Kamis, 04 September 2025

Indonesia Hari Ini....

Rusuh dan kacau menyelimuti beberapa kota di Indonesia. Seorang kawan dari India yang saya temui tempo hari pun menunjukkan rasa kagetnya dengan apa yang terjadi di Indonesia. Meskipun obrolan kecil kami diselipi tawa dan canda, di dalam hati ini tetap ada kesedihan. Mengapa Indonesia dikenal melalui berita buruk.

Menyusuri sekilas berita-berita mainstream dan sosial media, topik kerusuhan, penjarahan, siapa dalang di balik penjarahan dan tindakan represif aparat menggunakan gas air mata kelihatannya akan terus jadi headline. Sosok Ferry Irwandi jadi sorotan. Dengan gaya bicara dan kritikan yang tajam namun khas anak muda mendapatkan perhatian sekaligus pujian. Sepertinya, tahun ini adalah milik Ferry Irwandi. Di atas semua itu, kepiawaiannya berkomunikasi telah membawa perubahan trend aktivisme di kalangan anak muda dan mahasiswa. Sampai mana ini semua akan membawa perubahan, masih kita tunggu. Untuk saat ini cukup kita berterima kasih, dia telah menjadi satu batu pijakan kultur pergerakan dan aktivisme masa kini.

Kembali ke masalah yang diderita bangsa ini, trigger dari erupsi protest dan kekecewaan, tidaklah tunggal. Pertama, persoalan ekonomi menjadi satu penyebab yang cukup kuat, meskipun pemerintah merilis capaian pertumbuhan ekonomi yang cukup tinggi. Ini yang menjadi pendorong keresahan dan akhirnya erupsi kemarahan dan protest sebulan belakangan ini. Lalu, persoalan komunikasi publik pemerintah secara umum dan kompetensi (komunikasi dan kinerja) anggota dewan secara khusus juga tidak bisa dilewatkan. Apalagi kalau kita bicarakan juga kinerja penegak hukum dan menurunnya kepercayaan masyarakat, bahkan sejak beberapa tahun belakangan.

Tentu, permasalahan ini bukan sekadar tentang siapa dalang dari penjarahan dan tindakan represif, tapi lebih dari itu ini adalah pucuk dari gunung es yang bisa jadi kita sendiri yang sedikit demi sedikit ikut menimbunnya.

Permasalah kompetensi anggota dewan berkaitan dengan lemahnya kepercayaan dan popularitas partai-partai di mata masyarakat, ditambah dengan impotensi mereka turun dan mendengar aspirasi masyarakat. Secara struktur, penyaringan anggota-anggota dewan diperparah dengan proses pemilihan berbiaya tinggi yang membuat "hubungan terlarang" politisi-pengusaha-pejabat publik semakin kabur tapi mesra. Korbannya adalah kepentingan publik dan mereka yang secara suara (saat pemilu) tidak menarik dan populer.

Tentu korupsi (keuangan dan kekuasaan) harus diberantas segera, karena itu yang kentara saat ini dan paling menguras air mata dan emosi masyarakat. Namun, saat tensi semakin menurun, semangat menuju perbaikan akan mengalami ujian dahsyat. Maka, proses politik pemilihan pemimpin (pemilihan anggota dewan, pemimpin daerah dan pemimpin nasional) haruslah semurah dan seterbuka mungkin. Saat ini "suara" pemilih mungkin memang dijual murah, tapi apabila dikalikan ratusan juta orang, angkanya jadi fantastis bahkan untuk ukuran seorang pengusaha kelas nasional sekalipun. 

Roda dan siklus mahalnya proses pemilihan ini juga harus dibawa ke proses pemilihan aparatur sipil dan keamanan negara, terutama kepolisian. Kompetensi anggota kepolisian harus dikawal oleh kompetisi dan keterbukaan pemilihan calon polisi. Semua ini perlu untuk menjamin proses seleksi berlangsung efektif, efisien dan pastinya semurah mungkin. Ini harus dilakukan dengan terencana tapi pasti, karena retorika perubahan sudah biasa terdengar dari mulut pejabat publik dan politisi. 

Ini secuplik pandangan dari mata dan jiwa yang jauh terpisah dengan tanah air. Mungkin bukan solusi yang diimpikan semua orang, tetapi sebuah perubahan harus berawal dari pemikiran yang mendalam dan perubahan struktur-struktur yang selama ini tidak terlihat tapi sangat berpengaruh.

Terima kasih.

Birmingham, 04/09/2025
 

Jumat, 28 Februari 2025

Bright or Dark?

Indonesia is in the middle of an emergency situation. By this, I don't mean bad things such as war or military coups. I mean, there are communication issues among citizens that make a healthy discussion impossible. Health is, of course, a broad term. 

Lately, students, academics, and think tanks have expressed their concerns over the political-economic situation. Their critical sentiment is enshrined in the popular colloquial term "Indonesia Gelap," which means "dark Indonesia." Not until recently did the government, via one of the ministers, commence a counter-campaign entitled "Indonesia terang" (Bright Indonesia).

As an Indonesian citizen living abroad, I couldn't do anything except observe. All problems should be treated in detail and using a pragmatic and technocratic approach. I see that political bias and partisan sentiment dominate the underlying intentions. 

Indonesian problems have been in place for decades. Not only does it need a comprehensive solution but also a long-term plan. These problems are, among others, political party dominance, high-cost elections and businesses, infrastructure and human development gaps, income gaps, corruption, and ineffective bureaucracy. 

This writing does not seek a solution or provide one. I try to give a broad overview of what has happened in Indonesia. Hopefully, it is a good beginning to discuss more about the current situation in Indonesia. 

Kamis, 27 Februari 2025

Good Morning, Indonesia

Good morning, Indonesia. This is a greeting from an Indonesian living in Birmingham, UK. 

I live in a distant country that many people long for. I used to dream of living and being a student in Europe or, at least, in East Asian countries. This was my dream, and I'm lucky enough to have finally experienced it. I have lived in this city since 2021. It is a big city, just like Jakarta, Indonesia. Yet, this city does not have the same situation as Jakarta. I mean, the crowd and traffic are less disorganized of a town as big as Birmingham.  

This is a little note from me. The above paragraph does not capture all my views about this country and Birmingham in particular. The background for comparing Birmingham and Jakarta is contextual and situational, even cultural and political. I will unpack and discuss these in future writings. 

Thank you.

Rabu, 11 Desember 2024

Englishmen Versus American

I have just read a passage about the cultural differences between two old countries – the USA and the UK. Mind-set and behavioral differences, such as responses to failure and success, are discussed in the article, as well as financial openness. It is not a robust and large-scale research supported by extensive surveys. So, it attracts various challenges and criticism. For the same reason, you can not find a genuine response from a straightforward, well-designed research framework.

In the above paragraph, I differentiated between individual observation and extensive scientific research, which is usually equipped with sophisticated methods, ground-breaking approaches and theories, and mass observation. I do not try to imply that personal experience does not deserve equal respect and scientific recognition. How an idea is expressed and structured will attract similar expressions and structures of communication. In other words, a scientific approach will likely trigger similar scientific works, and colloquial expressions will attract rebuttal or agreement conveyed in the same expressions. 

A comparison rings our bell about similar comparisons between Indonesia and Malaysia, Malaysia and Singapore, India and Pakistan, or Japan and the Korean Republic. You can add the list. Proximity countries, be it geographically, historically, or politically, will likely have 'love and hate' relationships. Like siblings whose interactions are characterized by heated conflicts but secretly admire and protect each other, Englishmen and Americans are no exception. 

However, differences between people may not be advantageous in practical matters. The more relevant matter is their political relationship and infrastructure differences. Both aspects are important for global citizens. For example, their seemingly bonded interests can affect how the Asian economy and politics run. This is due to the cold conflict between the US and China (Russia). Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, for example, treat China in a very different and opportunistic way relative to what has been done by the US and its allies. For the citizens of these Asian countries, like me, this political and economic stance must be maintained in an orchestrated manner among Global South countries or Southeast Asian countries.

Birmingham, 11 December 2024

Selasa, 12 November 2024

The Dead of Expertise

I finally realized that expertise is not solely about the expert—an individual. Gradually, a new horizon emerged, revealing an unprecedented understanding, at least from my perspective. I mean, a mental framework and habitual patterns underlie expertise. In other words, expertise is not a product. The products, such as theories, statements, arguments, theses, or conclusions, are merely signposts of expertise. One cannot be labeled an expert simply for producing these "outputs." 

Therefore, academic work often adheres to fixed or rigid rules, such as writing styles, structures, and specific terms or definitions. It is not about institutional or teacher dominance, but rather about established structures and representations of human thought and understanding. While this system is not perfect, any alternative must offer a comparable level of complexity and a comprehensive worldview.

Birmingham, 12 November 2024

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