Being Indonesian from a non-Indonesian: More or less

Monas 2008

August 17, 2008. It was my second month in Mampang Prapatan, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia. I went outside to go to the market when I was invited to join parlor and children's games on the street. The street was blocked by a pole with Indonesian flag (red and white) and my neighbors appropriated the street as a playground. I joined the balap karung (sack race). We lost the race, but there was no feeling of losing since everyone was having fun and receiving prizes. I received two candies. Despite the language barrier, we laughed and enjoyed those moments. I became part of the neighborhood. I then thought freedom and independence must not be exclusive; they are meant to be shared, to be felt, to be experienced by all.

Below is what I wrote four years ago when I was in Jakarta. It was published in Jakarta Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/08/20/never-more-indonesian-aug-17.html)

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When was the last time you felt more Indonesian than ever? As a non-Indonesian, I ask this question because I saw how Kosovo celebrated when its parliament declared their independence from Serbia earlier this year. I also read the news about the celebrations in Mongolia on their winning their first ever Olympic gold medal in Beijing. So, when was it that you felt more Indonesian than ever?

Independence Day on Aug. 17 would have to be one of those moments when you felt good to be Indonesian. Seeing red and white all over the place with Indonesian flags flying high in every corner, on streets, buildings and outside houses. This gives us a sense of identity and belonging. There was hardly any other moment in history which is comparable to Indonesia's declaration of independence.

Winning an Olympic gold would undoubtedly make every Indonesian proud of their own athletes' achievements. And this is exactly what shuttlers Kido and Setiawan did for 225 million Indonesians. They delivered a golden performance for Indonesia in the men's doubles badminton at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The feat came at the expense of the Chinese team who were playing on their home turf. Any athlete would understand the odds of playing against a home court advantage, but Kido and Setiawan rose to the challenge, winning from behind a set to take the two succeeding sets against a hostile crowd.

Both events combined to make us proud to be Indonesian and gave us a sense of nationalism.

Becoming Indonesian is easy: You could be born of Indonesian parents or be naturalized through a legal process. However, being Indonesian is about much more than this -- much more than simply a nationality or citizenship which can be acquired by fulfilling bureaucratic requirements.

Being Indonesian resides in the core of we are, internalized in history, songs, traditions, institutions, or in the all-encompassing culture. In Freudian terms, being Indonesian is imprinted in the unconscious mind which is reflected in our conscious level.

Thus, these two significant events activated internalized meanings and symbolisms attached to being Indonesian -- and this may have been triggered by any number of different scenarios; putting up a flag, singing the national anthem, seeing pictures of heroes or presidents, taking part in local activities, posting a note in friendster or facebook or simply talking with friends and family, here or abroad.

In a critical world, the nation should be grateful for these two historic events. They have reaffirmed and secured the 63-year-old aspirations and goals of the proponents of an independent Indonesia among the young Indonesians who will now see our country through the next 63 years.

However, when a decree was issued banning Ahmadiyah (a religious sect) to observe its beliefs, was the government being more Indonesian? When professionals decide to work abroad and send their remittance back home, are they being less Indonesian than those who decide to practice their professions locally?

When students and businesspeople use English to communicate their ideas and feelings, are they being less Indonesian? When people chose to spend their Independence Day at Ancol with their families, are they less Indonesian than those who went to Monas or took part in other independence related activities?

These sample questions can take us back to the core of what it means to be Indonesian. And it is through continuous questioning and reflection that we will establish what is truly great about being an Indonesian.

Indonesia has celebrated its Independence Day 63 times already.

So what is new? Not much, except that these two events can serve to hold Indonesia and its peoples together and make sense of their special place in the world. Events such as these provide Indonesians with more reasons to celebrate triumphantly.

Our Beliefs and Our Problems

A certain columnist in a Philippine daily wrote about beliefs and religion, specifically Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. (Not all beliefs though are simplistically religious)

He enumerated many negative conditions (even with rankings and percentages) and attempted to connect those with the dominant religion of the country. He depicted the inconsistencies and contradictions that religion is supposed to bring about in its believers and their environment.

I would say, his attempts appeal on popular sentiments, rather than reason. A reasonable reader, especially a student of science, would be able to discern his deficiencies in establishing connections between religion and wide range of problems such as worst driving, garbage collection, air pollution, corruption, crimes, worst country to do business, poverty, etc.. There may be minute connections, but he missed the biggest (significant) connection of all - the government.

Of course, it is easy to blame Roman Catholicism for all these problems. Has the columnist given up on its government to address these problems?

Are we the most corrupt in Asia because of religion? Are we poor because of our religion? Are we one of the 10 the worst countries to do business because of religion? Are we, because of religion?

I must say, we (the readers) know better. Roman Catholicism does not teach driving without consideration of traffic rules; it does not not promote air pollution; it does not tolerate crimes; it does not condone corruption. it does not make a country worst to do business; it does not excuse economic poverty.

Catholics know better. When Filipino taxi drivers return cash and other valuables to tourists and balikbayans, they attribute their acts to their belief in God. They believe, as many Catholics do, that greater value and reward are awaiting in the future. Bicolanos believe it faithfully when they say, Dios mabalos (God rewards you) everytime they receive something good or simply to express, thank you. Can the columnist deny this belief to Bicolanos?

The columnist should know this better because he is a Bicolano. I wonder what his beliefs are, religious or non-religious, if any. Then he will know better that the problems lie not with his beliefs, but with himself.

University for Peace (UPeace) – Asia Graduation message

This video has excerpts of the whole message. (Thank you Chino, my nephew who took this amateur video.) 

The transcript of the whole message could be found below. 

Good evening to all of you.

 In Naga Pi Chaung Village in Delta region, the hardest-hit area in Myanmar by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 and believed to be an underserved area, I went there with a team from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for my internship. We asked a group of villagers including the village chief about the village’s pressing needs. The village chief responded quickly and identified fishing nets, boats and agricultural inputs and tools as their pressing needs. The villagers agreed to this assessment. Of course, we took note of those needs.

 Then, we asked the women present in the meeting the same question. One woman, apparently a mother, replied, “education.” Teary-eyed, she continued that children in the village have stopped going to school because they have no school to go to (their solitary school was flattened by the cyclone), no teacher, and no school supplies. Afterwards, there was silence in the meeting.

Education! Why not?

 Amidst the shortage or lack of basic necessities in the village such as water, shelter (most of them live in a makeshift shelter wrapped around by blue and white tarpaulins as walls and roof), food, clothes, one woman stressed the need for education in the village.  (I know Ma'am Indai and Ma'am Tina, our professor in gender course and peace psychology, would be happy to hear this story.)

 I believe that three institutions would agree to the woman’s answer, education. These are the institutions that invest, develop, advance and facilitate education for the global village.

 Nippon Foundation has various projects in education including scholarships. One of which is this program. Thank you Nippon Foundation for believing in education as a tool for social change, development and empowerment. Arigato!

The other institution is University for Peace, particularly our Dept. of Peace and Conflict Studies. This small university in Costa Rica is a giant in the field of peace and conflict studies. We, students, are privileged to receive trainings from its topnotch professors who are experts in their own fields. Its multicultural environment adds to the joy and struggles of our learning. It is truly a global village. Gracias UPeace. Pura Vida!

 One more institution worthy as the first, Ateneo de Manila University which is going to celebrate its 150th years of great service through education to Filipinos and foreigners. It has formed and produced distinguished graduates. And we are pleased to be part of the roster of graduates of this institution. Thank you Ateneo. One big fight!

Oh, we also had our 3-week course in La Salle. Yes, you hear me right. It is La Salle. But it was Universidad de la Salle in San Jose, Costa Rica for our foundation course. Well, it is a long story.

Before the drafting of this message, I have asked my classmates if they have anything that they would like to be part of this message. One classmate emailed me. She wrote, “We are trees planted by the hands that have been working for peace.” You probably know whose hands she is referring to. But these trees started from seeds. I have seen how the seeds were provided with the best soil, care, and nurturing environment. And now the trees have grown and ready to bear fruits.

 Since seeds come from a source, I would like to acknowledge our sources, our mothers. Like the mother in Naga Pi Chaung Village, our mothers, I imagine, would also assert the need for education. We all learned first from our mothers – the best education in the world. Thank you, Ma.

 And thank you for that woman in the village who reminded me of what I am holding now, what I’m thinking, feeling, speaking, dreaming – all products of the best education we just received.

I am confident that this education will find its way and expression in whatever career and mission we undertake to contribute to peacebuilding.

 And another classmate whispered to me last night. He wanted to include this message here. As the first batch of the Dual-Campus program, we complained a lot for 19 months. (Balazs, the willing listener of our complaints, knows this). We complained about accommodation, course schedules, late information, coordination between Costa Rica and Manila, and many other things. We struggled too. We struggled with our deadlines, with English in different Asian and other accents, Spanish, the languages in our internship assignments (Bahasa Indonesia). Through these complaints and struggles, we have learned the language of friendship. We shared this friendship in MyPlace, in Bellarmine Building, in cafeterias, in Council room. We celebrated this friendship through birthdays, weekend and course break trips out of town and out of the country. And this friendship will tie us wherever we will be. We may be in the remotest village in Myanmar, conflict-torn areas in Africa or Afganistan, an air-conditioned room in Tokyo, classroom in Indonesia, South Korea or Japan; we will always be reminded that 27 others out there somewhere that peace is not always about the opposite of conflict, it is a way to live.

 I remember Wolfgang who told us that whatever we do, say, think, feel, dream, literally whatever, an energy is released in the world that can make a difference. I once emailed a classmate about this, and I will say it to you again (although I usually don’t say words twice, my apology to that classmate), because of our education, of what we went through, of our unbelievable journey together, of what we believe in, we now all are a difference to this world. I can feel that overflowing energy in this room, share this. Bring this to the villages, to your home countries, to your friends, your families, to whomever we meet. Our energies together and of those we can influence can be a difference, can bring about change, can challenge and transform the structures that restrict others, can respond to human needs including those of the woman in Naga Pi Chaung Village in Myanmar. We can count on the three institutions to be with us. Besides, we have each other.

 If there’s one thing I learned from this 19-month program, it is that I am responsible for my future, a shared future with you, with others. Let us believe then in the future that we can build, together, here.

 Thank you, gracias, Dios mabalos!

Ceasefire, Ceasefire: Breaking the Escalation of Violence

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Social Distance in Facebook: Breaking or Building Barriers Among Differentiated Groups in Cyberspace

Source: http://www.sgclub.com/lifestyle

Social networking sites have captured the interest and aspiration of people especially Filipinos and Filipinas to make contacts and connect with families, friends, and others. To illustrate this, imagine Facebook having over half a billion account users all over the world. Twenty-six million of those are found in the Philippines.  Thus, albeit virtually, numerous contacts are made by differentiated groups through Facebook.

Research has shown that contacts among equals of differentiated groups reduce social distance. With the popularity and wide use of Facebook in the world including the Philippines, do contacts occur among differentiated groups? Or Facebook further solidifies the ingroup and marginalizes the outgroup? Does Facebook break or build social distance among differentiated groups?

It is hypothesized that Facebook facilitates ingroup formation and strengthens its cohesion. Moreover, Facebook does not intentionally marginalize the outgroup.  It helps reduce social distance among groups especially those who have a sizeable number of friends from other groups.

If you have a Facebook account, please take the survey here.

The results of this survey will be presented at the 2011 Philippine Sociological Society National Conference in Ateneo de Naga University in Naga City on October 14-15, 2011.

Thank you very much.