In the State of Denial

Let’s start with the truth: life in Jakarta is chaotic, unorganized, and basically messy. Chronic severe traffic jams, wild drivers, inhumane public transport, abysmal hygiene, vulnerability to yearly floods, and numerous violations of city zoning regulations-those are not even half of the trouble we see everyday. Probably you want to add a thing or ten to that list. The new governor Fauzi Bowo has not brought much change; he mostly continued the destructive progress his predecessor Sutiyoso started.

However, rarely would a Jakartan complain and really mean it. Most will only get to the level of grumbles that will be forgotten as life goes on. Drivers struggling in the traffic will yell to that annoying metro mini so loudly in the safety of his/her own car. There’s nothing the victims of the dysfunctional TransJakarta can do except silently endure the torture. We can only feel confused and betrayed when the city council went on with its absurd plan to start school hours at 6.30 AM. People talk about various things about the city that bug them each and everyday of their lives, and that’s it. These protests go nowhere and they get nothing out of it.

This condition also happens in a much bigger scale: the country we know as Indonesia. Presidents come and go, all kinds of people get highlighted in the political spotlight, and change is always underway; but I don’t see any revolution that makes life easier. Dealing with government offices and bureaucrats will still challenge your patience, wacky projects still get OKed, and our upcoming election in April borders on becoming a hilarious comedy. Our rich land, with its “green carpets of rice fields”, cannot feed its people; at the same time, our children are not learning the things they need from school. It reminds me of a Mark Twain quote: “Never let your schooling interfere with your education.”

Nevertheless, we continue to live in this horrible condition. Some say that they cannot do anything about it. Others say that they are so depressed that they keep on going through this earthly hell blindly. A common line is that “It’s Indonesia. We live here, we have survived this long, and we are living the Indonesian dream of life without rules. So shut up and act like a real Indonesian! Nothing can hurt you.”

It is not uncommon for Indonesians who spent a long time abroad to come back and experience a “reverse culture shock” from a humane city to the biggest kampung in the world. Their hearts pop out of their chests when they have to go through the typical Jakarta traffic. They search in vain for a public park for a nice stroll. The roadside panorama of proud-looking children smoking cigarettes was an impossibility in their minds. After a few days in tanah air, complaints and protests start to fly out of their mouths. “The government should change this, improve that, make it more efficient,” so on and so forth. Quite a few went public with their criticisms, thanks to weblogs and its friends. In fact, I just read an article in the Jakarta Post titled “It’s Indonesia, and I Can’t Complain”.

A few days after that, the reader’s opinion page was filled with various response. As expected, more than half of them contained, in one way or another, the standard Indonesian defense to protect the status quo. One accused the writer of being “too American” after years spent living there; many simply said that he was being too whiney. Another responded that “it’s Indonesia and that’s how we live”. This is what happens when you speak your mind to the “tough” Indonesians who think they thrive in this chaos. In a few words, you are guilty of being “un-Indonesian”. Their message: “Indonesia ain’t broken, so don’t you dare fix it”.

I firmly answer with one of my favorite quotations: Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt. Right here right now, we are living in a serious state of denial. Despite all the problems, we always think that everything’s all right, that we can live like this forever and ever. It’s too much trouble to turn hell into heaven and, once again, it’s un-Indonesian. Like rebellious teenagers, we believe it’s supercool when we ignore the rules.

That is totally wrong and we have to set things straight immediately! If we do love this country so much, we have to admit that it has a lot of fields to improve. I’m not saying that currently I don’t have any sense of pride for my country, but I will be even more proud of it if Indonesia progresses to the right direction. This is meant not only for the government or our policy makers, but also for everyone else, including you and me. We are all Indonesians, right?

Let’s start with more of down-to-earth things. Try throwing away your thrash to the right place (which does not include roadside gutters, rivers, and open fields, among other things). Please drive in a way that does not endanger anyone’s life or unnecessarily lengthens travel time. If you have an appointment, be a hero by coming on time. Watch less E! Channel, and read more news and books. Less Luna Maya and more Pramudya (Ananta Toer). Did I sound cheesy? Most probably yes, but it shouldn’t stop us from doing good to ourselves, our community, and our nation.

Only after we succeed in getting our acts together, we actually get the right to demand more from the government. Human rights in all aspects must be upheld to its fullest extent. Our children need to be properly educated, not merely schooled. This country must stop being a mean traitor to its agricultural and maritime roots. We need a public transport system that doesn’t squeeze its passengers breathless. The government have to be more responsible, efficient, and organized.

Therefore, it is time for us to love our country so much that we cannot let it go down the pit by continuously denying its shortcomings. Everyone must realize that we can’t live like this for the next five or ten years, let alone a century. For those “tough” Indonesians, get real. Although we can live in this condition -and even I sometimes think that this makes us better in one way or another compared to those in “civilized” countries-, we should not be satisfied. Ready to do good?

Happy Chinese New Year

Let the dragons out and the angpau in, it’s that time of the year again! In retrospect, it’s been only a few years since Indonesians, especially those of Chinese descent, started to freely celebrate the Chinese New Year and embrace another part of its rich culture. Nowadays, malls are dressed to their best in red and yellow to welcome the occasion. In many public venues, it’s becoming more common to find lion dance performances attracting full attention of the crowd. We are rediscovering a culture that has made significant contribution to the nation from centuries ago. In short, Chinese New Year celebration has become bigger and livelier each year.

We have come a long way from ethnic discrimination-I am very proud to say that, noticing the goodwill of the society to stop such outdated view. However, I will also readily admit that the fight for equality is very very far from over. Chinese Indonesians still get different treatment in many aspects, including from government offices which are supposed to serve all Indonesians. Additionally, it is too bad that lots of people in the community are still holding on to unjustified racial prejudice against Chinese Indonesians as if they were illegal immigrants or second-class citizens. These actions are totally baseless and at one point, it will lead to human rights violations. If we want to tell the world how wonderful Indonesia’s cuture is, we’d better clean up our act and stop these terrible views from gaining more ground in the society.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! May we have a prosperous, peaceful year ahead and may this nation grow stronger each and every day.

I sTumbled upon This Neat Thing

I don’t wanna be trite, but I really have to say this: the rapid advance of technology has made the world a tiny, yet huge global village where each person is so closely connected to another through various means. First of all, you just have to have at least one e-mail account. Take it to the next level and get connected to an instant messenger. Past that, it is safe to say that you have -or at least had- a Friendster account, especially if you are Asian or an annoying tween alay girl. Got something to say? Perhaps you’ve made yourself a blog (I know I did). Then, all net broke loose: facebook, plurk, twitter, imeem, the whole nine yards. Additionally, nonsocial-networking sites, like YouTube, have features to connect one user with another.

Just when I thought it’s all too much, I stumbled upon this stumblr thing. I was quite hesitant at first, keeping in mind that I already have two blogs at hand, a plurk account, and a hyperactive facebook. Yet, I decided to make an account, which basically took less than 30 seconds. Voila! I have another rich plot of land on the internet to exploit. To my surprise, most of my friends has never actually known about it. So, here’s what stumblr is: a tumblelog (that’s the thing you make in stumblr) is basically a simple blog where you can post your writings, links, pictures, quotes, music, and videos. My impression is that tumblelog is more suitable for shorter writings about light stuffs. That’s exactly what I’m doing, and I’m doing it in Bahasa Indonesia.

To summarize, I have three outlets with which I can share my thoughts and abnormality:

1. Adit on Life (you’re looking at it), filled with random writings from “serious” topics to light-hearted thoughts. English.

2. Keeping Myself Intact (http://keepmeintact.blogspot.com/) as some kind of a journal for my adventure in the faculty of medicine of a certain university in Jakarta. English.

3. Cerita dll (Stories etc, http://adhitsr.tumblr.com/) for short everyday stuffs, random pictures, and anything else that might come to my mind. Colloquial, real-life Bahasa Indonesia.

Besides those, I also have a facebook and plurk account; I’m keeping both of them private, although it shouldn’t be too hard to find me there-if you want to do it so badly.

Taxed in TransJakarta

Don’t tell me I got my priorities mixed up just because I don’t blog about the whole Gaza tragedy right now. I happened to experience my own personal tragedy right here in Jakarta, last Monday. So, if you haven’t exhausted all your sympathy for the war-torn Middle East, spare me some.

Although I generally hate Mondays; January 12, 2009, was a fine Monday. My school activities for the First Aid Module were very interesting and certainly unique, my reward for the gruelling two weeks of clueless Research came out (an “A”, yay!), and I’m entering the recruitment process for one of my faculty’s student organization. No crap whatsoever was bugging me. There’s no way I could’ve guessed what was coming that afternoon.

Long and exhausting story short, I finished everything at 5-ish and it was getting dark. I took the TransJakarta and, after a short detour to Gramedia Matraman, headed home. The journey is somewhat OK in TransJakarta standards: long lines instead of waiting for an eternity; standing in the bus instead of packed like a can of sardines. When I reached Dukuh Atas for the last leg of my daily journey, I SMSed my mom with my Nokia 5300. *Report to the big boss, check.* Then, I put the phone back into my pants (in the pocket, of course). Turns out that it would be the last time I’ll ever see my beloved 5300.

After waiting for a while, I got into a bus. If I’m not mistaken, it was around 7 o’clock and the bus was full of office workers making their way home. At one of the bus stops after Dukuh Atas, either Setiabudi or Karet, lots of passengers got off the bus. Inside of the bus, it was chaotic. Some were struggling for the door, some hunted for empty seats, while others made room for the passengers getting off. I was unsurprisingly pushed here and there because I stood near the door. I felt my cellphone vibrate. (That’s an important point) Considering the chaos, I didn’t pick it up straight away and continued my resistance against the flow of people. A few seconds later, after the mess ended and the doors are closed, I wanted to check my cellphone. My hand went for my pocket, entered it, and found…nothing. WHAT THE WHAT!!? I groped that same pocket again and again, then I searched the other pocket. No result. I checked my extra tote bag. Still no-no. I scanned the bus floor. Nothing there either.

Tick-tock, tick-tock. Aaaaaaaaaaarggggh!! Someone stole my cellphone!! It must have happened during the chaos at the bus top, right when I felt my phone “vibrate”. Aaaah blurgh. I wanted to tell the security guy inside the bus, but instantly realized that it would do no good at all. I swear I must’ve looked like a mentally-ill guy in that bus. I was so stressed and sad that I’ve lost my dear phone. Since I got my first cellphone in 5th grade, this is the first time I lost my phone. There’s a huge difference between buying a new phone to replace an old one and having to buy a cellphone because the old one’s stolen. There’s no sense of achievement or pride for keeping a stuff entrusted to you.

Not long after that, I soon realized the real problems ahead. I have to apply for a new SIM card-with the same number, fortunately. I can’t even imagine having to announce a new number to all of my contacts. After that, I have to browse around for a new phone (which would’ve been great if not for this incident). Last, I have to collect all my contact data and put them in my new phone. Believe me, I know how annoying that could be.

Currently, I’ve only managed to get the new SIM card; and I’m looking for the new phone. By the way, this incident didn’t deter me from riding TransJakarta. The next day, I already went back to normal life and normal TransJakarta ride. Like I have any choice! Perhaps this is a punishment for my trashtalking TransJakarta. Or NOT!! FYI, TransJakarta actually deserved all those harsh criticism.

A Rant for 2009

After all the "Happy New Year" greetings and fireworks have died down, I believe we should take a look at what has happened in '08, which doesn't have to include Obamas' over-hyped election, and think about what we expect to see in '09, which doesn't have to involve Mama Lauren's E!-channel-ish predictions.

I personally feel 2008 had been very rough, and the depressing news on TV and the web doesn't help at all. Contrary to popular belief, I DON'T have a heart made of stone; I am deeply concerned with what other people, nationwide and worldwide, are going through, and there were times when I felt this nation is going to the wrong direction. Conservatives, especially religious cons, have had it too easy in 2008 and as they tighten their grips on the nation, they lure us away from our rationality and open mind into a ginormous, narrow-minded mess. While we are going through a positive period of religious reemergence, many "faithful ones" found more besides God. They found arrogance, intolerance, and violence-plus an unhealthy dose of stupidity. Even worse, these "evils" made their way into the government, the parliament, and almost everywhere else.

The Ahmadiyah debacle was truly disturbing. The government meddled in its citizens' religious affairs and, bowing to pressure, decided to say that one religion is "right", the other is "wrong". This made me question the freedom of faith in the nation as provided by its constitution. There are hundreds of religions in our archipelago, including various local beliefs that have existed from centuries, possibly millennia, ago; surely it is wrong for the government to "officially recognize" only six of them, especially because these six are "newcomers" which are lucky enough to gain a huge following. Every human has the right to freedom of faith, whether choose to believe in something or nothing at all. Perhaps this quote from Thomas Jefferson can illustrate my point: "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg".

Then, we are treated to a spectacular display of ridiculousness by the members of Representative Council. All but two fractions supported the poorly-drafted, unconstitutional Porn Law. I'm not gonna go all over it again; I just want to say that the passage of the bill is a sign that our Parliament is dominated by religious conservatives who want to dominate the truth, who think that they've grasped the truth on their hands, and who feel that they can impose their "truth" unto other people. I can only pity them: they are forever stuck in what they perceive as the "porn" part of freedom of expression, and sadly can never move on beyond that; they think they can protect the vulnerable (i.e. women) by restraining them. These "wakil rakyat"s instilled fear into critical people by saying that the law is suitable for Indonesia's so-called "religious" "Eastern" society.

Furthermore, regional autonomy has brought more than development. It also opened the gate to shariah- and other religious-based laws. Of course, the biggest villain is Aceh: the only province to have shariah as its foundation, as opposed to Pancasila. In the province, women are forced to wear headscarves and follow a certain dresscode, lashing as punishment is legal, religious competence is compulsory, along with other unconstitutional nonsenses. A special force was set up to monitor the citizens' compliance; this force can "educate" women who are deemed to violate the strict dresscode. Tight jeans? Shorts? Nuh-uh.

A significant number of other regions have followed suit. Many areas require women to wear headscarves and dress "modestly". Tangerang forbids women to "look or act suspiciously like a prostitute"; they cannot be outside alone after dark. Several regions require their citizens to be able to read the Qur'an sufficiently. Bukittinggi criminalized Valentine's Day and dampened New Year's Eve. (Whoa, the mayor must be an expert killjoy) Ulama councils and other religious groups' influence on the government continues to increase unchecked, and they have thrown the country off its tracks.

Oh my, I just hope that things will get better this year. I pray to God that people be reminded about God's gift to them: their brains and hearts; it seems that people have forgotten their ultimate treasures. There's been too many violence and violations in the name of religion. Clear reasoning must fight its way back on top, I hope it happens this year. With the elections coming, my hopes for change grow so that we can get back to the right direction.

President SBY Wanted to Meet Me!

This day, as in January 1, 2009, is very very unique and memorable to me. Last night at my relatives' house, I had a wonderful New Year party, which included a spectacular fireworks show-off/showdown. It started a few years ago, when my family got a little bit excited with the fireworks. We added a little blast of fireworks display, like the ones you usually see on TV, along with the usual child's play. The year after that, the neighbours followed our path and had their own tiny fireworks display. The implied "rivalry" continues year after year, and last night, another neighbour joined in the fray. Thus, the first night sky of 2009 was invaded by light and colors for half an hour. For what it's worth, the fiery battle must have been an excellent vista for the residents in the area; if I were them, I'd just sit peacefully at home and watch the amazing pyrotechnics rather than joining the traumatizing masses in Ancol.

After the extreme fun night, I woke up at 7.30 A.M. (Thankfully not P.M.) Then I slept again, woke up an hour or so after that, slept once more, and I don't really know what time I actually got out of bed today. The details were kinda fuzzy, but I clearly remember that I was having my Burger King at Pondok Indah Mall (PIM) 1 around 1.00 to 1.30 P.M. When I got there, I noticed that there were several formal-looking security guys in batik -it's all the rage these days. I sat near the window, and since BK is on the ground floor, I had a clear view of the parking lot and the main entrance. Outside, there were more security guys, some in batik, others uniformed, waiting for something to come. I thought that a minister or perhaps a parliament member was coming. I was totally wrong.

A convoy entered the parking lot. A police car came first, then another one, followed by jeeps, and a black sedan; a few other security cars tailed behind it. Sarcastically, I said to myself, "Here's the one we've been waiting for" and I began to guess whether that was RI-1 (the prez) or RI-2 (the veep). The black sedan stopped in front of the entrance nearest to me, but I could see only one of the passengers getting out. A woman, definitely. But was that a veil, which means it's JK's wife, or just a hairdo of the First Lady Ibu Ani? So my father decided to have a look when the VIPs walked in front of the store. He blended in the crowd, surely took his time, and he reported back with a huge smile that it was SBY and the First Lady. OK, that explained the whole brouhaha by itself. To add some unnecessary information, in the last election's presidential campaign weeks, I already saw SBY shopping for some clothes in PIM. Another completely unrelated info, my father is the only one who voted for SBY in my predominantly PDI-P family. We just love to tease hin when the big guy messes up.

As the prez proceeded to the stores, the crowd dispersed and my family naturally talked about something more important than the President of Indonesia. You know, stuffs like what Mama Lauren predicted to happen in 2009 or what happened in the last episode of Termehek-mehek. After lunch, we innocently went to Gramedia only to find that the presidential crowd was inside. Inevitably, there were lots of book signing, phone cameras capturing the prez's every movement, and store workers cherishing the moment. This time, I really got a closer look of SBY and Ibu Ani as the distance couldn't be more than 3 meters from where I was standing. Another bit of unnecessary info: they wore blue, which is "accidentally" the color of his political party.  You should be very genuinely happy to know that I did not do any of the following things: yell at him, complain that I'm not registered to vote, ask for his signature, overeagerly snap a pic of him, and -give me a round of applause- throw my shoes at him. I discovered a funny thing, though. When SBY was in Gramedia, the display in front of the store was filled with SBY's books, including the new one. Not long after SBY left, I also went out of the store and saw a member of the staff being busy with the display. I almost burst out laughing when I realized that he's replacing the display of SBY's books with Benny & Mice's comics. Oh my...

I saw the entourage once more when I was in The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, but there was nothing to tell about. Actually, I have no idea why I even wrote this on my blog. Most probably I did this on the spur of the moment, and I will regret it soon. And I'm writing this at midnight, for God's sake! No wonder I'm kinda confused. Oh, I apologize for the bombastic title. Blame the night.