Wag the Dog Ã la Indonesia

April 25th, 2008, in Opinion, by rima

Rima Fauzi Rima says the government creates distractions and the media willingly participate, to hide the real problems of Indonesia.

Wag the Dog Ã la Indonesia

If you are an Indonesian like me, or a foreigner living in Indonesia, or someone who has been following Indonesian current events, you might agree with me when I say that Barry Levinson’s “Wag the Dog” rings a familiar bell. It is somewhat similar to what has been happening lately in Indonesia.

The government knows the people is much more aware of the situation around them nowadays, the people can see right through them, and the people can see their impotence. So what do they (the government) do to take control of the situation? They create decoys as a weapon of mass distraction. They throw bait at the Indonesian media who in turn almost always turn the bait into a giant media circus, distracting the people’s attention from the real, much more urgent problems at hand.

The Indonesian government’s incapability in the eradication of poverty and improvement of the current economy, monetary and socio-political problems have inflicted what seems to be irreparable damage to the country, the keyword here being “seems”. It is pre-conditioned that way, and while nothing is impossible or irreparable, this situation is continuously yet implicitly portrayed in the media. A clever tactic by the government to throw the people off course and a cruel move by the money-hungry media that has resulted in the general feeling of despair and hopelessness across the nation.

The following media hulla-balloos are among some of the government’s attempts to make sure the public is forever misinformed of the truth; a sure fire diversion:

Bill against Pornography and Porno-action (an Indonesian made-up word best translated as pornography acts)
RUU ITE Indonesia’s newest law, the infamous Cyber Law;, and the latest,
The blocking of several websites following the release of the Dutch film “FITNA“.

Media circuses are certainly not against the law. It isn’t even all that evil. It is neither, only when it happens in a place with a higher number of educated people, or at least higher number of sanity. Sadly, Indonesia is not. The majority of the Indonesian people are uneducated people whose opinions are very easily formed by bombardments of information, much like what the media has been doing lately.

The fact shows the media’s prominent role in shaping the general consensus and I think it plays a big part in the rise of fall of the country’s future as well. It is time for the media industry to up their game and not take the government’s bait and fall into the lure of big sales and advertisement prospectives for the sake of profits only.

They must realize the chances of stimulating the people’s mind and making profit off hard journalism is also feasible. They need to start being serious; employ serious, credible and dignified journalists; focus on serious issues; stop exaggerating and over-blowing silly situations; and they need to put more effort into educating the nation with factual and hard truth. The Indonesian people deserve more than what they got, they need the media’s faith that they are able to digest real news.

While light and entertaining news should not be banned, I think the media should refrain from paying too much attention and merit to the actions of the morally and financially corrupt, those who are passing laws or building business that would only benefit a particular group of people while disadvantaging the majority of the Indonesian people.

Indonesia’s Problems du jour

At the present time, Indonesia has so many problems that, if not treated well, they will be a threat to the country. We have environmental problems, three of which that are quite urgent are:

deforestation
pollution
floods

We have been hit with bad regular floods so often that it is starting to affect the economy, health and the well-being of the people. The fact of the matter is, the flood problem is something Indonesians cannot afford to put off any longer.

We have a shortage of food supply which has led to soaring food prices. This is also the culprit of many malnutrition cases across the country, some of which have even resulted in hunger related deaths. Something unthinkable and unheard of just a decade ago.

We are in a deep hole when it comes to labor and human rights issues. We have never had a transparent government and believing strongly in eastern taboos doesn’t help us get out of the top 10 most corrupt governments list either. Besides that, we also have an increasing growth in poverty and gap between the rich and poor, not to mention a mess of government bureaucracy, infrastructure and working system which it is imperative to improve.

One of our biggest problems yet, as you may already known from the reporting of the various local and international media, is that we have an alarming increase of intolerance among people of different groups and religions which could be the beginning of Indonesia’s journey into medieval times. It may as well be the start of the demise of the so-called world’s third biggest democracy. This is probably the deadliest poison, one that could kill this great nation of diverse people from all walks of life and different cultural, religious and racial backgrounds.

Problems in these areas are so serious and incessant that the government should and must re-evaluate its priorities and start doing something about it. They must stop doing nothing but create situations, laws and regulations that will further distract the general attention of the public from their impotence. They should have some kind of a dialogue with (competent) representatives of the people to brainstorm for solution ideas and to get the people’s aspirations on the table. They must stop hiding behind excuses and apologies of how hard it is to “clean up the mess” left by Suharto Inc. and his legacy of chaos. While it is true that time heals wounds and is important in the progress of change for the better, the decade that has passed by has not really showed significant improvement. On the contrary, many feel that we are now in a state of decline, further backwards than when we started 10 years ago.

Now, will the media wake up and start doing intelligent journalism? Will the government realize they are officials entrusted by the people to guide them to a better place? Will tolerance resurrect and save the people from doom?

As always, we shall wait and see.

Tags: Corruption, Democracy, Education, Floods, Food, Government, Health, Infrastructure, Journalists, Labor, Law, Laws, Media, Pollution, Pornography, Poverty, Prices, Religion, Rich, Suharto

87 Comments on “Wag the Dog Ã la Indonesia”

Lairedion Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 1:44 am
Kudos for you, rima.

Your article is spot on and personally I’m glad you have addressed the environmental problems. The biggest challenges mankind is facing right now together are the global food crisis and the pollution and destruction of nature.

A Native American saying:

Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
rima Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 2:01 am
he lairedion, that is beautiful.. the native american thing.
so sad and so true.
timdog Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Excellent article rima…
Rob Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Lairedion…

Dude, you fail to see that in the future we will not need the environment! You really should spend less time on the computer and blogging and more time watching important TV stuff like Star Trek!

Simply, we will in the future just need to speak to a computer and the food of choice will appear. Secondly, if we ever need to get back to nature we simply move on down to the holographic deck and recreate nature there…

I am being facetious but making a valid point! People generally do not care and this is reflected in the Native American saying. People will only care once it is too late and then we are in real trouble.

Rima…

Nice article…for me the most important issue is the often overwhelming scope of the problems being faced by Indonesia. This is not to suggest that they can never be overcome and not to suggest that Indonesia cannot become a modern democratic State with significant international influence, but what is important is recognizing these problems and coming up with a comprehensive long-term strategy to overcome them.

Unfortunately, you are right that the government is currently more interested in distraction that action. This will see the sovereignty, economic, race, and religion cards played more often in order to distract. Yet, if the government is successful in doing this then they have good PR people working for them or the media is complicit in the deception…not sure that I wanna make a call on that one!

Good weekend to all!
GJ Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Rima…

You are absolutely correct!!

Indonesia and Indonesians need a strong , free and I would add fearless press to hold the elected official accountable. Im not sure when or if that will happen though….sad.

Well done.
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Adik Rima Yth,

As a Pancasilaist, I don’t think our officials would do anything like you say. They all take Pancasila as well. Two points:

1. Please don’t show ke-barat-baratan thinking — as an Indonesian you will know we value consensus and reaching collective agreement, not the confrontationalist style of the West, which has brought colonization and immorality.

2. Also, your comments suggest the P-4 education, has failed, which I know as a true Indonesian you couldn’t mean to say.

I thank you.
rima Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Dear Mas Achmad,

You seem to be wither living in the past or are wishful thinking.

Pancasila is an excellent foundation for the country, consensus and reaching collective agreement is an ideal way to solve most problems, however, neither has been practiced lately (and by lately i mean the last decade or so).

If by caring about internal problems we are facing, spotting dead on what’s been happening and voicing my concerns make be seem kebarat-baratan (westernized) to people, so be it.

I have no apologies and nor do I have regrets about it, because at this time it is clear that being ketimur-timuran (eastern) which sometimes verge on being submissive and accepting of all things bad doesn’t work.

P4 education has failed, had it not, we won’t be in such deep shit.

No, mas, I thank you.
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Mbak Rima Yth,

But I fear that your cynicism is really just part of the Western media-controlled effort to get us to forget the spirit of ‘45.

Friend, no one who has taken Pancasila education would put their own interests before those of the country. It is impossible, like the laws of physics.

Friend, the officials, pegawati negeri, who every day go to work in their uniform, and who (used) to wear the Garuda batik every 17th of every month are working hard to realize freedom for every Indonesian.

Friend, I am sad, when you, who should be part of the generasi penerus (generation to continue the revolution), falls prey to the scheming of the Bules who want Indonesia to break up so they can control its natural resources.

Perhaps you should study Pancasila again ?
rima Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Mas Achmad,

wow, you make Pancasila seem almost communistic.

Better to be woken up and to smell the coffee although it will make me appear as a cynic, rather than creating a hallucinatory world of one’s own, where one would believe the government officials a.k.a pegawai negeri are actually working for the country and people instead of fattening their own bank accounts - although to be completely honest, there is a tiny minority who are poor idealist fools, my dear daddy included.

You and your conspiracy theory here sound like an FPI sympathizer, no, like a government official who sympathizes FPI…
soaring food prices –> it’s the americans’ tactic to weaken the Indonesian people!
growing intolerance within the people –> it’s the zionist’s devide et impera strategy to break indonesians and weaken them!
country in deep shit –> must be the result of the bules’ devices to break up the country and people in order to control the natural resources.
Everybody and anybody else is ok to blame, for it could not possibly be the fault of the Indonesians themselves, could it?

The government and some of the people are doing a good enough job of ruining the country without the help of the americans/zionist/bules. Although I do not agree with the first “sila” of Pancasila, I was at the top of my Pancasila class, no need to re-take it, thank you very much.
indahs Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
1. Please don’t show ke-barat-baratan thinking “” as an Indonesian you will know we value consensus and reaching collective agreement, not the confrontationalist style of the West, which has brought colonization and immorality.

Friend, I am sad, when you, who should be part of the generasi penerus (generation to continue the revolution), falls prey to the scheming of the Bules who want Indonesia to break up so they can control its natural resources.

Achmad, your statements sound like to justify the earlier propaganda by Asian leaders in regards to promoting Asian values to against “western constructed” of human rights. Amartya Sen stated the argument of Asian values is being used for justification of authoritarian political arrangements in Asia in promoting economic success. Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahatir Muhammad had been forthright in arguing that the adoption of western concepts of human rights will undermine economic development by increasing the price of labour and undermining Asian economies’ comparative advantage that has been recognized as cheap unskilled labour and the practice of child labour in informal sector.

And that makes me wonder why these comparative advantages under grounds of development and cultural relativism seemed to become the loss to development? Just a critical thought. Sorry if this is out of topic’s discussion related to the article.

Rima - well packaged article. Congrats!
Mauve Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Way to go, Rima. Absolutely stunning article.
M.F Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Friend, I am sad, when you, who should be part of the generasi penerus (generation to continue the revolution), falls prey to the scheming of the Bules who want Indonesia to break up so they can control its natural resources.

If the scheming of Bules meaning I can speak my mind, have the real freedom and can say how Indonesian Government has failed me many times, and not just accepting everything, then I am in!

@ Rima: Keep up the great work.
janma Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Achmad is a true talent at ‘wagging the dog’…. LOL
Great article Rima….. Loved it.
PrimaryDrive Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Indonesia has lots of “real” problems, the two most serious ones are actually:

2. Existing decision making instruments are hopelessly incompetent and ineffective. They are crucial for planning solutions and for allocating needed resources. No other real problem can be solved without effective instruments.

1. The majority of population are naive; in election they go for popular choices rather than sensible ones. This eliminates the ability to solve problem 2.

Hence, it is a hopeless situation. Solution? Plenty, if we have infinite time. But none within immediate future. Sadly time maybe something Indonesia does not have: e.g. how to secure energy supply, and food supply, as these two seem to get more expensive by day. We have over 200 millions people to feed, who all want to see expanding economy, for which we need more and more fuels…
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
@ Rima,

Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! and…No.

Yes ! — there are forces at work trying to divide and break up Indonesia because they do not want to see the triumph of the brown man, who values peace, justice, and compassion, unlike the Bule, who tries to dominate.

Yes ! — there is a conspiracy to divide and rule — you said it, not me. Achmad is not racist or does not wish to stereotype racial groups, but it cannot be denied some people have a vested interest in the downfall of an Islamic democracy.

Yes ! — The Americans are jacking up rice prices to weaken Indonesia so we will allow in Western corporations to dominate our natural resouces.

No ! — No, friend. Pancasila is the way forward. Taking tests is one thing — but did you really menjiwaithe Pancasila ? Did it reach your bones, friend ?

I commend you for studying the Pancasila at school, but recommend you take a wiser approach to the depictions of Indonesian officials who are working hard to advance justice and prosperity.

Achmad Sudarsono.
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
P.S. — I hope you are not one of those tank-top wearing girls, who smoke, drink, and dugem in Jakarta (ajeb ! ajeb ! ajeb !), instead of attending to their home duties. Every time I go out to places like Stadium, Blok M, and even Dragonfly and Red Square — I see the evidence of keruntuhan moral (moral collapse)>.
Lairedion Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Achmad,

I had some doubts on your soft approach lately but it’s good to see you’re back at your very best.
rima Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
@ Achmad
There are other developed, successful countries without Pancasila as the basis. I cant possibly say that I thik Pancasila is the only way for, using your words, the way forward. Why, just the first sila: Ketuhanan yang maha Esa - One true God, is discriminatory against the Hindus and their multiple Gods. Along with everything else, Pancasila needs serious makeover.

I commend you for studying the Pancasila at school, but recommend you take a wiser approach to the depictions of Indonesian officials who are working hard to advance justice and prosperity.

Like I said, I will not deny there is a small minority of officials who are idealist enough and are actually trying to better the country, but their efforts are tarnished and blocked by the majority that are assholes.

At the moment in Brussels there are members of the DPR who are here to ‘visit’ the Belgian Parliament, for what I do not know. But according to reliable sources (who are actually with them most days of their visits) they are here for plesiran or a vacation.

They are not doing anything, they are expecting all to be taken care of the the Embassy and last night, one of the Embassy vans had engine trouble, so the Embassy had to send another two sedans to pick them up for a dinner at the Embassy building, thrown in honor of their arrival. Several of them, upset like little children, refused to go even though two other cars were sent anyway. One of the many examples of our exemplary government officials, and I have seen many like this, not only from DPR but also from various departments.

PS: I am a woman, who does not smoke, drink wear tanktops unless it’s in the scorching summer heat and go dugem here or Jakarta. Even if I was, it is irrelevant. Now you are sounding like a condescending sexist, I hope it’s not the real you.

PPS: Evidence of moral collapse could simply be seen from the government and (like PrimaryDrive said) the hopelessly incompetent (corrupt) and ineffective existing decision making instruments taking advantage of the naive majority of the population, not from young girls in tank tops enjoying their youth and having fun after a day’s work. These poor girls are not the enemy, people with your way of thinking is the enemy.
Janma is right, you are quite good of ‘wagging the dog’, unfortunately, with me you are definitely barking up the wrong tree.
Cukurungan Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Rima says:
the government creates distractions and the media willingly participate, to hide the real problems of Indonesia.

Me :

It is only a sick statement from a sick person because there is no bullsxxxit media distractions at all, we can see everyday in TV and other media about gizi buruk and many other bad things and
there is also many government action to control the foods price and manything to ensure the needs of wong cilik is fulfilled but your sick eyes only can grab a news about Ahmadiyah banning and then you concluded as government distractions toward the real issues.

If you need medications,
I am the master healer even my real name is “Heart Healer” .
Keke Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
@ Cukurungan
Maybe you should use your real name then, it’s a lot more nicer than Cukurungan
therry Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Oh my God, look, there are people who still believe in the Indonesian government!

“there is also many government action to control the foods price and manything to ensure the needs of wong cilik is fulfilled”

many thing? what many thing? there is also action? what action? exactly what, if you care to specify? elaborate, perhaps? but wait! maybe you should go and check your grammar first before you want to comment in English - fugly grammar does not make an intelligent impression, you know.

have there been any actions regarding the Bali bombings? Everyone wants to see Amrozi dead but he’s still alive. Oooh don’t tell me the government is keeping him alive to dig up more information - I mean, how much time do they really need?

what about the May 98 riots and the many women being raped? In case you have absolutely no clue as to what I’m on about, do you want me to provide the links of the images of mutilated bodies for you to see? What ever happened to those sick twisted criminals who gang-raped women all day all night in front of their whole families? How do you feel if one of those women happened to we your wife/sister/daughter?

Perhaps Cukurungan is the one in need of heavy meds to keep him permanently hallucinated with this so-called just and fair government system that is keeping the lives and wellbeing of the Indonesian nation.
PrimaryDrive Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Rima:

At the moment in Brussels there are members of the DPR who are here to ‘visit’ the Belgian Parliament, for what I do not know. But according to reliable sources (who are actually with them most days of their visits) they are here for plesiran or a vacation. They are not doing anything, they are expecting all to be taken care of the the Embassy

What I never understand is why the Embassies put up with that kind of things. Visits by e.g. DPR members should be financed by DPR’s own budget. It would be utterly non-transparant to put the bills of every visiting official to the Embassy. This is probably a typical Indonesian tradition; another one which is impossibly naive.

So you’re in Brussel then?
rima Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Embassies put up with such things because:
a. it has always been this way. pejabats from indonesia must always be ’serviced’ my the embassies. it’s just the way it is.
b. the ambassadors need people to spread the word that he is competent/accommodating/hospitable (DPR members have quite an influence for the careers of members of the indonesian ministries, or projects/businesses)
c. the diplomats are as bad as the other govt officials, most times visits from home-based officials are like harvest time. what do you mean, you say? well, it’s a chance to ask for money for things they claim to be related to the visits, while in fact it goes to their own pockets. side job-lah..

Their visit is actually using DPR’s budget (the country’s money) but we all know how little these DPR members make each month, right (notice the heavy sarcasm here), well, they need to be resourceful and they try not to spend their uang perjalanan dinas (official trip allowance) that should have been enough for the trip, meal, hotel and even for presents to bring back to their families. But nooo.. it’s never enough, so they will also ask the Embassies to help them with transportation, foot restaurant bills and so on.

so many disgusting practices alike over the years, and i see it with my own eyes, so it’s not hearsay.

Yes i’m in brussels.
pj_bali Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Rima

A very well written article. You have managed so far to bring out the best comments I have read here in some time. Even Achmad has returned to vintage mode.

Look forward to reading more of your stuff.
Enigmatic Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Great article there Rima,

And I can’t agree more. Let’s face it. The media is money-hungry and Indonesian media is definitely no exception. And guess what, sex sells newspapers. Hence the extensive coverage on the anti-porn bill and not forgetting, the hyped up talks about the so-called female chastity locks which keep chastity in and cocks out. Pardon the vulgar language, I just need some sex content to keep interests up.

PS: Guess what the story is featured in many newspapers in Singapore and even Channel News Asia!! Indonesia, you are famous!! Trust me, when I heard this report on the bus, the Malay lady sitting next to me was laughing her arse off. Shows the ridiculity of the Indonesians at times that even I am embarassed of. And of course, since these newspapers bought the news from Indonesia, it again shows how the money-hungry media is just that greedy.

How sad.
rima Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 2:48 am
timdog, janma, mauve, M.F, Indahs: thanks for the encouraging words. i will try and keep this up, if this isn’t the peak of the success of my writing attempts already lol

rob, i am well aware of the wide scope of problems we have. it’s like ‘benang kusut’ or messy ball of string. it’s very hard to know where to start. But i refuse to be a pessimist cynic, i choose to be an optimist one so i am sure there is a solution and someone or some group will stand up and start changing things.

GJ, sooner later than later I hope. The younger generation are starting to be brave enough to brake the mold, to voice their concerns and to bring different opinions to the plate. Hopefully in the coming years, more and more will rise and help educate the people. and the media? for this we have to wait and see.

primarydrive, i absolutely agree with you on all counts. and it is scary to know how we are running out of time but nobody in power are realizing how dangerous the situation is for the our sustainable future.

cukurungan, of course there are reportages on tv/media about gizi buruk and such, but stories like that don’t sell and normally end up in the scrolling text or a minor addition to the ‘more exciting’ news. remember the pregnant woman who died of hunger? people were upset about that, and then not long after that, the RUU ITE made its debut, making people forget all about the previous. focus are shift elsewhere. the government are smart that way. but if you call me sick and have clumsily concluded based only on the ahmadiyya bans, well it’s up to you, isn’t it. nobody can please everybody.

therry, what you wrote, it’s exactly what i was thinking of. the government tend to sweep all dirt under the rug while it brews into a monstrous of a giant problem. they simply cannot deal with and fix problems immediately, selalu di pending. ibarat luka di dengkul, udah parah cuma dikasih obat merah dan diplester. dikira udah cukup. padahal lama lama infeksi terus bernanah .. eh tau2 busuk, gak ada jalan lain, akhirnya tuh kaki harus diamputasi.

pj_bali: thanks. i am new to IM so i have not had the privilege to read the previous better comments. but i’m glad you seem to have fun reading my and achmad’s banter lol.

enigmatic: it’s embarrassing to be famous for something so silly. but it seems the government doesnt care.. but then again, they say any publicity is good, no? :p
Marisa Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 3:55 am
Well written article, mbak..

Forgive me for not stating an opinion concerning the point at issue though, I’ve just returned home from what Achmad said as “ajeb! ajeb! ajeb!”, so.. I’m just here to show some support.

Thanks for writing, and I will surely look forward for your next commentaries here.
M.F Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 5:46 am
This is just getting weird, what this thing got to do with tank top? And what is woman’s home duties anyway. I am afraid to say but I think I have to agree with Ms. Rima that you started sounded sexist, Mr. Achmad.

If Pancasila (in your version) required us as women to not smoking, drinking or wearing tank top, then I myself will choose to stay away, not because I love smoking or drinking just because I don’t like being ruled in such sexist and unfair way.

I don’t see all things you mentioned above as part of Keruntuhan Moral, wanna know more obvious facts? Look at the corruption, or how the government try to ruin the freedom of speech in Indonesia, and how some people seemed admired that kind of government. THAT iss what I called Keruntuhan Moral.

Sorry to Rima if the comments now is getting out of topic but can’t help for not saying anything about it.
Rob Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 6:47 am
In addition to being a ukuele playing poet, dangdut singer, and a whole range of other things Achmad is also a professional fisherman!

He baits the line and then casts it out into the big sea of IM and see who bites…he is a person of some intellect, he is well read, and often very reasoned in the comments that he posts, but he is baiting you all into a response and you all dutifully comply!

Kudos to Achmad for his ability and obvious skills in doing this.

My guess is that Achmad is really a white bloke, probably an apologist for all things related to the colonial past of Indonesia, playing the devil’s advocate by masquerading as someone else!

I do not have a problem with the use by Achmad of a pseudonym as in this particular case he contributes constructively to the debate and enlivens the debate. However, some others merely use their pseudonym to hide whilst espousing any old unsubstantiated crap that they can think of!

Achmad, at least, allows the forum to address the issues in considering a real and reasoned alternative interpretation. I do not always agree with the bloke but enjoy the lively debate. And perhaps one day I will know who he is besides being the world famous ukuele playing poet and dangdut singer, because I am pretty sure he does not do those things for a living!

Good weekend to all!
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 8:26 am
All my friend,

All this talk of ukuele players masquerading as Bules, and the torchbearers of democracy acting like cewek materei (materialistic women), it’s like a cinetron, or an episode of Dono, Kasino, Indro.

Mbak Rima Yth,

Women can wear tank top if she wants, but better if it is under her duster or jilbab. If she goe to the ajeb-ajeb place she will not be able to perform her home duties — Mbak Marisa is probably sleeping now after her ajeb-ajebing.

Friend,

DPR member sounds like a good job. Do you have any suggestion for party I should join ? I was thinking PKS, but have to get up at 4 a.m. In addition to my three wives, I have a string of mistresses, (dangdut singer, pembantu etc), that need hand phones and jewelry. I hear the mining commission is the most “wet” or “basah”

Can you make a recommendation ?
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Ha Ha Ha Ha !

Just kidding Rima - everything ! Dikerjain ya !

I have to space these little Pancasila bursts out ‘coz most of the IM veterans know what I’m up to !

Do you like my sexy avatar ? Unfortunately, it’s not coming up, but it’s in my collected columns. Soon to come: Picking Up Chicks in Malls 2.
Marisa Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Mbak Marisa is probably sleeping now after her ajeb-ajebing.

Yes, good point. I’ve been wondering what home duties Evil Step Mother left for little Cinderella me at 3 in the morning. Oh, dearest Prince Charming, when will you ever rescue me?

Anyways, I’m not exactly an active ajeb-ajeb-goer myself and I never intend to be. You see, some ajeb-ajeb-goers came because they are invited, not because they find it satisfyingly orgasmic to be able to pick up chicks and be a trashy male slut about it. But hey, at least you can actually meet people and know their names during ajeb-ajeb, pak. You can even make friends with ..wow ..real people! Isn’t that exciting?

Oh oh, look! Inem is mopping the floor with her own bare hands. Don’t let her get down on her hands and knees like that! For Pancasila’s sake, she’s going to need a stick there, pak Achmad.

I mean, ..for the mop.
Marisa Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
PS.

pak Achmad, hope you’re not offended though. I’m just learning how to be as funny as how you are. It’s fun!

mbak Rima,
Maaf ya jadi OOT! Hmmffffhhh, can’t help it.
rima Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Marisa: oot is fine to me. it’s quite amusing to read all the stuff written here.

Achmad: No, why did you have to stop? All good movies must have a good villain, now that you have divulged your ‘iseng’ factor, you are not a good villain anymore. lol
i didn’t mind being ‘dikerjain’ i do that too sometimes..
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Mbak Rima,

There’ll always be a time and a place.

What is OOT ?

Where does Marisa ajeb2 ?

Who killed JFK ?
therry Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Achmad the terrorist strikes back!
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
So are you a therrorist ?
Purba Negoro Says:
April 26th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Here’s my tuppence worth.

Rima- a very orthodox and unoriginal argument.

I’d argue the problem with Indonesia is:
DEMOCRACY and WESTERN INTERFERENCE particularly by the US.

It is no coincidence our New (self-appointed) Roman Imperial Consulate is so close to the Presidential Palace and key offices of government.
Nor that our top investor was the US, nor the fact that the CIA had allowed Suharto to power.

The greatest poverty improvements were made under a “dictator”- not ever called that when he was in favour in the court of bipolar suffering West.

Yudhoyono, a desk-warrior, IS a US stool pigeon. Even Sutiyoso has more initiative than he.
SBY was ranked under Sutiyoso in Kostrad- thus Sutiyoso never saluted him- but demanded SBY salute Sutiyoso instead (as his superior officer).

Note as well the US arms embargo lifted when SBY- from an insignificant minor party- magically ‘wins’ the election. The establishment of Delta 88 with full US training.
“SBY is ‘our man’ in the war on terror”, etc.

Note too the destruction of UK society since the introduction of ultra-US policies and Anglo-American Institute puppets like Blair and Brown.

The very worst thing to happen to Indonesia was imposition of democracy before the Rakyat was ready.

Pak Suharto, coming from such “wong cilik” area himself, knew exactly the weaknesses of average Indonesians and understood the reality that most Indonesians simply cannot cope with its responsibilities- remaining naive and childlike and often willfully ignorant and stubbornly recalcitrant to change.

20 years ago I was with Pak Harto in Java trying to convince the farmers to convert to a better species of rice so they would have better yields, less work, less irrirgation, less fertiliser etc more money and thus actually improve their lives from grass roots.

Only today are they now planting this rice.
This exactly exemplifies this idiotic, risk-averse, old-ways-first kampungan mentality that permeates Indonesian society.
How can those without initiative be taught?

They cannot- it is impossible- they must be forced by those who know better. The wong cilik are too naive, uneducated and basically stupid to function at the same level as their Western counterpart as the requisite functional informed citizens of a Republic (as in a Jeffersonian Republic).

Indonesia is a feudal society which requires a King to rule its’ people with the wisdom of an educated Council, as they have been acculturated for as long as living memory.

Thus they must be pushed.

It is no coincidence our two neighbours, Singapore- with Lew Kwan Yew till pulling strings as Mentor Minister, and Malaysia are not democratic yet are prosperous.

Winston Churchill himself stated, “the best argument against democracy is a 5 minute conversation with the average voter.”

How appropriate that comment reflects Indonesia.
PrimaryDrive Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 3:59 am
Purba,

Some of your statements are rudely lacking of self-reflection. But I have to admit to agreeing with your main points, namely that Indonesia is not ready for a full western-style democracy. I strongly disagree however, that:

… they must be forced by those who know better.

We have no right to do so. The indonesians must decide for themselves how they want to carve their way into the future. It could be a good decision, or a very bad one. But it is theirs to make (admitedly, it is very likely the second one).
janma Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I bet you Achmad was the 2nd gunman on the grassy knoll…
GJ Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Maybe Achmed was the grassy knoll…………….but he can take the piss!!!
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I was helping the ‘Stones get started back then.
rima Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Purbo,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my very orthodox and unoriginal argument. I actually agree with your statement that Indonesia was not ready for the “imposed” democracy, but we have tried it for a decade and I believe we are slowly evolving and getting the hang of it.

I refuse to be bullied into thinking that we are a stupid brown nation that doesn’t know any better than to have a dictator shoving everything down our throats just because he/USA/CIA - whatever else it is you theory conspirators can think of - knows better.

I especially do not agree with your take of the problem with Indonesia which was:
DEMOCRACY and WESTERN INTERFERENCE particularly by the US.

We do need guidance, perhaps to have a model of democracy suitable for the country/culture (which may or may not be a 100% copy of US democracy, the experts, not me, would know better) but I don’t think we need - as you say - force by those who know better.

What we, as a nation, should do is learn from past mistakes and triumph, and benefit from that. The government is the key to the nation’s rise and they should be able to lead and guide the people wisely with the general interest and welfare of the people as the key priority.
Sadly, the current government is incapable of doing anything even close to that.
Cukurungan Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Dear Mbak Rima,
Sorry I was using my PDA with picture off mode when I posted my comment, therefore I could not see your gravatar…but after I saw your seducing gravatar I could not dis-agree anymore with you and I declare that my previous post is just a key board error.
However, I would like to remind you that please do not too easy to believe with the bule story because most of them have their own hidden agenda especially the bule English teacher like Therry who always wait the right moment to shag the under age girls or even boy.

Dear Cut Keke,
Thank but sorry I could not take your recommendation because my life is too easy and too nice and I need something not nice to keep up my awareness that there are a bad guy around us who ready to deceive our naïve brother and sister. As you can see in this forum most of the bule commentator and the barisan orang sakit hati were trying to discredit Our Pancasialist Leader… how can our Pancasialist Leader can be a corruptor it must be impossible.

Regards,
Master Healer
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I am the Master Baiter… he he he.
rima Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
cukurungan,
therry a.k.a theresia is not bule and neither is she an english school teacher interested in any underage boy/girl. she is - as far as i know - only interested in brad pitt and her boyfriend. everyone has their own hidden agenda, it’s what makes us human, no? i dont believe anything too easily, but i do think along the same line with many westerners, not because im a sucker for words of the great white hope, but just because i embrace freedom and liberty. And let’s face it, these two are not concepts that originated in the middle east or asia.

ps: glad to see my avatar does my work for me. lol.
Rob Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Achmad…

That would be Master Baiter as opposed to Masturbator, right?
rima Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Rob, I think it’s both. he loves to jerk people off and jerk himself off. Don’t you, Achmad?
Lairedion Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
rima,

Don’t take Cukurungan too seriously. He’s the leader of Front Anti Bule and every time he’s confronted with independent free thinkers, Western or not, he starts to panic. But he’s not that brave. He waits for fellow jihadists to die on the battlefield so he can take care of the widows and orphans in line with Quranic teachings.

But I have to admit, I do appreciate his comments….
andrey Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
well, rima, unfortunately maybe for you, there are many people who disagree with your priority list.. as they say in the west: priority is in the eye of the beholder.

from the amount of publications and protest,demonstrations, obviously enough people think that pornography is grave enough a problem to warrant government attention
so I think it is unfair to call it a mere diversion.

that’s not to say that the problems you mentioned should be neglected. As I said in my comment in another article, why does people like you insists on using all 260 million indonesian heads on solving some select problems (of your choosing) only? I think we have enough heads to try to solve all this in parallel: I’m sure there are enough smart people in the government trying to solve the poverty problem while at the same time other groups of smart people try to solve the pornography problem.
PrimaryDrive Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Andrey:

I think we have enough heads to try to solve all this in parallel

So, why haven’t we solved anything?
janma Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I’m sure there are enough smart people in the government trying to solve the poverty problem while at the same time other groups of smart people try to solve the pornography problem.

now that’s funny!…….. laughed for a good ten minutes…
Rob Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I gotta say I always thought that people used to say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”…just goes to show that I should listen more than I obviously do now.

Andrey…

I think that Primary Drive has a point! If this was as simple as solving everything in parallel or perhaps concurrently, then why hasn’t it happened. Is it because the Indonesian government is not capable of doing all these things concurrently?

The myriad of problems faced by the government would generally be called “overwhelming”. There needs to be comprehensive planning that is followed through till the end of that planning cycle and not just a case of going through the motions until something more populist comes to the fore. Let’s face it the Criminal Code has been set for amendment for more than 50 years but has never been fully amended because consensus could never be achieved.

The Pornography and Indecency Bill is going down a similar path in that no consensus can be reached either in the parliament or outside of it as to what it should contain and what exceptions there should be and how any provisions that do ultimately make it into a bill are to be enforced. Perhaps once Indonesia is done bannign Ahmadiyya it can start arresting and jailing dangdut singers, artists, and members of the general public for pornography and indecency (most of which are already regulated in the current less than perfect criminal code)…

My take is that pornography and indecency and the bill seeking to regulate them are a diversion from more pressing matters! Pornography and indecency are indeed important matters to some but I would suggest that if the latest statistics are to be believed then poverty is a real problem affecting a large proportion of the population and perhaps this ranks as an issue that is more pressing and in need of a clear and comprehensive strategy in order to move a great number of Indonesians from below the poverty line to above it.

Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some things are more ugly than others. So, where the government has proven itself to be inept at handling these pockets of ugliness concurrently then perhaps it is time to rank these problems and address them one by one!
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Mbak Rima Yth,

You’ve raised a subject I don’t think other people want to hear about…; p

I’d offer to put up some clips on Youtube, but that might get Indonesia banned again !
Rob Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Achmad…

You have videos of you being the Master Baiter?

I don’t know that it would get anything banned but it would be a sure fire way to end this thread!
rima Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
andrey, obviously there will be people who disagree with me, and Im perfectly ok with it. If you think pornography is a grave problem, more serious than those i have listed (poverty, hunger, floods etc) then you obviously have your priorities mixed up. those are real problems up there, that should be dealt with, when the country has healed, the people are not hungry, their future is bright, serious life-threatening problems are solved then petty things like pornography can be dealt with. it is the other way around at the moment because the govt is incapable of dealing with the real issues. that’s my point. Rob nailed it in his comment too, better than me.

Achmad S: you think people dont want to hear this? maybe, because it’s not all nice and flowery..
as for the clips, sure thing, load it up. as long as it’s not blasphemous, i dont think anybody would care.
But if it is of you master baiting, i dont think youtube permits it. you should try other video sites.
therry Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
It’s so sad when a so-called ukulele-player and dangdut singer decided to video-tape himself jacking off and published it on Youtube, thinking it was exciting.

Especially when his yellow pot-bellied stomach was on display. Hohoho.
therry Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Why would anybody think I am a bule English teacher? What notion gave out such impression?

I’m 100% Indonesian loh… and female too.
Cukurungan Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
cukurungan,
therry a.k.a theresia is not bule and neither is she an english school teacher interested in any underage boy/girl. she is - as far as i know - only interested in brad pitt and her boyfriend.

My dear be careful with your word, the feminism in the western world has reaching to the golden age and we will stop it at whatever cost so the below never happen in here :

http://www.fathermag.com/news/rape/70-youngboys

everyone has their own hidden agenda, it’s what makes us human, no? i dont believe anything too easily, but i do think along the same line with many westerners, not because im a sucker for words of the great white hope, but just because i embrace freedom and liberty. And let’s face it, these two are not concepts that originated in the middle east or asia.

What so called the freedom and liberty in the western world is only myths because it is only freedom to them for oppressing and enslaving the native people around globe and it is freedom for the native people to be enslaved by them and not the other away around.
More over the westerner who claim themselves as a free thinker is not more and less than bunch of bigot because they could not prove even the simple puzzle what doest exist first in the universe either egg or chicken until now none of them can prove it then how come suddenly without shame they are declare to the world that they are the free thinker while everything they present just based on merely assumption without scientific prove but I have to admit I do appreciate their liberty especially in their sex life because we Muslim only get the polygamy with too heavy obligation whereas the westerner of the free thinker can get threesome without any obligation.

My take is that pornography and indecency and the bill seeking to regulate them are a diversion from more pressing matters! Pornography and indecency are indeed important matters to some but I would suggest that if the latest statistics are to be believed then poverty is a real problem affecting a large proportion of the population and perhaps this ranks as an issue that is more pressing and in need of a clear and comprehensive strategy in order to move a great number of Indonesians from below the poverty line to above it.

We are living in the Window XP technology era many things can be done simultaneously and not need to wait priority of the hit list and what Mbak Rima said is also correct because she did not see directly what is current daily TV program in Indonesia such as Hard Forum, Save Our Nation, Padamu Negri, Democracy and Republik Mimpi… btw can you tell me what is your standard to measure the poverty in Indonesia…do you think our brother who live in middle jungle of Kalimantan, Papua and Sumatra are poor because they do not wear cloth designed by Armani and do not have electronic gadget made in Sony …..yes there was finding “balita gizi buruk” but how many case…considering our population more than 200 millions the current finding of gizi buruk case is not fantastic one. And if we measure the poverty based on our indigenous value and culture, the number of poverty Indonesia is very slim because according the Javanese Culture we are not poor as long as “Ono Beras, Awak Weras and Manuke Bergas ”.

There is also another fact that almost 80% of Indonesia Middle Class family using Nanny Service to run their house and without those service it will become big disaster and lot of disharmony in our house. The nanny service will always available as long our economy size is not big enough to create a better and more alternative job than the nanny service job. Therefore we could not push the Indonesia economy moving too fast unless Indonesia President dare to declare the jihad war so we can hunt slave from the infidels country.
rima Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
my dear cukurungan, while all you have written so far has very high entertainment value and is very very amusing for me and I’m sure many people too, it is pathetic and deeply saddening.
But it’s nice to see that at least FPI has employed native english speakers to teach them english. Now if only FPI could employ a moral teacher to teach them (and by them I mean you and your peers) good moral values.

words such as infidel: bad
freedom/liberty/human right/tolerance/equality/peace/love/understanding: good

I was going to entertain you by assuming you are a highly iseng person who like to provoke people for the sake of provoking, but reading your last line of your comment, I don’t think you’re worth it. You obviously belong to the taliban regime and cannot wait to die a jihadist so you can collect your 72 virgins.

ps: standard for poverty in indonesia? just look around you. you will see people who have barely enough to feed their families, who cannot afford medical care when their wife/children needs it, who cook with wood because they can no longer afford kerosene, who eat once a day or even go two three days without food, that’s it.

people who still has money to spend in warnet like you or buy nasi bungkus at the nearest warung tegal regularly are definitely not poor. But if you are Indonesian, stop denying the truth and cold hard facts, wake up and grow a heart (and sanity too while you’re at it)
Purba Negoro Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 4:27 am
Rima,
the proof as they say is in the pudding.
Observe teh difference between China and India.
One a dictatorship, one a democracy with plenty of the trendy angst-ridden chattering cosmopolitan OKB (nouveau ricvhe) buzzwords of liberty, freedom, democracy, etc.

Which is the greater economy? CVHina.
India will only OPTIMALLY attain 60% of CHina’s GDP.

Rima- those “conspiracy theories” are 100% factual and proven via masive reams of documentation.

Why are Malaysia’s RAF BUtterworth, Singapore’s RAF Tengah and Brunei are all manned by Gurkha’s?
Why are all of Australia’s Northern airbases within striking distance via F-111 (originally envisaged as a nuclear first-strike bomber) of Indonesian strategic positions- especially Biak?

What is the US Navy’s Pine Gap Deep Space Listening Facility (located Northern Territory)and why is it positioned to eaves drop on us?

We should reflect on our Asian values and the unequivocal supremacy of the State and the absolute subordinance of the individual.

Rima- not all that glitters is gold. The West has nothing to offer us of any worth.

Only the most naive and ignorant brown-skin would ever trust the West and believe their glittering tales of democracy as golden.
andrey Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 6:10 am
rima:
I certainly think poverty as a grave problem. but,
the government does not consist of just 5 persons. there are many ministries, each with their own field of work. the ministry of education will take care of the quality of school, ministry of industry take care of the small industries, the ministry of religion takes care of heretic sects, etc. it is not as if the ministry of industry will stop their work on creating new jobs while waiting for the religious ministry to finish his talk on ahmadiyya.

same with the parliament, there are many comissions each with their own field of work.
so there is no need to leave one problem in order to solve the other.

so why are they slow in showing results??… well I must admit incompetencies might be a reason, but I dont see, taking the economic problems as an example, how can those sharia law graduates of the religious ministry be of much help where the berkeley economists in finance ministry failed.. even if we ask them to stop their work on ahmadiyya for a while.
Keke Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Ah….Cukurungan…Yes, as you said, you need something not nice to keep up your awareness, an it’s obviously an Abusive one. You can’t be nice and not nice at the same time,rite?. The ‘Master Healer’ is simply too nice tho… i think a combination would be nice enough…uhm..Not nice enough. ‘Master of Abusive words’
—-Oops, jang mara dang ne! i just don’t like to see (read) or hear a “momake”, (if) you know what i mean— ^^v *peace*
Keke Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Good article Mbak. b^^d *thumbs up*
rima Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Purba:

not all that glitters is gold. The West has nothing to offer us of any worth.

Yet most Indonesians (and morrocans, turks, tunisian, egyptian etc) all jump at the first chance to immigrate to a western country. Why they dream of living in western lands when the west has nothing good to offer baffles me.
But whatever man, you think the west has nothing to offer, many people think you’re nuts. it’s relative.

At this point I believe you and I simply do not share any opinion in common (Thank God for that!) except for this thing you wrote:

We should reflect on our Asian values and the unequivocal supremacy of the State and the absolute subordinance of the individual.

yes we should do so instead of replacing those values with absurd ones imported from the arabs/middle east.

I think to continue this debate, you and i, is futile, so why don’t we leave it at that and just agree to disagree, ok?

andrey: it’s not leaving one and do the other, i’m talking about the government’s focusing on one petty little problem (if we can even call it a problem, most are not really problems anyway) and shifting the public’s attention from what really matters. and yeah, government incompetence is a big part of my critique towards the government as i have written in the article.

and finally, to all, thanks for commenting, i had fun.
Marisa Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
therry:

Achmad the terrorist strikes back!

Reminds me of Jeff Dunham’s Achmed, lol.

OOT again,
Long weekend’s coming, anyone wants to have a meet-up!?
Let’s ajeb-ajeb!
AchmadSudarsono Says:
May 2nd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Where do you Ajeb, Marisa ?

It can be a big, big mistake to meet people in real life who you met in cyberspace.
Marisa Says:
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:30 am
@ Achmad

Where do you Ajeb, Marisa ?

Doesn’t matter where I ajeb, but having a meet up matters. Just giving you and everyone here the idea, pak Achmad.

Anyways, it’s quite possible there’ll be a gathering for bridge bloggers in future time, just a rough plan for now. Several important issues to be discussed, such as: concerning our position and relation with local bloggers from various niche, e.g.: technology bloggers, on issues concerning the social politics and the media, and perhaps sharing some feisty gossips concerning Indonesia Matters’ commenters (Patung, Lairedion, and Achmad Sudarsono’s real identities?). The mission is simply to acknowledge our stand in the Indonesian blogosphere and to establish a fun-loving network amongst bridge bloggers. Of course, everyone’s free to ajeb afterwards.

Support us?
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:34 am
Let’s met up a Purbalingga !
Marisa Says:
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:27 am
CAPEEEEEE DEEEEEEEEE
janma Says:
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
It can be a big, big mistake to meet people in real life who you met in cyberspace.

Is that the voice of experience Achmad? Or did your mama tell you to be afraid?
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
May 4th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Ibu Janma Yth,

Experience.

There’s a book about writing I have in which 100 or more scribes are interviewed and the author says there’s often a dual-personality. The sarcastic, scathing voice is mild-mannered and polite. The warm, charming voice is often anti-social and depressive. The interesting, funny person is…

You the idea.

But it’s a nice suggestion from Marisa. I just don’t want you girls to start fighting over me and who gets to keep my peci, autographed ukuele, unwashed sarung — etc.

x o .
Cukurungan Says:
May 4th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Rima wrote :

my dear cukurungan, while all you have written so far has very high entertainment value and is very very amusing for me and I’m sure many people too, it is pathetic and deeply saddening.
But it’s nice to see that at least FPI has employed native english speakers to teach them english. Now if only FPI could employ a moral teacher to teach them (and by them I mean you and your peers) good moral values.
words such as infidel: bad
freedom/liberty/human right/tolerance/equality/peace/love/understanding: good

Me :
I am wondering that our moral value is not the same with the westerner moral value, the westerner would say: cheating, free sex and threesome is good & healthy but polygamy is bad & sick while our people think otherwise.
The westerner built civilization upon domination, annihilation and the graveyard of the native America and Australia while we built civilization upon the brotherhoods, friendship and respect that every human has it own unique value.

Rima wrote :
I was going to entertain you by assuming you are a highly iseng person who like to provoke people for the sake of provoking, but reading your last line of your comment, I don’t think you’re worth it. You obviously belong to the taliban regime and cannot wait to die a jihadist so you can collect your 72 virgins.

Me :
My dear, you are cordially invited to say anything about me because I fully respect the freedom of speech and expression.
Fyi, I am not belonging to any regime but I always belong to the truth.
Yes I do hope that once day I could collect God reward of 72 virgins but I would take those reward by other way because I know that to take care the widows is not less important than Jihad itself.
At the moment our country have suffered big problems because of those forgotten obligations while too many Imam preach about the important of Jihad it is too few of them who preach how the important obligations to take care the widows.
I tell you that even Dewi Persik will not need to deliver Goyang Porno on the public area just to earn money if she could goyang sex in the contaiment space under Mas Cukurungan supervision. Of course it only happen when I can fully implement those forgotten obligations.

Rima wrote :
ps: standard for poverty in indonesia? just look around you. you will see people who have barely enough to feed their families, who cannot afford medical care when their wife/children needs it, who cook with wood because they can no longer afford kerosene, who eat once a day or even go two three days without food, that’s it.

Me :

What’s wrong cook with woods as along as they don’t cut trees to get woods there is no problems even my family cook the rice with woods in order to save environment from the bad emission caused by kerosine burning.

I don’t only see them because my self is part and mingle among them, the poverty in Indonesia is not extreme like in Africa or India and there is still more than enough foods for everyone in here by improving better distribution and storage system the poverty can be minimized , the poverty in our country can be seen either as the problem or the opportunity depend on our mind set. For myself I see it as my opportunity to strengthen brotherhood with my poor brother and there is no better happiness than our happiness to see our effort can be enjoyed not only by our self. I already spent several years to live with my brother who live in middle jungle of Sumatra and Papua and there is no poverty at all, they can go to school even far enough from their village and there is also Puskesmas available provided by government to take care medical problem for free and their economy is also not so bad because they can earn money from farming latex and palm oil and breeding cattle, chicken and pig but they need to work hard to earn money and they have no time to nongkrong in Bar or Café but they are still enjoy their life and when I met them in their village everyone are smiling and we were still enjoying to become part of super big family of Indonesia country.

Of course I do agree that our country still have many problems need to be solved but tell me which country that size as big as us and as diverse as us has no problems in their country even the most modern USA is also got many problems even their crimes problems still bigger than ours.

Rima wrote :
people who still has money to spend in warnet like you or buy nasi bungkus at the nearest warung tegal regularly are definitely not poor. But if you are Indonesian, stop denying the truth and cold hard facts, wake up and grow a heart (and sanity too while you’re at it)

Me:
Mbak rima, it seemed that you are riding on the time machines with the time reverse mode, I tell you that most of us now has GPRS access to internet while off-roading on 1 billion rupiah Land Cruiser in the middle jungle of Sumatra I still able to post this sxxxit.
I am not denying anything but I want to enjoy every second of my life while realizing how hard is our government efforts to ensure that there is sustainable food available to feed more than 200 millions of its citizens.
To be honest, I don’t want to involve in the public service work in the government office therefore I fully respect to our countrymen who foolish enough to take those bloody job that demanding too many responsibility and giving too small salary.

Rima wrote :

Yet most Indonesians (and morrocans, turks, tunisian, egyptian etc) all jump at the first chance to immigrate to a western country. Why they dream of living in western lands when the west has nothing good to offer baffles me.
But whatever man, you think the west has nothing to offer, many people think you’re nuts. it’s relative.

Me :
There is no question that the western offer something especially to someone who seek better living while they couldn’t get it in their own country but for the most middle class family in Indonesia, there is only few people who want to immigrate to the western country because in here you are only need less than $100k/years to get life like King while in the western you are just nothing.
fahri Says:
May 4th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
ever wonder that everything will be upside down if it was muslims who went around the world colonizing people.. (and forcing monopoly on gunpoint, thereby collecting enough money for development backhome)..
we’ll have “britainmatters” website telling the british how barbaric their christian way of life is

Westerners like to brag about their achievement.. but never forget that Isaac Newton’s study was subsidized by muslim & hindu farmers in India.
Neil of Newcastle Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Fahri has touched on quite an important point. It was of course Muslims who went around colonizing the world and it is the legacy of Islamic imperialism which fuels so many of today’s ‘clashes of civilization’. The longest running such clash and the bloodiest is between Hindu and Muslim. The whole reason for the establishment of a secessionist Pakistan was that the Muslim ruling class could see no future as the overlords in a secular, but overwhemingly Hindu, India. Similarly the massacres of Muslims in the Balkans in the 90s, which to an extent kicked off the current round of outrages, were the result of centuries of oppression by Muslim conquerors of the local peoples. Log onto any Serb or Croat website to see chapter and verse of what Islamic imperialism created in the Balkans. The biggest obstacles to Turkey’s entry into the EU are folk memories of Islamic invasions and occupations in Austria and Greece. The train bombings in Spain were, in part, justified by the the murderers as revenge for the temerity of the Spaniards in kicking out their colonialist overlords in 1492 etc, etc. And so, Fahri, you grabbed the stick well and truly by the wrong end, but you’ve got a result. A conversation on historical rights and wrongs; and who did what to whom - well done.
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Neil,

Friend, friend. As usual, the White Man has a simplistic and naive view of history. Any war carried out by Muslims should be sanctioned by the Koran to spread Islamic values. The White Man carried out his colonization for greed. The Muslim did it to spread the true religion. How can you compare ?

The answer is the Aussie is living on stolen lands because he knew the Aboirigin would one day become Muslim.
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 7:57 am
P.S. — Also, such wars are only carried out for the benefit of the people colonized.
fahri Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 9:12 am
every civilisation colonize in their time for some reasons. no dispute on that.

I just wanted to point out, objectively, that the only reason westerners are what they are now is because they won some battles in the past. it was not so much the result of their superior values as it was the result of their cunning deceit.

I do not think, for example, the Turks lost their battle in Vienna because of their poligamious marriage. That was simply military victories decided by luck and strategy on the field. So to use the current western political/economic supremacy as a reason to follow their way of life is just stupid.
Rob Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Achmad….

Now there is an alternative view of the reasons behind the colonization of Australia and the theft of indigenous Australian lands from their rightful owners; a fear that one day indigenous Australians would turn to the one true religion, Islam!

Hopefully, my indigenous brothers and sisters would not have turned to the one true religion at the expense of their rich traditions and cultures (renouncing all the things that make them unique to this world). Yet, I have the distinct feeling your argument rests on the premise of substituting one colonization for that of another where the benefits of the alternative are suspect as well!

However, we do not have to go far to see the modern version of colonization (neo-colonization?) ala Indonesia. This process is called transmigration (or perhaps a more accurate term would be Javanization) where control of Indonesia’s vast archipelago is based on putting Javanese into the indigenous homelands of Indonesia’s vast diaspora of ethnicities as a means of securing control over natural resources or territory!

Perhaps us white folk do not have a lot to be proud of when it comes to the way we have treated the various indigenous populations but for you to use it as a means of justifying Indonesia’s colonizations such as Timor Leste is also somewhat hypocritical don’t you think? “You have done it so now it is our turn to do it” somewhat naive and simplistic in the same way you accuse others!
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Hi Rob,

I think transmigration and the 1975 East Timor incident are beside the point here. We’re talking about Islam and its conquests. The difference between the West’s treatment of indigenous people and colonized lands is that we Muslims were doing it for the benefit of the conquered. In fact, the conquered have many rights. Slaves have the right to convert to Islam and have the possibility of buying back their freedom - if they have earned it or can afford it. What could be fairer ?
Janma Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
What’s wrong cook with woods as along as they don’t cut trees to get woods .

I’ve heard that you can get wood from other places besides trees…. for example, you could chop down your house bit by bit….. though apparently the wood in houses originally came from trees…. maybe if you drop your number two’s in a special container for long enough, they could turn into wood?… I’m sure they’re are many ways to get wood that has nothing to do with trees…
Cukurungan Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I’ve heard that you can get wood from other places besides trees…. for example, you could chop down your house bit by bit….. though apparently the wood in houses originally came from trees…. maybe if you drop your number two’s in a special container for long enough, they could turn into wood?… I’m sure they’re are many ways to get wood that has nothing to do with trees…

Bu Janma, Sorry if my english is too good for the native english speaker like you, what I mean is we do not take whole trees include its root but we only take its branch and if possible we take the dead branch one.

However, we do not have to go far to see the modern version of colonization (neo-colonization?) ala Indonesia. This process is called transmigration (or perhaps a more accurate term would be Javanization) where control of Indonesia’s vast archipelago is based on putting Javanese into the indigenous homelands of Indonesia’s vast diaspora of ethnicities as a means of securing control over natural resources or territory!

Mr Rob,

We brownman launched the transmigration program without hidden agenda because our heart is so clean and we do not have heritage of the cultural deceit like the white man have, the purpose of transmigration is for beneficial all parties, the java island is over loaded and the outside java land is far less developed farm land and for sure we do not give the Javanese farmer a gun to shoot the indigenous people but we give them “cangkul” to teach the Indigenous people how to prepare land for the good farming un-like the white-man who make the native America and Australia for their shooting practice while giving the native people infected blanket to make the native disappear ASAP from the earth and it worked well anyway congrat brother.
Janma Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Cuk, if all the people (or at least the poorer people) of indonesia can’t afford gas or kerosene and then they need wood, do you think there would be enough ‘dead wood’ and broken branches lying around for all of them?
Neil of Newcastle Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Achmad, Cukurangan et al, Love you guise! Love all your posts! How much are the International Z-Men Conspirators paying y’all to play the Certain Religion Goose/Geese? They are definitely getting their money’s worth. Keep it up, Shlomo/Solly/Moshe and the rest. Adjust y’r eyepatches and lay it on us. Indonesia, ya gotta lurvit, dong.
Achmad Sudarsono Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
We speak only The Truth, Neil.
Cukurungan Says:
May 7th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Cuk, if all the people (or at least the poorer people) of indonesia can’t afford gas or kerosene and then they need wood, do you think there would be enough ‘dead wood’ and broken branches lying around for all of them?

If I am Goverment, it is more than enough ‘dead wood’ what I saw by my own eyes, when “Farmer Perambah Hutan” in Sumatra Jungle move to new farming land they cut down all trees and burn it for nothing. Remember we are also well known as “EXPORTER SMOKE” because by product of the forestry industry is so huge and at the moment we are burning it just for polluting.

By applying simple technology to make a wood chip those waste trees and branch is more than enough to supply friendly fire to our poor brother while saving the fuel subsidize and reducing CO2 emission. FYI, even in the western world, they has been considered the fuel wood as one of their option to fill gap of the lack fuel supply see below:
http://www.bioregional.com/programme_projects/forestry_prog/urban_forestry/urbfor_woodchip.htm
Dykarg Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Back to mbak Rima, very good article.
Most of our media coverage is just like our sinetron soap opera, telling naive stories so we feel better before going to bed. What make me really sad is apperently we like it.
Even in the nets we have more postings on subject like “halal vs haram” and “FPI this and that” than environmental issue,……or maybe it just me who is visiting a wrong place,..