Missing muda mudi night...I'm not that young anymore...

Every year we grow older...so does the city...
Jakarta grows older a year...
it is now 482.

June 22 is the big day for Jakarta. I remembered the old days when we were having the Old Night long party on the street, Malam Muda Mudi (The night for the youth). It is just like the celebration of the New Year's eve in Singapore, or "le quatorze juillet" celebration in Paris...(May be Paris is not really like it, I remembered that people was concentrated only around Eiffel Tower)...where people enjoy the night at the street, free of car, fireworks on the sky...

I was still a small children when I joined those celebration. I remembered that my father's office was in a room near the Statue "Selamat Datang". It was a hotel room of Asoka Hotel, pulled down to give a land for EX building. We used to come with some food to his office and enjoy the merriment of all the youth who walked freely on the street. Sometime we've got visitors. I remembered that I've met my cousin who was (at that time) having his short period of study in a university in Bandung. Then, on the street we accidentally meet his other friends.

My childhood memory is not really good, but like a puzzle some came out clearly. I think they are the happy moments of my life.

I also remembered that every year I went to Pekan Raya Jakarta (PRJ). It was in Monas. Sometime we went there for several times during its opening (a whole month). I remember that we, chiildren, gained a lot of free cookies, candies, and other food and drink as a sample product from the stalls. Even before PRJ was moved to Kemayoran those samples tradition were already half gone, to gain free products you've got to buy some other products.

My brothers and I started to love Kerak Telor, the traditional Betawi food through our journeys to PRJ. Sadly, I am not continuing that family tradition going to PRJ, neither did one of my brother who already has kids. PRJ is different now...It's merely business, at least that is how I saw it. And my kids wouldn't think I treat them a fun family activity by going there, they will accuse me of looking out a chance to write a story for wikimu.

I read an article that PRJ could also be moved to Ancol. This year malam muda mudi was taken place in Kemayoran. Complaining how far it is in FB made me gained a comment from my junior high friend. "For young people it is not far..." Yeach, perhaps...yet my children is probably too young to think that it is not far. Beside, we are actually not living in Jakarta anymore. Another comment said that Senayan would be a better place for PRJ, I agree with this comment. With busway and shuttle bus around, perhaps it would be nice to have it there...Yet, we all have to leave our cars outside Senayan and not to cross Sudirman...Ouff...is it possible? Wow, town planning and town management are tough to handle!

My family moved to Jakarta in 1974, so I am as well Jakartanese at heart. Even my Makasarese dialect doesn't have the sound of a Makasarese. I adopted the Betawi tongue. My children now complaining of my habit saying "gue" and "elo" for "me" and "you" which is not polite according to their teacher at school. Who say so? I don't think so... it's a part of my daily language. Will it deteriorate my Bahasa Indonesia? Not in writing I think...

Now the couple that welcome visitors to Jakarta seems to loose in the middle of highrise buildings and the jammed traffic around them. I share this picture to wikimu readers while keeping the memory inside my heart (and blog...)

Children School Holiday

Visiting Carita was the first trip after the school holiday started, but actually my family did a trip together with some other family from our church community. We went to Cisarua to visit the organic farm managed by Father Agatho Elsener OFM.Cap. My family has visited this organic farm often, and sometimes we did enjoy Father Agatho hospitality through joining in the mass he celebrated with his small community of workers and guests. But having friends together with us means a lot for my children.

We visited the farm in the first week of June. All the kids seems enthusiastic to see another way of serving the Church. Not by having a church, but by having a large place to cultivate plants, and having so many kind of "strange animals" (it means worm, caterpillar, cricket, grasshopper, etc. Weird only to the eyes of the children from the big city like Jakarta...). Father Agatho challenged the children if they know where he came from. A fifth grader answered: "From Switzerland". "And where is Switzerland?" asked Father Agatho. A kindergarten girl answered with loud voice: "Belanda..." (Meaning Netherland) All laughed... Wow, from organic lesson we were also treated with geographic knowledge.

The parents who accompanied the children were more enthusiastic and amazed hearing that Father Agatho came from the family who own Victorinox. Who doesn't know Victorinox? Those very expensive brand from the Switzerland? And he left his family business to become a priest and a farmer here in Indonesia? But this one is not openly discussed in front of Father Agatho. Those who know the story told friends in soft voices.

No wonder if our group then gathered around Father Agatho asking for his signature on his postcard, like asking a signature from a television celebrity.

I don't have much to tell readers from wikimu about this journey as I intend to share it in my other blog, the one that is actually more on meditation and reflection as a Catholic. Yet, I share one picture to wikimu readers showing the kids enjoy cleaning up the carrot before packaging.

For more information about Father Agatho's organic farm you can visit this blog.

Mutiara Carita, a Place to View Krakatau....

I won a voucher for one free stay in a hotel suite of Mutiara Carita. I used to spend my holiday in Anyer and Carita, the northern coast of Java. It is actually a bit at the west...facing the Selat Sunda. This time I've got the experience of having it in the farthest location I've ever experienced. It means nearer to Krakatau.

Krakatau as the volcano was very famous. Its eruption in 1883 made the glory of the sun shine faded away... If we read the story in wikipedia about its history starting from the pre-history, it is really magnificent. I was lucky to be greeted by a clear view of Krakatau and its child, the Anak Krakatau, on my arrival. Anak Krakatau was "smoking" heavily. I posted the picture for wikimu while I was there, but I've got to enjoy the holiday first (and also cleaning up after it) before loading an article about the holiday over there.

I also have another picture about the flags playing proudly with the coastal wind, all colourful flags from political parties to the presidential candidates...which is in contrast with the grey picture of the vision of those "nelayan" (fishermen). I would love to write an article about these fishermen, but I don't have the time yet. And with this very slow connection, you should wait until I do have time to upload pictures in this blog...

Miss Indonesia Needs to Start Studying Bahasa Indonesia?

What would you think if you are introduced to Miss Indonesia in the event of Miss World? Wouldn't you automatically think that she is able to speak Bahasa Indonesia actively and know the Indonesian culture? Wouldn't it funny if Miss Indonesia needs translator to translate question in Indonesian language into English language to be able to understand the question?

We do need to verify if Miss Indonesia 2009 doesn't speak basic Bahasa Indonesia, but journalists were detecting that the crowned Miss Indonesia 2009 needs to start learning how to converse in Bahasa Indonesia and also to know more about Indonesian culture. Yet, the future of bright Indonesian generation would probably similar to Karenina Sunny Halim...they feel more at ease to communicate in English as their mother tongue. The international school label is something that most parents seek now, and that means speaking English or Chinese (Mandarin) language as the communication tool in school. Some family extended it into their home as it is the best way to learn using active language.

We do need the capability to speak other foreign language as a skill, but we should not forget our own language. This is the issue I raised in wikimu

I do not really get the feed back I'd like to have from wikimu readers, but posting it to Face Book gained me some comments. There is a friend who said that women should be smart, not only beautiful. She compare this case to Manohara Pinot, the Indonesian model who married the Prince from Kelantan. She said that the model is pretty but did not smart enough to avoid being abused by her husband.

I think the case is not about being beauty and not smart. I believed that the juries picked Karenina for her beauty, brain, and behaviour. Yet, brain is not similar to nationalism. During her twenty three year lifetime, she could not speak Bahasa Indonesia fluently, and all the sudden she said that bahasa Indonesia is easy to learn...she'll use the six months period before Miss World event to learn all the Indonesian thing. This cause a JP readers' snapped "Why don't we hire a foreigner to be Miss Indonesia?"

I did not write anything about Manohara. First, I don't really know the real fact. Then, household abused happened everywhere. Yet, it is not a matter of being smart or not. Women can make a bad choice for their partner in life, so does an underage girl of course!

Faces Charges For a Face Book Posting

A teacher from North Sulawesi faces charges for posting criticism in Face Book. I've got the news from The Jakarta Post.

Teacher faces charges, dismissal for posting criticism in Facebook

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 06/09/2009 5:30 PM | National
Another citizen is facing libel charges for posting criticism in popular online social network Facebook, in the wake of public outcry over controversial detention of a housewife in Tangerang for sharing her complaint about hospital services over the Internet.

Indra Sutriafi Pipil, a teacher of state vocational school in the North Sulawesi city of Kotamubagu, told Antara news agency on Tuesday he was also facing dismissal for allegedly defaming Mayor Djelantik Mokodompit.

In his Facebook account, Indra said of rampant “corruption of work hours” in the municipality administration office.

Kotamubagu police post chief First Insp. Muhammad Monoarfa said he had received a report filed by municipality administration and handed over the case to the local prosecutor’s office. Reports said that like the Tangerang housewife Prita Mulyasari, Indra would be charged under the 2008 Information and Electronic Transaction Law, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in jail.

Regional administration secretary Muhamad Mokoginta admitted the libel lawsuit filed against Indra, saying the teacher had discredited the administration.

“We reported the case to the law enforcers about last month,” he said.

The Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy revealed last week its latest survey, which ranked the bureaucracy in Indonesia the second worst in Asia.

Are we, Indonesians, having problem with criticism? Why can't we use criticism as a basic to build a better life? Or, perhaps because we can only criticize other people while forgetting that we should also be open to critics?

If any criticism can be charged with the UU ITE (Information and Electronic Transaction Law) we'll probably need to say good bye to blog, to citizen journalism, or even to the internet social networking...

Or we keep it only as a part to concentrate in making money...and more money...

Free Prita Mulyasari

I took the banner from this blog. I'm joining the cause to free Ibu Prita as I think it is important to keep freedom of speech.

There are some notes that we should take as a lesson from this case. Notes that would probably asked netizen to be more careful in writing out their complaints, not for being afraid to be sued like Ibu Prita, but to keep in mind that we are also prone to make mistakes. If we are the doctor whose name happened to be mentioned in a complaint letter published in the internet like that, wouldn't it ruin our future career? It could happened to anybody, not only to doctors, but to politician, to teachers (like the one I've mentioned in this post), to architects, to journalists, or to other professions. Young doctor could have his/her career terminated because of our emotional reaction.

I've seen the different effect coming from unedited letter to the edited version. Yet, as a costumer and as a citizen, I feel that Ibu Prita has the right to be angry. She was probably writing out her letter because she was not informed sufficiently by the hospital about her illness.

Lots of interesting articles shown both in the printed media and in the cyber space. I like the opinion from a medical record administrator printed in daily Kompas (Tuesday, 9 June 2009), "Prita, Apa Salahmu?". The medical record (or Dokumen Rekam Medis/DRM) is actually paid by the patient, and belong to the patient (family). As a costumer we have the right to have the copy of the medical record. Keeping a medical record to the hospital is something common here. Not only OMNI Hospital did it. A friend of mine was forced to lie that she was going back to Germany to get her medical record copy released by a private hospital in Jakarta. But, it was a long time ago, may be it is not happen anymore there (hopefully).

The opinion article gave us more insight on what should happened, and how it create the misunderstanding between patient and the hospital.

The basic foundation of relation is always TRUST. If the patient trust the doctor and the hospital, and the hospital (and doctors) trust the patient as their potential costumer in the future, then we can minimize communication problem. If the hospital treats its patient as a human being who deserves explanation of what was happening, then the letter would probably never written.

There are a lot of notes that I noted from this case; the freedom of speech, the costumer right of good service, the judicial procedure, the education sector, marketing effect, and also about citizen journalism (or at least about editorial of a blog post or an article). I hope I have time to talk about it next time. With the school vacation starting tomorrow I can't make any promise right now...

From a cyber letter into a real prison

A letter sent through the internet can lead you into the prison. The case of Prita Mulyasari, a mother with two little children, has proven that a personal letter through the internet could be a subject of the 2008 Law on Electronic Information and Transactions, article 27.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009, the Jakarta Post posted "Don't blame Internet law for Prita's detention: Official"

The legal adviser for the communications and information minister, Edmon Makarim, said Wednesday the libel case implicating housewife Prita Mulyasari could not justify calls for the revocation of the 2008 Law on Electronic Information and Transactions due to suspicion that it would stifle freedom of speech.

Prita is charged with Article 27 of the law after she sent an email containing her complaint about services at Omni International Hospital Alam Sutera in Tangerang, Banten.

“Don't judge the law if you don't know exactly what happened. The trial has not even started yet,” Edmon told a seminar at University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java.

“Who knows if there was a conspiracy behind the case? We know that the hospital business today is full of competition,” he added.

“I don't want to comment on Prita's particular case. The point is, if you transmit slander through the Internet, you are subject to criminal charges,” Edmon said. (bbs)

Prita was already in prison since May 13, 2009 (printed Kompas, June 4, 2009 "Kronologi Kasus Prita Mulyasari"). So, from May 13 to June 3, she was already in prison charges to the civil law. Which one? I don't really know, but to enter a prison (before the whole trial finished) should only be possible if the charges will put her more than five years in jail. The UU ITE charges is six years, so this is the law that put her into prison before her temporary released on June 3rd.

According to printed daily Kompas, the story started from August 7, 2009 at 20.30 WIB when Prita went to the emergency room of an international hospital in Alam Sutra, Serpong. She was having a fever for 3 days. Then, had her blood checked and the result was a very low thrombocyt, 27.000 per ul. She was diagnosed as DBD (dengue fever) and need to go for inhouse treatment in the hospital.

The problem lied in the result of the thrombocyt test, it was revised as 181.000 per ul, and the hospital could not produced the test result of the first informed 27.000 per ul. On August 12, Prita left the hospital and went into another hospital. I think the detail is not very important, if Prita accused the first hospital that her treatment there made her suffered and almost lost her sight, it should be proven by the medical record. Yet, she (and her family) agreed to be hospitalized in that hospital was probably on the basic of the low result of her thrombocyt test. They don't have the chance to think of other alternative. I think by spending five days in the hospital, they have shown that they trusted the hospital and their medical team. It turned out that they received only disappointment, in term of medical status, and in the communication with the medical team. Lots of hospital cases was actually made Indonesians prefer to go to the hospitals abroad. It is no use using "international" brand name if the service is not international class.

The story became more complicated as we do not know if the mail used as the evidence of this case is the one posted by Prita herself. She admitted sending a personal letter to her friends via e-mail, but how it ended up in the mail-listers' box was not even clear. A letter shown in detik.com was already edited, but the letter that was discussed in kaskus was still unedited.

As a citizen reporter, I think it is not very important who posted the letter. It is the right of the citizen to know such a bad treatment in an international health service. The important thing is that the letter was written by the person who experienced the hospital treatment. It is urgent that we know what was happening. I also prefer the real letter as it conveys names and position clearly. So I don't need to make a wrong guessing game, and it also helps me to know the real situation. If it is not true, then why don't the hospital write their own version of the story in the comment section? That's how a patient feel after the treatment. It is the task of its customer service to provide service that will make the patient and her family feel the essence of being a customer.

I think I would also feel being cheated if I was told that my test result was very low, and after signing the agreement to be hospitalized I could never assess that result test again. Did the hospital admit that their employee gave wrong information? How would they reacted if it happens to an expatriate or a foreign visitor?

I know that Dengue Fever needs some days before a doctor could really point it out as the reason of illness, but the thrombocyt result is important. Low thrombocyt could need donor. My husband had thrombocyt transfusion when he was having Dengue Fever. Yet, my brothers survived it in the 70s when the treatment is limited to help the body healed itself (they already had blood came in their urine and from the nose, we thought they won't survive it). My cousin was having Dengue without being hospitalized, but still under a doctor's control.

I think Prita and her family had the reason to be upset, and voicing it out as readers' letters or as a blog is nothing to do with disgracing a name of an institution. It should be viewed as a critic, and answered by giving better treatment to other patients. Using the ITE Law as the basic charges for treating a costumer complain is like threatening citizen from speaking out our critic, not only to private institution but also to the government. That is how we, as blogger, see that UU ITE is not really serving the people. May be the intention when composing it is good, but the implementation could be used wrongly and made people afraid to voice out their voices. Yes, the cyber world could bring you into the real prison...even if your cyber letter intended to warn people for a good reason!

Note:
A senior high school student contributed the news about the hospital intention to file a law suit in wikimu last year, see it here. The link in the article came from the readers' letter section in detik.com.

Prita spent quite some time in the prison before her temporary release, so I do think that journalists did not really continue covering the story. Without the cyber world this story won't be existed, but as citizen we will also loose our chance to know the news that we need to know. Without the cyber networking, we don't have the strength to voice out our support.

Other links:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/04/experts-testify-against-prita-ago.html

http://www.kaskus.us/showthread.php?t=1037126

http://web.bisnis.com/senggang/kesehatan/1id18956.html

Menilik Akar, Nusantara Art Exhibition 2009

I went to Pameran Seni Rupa Nusantara 2009 only a day before the closing day. I did not have the chance to join the discussion. Usually I've got my father who will help me with to pick up the boys and look after them, but after his surgery I don't want to bother him too much (I still left the boys for some hours on week-end in my parents' house:)). The school's examination made my schedule tighter than ever...this year I've got three boys to prepare. I'm also going to miss the yearly seminar on environmental issues led by CCF(French Cultural Center) and some other institutions.

The exhibition was really something (read the article from the Jakarta Post here). The most important thing is that artists from all over the country have their chance to exhibit their art work in Galeri Nasional. I love one particular piece, Senandung Alam Pegunungan III. The Dayak girl and her musical instrument, together with all those symbolism on the design of her tattoo, her clothes, and her musical instrument attracted me. I've uploaded it to my picture in Face Book, and a friend from Kalimantan gave me the local name; sampe for the musical instrument, and hudong for the mask. Using Face Book this way is very useful, we are exchanging news and knowledge easier and faster. Why should forbidding people from using Face Book if we viewed it through the positive way?

I was also smiling when seeing a chess board with a little girl on it. This little girl is trying to pick up some lollies. The candy's wrapped by pictures of political party. Which one to choose? Will it taste as sweet as the promise it gives on the wrap? I've got to crop it for my Face Book photos (hoping that the artist won't mind that)...the cropped version shows the lollies closer...and made my mind wondering if the artist is giving a specific meaning by the position of the fingers, but seeing the whole painting is surely how it caught my attention in the first place.

I intend to write about this art exhibition for wikimu, but instead I wrote about Pancasila. The 1st June is the birthday of Pancasila. A friend was sending me an invitation to come to an event prepared in Fatmawati's house. Surely I couldn't go...freedom to go and and join all the activities that I love is not mine now...I've got lots of responsibilities so I've got only freedom to choose priorities.

Following my wandering mind, I wrote about Pancasila for wikimu.com but using the image of Super P-Boy (Super Pancasila Boy) that I found in Pameran Seni Rupa Nusantara 2009. The picture was chosen as the icon of "Menilik Akar" (main theme of the exhibition), and it does fit in the article. Seeking for the root also means that we are talking about a tree. If we are going to keep the growth of the Nusantara tree, then it is surely on boys and girls, the adult of the future. Then, we've got to remind ourselves about how important education is. And to remind ourselves about those who are responsible to ensure the education...ourselves!

Actually I've found a lot of interesting art pieces in this exhibition. And as I was there after my monthly visit to the National Museum, I became more interested in those who convey symbols. That's how the statue Tameng Bhuwana also came into my face book's pictures. I am wondering about the symbol it conveys. A few minutes before facing this statue, I was walking in the new ethnic room in Museum Nasional and found stories about Garuda and the fight for the holy water and some other symbols in Balinese art. So, I was curious about the special meaning of this statue, I found some information here. It tells about the guardian of the earth (bhuwana). Bhuwana agung (the environment) and Bhuwana alit (human being) should always in harmony. The weapon "Dewata Nawa Sanga" representing the Gods who guard each cardinal and intermediate directions.

The Dayak girl and the Super P Boy came from artists resided in Kalimantan, while the Tameng Bhuwana created by a lecturer from ISI Denpasar (Bali). I hope the internet will help talented artist to develop themselves without the need to migrate into big cities (especially not only to the capital city)...

Note: photos will be uploaded later.

The Victim of the System?

I know that being in the governmental circle is difficult to keep being clean and idealistic. And so does being a president. It should be taken as a sacrifice to the country to learn how to keep one's self doing their responsibility to the country and to the fellow countrymen without changing idealism...as it would be a very hard task!

Today I was greeted by the morning printed Kompas with its headline about the death of the former South Korean President, Roh Mo-hyun. It is something shocking as he was committed suicidal jump. Going to the online edition of Kompas I can read that Indonesian people is respecting him as this action show that he was really ashamed of the corruption he was accused of, and hoping that Indonesian officials can learn their lesson from him.

I don't know much about the late Roh Mo-hyun, but it is essential that whoever came into the political power, even as a legislative, remember that they should serve the people and be careful that they won't be the victim of the system. Money, power, and respect are the aspects that trigger people into temptation. Yet, they sometimes forget that gaining respect through money and power wouldn't last long...The saddest thing is when we can't make peace within our own heart...

Additional note (May 25, 2009): I've read this piece from OMNI, reciting the similar story from France, the suicide of the ex PM Beregovoy. I've noted this word from the citizen reporter "Suspecting him of corrupt behaviour was denying the man's core value, which proved fatal. Later investigations would find Beregovoy clean of any wrongdoings."

He then continues:

At his funeral, Francois Mitterrand, the president of France, gave one of his most powerful and personal speeches as tribute to his lost friend and lifetime political companion, and as warning to the dangerous path France was taking:

"No reason in this world can justify that the honor of a man and ultimately his life were thrown to dogs. His accusers have failed two fundamental laws of our Republic: to protect the dignity and liberty of each and every one of us."

By "dogs," Mitterrand meant the media. I remember watching him saying those harsh words with a voice shaking with emotion. Was Mitterrand overreacting? As a young student interested in the political life of my country, I also read critics of the President, arguing for the media's duty to uncover untold stories. I wasn't sure who was right.

I think as long as the media keep itself being objective, then the investigative story won't be leading into a false accusation. Citizen should also learn to judge news critically. Citizen journalism in this part is a way to share opinion, to give another way of seeing things, and to help the media to see another perspective from the citizen.

Learning More about Citizen Journalism

Hectic schedule made me a bit frustrated on providing time to write. I've still contributed some pictures but yet some other plans are kept in my mind...

I'm happy that a journalist based media worker had given me some questions on two articles I wrote for wikimu. She is doing her research for her master degree in journalism and was interested in analyzing those two articles. I'm happy because that way I can see which type of writing that took the interest of readers. Actually it would be nice to be able to know which type of article is interesting for common readers, and which one is interesting for those journalists. She promised me to send the soft copy of her thesis. At least I can see how interactive the article for her, and how did she grab my answers for her questions.

I've been watching how the media reacted to citizen journalism. I've also experienced how some media tried to use citizen journalism but only for their own sake. I'm not going to say which media are they. From the positive token, I think the Jakarta Post is an example from the media who used citizen journalism as a good interactive communication with its readers. An example of their balance reporting on opinion can also be seen in the articles about the annual memory of May Riot. After publishing an opinion writing that the writers have not forgotten it, which I paste in my previous posting, it was also published another opinion in a routine column of its Sunday edition.

Our national celebration of amnesia

Sun, 05/17/2009 1:36 PM | On the Town

As a scrawny high school kid in my red-checkered uniform with my black solidarity arm-band, I witnessed history in 1998. The euphoria of people-power was thick in the air of Jakarta.

We demanded reform, and we demanded the smiling tyrant be toppled from his 32-year reign. May 12 was a day of chaos. The streets of Jakarta were a battle ground. People screamed and threw rocks, while others looted everything from television sets to mattresses' and shampoo.

As the protest and mayhem escalated, the demand for Soeharto to step down reign was finally met. He announced his resignation with a big grin. The look was insulting: it was as though he believed he had done nothing wrong.

The old man proclaimed "ora pate'an", a Javanese phrase which means "nothing to lose" (whether he was president or not). Millions cheered in victory, but the damage was already done.

Contrary to Soeharto's claims, much was lost. Lives were lost. Buildings and businesses were destroyed. And my sisters were never the same after being violently raped.

Following the turmoil, blame games and cover-ups were thrown about on our television screens. The words "provocateurs" and "anarchy" suddenly became popular. Claims the mass action was provoked by a treacherous group connected to military generals was the word on the street.

Change, you ask? Reform became just another word in our history books. Certain parties reaped benefits from the revolution, while the majority of Indonesians gained nothing.

2009; eleven years later, some of the student activists who demanded reform have now joined the comfortable ranks of government, working for the very things they fought against in 1998.

The murders of university students during the protests remain unsolved to this day. Eleven years is a long time to wait for justice. However, it is not long enough for us, the generation that experienced it, to forget.

We were there. Why have we forgotten? Why have we ignored it, as if it never happened? Was it all in vain?

Last August, in celebration of Independence Day, a television station aired a 30 second bumper about national heroes. Along with Tjoet Njak Dien, Diponegoro, and those who fought against the colonialists for independence, was one man who made my heart stop: General Soeharto. Eleven years ago, he was a villain, a mass murderer, a man responsible for chaos. Now he is officially a TV hero. Men who a few years ago were implicated in the death and disappearances of students are now candidates in the presidential race, and they have a significant number of supporters.

Have we forgotten, or have we been conditioned to forget?

I have contacted several people involved in the 1998 riots and asked them to recall the events.

My then boyfriend was a high school student back in 1998. He wasn't an activist, nor was he directly involved in the action. But the atmosphere of the moment encouraged him to get involved in the euphoria.

"My school mates and I went to the University of Indonesia to join in the action, but we weren't taken seriously by the students. On our way back, we passed through an area where we saw a mass of people, got off the bus and joined in," he recalled.

Now he is a business executive. He hardly ever thinks about 1998 and is cynical of terms like "change" and "revolution".

"I think people who experienced 1998 have a reason to be apathetic. We saw that nothing really changed after the reform. Now we just do what we think is best for ourselves. The government will always remain the way it is," he said.

Lisa was also affected by the events of eleven years ago. She had her home looted by bunch of strange men. They broke in and accused her of hiding people in her house that was located near a big university.

"They kept asking *Where are you hiding them?' but I had no idea what they were talking about. We had an young son and we didn't want to fight back."

Now the Indonesian Idol fanatic claims to be disgusted by anything political. "Whenever there is political news or anything confronting on TV, I just change the channel. I don't give a shit. I just want to be a good wife and mother. As long as my family's happy, I'm happy." she said.

The "magic box" and its mind-numbing programs have proven to be an effective yet subtle lobotomizing tool. But can we blame apathy on the media alone? Every year, newspapers print stories related to the events of May 1998. Televisions air bumpers with dramatic musical scores portraying the events. As long as things remain the same, why should we expect people to care? Here in Jakarta, aside from a few political activists demanding justice for murder and rape victims, it is business as usual. Just yesterday, I served a coffee and a croissant to my regular customer, Rika, a senior student at Trisakti - the university where four students were shot dead on May 12, 1998. I asked her if her and her friends were commemorating the tragedy. "Maybe..I don't know. That's way before my time," she said hesitantly.

Oh well, can you really blame them for their apathy? For those of us who still care, families of the victims demanding justice for their losses - people who are still struggling for change you have my respect and support.

Keep loving and keep fighting.

- Kartika Jahja

That is what I do like from a media, the objectivity of seeing one topic. Both articles are against public amnesia, but the way it was presented were different. The second article was also including how the public amnesia could be developed.

Actually these other way of presenting stories made me thinking back into the case of our military action in East Timor and the truth that was seeking by the family of the Australian journalists. I've made a note as a citizen journalist before, and I think we can learn a lot of things if media keep their objectivity open to the public, and also hearing and digging into public opinions as well. And public opinion is actually the content of citizen journalism outlets.

The National Awakening Day

Today, a year after the centennial celebration of the National Awakening Day, we are facing another airplane accident. A military plane crash and killed 98 persons in Madiun (see the Jakarta Post today). The Jakarta Post published the comment of Indonesian Military chief, Gen. Djoko Santoso. He denied the accusation of commercialization of the flight service. While the general pointed out the unpredictable weather, it seems that rumours are gossiping about the lack of spare parts availability. Aren't we the nation who can build our own airplane? Why couldn't we produce our own spare parts?

Forgive and Forget

This one is taken from yesterday's printed JP:

Eleven years after the May riot: We have not forgotten

Maesy Angelina and Ricky Gunawan , JAKARTA | Tue, 05/12/2009 10:08 AM | Opinion

On this day (May 12) eleven years ago, Indonesia witnessed the killing of four Trisakti University students in an incident known ever since as the Trisakti Tragedy. This horrific tragedy was soon followed by an appalling riot.

A national and international audience watched the national tragedy on television, but the terror was much closer to Indonesian hearts. The killing triggered nationwide protests, which eventually forced Soeharto to step down from his 32-year dictatorial rule.

As Indonesians of Chinese descent that lived in a Chinese neighbourhood, we witnessed our parents and neighbours attempt to defend us by raising barricades around the complex as we felt the panic rising as the riots moved closer to our area. The fear was not just that our houses would be raided and scorched, but that Chinese women and girls would be brutally raped and that the men would be violently attacked.

The phone rang constantly – either from relatives asking whether we are safe or from neighbours warning that the rioters were nearing. We were lucky though, as the closest riot took place a few hundred meters away from where we lived. However, not all Indonesian Chinese citizens were that lucky.

Many people disappeared. Hundreds of houses and commercial buildings were burnt down and thousands of people lost their livelihoods. Worse, it has been estimated that thousands of people were killed during the three-day riot.

Hundreds of women were victims of extreme sexual violence. Those who were not directly affected suffered vicarious trauma and many fled Indonesia.

It took a while for the government to respond. It commissioned a fact finding team, which released its report in October 1998. The report acknowledged that the above atrocity took place, that a majority of victims were Chinese Indonesians and that the number of victims was not verifiable.

Both of us were teenagers back then, yet the tragedy has remained with us and to a certain degree influenced the paths we chose in our lives. Now that we are young adults who understand what human rights are, we want to ensure justice is served. We want the state provide reparations for the victims and see the perpetrators dealt with. Unfortunately, this has not happened yet.

Only two of the eight recommendations presented by the fact finding team have been addressed by the state. The ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Convention against Torture, as well as the passing of victims and witness protection law and the subsequent establishment of the agency are indeed progressive steps.

The support for the formation of the National Commission on Violence against Women is also appreciated. Even so, these things did not directly address the tragedy itself.

Direct recommendations, including a commission for the further investigation of the incident and the establishment of a database for victims have not been properly followed-up. Moreover, the two most crucial recommendations of prosecuting alleged perpetrators and providing remedy for victims have been blatantly ignored.

Some of the alleged perpetrators have been named in the report yet none of them have been effectively brought to the court. This clearly signifies the absence of the state’s good will to resolve human rights violations. If the state fails to comply with its obligations, it is crucial for society to take action.

While civil society has tirelessly urged the state to fulfil its obligations, it is essential public amnesia of the tragedy is actively prevented. Campaigns against amnesia on the issue are of the utmost importance. The fact that alleged perpetrators even gained significant support
in this year’s legislative election show that the public is either uninformed or does not care enough to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

Initiatives such as the annual candlelight vigils or the weekly Silent Thursday (Kamisan), which are relentlessly attended by the families of the victims, are good examples of what have been done. But more importantly, advocacy for the inclusion of the May 1998 tragedy into the national educational curriculum is urgently needed to raise the awareness among younger generations.

We hope that voters do not to vote for alleged perpetrators who are running in the forthcoming presidential election. Casting your vote for such candidates would send a message to the state that the public does not consider the trial of alleged human rights violators important. Aside from condoning impunity, this also poses the threat of having human rights violation reoccurring in the future.

We consider this piece not mere opinion, but a principal message worthy of being spread by any means possible to as many people as possible. Those who survived, witnessed and remember the tragedy bear the responsibility to say never again – or nunca mas, as the Argentinians say.

We shall not forget, we shall not forgive — until justice is achieved.


Maesy Angelina is a feminist, youth activist and development worker.
Ricky Gunawan is a human rights activist and has an interest in the issues of civil and political rights.

Perhaps the only fact that I can add is that I am a nationalist, and hopefully will always be...yet that tragedy made me thinking so hard about where I stand, who am I, and it did shake me...

It would be easier to forgive those intellectual actors behind that tragedy than forgetting their sins, but the wound won't be healed in a short period of time...so forgetting this won't be an easy task...even after forgiving (whom to forgive????)

Actually I am speechless...

After the opening of the new Ayodya Park (ex Pasar Bunga Barito), I've no chance to visit it yet. I've seen the picture in wikimu, and today I've read this in the Jakarta Post:

City should involve stakeholders in managing Ayodya Park: Councilor

Triwik Kurniasari , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 05/13/2009 5:59 PM | Jakarta

A councilor of the City Administration suggested the city involve private stakeholders in the upkeep of Ayodya Park in South Jakarta, which was costing the adminstration around Rp 60 million per month in maintenance.

"The administration should go hand-in-hand with stakeholders to maintain the park. It will be hard for the administration to manage it by itself due to high maintenance costs," said Sayogo Hendrosubroto, head of Commission D overseeing city development, on Wednesday.

"Most of the upkeep expenses went toward water and electricity," he said, after visiting the park on Tuesday.

The 7,500-square-meter Ayodya Park was officially reopened to public on March 15.

The restoration project was part of the city's program to restore green areas in the capital, which have been decreasing over last few decades due to a massive increase in land development.

So, after relocating those longterm private stakeholders (the flower vendors, and the fish vendors), now the government are going to invite another private stakeholders...we'll see what are they going to do...

After rejecting the community development proposed by those vendors, now they are complaining for the high expense...Didn't they have planning? Did they have a financial projection before sending those old private stakeholders out of that park?

I Missed the World Press Freedom Day

I missed the chance to write for the Bloggers Unite on the World Press Freedom Day. Last week I've had a bad experience with my household helper. She broke into my locked drawer. I fired her just when I was mostly in the need for an assistant's aid.

I managed to write the second article of deFACEment, an article about how I viewed the exhibition. I did not have time to work on the third...something that would need interview with Teguh Ostenrik as the artist.

I had to miss the excellent chance to share a report on an international seminar "Permacity". I'd really love to go and listen to the speakers, yet I had no luck this time...(Strange, why my luck seemed to diminish every time it is something on architecture and the city?!)

I had a chat with a friend about education on the day of our National Education Day. Making it simple, a kind of a diary style writing, I wrote an article for wikimu.com...just to share some thought on education in Indonesia.

Then, struggling through time schedule I managed to come to the discussion forum hosted by the Minister of Research and Technology in Serpong. A neighbour for me, but an unknown neighbour... Actually I was more curious about the safety of the small (?) nuclear research of BATAN than the existance of Puspiptek itself. Yet, I found out that Puspiptek has a small forest of Indonesian plants, including those plants that became our incoming devisa. The fresh air, the green of the trees, and the birds' songs were all welcoming me. It seems like a nice oasis hidden in the middle of the hectic and jammed street between BSD to Bogor. I wrote an article titled "Dari Nyanyian Menristek Hingga ke Simfoni Inovasi" sharing my short time in that event.

Living in the real world make it difficult for me to keep my promise for the Bloggers Unite on the World Press Freedom Day. Actually I would like to prepare an article to share the day with other bloggers. I've even prepare the introduction in my previous entry about quality journalism. I was also lcuky to meet Mr. (pak) Wardiman Djojonegoro, an ex Minister of Education when I was waiting to have my eyes checked in Aini Hospital. I knew him, greeted him, and we talked about citizen journalism. Actually I would like to mixed the content of my conversation with him, and the previous conversation with Mr. (pak) Jakob Oetama, the Chief Executive of Kompas Gramedia group (also one of Kompas founders) when I've got the chance to aked his opinion about citizen journalism in the Indonesia Japan Expo 2008.

Those two men were a bit skeptic about citizen journalism. Pak Wardiman stressed out that the citizen voice would be better to go through the NGO. Both men were questioning the filter for news coming from the citizen. Sometimes I was also afraid of this aspect, but I think by making it open then we are learning to share ideas and to show how news are grabbed by citizen's mind. The commentators are the filters. That is why we do need the comments from real experts, or directly from the concerned party. It is nice to see that our Navy responded very quick when a citizen uploaded her question on a picture she saw in the Tanjung Nusanive-973, one of our Navy's ships. An article from the captain of the Nusanive ship expressing their gratitude for being appreciated by the community of wikimu is also the first article uploaded after the trip to the ship on Sunday. I think it showed that our Navy is also modernized (even if their ships are old...) and open to the citizens.

Yes, that Sunday I missed two important events...one is the family gathering of our Church small community "Lingkungan St. Ignatius", then the World Press Freedom Day. But for the press freedom, I think we do not really need only a particular day to talk about it. We can do it every day, every time we need to warn others about the important support we can give for the freedom of the press. This one special day, May 3rd, is only to highlight how we all share our attentions to the freedom of press.

Note: my token from the trip to the KRI Tanjung Nusanive 973 and KRI Teluk Langsa was written in admiration to the Navy for their hospitality to us as a community of citizen reporters (or may be bloggers and family?) in "Kapal Perang, Hari Kebebasan Pers, dan Generasi Muda" (War ships, World Freedom Day, and the young generation). We can't really predict what would the citizen write. So giving us the chance to visit and uploading our comments in our articles meaning that they also give us freedom in the world freedom day. Hopefully in the war zone, they will also respected the professional journalists who tried to cover the news. Yet, deep down my heart, I'd be more appreciate the world without any war.

Additional note: Another article came out from the visit "Para Seniman di KRI Tanjung Nusanive 973" sharing about the artistic activity during the visit.

Our visit and articles became more meaningful after the accident of C-130 Hercules. The Hercules' crash made the journal paid attention to the weapon system's main instrument (alutsista). As citizens we've witness the Navy's weapon system's main instrument, we've voiced out our concern about it. We acknowledge how important for us a country of more than 17,000 islands to have a proper and renewed alutsista/weapon system's main instrument. We only hope that on planning and executing the plan to renew "alutsista", those who are involved in it would not use it as a way to increase their personal income.

Let's join our candles for hope

I don’t know how to start talking about poverty today. I’d written an article for OMNI on October 2007 Indonesian Speaks Out Against Poverty. One and a half year gone by, but the issue is still the same...economic situation doesn't seem to be better. Poverty is still spreading all over the country. It feels even worse although the number provided by the official data said the contrary. Poverty is one subject that is always in my concern, that is why I’d like to join Bloggers Unite in “Unite for Hunger and Hope”.

An article from Economist.com showed, at the end of the year 2006 the number of officially poor people in Indonesia was increased from the number officially produced in 2005. 4m more people become poorer in a year, not to mention those who were not counted in. It was 18% of the population of 220m. According to the article the numbers will be bigger if there were no cash handouts (BLT). The article also claimed that Indonesia will have more than 80m Indonesians in poor status if the government used the US$ 1 a day as a measurement. The goverment used the measurement below US$ 16.80 a month as the starting point of the poverty status.

That was before the global financial crises came. News uploaded in January 2009 from Rohmatin Bonasir, a journalist from BBC Indonesia, in a compilation of poverty stories, showed a better standing- 15% of the total population as the data of 2008. Yet, the financial aid was already 4 times the aid given in 2004. Bonasir reports are in Bahasa Indonesia but she also showed pictures. Some are in these series: poverty series, poverty 1, poverty 3

What I saw in practice is the huge different life style that we can feel when entering a mall like Grand Indonesia or Senayan City to the real life of most Indonesian people. In those malls we do not really sensing the financial crises. People go out and buy things with high prices, or queue up for discounted prices that were probably still a month salary for an Indonesian teacher in a public school, or even for a middle class private school’s teacher.

Life is difficult for most Indonesians. When poverty is spreading, then the most affected sectors are healthy food intake and education for children. It is sad as healthy food and education are also the way to change their “destiny”. Healthy food is the intake to help the brain and the body function well. Education is the way to improve their talents into creative actions. Children need both health and education to be able to improve their standard of living in their adulthood.

It is not strange that some poor urban kids are having only rice and noodles. Healthy food like eggs and meat are not in their mother’s list anymore. Salted fish and “tempe” (fermented soybean patty) perhaps are the most common healthy food for them. But, there were times when the price of “tempe” and “tahu” (tofu) are also augmented because of the rising soybean’s price.

The price of good education is also soaring up. Then, chances for these children to upgrade themselves become more limited. Usually in this case, girls are the first excluded from the pathway. Indonesian family, who are patriarchal, will prefer schooling for boys than for girls. While actually girls also need good education to be able to continue teaching the younger generation. It was the struggle of R.A. Kartini, Dewi Sartika, two of our women heroines, to provide education for girls. We also need an improvement of education system in Indonesia so that we can give chances youngsters to be ready to run into the workforces even if they do not have enough capability, either in financial or in their interest/capability to study in the university.

Hunger is not always only due to lack of food. There is also hunger for love. For middle class citizens who can still afford healthy food for their children, it is a struggle to provide time for their beloved kids. Sometimes both parents should work, not only from eight to five but also long after those working hours. The problem of traffic can also cause delayed time to spend with their family. The stress of overload of works can also popped out anger at home. Then the hunger of love is taking over the hunger of food. It could also drive children into drugs or other worse possibilities.

I don’t want to venture more into the dark side of the life road. Now I want to share hope. There is also hope. We can see in churches, mosques, or temples the health services provides for those who need cheaper or even free health services. Then there is also the action of being foster parents, giving donation for kids to continue their studies. These days more and more provinces are providing schools for free (at least 9 years free public education). I do hope that the universities will not close their doors to students who are not able to pay the large amount needed to enter their university.

Some people are opening “rumah baca”, a place to read for free, or giving free tutorial for kids either in enhancing their talents or in creating new ability to support their living. We are lucky that there are always existed people who care about others. Hopefully it won’t fade away by global financial crises. Even a small candle can share its light, so we can join together sharing our small lights together to make a brighter light of hope in the world. Whatever small deeds we can do in our nearest environment will add something to the world. Let’s join together and act something…

Looking for a quality journalism?

How to eliminate honest journalism,

Tom Plate , Los Angeles | Sat, 04/25/2009 1:33 PM | Opinion

It seems that quality journalism is becoming more conspicuous than ever by its absence. But the causes are complex.

Sometimes governments are the fault. In Sri Lanka, convulsing in civil war, independent journalists have not been permitted near the fierce zones of conflict between government forces and beleaguered clusters of minority Tamils.

Many are deported. Earlier this month, Jeremy Page, of The Times UK, was kicked out and put on a plane back to England. That was nothing. In January, editor and Sri Lankan government critic Lasantha Wickrematunga penned and published his own fatalistic obituary, writing: "When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me." Three days later, he was murdered, and arrests have been made yet.

Thus, no one has a clear idea of whether Tamil civilians are being held as human body-shields by what is left of the anti-government terrorists among them, or are huddled in fear of possible ethnic cleansing by the government.

No one knows much - except that the crisis is "nothing short of catastrophic," simply says the International Red Cross.

Similarly, journalists were mainly kept away from the recent fighting in Gaza. They were limited, by the Israeli government, to perching, gawking and squinting at the action miles away. It was impossible to confirm whether Gaza's civilians were in greater danger from Israeli guns or from Hamas' Machiavellian tactics that seemed to taunt for Israeli gunfire. Quality journalism could have cleared the issue up. That's what it is for.

Journalism, at its best (which is not always what it is, to be sure), tells the truth about power and tells the truth to power. The practice is decidedly unfashionable in places that cannot handle the truth -or care only about staying in power.

North Korea snatched two American journalists on its border with China, threw them into a Pyongyang hellhole and charged them with espionage in March. Euna Lee and Laura Ling, a former super student of mine at the University of California, Los Angeles, are professional American journalists. If they are working for the CIA, as the North Korean government is suggesting, then I am prepared to state that I am the real James Bond.

In Iran, Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi just got slapped with an eight-year spying sentence. As with the North Korean case, the proceeding was held behind closed doors. An unnamed Iranian judiciary official put it in these words: "Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced Roxana Saberi to eight years for espionage.

She can appeal the sentence." Saberi has two masters' degrees, from Cambridge in England and Northwestern in Chicago. She is a former Miss North Dakota who she made it to the final ten in the 1998 Miss America contest. She reported for the BBC, National Public Radio in America, and Fox News. Not bad, eh?

It should tell us something obvious, in fact, that aggressive journalism is reviled in places like Sri Lanka, North Korea and Iran. What's surprising is that the power doesn't like independent journalism, even in Thailand - even before the latest political chaos.

To be sure, governments aren't the only reason quality journalism is increasingly absent; journalist institutions are themselves contributing to the crisis. They are cutting budgets, firing journalists, eliminating whole sections and in some cases are shutting down entirely.

This is surely the case in the United States, the titular head of journalistic freedom. Even our industry leader, the New York Times, is looking more and more like a Big Three auto company in need of a government bailout. That's not going to happen in the United States of America, of course. It's too bad: If anything should be declared too big and important to fail, it should be the country's leading daily newspaper.

The other day the New York Times was awarded five esteemed Pulitzer Prizes. This was good to see. It remains a tremendous newspaper. So is The Wall Street Journal, even under its new owner, Rupert Murdoch, who may not deserve the oh-so pious bashing he got (from critics like me) when he brought the paper. After all, at least Murdoch understands - and loves - newspapers.

Someone who clearly doesn't is Sam Zell, who engineered a buyout of The Los Angeles Times (and which this year won but one Pulitzer, below its usual) from the Tribune Company. Commented Zell, "I haven't figured how to cash in a Pulitzer." This is a big part of the problem: Newspaper proprietors who fail to understand that quality journalism is priceless. What is the ultimate cost to peoples and societies when the truth is hidden from them?

The writer is former university professor and author of Confessions of an American Media Man, was Editor of the Editorial Pages of The Los Angeles Times (1989-95).

My comments:

According to the article above (taken from the Jakarta Post), there are at least two reasons of the absence of quality journalism: the government and the journalist institutions.

If it is the government who did not give access to journalists, then the citizen can fill in the function...That is how citizen journalism is important.

If it is the journalist institutions who cut down budget, eliminating sections, fired journalists...then we can really be mourning, as there will be no example of how to achieve quality journalism...

Citizen can fill in the gap between government to media, or between journalist to grassroots, but to have quality journalism - just like other professions - journalists need practice and experience.

Being a citizen reporter made me realize how much investment should be done by a journalist institution to build their community, to gather the most fresh but verified information. It is something that would probably difficult for a standing alone citizen reporter.

If the company is cutting budget, then perhaps it is also cutting the chance for its journalist to cover a story within a deep and objective perspective.

Eliminating sections means that some readers are not getting their right of knowledge, as unpopular section will be eliminated...sometimes those are the qualified but unpopular one. I can see through wikimu that it is not the quality of presentation that attract the majority of readers. The title and leading paragraph yes, but that's only one aspect. Sometimes articles that I wrote just to kill time, something that is actually "empty" for me, is more popular than the one I prepared with full attention and research.

Firing journalists, either for the different idealism or for financial reasons, will also degrading the quality of journalism. To be professional, it is important to stay focus in the subject or work we are facing. I can write, but I do need my time to be a mother of three active boys, and to share it with my social life too. I love writing, but I do need to think about the financial consequences that will follow my decision of time table...which one is more important, write as a volunteer citizen reporter or concentrating in a personal business to help the family financially? I know that those professional journalist also has the same amount of time to share with their family or their other social activities, but their prime concentration is in the journalism itself. I think it works for every professions. A doctor should be concentrating in healing his/her patients, and if it comes to citizen journalism then it should be his/her way of communicative approach to the other citizen, either as a doctor (professional) or as a mere citizen. Yet, a proffesional journalist should concentrate on communicative approach toward the readers, and hopefully that is how they also make their living...so they won't need to think of other sources.

Only by enhancing the communication between citizen and the journalism institution (as the representative of the professional journalists) then we can have a better quality of journalism...the one that serves the need of its readers.

Teguh Ostenrik's art exploration: deFACEment (1)

Senior artist Teguh Ostenrik is eccentric, not in his way of dressing or physical performance, but in his bravery into doing something different. His future solo exhibition is going to be performed in the National Archaive Building next week will only be held as a two days exhibition. Something odd for a contemporary art exhibition.

The discussion was already taken place last Saturday, a week prior to the exhibition. Instead of featuring artists or art critics, he invited a marketing expert and an urbanist as the speaker who share views on his work.

I wrote about the discussion for wikimu in "Penjelajahan Seni Teguh Ostenrik: deFACEment (1)"

The glorious tradition shines through the ages

I'm reporting the traditional textile and headdress exhibition which is held in JHCC or used to be Balai Sidang Senayan for wikimu.com (Adi Wastra Nusantara, Kemilau Tekstil dan Perhiasan Nusantara).

Thank You for Reading My Blog

Today I feel the need to join with friends from all over the world who would like to thank our blog readers.

Readers for me are those who are encouraging me to keep writing. As a diary, this blog is actually to keep tracking my mind while doing citizen reporting. So, actually I do not really write this for public. Those who shares the same interest can come by and drop his/her comments...all are welcome, but I'll keep writing even if nobody is visiting. Yet, I've got to admit that having readers is boosting my energy to write. And readers who gave their comments are enriching my thoughts. Readers' comments were also encouraging me to write more into me. As a citizen reporter I am not really keen to write about my self or my family, but as a blogger I sometimes did. Then, incoming comments made me want to write more personal articles. Readers are those who make me wondering, "Should I keep reporting or should I start writing my own personal stories?"

I'm thankful to those who read my articles, either in OhmyNews International (OMNI) or in wikimu.com, who specially come to visit my blog and share comments. Positive comments (including positive criticism) are valuable things that would provoke my mind to think and explore more. It can also help my mind to keep focusing in one topic. My wandering mind is my talent but also my weakness. It is a real talent as I can jump into any topic with ease, that is also helping me in my social life. Yet, it is also my weakness as I am easily distracted from one topic into another one. Details are also something that I usually missed. In this interactive activity I found that readers are enriching, they also gave me in-depth views, they also gave appreciation of my work. That is something that I won't usually find when writing for printed newspaper.

When my article was published in a printed newspaper, usually those who know me will mentioned it, usually in a praising tone. That's all. But, here in my blog I can have direct interactive communication with my readers. I can have criticism, I can have compliment, it depends on the readers' appraisal. Those readers who already know me would probably find another new side of me here, and their comments can also help me seeing the other side of them that I probably did not know before. But, the most fascinating thing is to gain new friends who share the same interest as me...

One of my cyber friend did not want to continue her blog, saying that blogging is wasting her time. Actually as a reader I missed her blog. In her blog she shares her journalism knowledge, and also a little bit of herself. Yet, I'm not a regular reader or visitor to a certain blog. Perhaps wikimu.com is my bigger nest that I regularly visit (sometimes not daily). I'd like to visit other blogs as well but time is my limitation, that is why I like citizen journalism websites like wikimu and OMNI. They are the crossroad of bloggers, places to meet and to hear something in others' pint of views. There are a lot of citizen journalism websites, but until today I can only manage to write for these two websites. I've got to admit that writing for blog and citizen journalism websites is not really encouraging me to write for the printed newspaper. Why? It is simply because of you...readers! These interactive communication with readers is something that lured me more into blogging.

I've got to thank you for sharing your precious time to come by blogwalking here and share your thoughts. I'm also thankful for all the knowledge that you share with me, and would mostly thankful for knowledge that you've shared through your own blog. Your appreciation words are something that help fires my courage to write, to steal time from my real life into this cyber world. Yet, as I admired an Indonesian poet named Chairil Anwar, I knew that my blogs are also my way to live a thousand year...thanks to you!

Please keep reading, keep commenting...
You are welcome to come anytime you've got time...
You can come when you're happy...
You can come when you're feeling blue...
Thank you for trusting me as your cyber friend...

Digging into a special child's talent is building his power to face the world

Menggali Bakat Anak Membangun Kekuatan