putih, a group of volunteers in information and technology. (Is it true, Roy? Did you ‘find’ it in YouTube?)
The national anthem was written and composed by Indonesian songwriter Wage Rudolf Supratman in the 1920s. Indonesia Raya’s text and film clip as appeared on YouTube (posted on December 19, 2006 by one of its users).
Indonesia tanah airkoe, tanah toempah darahkoe.
Disanalah akoe berdiri, djadi pandoe iboekoe.
Indonesia kebangsaankoe, Bangsa dan Tanah Airkoe.
Marilah kita berseroe "Indonesia bersatoe."
Hidoeplah tanahkoe, hidoeplah negrikoe,
Bangsakoe, Rakjatkoe, semoeanja.
Bangoenlah djiwanja, bangoenlah badannja
Oentoek Indonesia Raja.
Refr:
Indonesia Raja,
Merdeka, Merdeka
Tanahkoe, negrikoe yang koecinta.
Indonesia Raja,
Merdeka, Merdeka
Hidoeplah Indonesia Raja.
Indonesia! Tanah yang moelia, tanah kita jang kaja.
Di sanalah akoe berada oentoek slama-lamanja.
Indonesia, Tanah poesaka, poesaka kita semoeanja.
Marilah kita mendoa, "Indonesia bahagia!"
Soeboerlah tanahnja, soeboerlah djiwanja,
Bangsanja, rakjatnya semoeanja.
Sadarlah hatinja, sadarlah boedinja
Oentoek Indonesia Raja.
Refr (1x)
Indonesia! Tanah yang soeci, tanah kita jang sakti.
Disanalah akoe berdiri mendjaga iboe sedjati.
Indonesia! Tanah berseri, tanah yang akoe sajangi.
Marilah kita berdjandji: "Indonesia abadi!"
Slamatlah rakjatnya, slamatlah poetranja,
Poelaoenja, laoetnja semoeanja.
Madjoelah negrinja, madjoelah pandoenja
Oentoek Indonesia Raja.
Refr (2×)
Today, most Indonesians only know and sing the first stanza of “Indonesia Raya”. Few know the second stanza and the third stanza that had been missing until it was ‘found’ recently. It certainly stirs public debate: which version of the national anthem is most appropriate. And, most definitely it creates publicity and media coverage for Roy and Air Putih. (Emang pinter deh si Roy ini dalam hal-hal begini.)
The news media also have different take on Roy’s source – museum in the Netherlands and server in the Netherlands. Mana yang bener? Furthermore, the timing is so amazingly coincidence to the commemoration of the country 62th independence day, in just about a week from today.
What’s silly is that the People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nurwahid urged the president to issue a decree on the matter. (Alamak! Selidiki dulu ah… kan udah ada tuh peraturannya.) The then President Soekarno issued a government decree No. 44 on July 10, 1958 declaring that the national anthem only contains the first stanza and would not use the other two stanzas. (Kesian bener jadi presiden diminta ngurusin hal-hal yang nggak perlu dia urusin. Kena dikerjain Roy katro deh. *smile*)
Roy, are you going to entertain us with more sensations? Pastinya, ya… abis seperti kata beberapa blogger, “RS katro, dan katronya permanen.” *smile*
Follow this link (Rekaman Lagu “Indonesia Raya” Bukan Hal Baru)
for another angle of the national anthem sensation by Kompas Daily Newspaper.
OK, let’s move on to the second sensation…
Prof. Dr. Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Saifullah Yusuf – both are former ministers that served SBY - make a smooth career change to become movie stars. Yusril plays Admiral Zheng He and Saifullah plays Majapahit King in a movie produced in collaboration with Kantana Ltd. – a Thai’s movie firm.
I quoted a posting by Indra Subagja in Detikcom news site: Yusril Ihza Mahendra dan Saifullah Yusuf kini jadi bintang film. Kedua mantan menteri kabinet SBY ini akan bermain dalam dalam film Admiral Zheng He atau Laksamana Cheng Ho. Menurut Yusril film ini dipersiapkan sejak lama dan menelan biaya US$ 3 juta.
"Film ini sudah direncanakan sejak 2 tahun lalu, sejak saya menjadi menteri," kata Yusril saat memperkenalkan filmnya itu di NAM Centre, Jl Angkasa, Kemayoran, Jakarta Pusat, Senin (6/8/2007). Dalam jumpa pers ini, Yusril didampingi Saifullah Yusuf alias Gus Ipul.
Yusril berperan sebagai tokoh utama yakni Laksamana Cheng Ho, sedang Gus Ipul kebagian peran sebagai Raja Majapahit Wikramawardana. "Saya tertarik bermain di film ini karena ada unsur pendidikan dan tema film ini mengenai kemanusiaan juga politik," ujar Yusril.
Yusril menjelaskan film ini dibuat bekerja sama dengan perusahaan film Thailand bernama Kantana Ltd. Dan nantinya akan dibuat sebanyak 26 episode dan ditayangkan di TV. "Oktober akan mulai syuting di Indonesia di daerah Kemayoran dan Pangandaran dan melibatkan 850 pemain," urai Yusril.
Dia mengaku film ini menghabiskan biaya yang cukup besar sekitar US$ 3 juta. Syuting film ini pun dilakukan di 6 negara yakni Cina, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kamboja, dan Vietnam. "Biaya paling besar dihabiskan di Cina karena melibatkan 4 ribu pemain dan militer Cina dan memakan waktu 1 bulan," jelas Yusril.
Film yang melibatkan total 6 ribu pemain ini khususnya berkisah mengenai perjalanan Cheng Ho menuju Asia Tenggara. "Sebenarnya ini kisah Islami," tandas Yusril. (ndr/asy)
Well,… no further comments other than, “Bapak-Bapak mau ngikutin jejak Ronald Reagan dan Arnold Schwarzenegger ya?”
On August 4, 2007, Roy Suryo – the self-proclaimed information technology expert – yet again created sensation, this time around the original version of the country’s national anthem. He claimed that he found the original, complete version of Indonesia's national anthem “Indonesia Raya” (Great Indonesia) at a museum linked to Leiden University in the Netherlands. This is the three-stanza version, in the form of a black-and-white film clip. The footage was filmed in 1944 and it has duration of 3 minutes and 49 seconds and a tempo quicker than what is currently sung. Roy said that he tried to trace it for years and he finally found it via Air Putih, a group of volunteers in information and technology. (Is it true, Roy? Did you ‘find’ it in YouTube?)
The national anthem was written and composed by Indonesian songwriter Wage Rudolf Supratman in the 1920s. Indonesia Raya’s text and film clip as appeared on YouTube (posted on December 19, 2006 by one of its users).
Indonesia tanah airkoe, tanah toempah darahkoe.
Disanalah akoe berdiri, djadi pandoe iboekoe.
Indonesia kebangsaankoe, Bangsa dan Tanah Airkoe.
Marilah kita berseroe "Indonesia bersatoe."
Hidoeplah tanahkoe, hidoeplah negrikoe,
Bangsakoe, Rakjatkoe, semoeanja.
Bangoenlah djiwanja, bangoenlah badannja
Oentoek Indonesia Raja.
Refr:
Indonesia Raja,
Merdeka, Merdeka
Tanahkoe, negrikoe yang koecinta.
Indonesia Raja,
Merdeka, Merdeka
Hidoeplah Indonesia Raja.
Indonesia! Tanah yang moelia, tanah kita jang kaja.
Di sanalah akoe berada oentoek slama-lamanja.
Indonesia, Tanah poesaka, poesaka kita semoeanja.
Marilah kita mendoa, "Indonesia bahagia!"
Soeboerlah tanahnja, soeboerlah djiwanja,
Bangsanja, rakjatnya semoeanja.
Sadarlah hatinja, sadarlah boedinja
Oentoek Indonesia Raja.
Refr (1x)
Indonesia! Tanah yang soeci, tanah kita jang sakti.
Disanalah akoe berdiri mendjaga iboe sedjati.
Indonesia! Tanah berseri, tanah yang akoe sajangi.
Marilah kita berdjandji: "Indonesia abadi!"
Slamatlah rakjatnya, slamatlah poetranja,
Poelaoenja, laoetnja semoeanja.
Madjoelah negrinja, madjoelah pandoenja
Oentoek Indonesia Raja.
Refr (2×)
Today, most Indonesians only know and sing the first stanza of “Indonesia Raya”. Few know the second stanza and the third stanza that had been missing until it was ‘found’ recently. It certainly stirs public debate: which version of the national anthem is most appropriate. And, most definitely it creates publicity and media coverage for Roy and Air Putih. (Emang pinter deh si Roy ini dalam hal-hal begini.)
The news media also have different take on Roy’s source – museum in the Netherlands and server in the Netherlands. Mana yang bener? Furthermore, the timing is so amazingly coincidence to the commemoration of the country 62th independence day, in just about a week from today.
What’s silly is that the People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nurwahid urged the president to issue a decree on the matter. (Alamak! Selidiki dulu ah… kan udah ada tuh peraturannya.) The then President Soekarno issued a government decree No. 44 on July 10, 1958 declaring that the national anthem only contains the first stanza and would not use the other two stanzas. (Kesian bener jadi presiden diminta ngurusin hal-hal yang nggak perlu dia urusin. Kena dikerjain Roy katro deh. *smile*)
Roy, are you going to entertain us with more sensations? Pastinya, ya… abis seperti kata beberapa blogger, “RS katro, dan katronya permanen.” *smile*
Follow this link (Rekaman Lagu “Indonesia Raya” Bukan Hal Baru)
for another angle of the national anthem sensation by Kompas Daily Newspaper.
OK, let’s move on to the second sensation…
Prof. Dr. Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Saifullah Yusuf – both are former ministers that served SBY - make a smooth career change to become movie stars. Yusril plays Admiral Zheng He and Saifullah plays Majapahit King in a movie produced in collaboration with Kantana Ltd. – a Thai’s movie firm.
I quoted a posting by Indra Subagja in Detikcom news site: Yusril Ihza Mahendra dan Saifullah Yusuf kini jadi bintang film. Kedua mantan menteri kabinet SBY ini akan bermain dalam dalam film Admiral Zheng He atau Laksamana Cheng Ho. Menurut Yusril film ini dipersiapkan sejak lama dan menelan biaya US$ 3 juta.
"Film ini sudah direncanakan sejak 2 tahun lalu, sejak saya menjadi menteri," kata Yusril saat memperkenalkan filmnya itu di NAM Centre, Jl Angkasa, Kemayoran, Jakarta Pusat, Senin (6/8/2007). Dalam jumpa pers ini, Yusril didampingi Saifullah Yusuf alias Gus Ipul.
Yusril berperan sebagai tokoh utama yakni Laksamana Cheng Ho, sedang Gus Ipul kebagian peran sebagai Raja Majapahit Wikramawardana. "Saya tertarik bermain di film ini karena ada unsur pendidikan dan tema film ini mengenai kemanusiaan juga politik," ujar Yusril.
Yusril menjelaskan film ini dibuat bekerja sama dengan perusahaan film Thailand bernama Kantana Ltd. Dan nantinya akan dibuat sebanyak 26 episode dan ditayangkan di TV. "Oktober akan mulai syuting di Indonesia di daerah Kemayoran dan Pangandaran dan melibatkan 850 pemain," urai Yusril.
Dia mengaku film ini menghabiskan biaya yang cukup besar sekitar US$ 3 juta. Syuting film ini pun dilakukan di 6 negara yakni Cina, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kamboja, dan Vietnam. "Biaya paling besar dihabiskan di Cina karena melibatkan 4 ribu pemain dan militer Cina dan memakan waktu 1 bulan," jelas Yusril.
Film yang melibatkan total 6 ribu pemain ini khususnya berkisah mengenai perjalanan Cheng Ho menuju Asia Tenggara. "Sebenarnya ini kisah Islami," tandas Yusril. (ndr/asy)
Well,… no further comments other than, “Bapak-Bapak mau ngikutin jejak Ronald Reagan dan Arnold Schwarzenegger ya?”
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Searching for Tirta Harapan
I don’t know why I’ve had this searching mania for old friends and acquaintances in the past couple months. And just last week I was thinking about Prof. Dirk de Hoop – the person responsible to make me return to Indonesia from Japan. I googled using several searching key words such as his name, his creation – Tirta Harapan logger/water level logger/barometric pressure logger, his alma mater) to no avail. And tonight… boom! When I googled using Hope and Hydrology… I found him! (He still lives in that house.)
Hope Hydrology is a research and development company, established in the Netherlands, active in development and production of pressure loggers, digital water level recorders, environmental data loggers and software for hydrological and environmental data processing.
Our instruments are typically used in measuring open channel flow, water level, ground water level, flumes, tide gauges, wave height, rainfall, snowfall, evaporation and sediment/suspended load. Our products are designed to provide high accuracy's and high reliability even in harsh environments.
A Synopsis of Technical Issues for Monitoring Sediment in Highway and Urban Runoff (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 00-497) mentions about this digital logger.
He loves Indonesia so much that he named his invention – Tirta Harapan. Tirta = water, and Harapan = hope. And he loved me so much that he named all the testing outputs for sediment logger after my middle name… sebagai guru dan murid gitu loh *smile* Yes, he’s the role model of how a university professor should be.
I’m so glad that I finally found him.
Who’s next? *smile*
Hope Hydrology is a research and development company, established in the Netherlands, active in development and production of pressure loggers, digital water level recorders, environmental data loggers and software for hydrological and environmental data processing.
Our instruments are typically used in measuring open channel flow, water level, ground water level, flumes, tide gauges, wave height, rainfall, snowfall, evaporation and sediment/suspended load. Our products are designed to provide high accuracy's and high reliability even in harsh environments.
A Synopsis of Technical Issues for Monitoring Sediment in Highway and Urban Runoff (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 00-497) mentions about this digital logger.
He loves Indonesia so much that he named his invention – Tirta Harapan. Tirta = water, and Harapan = hope. And he loved me so much that he named all the testing outputs for sediment logger after my middle name… sebagai guru dan murid gitu loh *smile* Yes, he’s the role model of how a university professor should be.
- I learnt a lot from him, from simple curing treatment to driving in mountainous area (I remember that trip to Papandayan). Science and engineering were covered in our conversation most of the times.
- He made me utilized all my capabilities to develop application for Tirta Harapan digital logger (in collaboration with DPMA, ITB, PU/Public Works, R&D Department of Forestry Ministry) and market it in Indonesia and beyond.
- He told me to go to museums that hold geological maps made by the Dutch in the past if I need anything about Indonesia’s geological information. (And he's damn right!)
- He always challenged me, even when I was so tired to talk and think, always got on my nerve. But, he's also the one who'd be there with all those suggestions when I needed them.
- It seemed it’s his number one assignment to annoy me when we’re doing testing or installation in the field.
- I couldn’t make him stop smoking those cigars or chewing those garlic during meals.
- He’s the one who explained to me in details the process to produce beer and he’s so sure that beer is better than water.
- His favorite food is Indonesian fried rice (nasi goreng)…. And beer should come with everything, be it nasi goreng or peanuts.
- He knows I’m a feminist and that’s why he always says ‘don’t let women think – because when it happens the world will be in trouble’. I used to be the only woman on field trips and he would always provoke me to make some gender comments.
- He said Soekarno was half Dutch and Soeharto had access to the wealth left by the Dutch colonial... and some off the record facts about Indonesia that can be traced and found in the Netherlands.
- I still keep a Christmas card he sent on that particular year. There are Mother Mary and Joseph on the card... and the things that I believe would provoke the people of faith are the third person and what Mother Mary says. Want to guess? (The clue: think as scientist, or think as people of reason rather than people of faith.)
- He has two sons, and one is managing his digital logger business now.
I’m so glad that I finally found him.
Who’s next? *smile*
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Inspiration: Maria "Ivo" Butet
I met an inspiring woman about a week ago. She introduced herself as Ivo – although with Butet as her middle name I’m sure she’s a Batak. It was a job-related meeting but we soon could talk like we’ve met long before this meeting.
She started her career as an accountant with Arthur Andersen (AA). What she did and experienced after AA are what really inspired me. She joined World Vision – an International NGO – and was stationed in Wamena, West Papua, after 3-year stint with AA. I repeatedly asked her what the key factor that made her chose World Vision and Wamena. She said, at first she didn’t know, it seemed just like a spur of the moment. But, only much later she realized that it’s the need to empower the local people in remote areas that enabled her to make this firm decision. (One day in the lift of BNI 46 Tower, when she’s still working for AA, she heard comments from two Caucasian expatriates behind her that said something like this: “These Indonesians only have Pentium 1 intelligence but they demand Windows XP.”) This was the trigger that put that fire in her heart – the burning fire to prove that Indonesians will not stay underdeveloped (and stupid) for the rest of their life.
She spent 6 years in Wamena and 3 years in Nias (during tsunami recovery). And below I listed down the things that caught my attention, provoked more thought, or just downright silly….
On Modern Gadgets
She said she didn’t miss television, radio, mobile phone (with the text messaging capability), internet (with e-mailing capability), computer, electricity, and the clubbing while she was in those remote areas. She only used her mobile phone to be functioned as clock or alarm. Furthermore she said, “If we can’t send message or report through e-mail, we still can use fax machine. Even if we don’t have fax machine we can still send our letters via post office. Right?” Stuj sek deh! *smile* I asked her how soon she could cope with the silence in the remote areas compared to the hustle and bustle of the big city like Jakarta. She said that it’s no big deal for her. Wow! (I guess only a few number of people miss Jakarta’s baseline decibel. It’s too overwhelming.)
On Poverty
There she could experience the other spectrum of poverty. In most urban areas in the big cities we see many slums, beggars, street kids, and other types of poverty caused by urban development such as lack of access to education, health care, economic network, etc. Yet, in Wamena it shows different spectrum – people that are not aware that they are manipulated and cheated. Their stone-age life and culture are preserved mostly for the sake of tourism.
On Casual Sex
After the October 6, 2000 incident, Wamena was left with unbalance proportion of men and women. After three months the authority felt that the male group couldn’t suppress their sexual need anymore. Then, they flew in prostitutes from other cities – as far as East Java to come to Wamena. The atmosphere was tensed with competition – gimana enggak – if around 1,000 men had to compete for around 400 women. Well, it’s easy to predict that it’s the fertile field for HIV/AIDS and other STDs.
PSK (Pekerja Seks Komersial) or prostitutes are as young as 10-year old girl. The local pimps usually gather the young prostitutes (usually around 10 to 17 years old) in their houses and expose them to a lot of X-rated movies. Then, these pimps ‘coach’ the girls how to seduce and satisfy their clients. The special-treated clients usually are politicians, members of parliament, or bureaucrats within the province or other territories. Such casual approach on intimacy is another seed of HIV/AIDS outbreak – and yet the local politicians and bureaucrats never approve any HIV/AIDS survey. Thus, we cannot find the real statistics about HIV/AIDS and other STDs in Wamena. *sigh*
These young girls know pretty well how to apply their rates among different target groups. If you’re somebody that they respect then they offer the intimacy for you for free. If you’re one of their friends, then you could pay them for around IDR 2,000. (My goodness!) But, if you’re politicians, member of parliaments, or bureaucrats the pricing is around IDR 500,000. The sad part of this whole situation is that these girls think that this casual sex is OK, as natural as the air they breathe. Then again, the HIV/AIDS campaign of Abstinence-Faithful-Condom is hardly successful in the area. *sigh*
On Tribal War
Hatred and vengeance are kept alive from generation to generation. So, tribal wars are still common. Is it fair to expect the local people that are pretty much live in stone-age culture to make quantum leap and adopt modern live smoothly – while at the same time we would like them to preserve their stone-age life and culture as one of tourist attractions to the land of Papua?
In Papua people can see the meaning of true man (manusia sejati) – where hatred, anger, sadness, happiness, disappointment, etc. are bluntly exposed. It made me recall the movie titled Apocalypto. The winner of any war is treated as hero within their tribe – a young girl is usually presented as trophy for this hero in the ceremony.
On The Wild Nature and The Old Way
Wamena is located in the grand valley of Baliem River, or famously called Baliem Valley (Lembah Baliem). The Baliem Valley’s altitude is about 1,420 meters above sea level and was once dubbed Shangri La. The incredibly lush and fertile valley is surrounded on all sides by towering peaks of 2,500 to 3,000 meters. High mountains surrounded Baliem Valley is usually overwhelming for new comers. Had been living deep down the remote areas had sharpened her connection to the mother earth. She always asked the local people when there were any environment or weather changes she observed around her. For example, the calmness and eerie silence always precede the ice frost that would sweep the valley, the earthquake would usually recede within the count of thirty, etc. She said see saw the most beautiful night sky there... the dark sky that are full with stars.
The Papuans already knew about family planning, not via contraception though. A man (husband) is not allowed to live with his wife after she delivers their baby. The separation usually takes two years during which the man (husband) can ‘marry’ other woman.
Cute Experiences
When I labeled them as cute experiences, I literally meant cute. *smile*
Can you imagine:
On Aceh
Aceh was so exotic to the outside world until tsunami tragedy opened up the door for the outside world to land their feet on its soil and meet up face-to-face with the local people. Organizations ‘compete’ to put Aceh on their donor list as it could raise their prestige. She said she had the trouble to see so many expatriate-activists that were stationed for the reason other than the noble act of helping local people. Aceh people are rich and proud of themselves. Jadi susah untuk menerima masukan orang lain. Although the elite Moslem clerics fight to have Islamic law – known locally as Syariah Law – as Aceh foundation for local government law, it’s actually not widely supported by the majority of Aceh people. She said one of her colleague, a local Aceh woman, voiced her concern about it. On one occasion, a Peter Pan show in Aceh, female spectators were separated from male spectators. What irritated her was that all women were required to wear hijab while the men could enter the show as they pleased – ibaratnya kalo cowo mo buka baju atau telanjang dada ya boleh-boleh aja, tapi para cewe musti tertutup baju dari kepala sampe kaki. Aceh society is unique – the ruling elite limit the opportunity for women in many social aspects despite their historical realm that the women are the backbone of their society.
She said four NGO workers from World Vision survived plane crash – Garuda Indonesia flight GA 200, a Boeing 737-400 plane – that carried 133 passengers and seven crews at around 7AM at Yogya on March 7, 2007. Jokingly she said that’s because World Vision’s activists are protected by ‘invincible power’. They have experienced countless miracles… kalo belum waktunya, ya nggak akan mati.
When I kept repeating how great and terrific what she’s done, she said that nothing’s great and terrific about it. She made the choice freely and went through it without regret. She said she measured her success in those two areas by the level of local people empowerment after she or her team leave the remote areas. She was successfully coached the local Nias people to handle World Vision’s day-to-day administrative activities.
Indonesia need more people like her…. orang yang kagak hanya mikirin dirinya sendiri. Tops deh pokoknya! *smile*
She started her career as an accountant with Arthur Andersen (AA). What she did and experienced after AA are what really inspired me. She joined World Vision – an International NGO – and was stationed in Wamena, West Papua, after 3-year stint with AA. I repeatedly asked her what the key factor that made her chose World Vision and Wamena. She said, at first she didn’t know, it seemed just like a spur of the moment. But, only much later she realized that it’s the need to empower the local people in remote areas that enabled her to make this firm decision. (One day in the lift of BNI 46 Tower, when she’s still working for AA, she heard comments from two Caucasian expatriates behind her that said something like this: “These Indonesians only have Pentium 1 intelligence but they demand Windows XP.”) This was the trigger that put that fire in her heart – the burning fire to prove that Indonesians will not stay underdeveloped (and stupid) for the rest of their life.
She spent 6 years in Wamena and 3 years in Nias (during tsunami recovery). And below I listed down the things that caught my attention, provoked more thought, or just downright silly….
On Modern Gadgets
She said she didn’t miss television, radio, mobile phone (with the text messaging capability), internet (with e-mailing capability), computer, electricity, and the clubbing while she was in those remote areas. She only used her mobile phone to be functioned as clock or alarm. Furthermore she said, “If we can’t send message or report through e-mail, we still can use fax machine. Even if we don’t have fax machine we can still send our letters via post office. Right?” Stuj sek deh! *smile* I asked her how soon she could cope with the silence in the remote areas compared to the hustle and bustle of the big city like Jakarta. She said that it’s no big deal for her. Wow! (I guess only a few number of people miss Jakarta’s baseline decibel. It’s too overwhelming.)
On Poverty
There she could experience the other spectrum of poverty. In most urban areas in the big cities we see many slums, beggars, street kids, and other types of poverty caused by urban development such as lack of access to education, health care, economic network, etc. Yet, in Wamena it shows different spectrum – people that are not aware that they are manipulated and cheated. Their stone-age life and culture are preserved mostly for the sake of tourism.
On Casual Sex
After the October 6, 2000 incident, Wamena was left with unbalance proportion of men and women. After three months the authority felt that the male group couldn’t suppress their sexual need anymore. Then, they flew in prostitutes from other cities – as far as East Java to come to Wamena. The atmosphere was tensed with competition – gimana enggak – if around 1,000 men had to compete for around 400 women. Well, it’s easy to predict that it’s the fertile field for HIV/AIDS and other STDs.
PSK (Pekerja Seks Komersial) or prostitutes are as young as 10-year old girl. The local pimps usually gather the young prostitutes (usually around 10 to 17 years old) in their houses and expose them to a lot of X-rated movies. Then, these pimps ‘coach’ the girls how to seduce and satisfy their clients. The special-treated clients usually are politicians, members of parliament, or bureaucrats within the province or other territories. Such casual approach on intimacy is another seed of HIV/AIDS outbreak – and yet the local politicians and bureaucrats never approve any HIV/AIDS survey. Thus, we cannot find the real statistics about HIV/AIDS and other STDs in Wamena. *sigh*
These young girls know pretty well how to apply their rates among different target groups. If you’re somebody that they respect then they offer the intimacy for you for free. If you’re one of their friends, then you could pay them for around IDR 2,000. (My goodness!) But, if you’re politicians, member of parliaments, or bureaucrats the pricing is around IDR 500,000. The sad part of this whole situation is that these girls think that this casual sex is OK, as natural as the air they breathe. Then again, the HIV/AIDS campaign of Abstinence-Faithful-Condom is hardly successful in the area. *sigh*
On Tribal War
Hatred and vengeance are kept alive from generation to generation. So, tribal wars are still common. Is it fair to expect the local people that are pretty much live in stone-age culture to make quantum leap and adopt modern live smoothly – while at the same time we would like them to preserve their stone-age life and culture as one of tourist attractions to the land of Papua?
In Papua people can see the meaning of true man (manusia sejati) – where hatred, anger, sadness, happiness, disappointment, etc. are bluntly exposed. It made me recall the movie titled Apocalypto. The winner of any war is treated as hero within their tribe – a young girl is usually presented as trophy for this hero in the ceremony.
On The Wild Nature and The Old Way
Wamena is located in the grand valley of Baliem River, or famously called Baliem Valley (Lembah Baliem). The Baliem Valley’s altitude is about 1,420 meters above sea level and was once dubbed Shangri La. The incredibly lush and fertile valley is surrounded on all sides by towering peaks of 2,500 to 3,000 meters. High mountains surrounded Baliem Valley is usually overwhelming for new comers. Had been living deep down the remote areas had sharpened her connection to the mother earth. She always asked the local people when there were any environment or weather changes she observed around her. For example, the calmness and eerie silence always precede the ice frost that would sweep the valley, the earthquake would usually recede within the count of thirty, etc. She said see saw the most beautiful night sky there... the dark sky that are full with stars.
The Papuans already knew about family planning, not via contraception though. A man (husband) is not allowed to live with his wife after she delivers their baby. The separation usually takes two years during which the man (husband) can ‘marry’ other woman.
Cute Experiences
When I labeled them as cute experiences, I literally meant cute. *smile*
Can you imagine:
- the clothes that you just washed and left dry outside could disappear in minutes?
- the clothes, TV, and radio that you kept inside a locked room could disappear?
- when you woke up in the morning you had to play tug-of-war with someone outside the window that seemed very keen to possess your blanket?
- your lost jet pump was offered to you by someone within the same day?
- that you need to specify what you want in details? (Maksudnya kalo mau barter paku dan kaca dengan kayu dan batu maka harus dikatakan dengan jelas bahwa kayu dan batu harus dibawa ke tempat kita. Kalo nggak, ya anda ambil kayu dan batunya ndiri di hutan. *smile*)
On Aceh
Aceh was so exotic to the outside world until tsunami tragedy opened up the door for the outside world to land their feet on its soil and meet up face-to-face with the local people. Organizations ‘compete’ to put Aceh on their donor list as it could raise their prestige. She said she had the trouble to see so many expatriate-activists that were stationed for the reason other than the noble act of helping local people. Aceh people are rich and proud of themselves. Jadi susah untuk menerima masukan orang lain. Although the elite Moslem clerics fight to have Islamic law – known locally as Syariah Law – as Aceh foundation for local government law, it’s actually not widely supported by the majority of Aceh people. She said one of her colleague, a local Aceh woman, voiced her concern about it. On one occasion, a Peter Pan show in Aceh, female spectators were separated from male spectators. What irritated her was that all women were required to wear hijab while the men could enter the show as they pleased – ibaratnya kalo cowo mo buka baju atau telanjang dada ya boleh-boleh aja, tapi para cewe musti tertutup baju dari kepala sampe kaki. Aceh society is unique – the ruling elite limit the opportunity for women in many social aspects despite their historical realm that the women are the backbone of their society.
She said four NGO workers from World Vision survived plane crash – Garuda Indonesia flight GA 200, a Boeing 737-400 plane – that carried 133 passengers and seven crews at around 7AM at Yogya on March 7, 2007. Jokingly she said that’s because World Vision’s activists are protected by ‘invincible power’. They have experienced countless miracles… kalo belum waktunya, ya nggak akan mati.
When I kept repeating how great and terrific what she’s done, she said that nothing’s great and terrific about it. She made the choice freely and went through it without regret. She said she measured her success in those two areas by the level of local people empowerment after she or her team leave the remote areas. She was successfully coached the local Nias people to handle World Vision’s day-to-day administrative activities.
Indonesia need more people like her…. orang yang kagak hanya mikirin dirinya sendiri. Tops deh pokoknya! *smile*
Friday, August 03, 2007
Pilkada DKI Jakarta
Banyak yang pada ribut mempertanyakan apakah tanggal 8 Agustus kantor-kantor diliburkan sesuai dengan anjuran Gubernur DKI Jakarta, Bapak "Bang Yos" Sutiyoso.
Bagi yang nggak tinggal di Jakarta, tanggal 8 Agustus tuh adalah hari kita, warga Jakarta, diminta untuk aktif berpartisipasi dalam Pilkada (Pemilihan Kepala Daerah) DKI Jakarta dengan nyoblos No. 1 (Adang Daradjatun & Dani Anwar) atawa No. 2 (Fauzi Bowo & Prijanto). Katanya sih the day off is expected to have a significant impact on the voter turnout. Ini kali pertama Pilkada di Indonesia diselenggarakan pas hari kerja, mustinya kan pas hari libur atau akhir pekan. Kata Bang Yos sih kantor-kantor di Jakarta dianjurkan untuk mengijinkan pegawainya untuk libur atau datang telat itu hari supaya bisa menggunakan hak pilihnya. Terus para warga yang megang KTP Tangerang, Bekasi, Depok, Bogor tapi kerja di Jakarta ikutan libur nggak? Pan katanya kantor diliburin?
Ya, siapa sih yang nggak seneng bisa libur. Tapi negara dengan produktivitas rendah kayak gini bukannya kudu mikir-mikir dulu kalo mo ngasih libur. Tujuannya sih mulia, supaya semua warga Jakarta (yang katanya berjumlah sekitar 5,75 juta orang itu) dapat menggunakan hak pilihnya. Nenek-nenek ompong juga tau kalo nyoblos, dengan segala antriannya, kagak butuh waktu 8 jam. Lha kok liburnya sehari? Kalo gini apa bukan ngajarin warganya jadi pemalas? Lagian apa mau tuh para warga ikut nyoblos? Abis rasanya nyoblos atau kagak hasilnya sama aja... ini kota tetep aja macet, banjir, penuh polusi, kagak tertib, kurang aman buat perempuan kalo pulang naik kendaraan umum waktu malem, mahal & sombong buat orang kebanyakan, nggak ada ruang publik...
Salah satu kandidat janji bahwa kalo dia yang jadi Gubernur DKI Jakarta mendatang maka Jakarta nggak akan macet. Hmmm... gitu ya? Lha, Jumat ini aja udah bikin macet seantero Jakarta gara-gara kampanye hari terakhir. Gue kejebak macet dari Slipi ke kantor di Sudirman pas para supporter mulai keluar kandang, sekitar jam 11.30 siang. Terus pas pulang kantor jam 8 malem juga tuh jalan dimana-mana kesumbet macet. Aduh! Apa bener Pak, kalo milih Bapak nih macet bakal menghilang - seperti angin lalu - dari Jakarta?? Bapak dukun kali ya? Kalo dukun sih, saya nggak jadi milih deh... ini udah bukan jaman klenik, Pak.
Kalo saya sampe nggak sempet nyoblos, maap aja deh, Pak. Saya mah mendingan kerja deh, keliatan hasilnya...
Bagi yang nggak tinggal di Jakarta, tanggal 8 Agustus tuh adalah hari kita, warga Jakarta, diminta untuk aktif berpartisipasi dalam Pilkada (Pemilihan Kepala Daerah) DKI Jakarta dengan nyoblos No. 1 (Adang Daradjatun & Dani Anwar) atawa No. 2 (Fauzi Bowo & Prijanto). Katanya sih the day off is expected to have a significant impact on the voter turnout. Ini kali pertama Pilkada di Indonesia diselenggarakan pas hari kerja, mustinya kan pas hari libur atau akhir pekan. Kata Bang Yos sih kantor-kantor di Jakarta dianjurkan untuk mengijinkan pegawainya untuk libur atau datang telat itu hari supaya bisa menggunakan hak pilihnya. Terus para warga yang megang KTP Tangerang, Bekasi, Depok, Bogor tapi kerja di Jakarta ikutan libur nggak? Pan katanya kantor diliburin?
Ya, siapa sih yang nggak seneng bisa libur. Tapi negara dengan produktivitas rendah kayak gini bukannya kudu mikir-mikir dulu kalo mo ngasih libur. Tujuannya sih mulia, supaya semua warga Jakarta (yang katanya berjumlah sekitar 5,75 juta orang itu) dapat menggunakan hak pilihnya. Nenek-nenek ompong juga tau kalo nyoblos, dengan segala antriannya, kagak butuh waktu 8 jam. Lha kok liburnya sehari? Kalo gini apa bukan ngajarin warganya jadi pemalas? Lagian apa mau tuh para warga ikut nyoblos? Abis rasanya nyoblos atau kagak hasilnya sama aja... ini kota tetep aja macet, banjir, penuh polusi, kagak tertib, kurang aman buat perempuan kalo pulang naik kendaraan umum waktu malem, mahal & sombong buat orang kebanyakan, nggak ada ruang publik...
Salah satu kandidat janji bahwa kalo dia yang jadi Gubernur DKI Jakarta mendatang maka Jakarta nggak akan macet. Hmmm... gitu ya? Lha, Jumat ini aja udah bikin macet seantero Jakarta gara-gara kampanye hari terakhir. Gue kejebak macet dari Slipi ke kantor di Sudirman pas para supporter mulai keluar kandang, sekitar jam 11.30 siang. Terus pas pulang kantor jam 8 malem juga tuh jalan dimana-mana kesumbet macet. Aduh! Apa bener Pak, kalo milih Bapak nih macet bakal menghilang - seperti angin lalu - dari Jakarta?? Bapak dukun kali ya? Kalo dukun sih, saya nggak jadi milih deh... ini udah bukan jaman klenik, Pak.
Kalo saya sampe nggak sempet nyoblos, maap aja deh, Pak. Saya mah mendingan kerja deh, keliatan hasilnya...
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