Peter Garrett -- Burning the Midnight Oil...

Being the voracious reader of news that I am, I was reading this story about the Federal Education Minister, Mr. Peter Garrett, formerly of Midnight Oil fame and now responsible for leading the revolution in the education of Australia.

Mr. Garrett, or Petey to his friends, is a firm believer in NAPLAN. I am sure if you are Australian or have children involved in the Australian education system you would have heard of the 'dredded' NAPLAN exam. This exam happens in early May every year for Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. The National Assessment Program -- Literacy and Numeracy was, according to Petey, designed to test the curriculum. It is not designed to be an assessment tool of schools or individual teachers. Consequently, this lack of understanding, or simple fear-mongering by individuals and unions, places increased and undue stress on children who must take part in these exams.

So, rather than admit to a flawed NAPLAN idea and a flawed implementation process, Petey blames the teachers. It is not the government's fault that teachers are not up to speed or not capable of getting the job done. The "fact" that teachers can't get the job done, Petey says, is proof positive that there is a need for performance pay and for pre and post-appointment testing of teachers to ensure that they meet a revised higher standard of expected achievement.

Unfortunately, Petey does not seem to understand that the vast majority of teachers in our state's and territories' education systems already exceed those higher expectations. So, perhaps the issue is not one of teacher quality but rather government commitment to the fundamental belief that education is a human right that all people enjoy and one that government must endeavour to divert more funds to. But, I digress...back to NAPLAN.

The reality is that because of the concerns that NAPLAN is a tool that is designed to test schools and individual teachers, as much as it is to test students place on the literacy and numeracy continuum, teachers often feel compelled to "teach to the test". Simply, this means a teacher gets out there collection of past NAPLAN tests and goes through those tests over and over and over and over again and then they do that over and over again in the lead up to NAPLAN.

This is a flawed approach, not because it does not achieve the desired outcome, because it does not provide students with the basic skills to be natural users of the English language. Students are being taught how to complete the test and not how to be life-long learners of English nor how to be competent users of English.

Back to the idea that students are stressed. Well, when it is all said and done we are talking about students and a national exam. If I was still a school student in Year 3, 5, 7 or 9 then it is pretty likely I would be stressed too. No matter what my teacher would have told me about the importance of the exam or what it is allegedly designed to test. So, yeah, students are stressed. However, it is worth adding that the government is the one that links NAPLAN outcomes to the future funding of schools and particular programs and our informed students are aware of what this means and how it may effect and affect their future educations.

Then again, maybe our students of today are facing a range of different pressures from numerous angles and this leads to the increased stress levels in our students and not their teachers knowledge or lack thereof of the NAPLAN test. Let's face it, when mum and dad are going out and spending $20 or more per book and insisting that their children read and complete each and every activity in the book in preparation for sitting the NAPLAN test would seem to be indication enough that mum and dad think the test is pretty important. So, with this being "reinforced" at school, it is of little wonder that some students are going to have increased levels of stress associated with NAPLAN. Why solely blame teachers for this? Scape-goating?

I must add that these are my own personal views and in no way reflect the views of the organisation that I work for.

Anyways, that might be it for February...I promise to try and get in one post per month.

Feel free to comment...I will reply provided it is not some kind of linked advertisement for viagra or the like :)

Populist Politics At Its Worst: Tony Abbott, Foreign Aid, Islamic Schools...

Tony Abbott has shown his true colours while simultaneously showing why he is unfit to be Prime Minister of Australia; he simply does not have Australia's long-term and strategic interests at heart. The man who wants to become the man who makes "shit happen" rather than just talking about when and why "shit happens" has decided that an easy and populist target for cuts to the foreign aid budget is a successful Australian program that helps build and fund Islamic schools in Indonesia.

This racist and xenophobic policy about flip was cased in a need to strengthen Australia's natural disaster relief fund coffers in opposition to the Gillard Labor Government's attempt to introduce a special tax levy to fund the AUD 5 billion in repairs that flooding has caused in Queensland.

To be honest, I would rather not pay the levy. But, also in all honesty, I would rather pay the levy than see an aid program that has Australia's long-term interests and security in the region at its core disbanded because we might have to pay a few extra dollars a week in tax.

The reality is that Australia's involvement in building and providing ongoing support and funding for the Islamic schools program in Indonesia is a positive one. These are schools that provide an alternative opportunity and an alternative message to those being offered by the pesantrens of the fundamentalist and radical fringe of Islamic belief populated by the likes of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir (Bashir).

The Abbott proposal is nothing short of a race-based policy that takes money from a program based on the difference of the recipients. It is justified through the use of terminology that makes it sound as if these schools, and the aid program itself, are primary supporters of an Islamist network intent on destroying the Australian way of life. One almost gets the impression that Mr. Abbott is suggesting that there should be some degree of moral outrage on the part of Australians that their tax money is being channeled to those hell bent on destroying us. This is populist rhetoric designed to play to the fears of a select group of Australians.

Unfortunately, the Prime Minister wannabe is misrepresenting the facts and by default the truth. These schools are Islamic schools. They are not Islamist. I would argue that there is a difference, at least in terms of the connotation of the two words. Islamic merely indicates that the underlying belief is Muslim in nature. Whereas, and in contrast, Islamist suggests that these schools are breeding grounds for some sort of fundamental revivalist and ultra-conservative Islamic belief structure that is a "clear and present danger" to our free democratic ideals. Mr. Abbott has chosen his words carefully and to play to the base fears of those receptive to his message.

The withdrawal of Australian aid to these schools is narrow-minded and a step backwards.

Tony Abbott has already proven that he is not the man Australia needs with his finger on the button when the shit really does happen.

Peace.

"Reform Unplugged"

A shout out to Treespotter who has made a post already using this title. I have been toying with the idea of writing a piece on how the events in Egypt over the [almost] past three weeks is perhaps a lesson that Indonesians could heed, some Indonesians more than others. Conversely, the reform that Egyptians so overwhelmingly crave could do with a shot of reality, particularly regarding the pace of managed or guided reforms. A managed reformasi process is something that all Indonesians are all too familiar with. On that note, anyone looking for an interesting read on the similarities, head over to Jakartass.

The other reason for the 'unplugged' title is that I have been chilling out to a couple of unplugged albums; Bob Dylan and Neil Young. And, the lack of creativity that I have suggested that something 'unplugged' would make a good blog post.

Hosni Mubarak was a tyrant, a dictator, that has supposedly amassed a fortune somewhere in the vicinity of USD 40 to USD 70 billion over the course of almost 30 years of power. He has done this at the expense of his people. It is little wonder that critical mass was reached and protests began. I have always wondered why tyrants and dictators never come to realise that if they shared just a little they would always get a few more years at the helm. To be honest, all these people could have used a few pep sessions with Singapore's elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew on how to properly stage manage democracy, or at least the semblances of it.

But, I digress.

The reality for most Egyptians, as it was for most Indonesians in 1998, is where to next? The King is dead, sort of. He will move, most probably out of Egypt and retire with his ill-gotten billions. Some will be returned as a small gesture. But, for those ordinary Egyptians struggling on, or below, the poverty line the cold, hard reality is that change or reform will be slow. If Egyptians want to get a good idea of what not to do, at least with respect to pace, then they should look to Indonesia. In the more than twelve years since Soeharto stepped aside after violent street protests and handing the reins of power to his deputy, much has changed and much has stayed the same.

The positives are that Indonesians enjoy greater freedoms of sorts, and except if you are an Ahmadi [minority rights, not!], including the freedoms of speech and expression. Indonesians have enjoyed an opening of the political process to a degree and experienced, by most accounts, a free and fair presidential election. Sadly, this has seen a succession of presidents elected who have been unable to deliver on the promise of the 1998 protest movement.

Gus Dur, despite his good and honourable intentions was a populist at heart who did not really have the heart to make the tough decisions. Megawati, well, "nuff" said. And, the incumbent, SBY. So much promise and so little progress. To Egypt, SBY shows how hard it is to remove entrenched special interests and how those interests continue to hold sway over how Indonesia's new-found democracy operates.

Unfortunately, the coming of democracy has  not seen a reduction in corruption levels or any significant improvement in the bureaucracy that channels that corruption. There is nothing like statistics to hide poverty or the careful manipulation of numbers to lower the threshold in order to hide those living on less than USD 2 per day. What Egypt has to look forward to is entrenched interests who pull their collective heads in in the after math of the killing of the king and biding their time.

For all the steps forward that Indonesia took in the post-1998 period with the establishment of a corruption eradication commission and the pursuit of those special interests it was only a matter of time before the special interests fought back. It appears a compliant [and complicit] president was the only trigger needed to convince those special interests that the ball was in their court.

Egypt does not want reform. Egypt needs complete and fundamental changes to the way the business of democracy is done. Ordinary Egyptians do not want to leave this important business to those schooled in the ways of the old master, Mubarak. Let Indonesians tell you how that turns out. The reality that Indonesians now understand is that letting those schooled in the ways of the previous master means that the practices remain entrenched and the mechanisms and skills required are absent for real change to occur. Skip a generation, the protests were led by the youth let the young leaders of the movement assume control over its ultimate destiny.

Maybe, there is a lesson for SBY in the protests that have rocked Egypt to its core. Listen to your people, listen to their aspirations, after all they are the ones that elected you and they are the ones that you work for. A presidency of unrealised promise might be just the right trigger for a renewed push to "reformasi -- part two".

I guess the reason reform works so slowly, or not at all, is that there is no clear separation from the past. Perhaps the French realised this and that is why the opted for a revolution.

Yes, it is a messy post. But, it is really just a rambling rant ;)

Image courtesy of Dave Granlund.

Bank Century, Bailouts, Quorum, and Libel: Need or Diversion?

No apologies on the long-winded nature of this post. Some will find it interesting and some will be bored to snores.

The Bank Century issue is one that has lingered and lingered, and will seemingly linger some more. It is an interesting political issue in the sense that so many are staking so much on "the case" being resolved. However, the issue, at least for some, for a long time, has been whether or not there is in fact a case to be resolved.

The previous hearings on the "scandal" presumably saw most, if not all, of the pertinent information revealed and placed onto the record. However, it would seem that Golkar, under the auspices of the one and only Aburizal Bakrie, alleged artful tax-dodger, that there is more to the Bank Century scandal than meets the eye. Therefore, Golkar is pushing hard for a full-scale inquisition to re-ignite the Bank Century case in the public arena. The cynics among us will surely not miss that Bank Century will serve as an excellent foil for the immediate aftermath of the Gayus debacle which would have seen some focus return to the Bakrie family and their business accounting practices. A diversion? To each their own.

The question then becomes: "Is there a need for the Bank Century matter to be replayed and re-tried in the court of public opinion through a long and drawn out parliamentary process?" On information currently available and the information that wended its way into the public domain the last time around, the answer is no. Any further inquisition is a waste of time and tax-payers money. Yet, perhaps another round of Bank Century frivolity can put this case to rest once and for all.

A point that must not go unnoticed is that the case has ramifications for the 2014 presidential elections. So, in no uncertain terms much of the desire to keep the Bank Century scandal running is nothing more than cynical political electioneering and an attempt to remove possible challenges to the status quo. Here is a scenario that not a lot of people are talking about yet, but they will.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the former Finance Minister and current Managing Director of the World Bank Group will undoubtedly be a target of Golkar in its inquisition. The reason is that Aburizal Bakrie has an axe to grind and she is perceived as a threat to him and his political aspirations. Indrawati has the added value of being perceived as "clean". Clean in no other sense of the word than free of the taint of corruption. The point of the Bank Century scandal is a cynical effort to taint her with the stench of corruption that has and continues to permeate to the core of Indonesian politics.

Aburizal Bakrie wants to be president and Indrawati has the credentials to stand in his way. In fact, there are many who believe that she would make a good president of the Republic of Indonesia herself.

But, Indrawati aside, there are others who can be tainted by the brush of corruption and as such "tarred and feathered" in the public eye. These include the son, Edhie Baskoro, of the current president, SBY. There has been an equal amount of 2014 presidential election talk that the democratic party are looking at cementing the Yudhoyono family political dynasty by either anointing the First Lady, Ani Yudhoyono, or Edhie as the successor and rightful heir to the big chair, RI-1.

Therefore, the current libel case being played out in the Central Jakarta District Court has much relevance to those aspirations of the Demokrat Party and Edhie Baskoro himself. Edhie along with Djoko Suyanto (Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political, and Security Affairs), Andi Mallarangeng (Minister for Sport), and Hatta Rajasa (Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs), have launched a libel action against Mustar Bonaventura and Ferdy Simawun.

Bonaventura and Simawun are from a group called Bendera (Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat / People's Defense for Democracy) (Benteng is a fort and it is used here in the Alamo sense of being the last holdout against the invaders that are all around them. Bendera is also the Indonesia word for Flag). The group is oft described as being an ultranationalist youth group whose first real moments in the public eye came with calls to destroy Malaysia.

Bonaventura and Simawun were at the forefront of claims that Edhie and the others were the recipients of almost USD 200 million in kickbacks from the Bank Century scandal. Aside from Edhie and the others, the implication was that these kickbacks were used to fund others as well and hence the corrupt monies flowed to SBY and others in his inner circle, thus tainting them all with corruption.

The Demokrat Party and some of the other members of the governing coalition have been quick to point out that they are going to try and thwart any re-opening of the Bank Century scandal. However, there are a couple of "problems" on that front. The Constitutional Court recently lowered the numbers necessary for parliamentary quorum to be achieved in order to trigger debate from 3/4 to 2/3. In simple terms, the 26% of the seats that the Demokrat Party held in the House are no longer sufficient to ward of any public pronouncements by the parliament on issues that the Demokrats find striking a little close to home.

Nevertheless, if Golkar was dead set keen to tarnish the reputations of as many political opponents as they can, then they should be channeling much of their attention to the Central Jakarta District Court in support of Banventura and Simawun. They could conceivably be doing this out of the public eye.

The first trial hearing in the libel case was a mess. It was a mess because Bonaventura and Simawun refused to enter the court until their supporters were allowed to be seated in the court for the hearing. For some reason this was permitted. Chaos was almost certain to follow. When Bonaventura and Simawun were finally brought to court and seated for the opening salvos, it was not long before the proceedings degenerated into shouting matches between supporters and witnesses with judges trying to keep order. In the end, the judges ordered the chamber cleared of Bendera supporters, at which point Bonaventura and Simawun left the building with their lawyers in toe. They left because of the inherent unfairness with which their supporters were being treated.

Seriously though, I have no problem with supporters being present, but there are rules and etiquette to be observed in a courtroom whether you like it or not. One of those rules is that there is to be civility, which means that the judges were well within the bounds of fairness to remove unruly supporters.

Nevertheless, unruly supporters aside, the case is an excellent opportunity to put on the public record all and sundry with respect to evidence of the corruption linked to the Bank Century case. In that sense, like it or not, the Bank Century scandal is not done and any dirty laundry, if it exists, can certainly be aired in a libel case like this one.

The reality for Bonaventura and Simawun is that merely getting Edhie and his cohorts up on the stand and asking them whether or not they took the kickbacks is not going to "cut the mustard". The only way that the defense will corner any of these men into confessions is to overwhelm them with the truth of the allegations that have led to the libel petition being filed in the first place. This was evident in the short proceedings of Thursday when Suyanto sat in the witness chair.

Saor Siagian for the defense asked Suyanto whether or not he had received Bank Century funds. Suyanto's simple response was he was not involved in the case. The only way that Siagian can resolve this good ol' Mexican standoff is to have a little more ammunition left in the gun. There needs to be a magic bullet that ties all these claims together and proves that kickbacks were paid. If not, then Siagian has a hard road to hoe that is going to end up with his clients being found to have committed the offense as claimed.

And, this is where Golkar and other Bank Century conspiracy theorists can help Bonaventura and Simawun. Simply, if they have anything like hard evidence as opposed to hearsay, innuendo and the odd creative thought process, then now would be the time to put it out there.

But, getting back to where we started; a need or a diversion? You be the judge!

Bono: Shrewd Investor?

I have always been a U2 fan.

I have always been a fan of Bono. I might not always agree with his politics or his methods, but I do admire his commitment to the causes that he embraces. And, I appreciate that he uses his fame in ways that brings attention to those causes.

As it turns out, Bono has also proved to be a shrewd investor. It turns out that a small £132 million investment in Facebook has blossomed to be worth some £485 million in a short space of time. Much of this increase can be attributed to the recent Goldman Sachs investment in Facebook. The Goldman Sachs investment has meant that the 1.5% of Facebook that Bono owns has more than tripled in value.

So, if the founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, ever does take the global juggernaut of social media networking public through an IPO, then it is fair to say that Bono is sitting on the veritable goldmine. This is a good thing for the causes and charities that he believes in and supports as they are most likely to benefit from increased levels of funding finding its way to initiatives that they are undertaking.

Yeah, it would seem that Bono is a shrewd investor!

Is The Fight Against RIM More Than Just Porn?

The Jakarta Globe is reporting that the Minister for [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information, Tifatul Sembiring (or as I prefer to call him, "TitS") has moved his anti-RIM and anti-BlackBerry fight to an argument that is "more than just about porn". And, he is telling the truth.

The Minister's campaign against RIM is about beating RIM into submission. It is all about control. TitS problem with RIM is that he cannot control it. The fact that he cannot control RIM or how people use their BlackBerry Smartphones is a threat. In the TitS world this is a threat against the unity of the Republic, it is a threat to the political and corporate elite that "run" the show in Indonesia in part to the ability to control the president and organise SBY's agenda. The TitS view is that social networking and the internet are threats to the controlled democracy that Indonesia currently enjoys.

A TitS reality is that if he does not control upstart foreign infidels like RIM then there will be significant repercussions for Indonesia that are not natural disasters (currently linked to viewing too much porn) such as a people-centered democracy as opposed to a political and business elite-centered democracy where the rich get ever so much richer and the rest can do whatever they want so long as it is not social networking.

If you want to see how much of a threat the social networking phenomenon is to Indonesia in the eyes of the National Security Council (Dewan Ketahanan Nasional / Wantannas) then follow this link (unfortunately it is in Indonesian). This is a Terms of Reference (TOR) document for meeting held early 2010.

So, the fact that TitS is now playing the nationalism card is not surprising. In fact, it is long overdue. The best way to turn public opinion is to play to one's sense of nationalistic pride and make the foreigners the bad people who are only in Indonesia to rape and pillage in a vein similar to what the Dutch did when they were the colonial masters of the Dutch East Indies universe. It is a standard game of "us" and "them" rhetoric that is designed to deceive Indonesians to give up voluntarily their freedom to access information in a manner that is difficult for the Indonesian authorities to monitor.

The reality is that a legitimate request for information from RIM or to track corruption or terrorist suspects through the RIM servers would more than likely be granted. The need for a RIM server in Indonesia is nothing more than "big brother" wanting to be able to go in without legitimate reasons to track the activities of every day Indonesians going about their business.

The suggestion yesterday that RIM was stealing the wealth of Indonesian citizens because it did not pay taxes or have business investment such as servers in Indonesia is absurd. RIM provides a service you pay for it, and you get what you pay for. RIM is not stealing from ordinary Indonesians. I am all for finding a way that allows Indonesians to benefit from RIM expertise through employment and the like. Perhaps, a start is the service center. But, the threat to shut RIM down is silly.

It would have been fun to watch RIM tell TitS that they were not going to comply; call his bluff. If TitS had the testicular fortitude to shut RIM down then all hell would break loose down Senayan way as all the BlackBerry using politicians and party appartchiks found themselves carrying round a useless piece of technology.

Yes, Minister, this confrontation is about more than just porn. This shakedown is about the sort of freedoms and democracy that Indonesians want to enjoy in the future. It is about whether Indonesians are allowed to utilise the Internet on their own terms and social network freely or submit to your terms of control.

Is the TitS plan the first step along the path to the dark abyss?

Separation of Mosque and State...

One of the fundamental principles that make a democracy is that there needs to be separation between the state and the predominant religion of that state. In the Western context this is referred to as the separation of Church and State. In essence, religion plays no role in the affairs of state. This is sometime problematic as the US has found out with things like the pledge of allegiance and the display of the ten commandments at a court house.

In the Indonesian context, perhaps the terminology is the separation of Mosque and State. Indonesia is a democracy but sometimes there is a questionable separation between Mosque and State, particularly in terms of the recent drive to enact religious bylaws that may not be constitutionally valid. However, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has placed the issue firmly back in the spotlight by providing awards to Provincial Governors and District Heads for their efforts to enact and implement Syariah-inspired regional regulations.

The first issue is whether a Ministry that is supposed to represent all religions in Indonesia has acted responsibly in recognising just one of those religions, Islam. Is this indicative of favouritism or discrimination? The reality is that within the Ministry of Religious Affairs each religion is represented by its own directorate. These directorates are responsible for the administration of their own affairs. So, in this regard there is no reason why these directorates could not initiate similar awards. However, the real question is whether the Ministry would back these awards.

The awards in question were for the promotion of Islam through the enactment and implementation of Syariah-inspired regional regulations. On the entirely hypothetical front, if a province was to draft, debate, enact and implement ecclesiastical-inspired regional regulations, would these be recognised by the state and would the Ministry of Religious Affairs be favourable towards an award that recognised these efforts if a recognition initiative came from the relevant directorate? It would seem unlikely.

In the big scheme of things there is nothing wrong with the Ministry of Religious Affairs recognising and rewarding Islam-related achievements provided that these are not recognising initiatives that strip away basic human rights of Indonesian citizens. The reality is that some of those individuals recognised for their efforts to promote Islam have also promoted regional regulations that strip away basic human rights and discriminate against minorities and discriminate against women.

The fact that the Ministry has chosen to recognise Syriah-inspired regional regulations as progress seems to be politically motivated and designed to pander to Islamic political interests rather than the greater interests of the state. If this is the case then there are arguments to be made that the Ministry is crossing that degree of separation that is expected.

Ho hum...

Treespotter: Anonymity and World Domination...

It is interesting to see interviews with anonymous people, particularly bloggers, become newsworthy. The Treespotter is certainly an anonymous blogger that is worthy of an interview of this kind.

I ummmed and ahhhhed about posting this only cause I did not want to seem like I was piggy backing on his fame. Yet, I like the man's work and I enjoy reading his views as he works on his plan of world domination.

Perhaps the "Puff Doggy" avatar by Daniel Peacock has more to do with the laid back plan of world domination than it does with anything else. According to the interview, but I knew this already, the "treespotting" moniker has to do with using trees as land marks or simply just as markers. The idea that a distinctive tree can guide you from place to place as you meander your way through this existence is an excellent one. As human beings we use markers all the time to measure and evaluate our progress.

It is also an apt choice because the Treespotter himself is a marker of sorts to many people. There are at least 13,000 Twitterers who use him as a marker for all things commentary on social, political, economic, technology and media issues.

So, it goes without saying that I subscribe to his blog and Twitter feeds. There is nothing quite like watching the to and fro on Twitter and other places once the Treespotter gets into the game.

The man has an innate ability to pose the real tricky questions, you know, the ones that everyone is thinking about but unsure of where or how to ask it. The man has no obvious fear of putting it out there. Yet, that is what probably attracts people, or "followers", to him. It is the idea that there is someone out there trying to "keep the bastards honest".

I once read a book, although I cannot remember the name of it, but the storyline is one where the world is run by this man who many people know, but nobody knows. To all intents and purposes a regular man with absolute power. I often remember that story line when I think of the Treespotter. I think I would be happy to live in a "treespotting" world.

What Do The Indonesian Cables on Wikileaks Reveal?

Tongue in cheek...

Someone asked me whether I thought the 3000+ diplomatic cables that Wikileaks are leaking on Indonesia will be interesting and worth a read. My answer, Yes!

No matter what is in these cables, they are going to make for interesting reading. This is particularly so for those who consider themselves knowledgeable on all things diplomatic and Indonesia / USA relationship wise. For those that are truly in the know, or those that are on the coal-face of this relationship, or those who are passionate about the study of the Indonesian / US bilateral relationship are likely to be more disappointed than anything else. These are secret and confidential cables. They will include some nice tidbits and probably some comments that will cause offense both at home and abroad, but they are unlikely to be earth shattering.

Yet, it is worth putting a modifier on that. For example, if one of the cables included a statement to the effect that there was evidence that SBY was on the Bakrie payroll, now that would be a pearler. It might not be earth-shattering, let's face it, it would be an easy assumption to make considering the ease with which Bakrie gets "passes" on everything that should tarnish and sink him for ever as a political player. Nevertheless, it would be fun to watch the fallout and the subsequent spin.

So, in light of the question, here are a couple of choice cable exchanges that I would be intrigued to read:

"SBY prefers to sing than to lead!"

Or, "the 2009 election was clearly not fair despite what the Carter Center may have said in its report. Evidence suggests that on the orders of SBY, Partai Demokrat spent huge sums of money to manipulate voting in areas outside of Jakarta!"


Or, "SBY: can't sing, can't dance, can't lead, all round waste of time, effort, and space. Indonesians are holding out to 2014 believing something is better just around the corner!"

Or, "despite public protestations to the contrary, SBY has performed poorly on key election promises relating to corruption and terror."

Or "the recent good results on the elimination of terrorists is really nothing more than elements of the national police and military cleaning house and tidying up some 'loose' ends!"

Or, "The Minister for Communication and Information is publicly an avid anti-porn advocate however he is known to frequent massage parlours that offer a plus plus service. Obviously, the man has an insatiable appetite for the bump and grind considering he has four wives and seven known mistresses!"

Or, more on TitS..."the Minister for Communication and Information's staff have been secretly trying to set up a session with Vicky Vette to determine whether she was serious about her offer to 'pleasure' the Minister. It is widely known that the Minister has a 'thing' for blondes with big breasts. One of his staff members noted that the Minister was a 'TitS man'. Maybe he meant that TitS is the man?"

Or cables along those lines. I could go on and on and on with the possibilities. I am sure that you, if anyone reads this, will have some of your own. So, feel free to share.

Once again, this is tongue in cheek. No 'real' offense is intended.

HIV and Indonesia: Personal Thoughts...

In light of the previous post, I am feeling a little in the ranting and railing mood.

HIV / AIDS is a scourge. It is the scourge of our time. We must dedicate all the resources that are required to ensure that we defeat. The decisions that need to be made are human ones and not political or business ones. The idealist in me believes that what I seek is possible. Yet, I am a realist and that reality is that politics and business will always play a role in how we as a community craft decisions for the greater good. So, it is in that frame that I would advocate increased resources being directed to education.

The simple truth is that if we cannot find a vaccine or a cure in the immediate term for whatever reason, then we have a responsibility to educate our youth, and anyone else who needs it, to ensure that they have the knowledge necessary to protect themselves from infection.

In the Indonesian case, this means that some hard decisions need to be made. Sex education and personal development education must become an integral part of the Indonesian curriculum. This is the case, even if it means standing up and staring down those who oppose such moves. A cold hard reality is that educators and government bureaucracy can no longer bury their collective heads in the sand and pretend that our children are going to abstain from sexual activity, including high-risk sexual activity. Forewarned is forearmed.

This educational process will need to start with educators themselves. Educators need to have the requisite content knowledge if they are going to successfully transfer that knowledge to students. Once there is a "core" of trained professionals, then these people can go out and educate others and our children. The process has to be uniform.

It is my sincere hope that I am uniformed on this matter. It is also my sincere hope that UNAIDS and the National AIDS Commission of Indonesia in association with a wide array of funders already have these programs in place and running.

There is a definite need for leadership on this front. Hopefully, the government of Indonesia can step up and take the lead.

A Referendum To Recognise Indigenous Australians...

In a lot of ways it is pretty sad that Australia is about to embark on a process that might culminate in the long overdue recognition of our first peoples in the Constitution. Yet, perhaps it is a case of better late than never. Nevertheless, referendums are notoriously difficult to get done. In fact, since federation, Australia has only managed to pass eight out of forty-four.

The referendum reality is that to be successful there is a need for a majority of votes throughout the country and a majority of states to mark the YES box.

There is no doubt that our indigenous brothers and sisters hold a very unique place in our collective history as a nation. The Prime Minister does not really need to tell us that. In any event, it would seem that the governmental bureaucratic answer to formulating a referendum question needs an expert panel. This is a sure-fire way to either kill an idea altogether or produce a question that does not reach the outcome that started the process in the first place.

Hopefully, Ms. Gillard has her finger on the pulse and is right when she claims that there is bipartisan support for the move to get a referendum passed on recognising indigenous Australians.

It is expected that the 'expert' panel will do the consultation thing throughout 2011 and report back to parliament by the end of 2011. It will be interesting to see whether the government goes to a vote on the referendum as a stand-alone exercise or wait till the next federal election and provide an additional piece of paper for people to fill in when they are in the ballot box. On a personal note, a separate ballot would work for me as this would translate to an extra day's worth of income.

I am hopeful that if as a nation we can vote to give our indigenous brothers and sisters the right to vote as we did back in 1967, then we can surely get ourselves sufficiently organised to make it possible to recognise that the first peoples of our great nation were not the convicts and their masters that wended their way here in 1788.

Presidential Tears...

It must be said, there is nothing wrong with men shedding a few tears. It is not a sign of weakness. However, when a man sheds contrived tears over the granting of public land to poor farmers, which was stolen from them in the past by a previous government, then one has to wonder whether this is another poor attempt to direct attention away from the mounting failures of a president that has lost his way on the things that truly matter.

Now, don't get me wrong. Giving this land to poor farmers is a big thing. It is a big moment for the farmers and their families. They now might have a shot at some degree of self-sufficiency and make a life for themselves and their communities that they might not otherwise have had. Yet, in the big scheme of things, what is more telling are the tears that SBY does not shed.

The president has not shed tears over the stitching-up of two honourable men at the KPK. The case against Bibit and Chandra has been shown to be a fabrication yet the courts and the prosecutors have failed to end the charade. The president, by association, is guilty of not involving himself in this matter. It is a matter of state and he is the head of state. It is a matter of state because how this case plays out has a direct impact on the world's view of justice and law enforcement in Indonesia. The case potentially impacts upon all Indonesians. As president, it is SBY's responsibility to be pro-active.

The president has not shed tears in the Munir case or for Munir's widow or children. After promising that justice would be done and the perpetrators brought to justice, the case remains, to all intents and purposes, open as those that committed this political assassination remain free.

The president has not shed any tears for the victims of the mud extrusion in Sidoarjo. In fact, the president still seems to want to appease the devil in that instance. So, Mr. President, how about a tear or two for those Sidoarjo victims with no home, no income, and very little hope? How about a tear or two for the children who  no longer go to school because their school no longer exists or is in a state of disrepair, or those children with no school uniforms. Isn't education free through primary school and up to class 3 of junior high in Indonesia?

Yes, Mr. President, there are things worthy of tears besides the contrived little show of earlier today.

So, is it important that poor farmers get the land back that has been stolen off them over the centuries, yes! Did the founding fathers' envisage an Indonesia that was prosperous for all, they did. But, Mr. President, this was not premised solely on the redistribution of land, this was premised on a 'fair go' for all. It was premised on the belief that all men and women were equal, it was premised on a belief that all men and women would be free from the scourge of corruption, it was premised on the belief that all men and women would be free from political violence, it was premised on so many other things.

Mr. President, please shed some tears for the things you have not delivered on as you promised.

Taco Bell Supporting the Regulation of Marijuana...

There are obvious reasons for Taco Bell to be supporting Proposition 19 otherwise known as the Regulate, Control And Tax Cannabis Act (2010). This proposition is on the 2 November 2010 ballot in the California election in the good ol' US of A. The proposition itself in effect legalises marijuana related activities and allows local governments to impose fees and taxes on those activities.

Now, Taco Bell is a Mexican fast food joint as a I recall. I have eaten there on the odd occasion. However, the place has a reputation for being a bit of a late night munchies joint. So, after a few beers, it becomes that perfect late night stop off point to feed those munchies cravings on the way home.

Therefore, it would make sense for Taco Bell to be supporting Proposition 19. Simply, it makes good business sense. Imagine what it could do for the bottom line!

As to the photo. I am not convinced that this is not someone with a sense of humour who has photo-shopped the original image. But, whatever the case, it is still pretty amusing. I would not have thought of doing it myself. Oh, by the way, this post is making no statement in support either way of the legitimacy of arguments for and against Proposition 19.

But, if it was, then it might consider why we as communities permit certain harmful products to be legal and other less or equally harmful products we go all out to prohibit and criminalise. For example, alcohol and tobacco have, and continue to do so, done incredible amounts of damage to our health and the fabric of our communities but they remain legal...go figure!

Once again, thanks to buzzfeed for the image.

Meg Whitman, Press Secretaries, Twitter, and an Oops Moment...

I am not sure what the YouTube video below has to do with an endorsement from the San Diego County Deputy Sheriffs' Association other than the fact that Meg Whitman's Press Secretary inadvertently left out a letter at the end of the bit.ly link and instead of getting the endorsement they received the video.

Another one of the dangers of the over-zealous use of technology, perhaps?

Ho hum...



and the actual link that was supposed to be part of the Tweet.

Don't know about you, but the "other" endorsement might work as well.

Thanks to buzzfeed for the links.

Ancient Rome and a DPR Junket to Greece...

It is a good thing that I can touch type! Otherwise, I might not see the keyboard through the tears of laughter. This post is probably not an "only in Indonesia" one, but the supposed parliamentarians housed at the House of Representatives in Jakarta just do it with so much ease that it might as well be!

The latest in a long line of laughing stock moments is the Nudirman Munir of Golkar fame and a member of the DPR. It would seem that the DPR Ethics Council, of which Nudirman is Deputy Chairperson, has decided that it needs to take a comparative study tour to Greece in order to study the ethics of Ancient Rome. Nah, bugger me, but the last time I looked Rome ancient or otherwise would have found itself located in modern day Italy. In fact, the erstwhile members of the DPR ethics council would need to be undertaking a comparative study within a comparative study tour to get from Greece to Italy to do what it is that the trip, otherwise known as a junket, is supposed to let them learn.

But, the best part of the whole thing is that Nudirman rationalises the trip as needed in order to answer the very important questions of how parliamentarians can leave the chamber during sessions, whether the ethics council can dismiss parliamentarians, whether parliamentarians are permitted to smoke (presumably in the chamber during sessions), and views on the death penalty.

The last one is a hoot because this was justified as the members of the DPR Ethics Council needing to get first hand views on this as they have traditionally been fooled by do-gooder NGOs who pulled the wool over the ethics council's eyes. Yes, the tears are streaming down my cheeks now.

Yet, the icing on the cake despite all of those individually humorous moments above is that the "real" reason that the members need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of public money is that the information they hope to glean from going there in person cannot be found on the internet. My guess is that Nudirman needs to hire some better researchers or ask around. He might just find that he does not have to even leave Jakarta, let alone Indonesia, in order to find an expert that can fill him in on all that he doesn't currently know.

Now for the not so funny. During the period from 2004 through 2009, the DPR found time to take some 143 all-expenses paid comparative study tours from the public purse. Each of these 'tours' is supposed to generate a written report detailing the knowledge gained. The grand return from 143 tours is 3 reports. Yes, readers, that is three, 3, tiga reports. Of these three reports one of them is a one-page itinerary. Now, the data comes from some good friends of mine at PSHK (Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies or Pusat Studi Hukum dan Kebijakan). If you want to know more about these things then feel free to contact them.

If I was Nudirman, I would be hoping that I stayed high on the Golkar ticket because I almost certainly would not want to have to return to the real world and get a real job that did not involve the inexcusable and almost unaccountable waste of public funds on useless study trips.

But, while you're there Nudirman please don't forget the oleh-oleh! And, a photo standing in front of Big Ben as I am pretty sure that is not available on the internet.

Julia Perez -- Too Bad!

It is too bad that Julia Perez opted out of a political career. Just imagine where her political posters and advertising might have gone to from here! First, Pacitan, and then the World!

When it is all said and done she could not be doing any worse than the majority of elected politicians to date!

Whiteness Theory & Post-Racialism...

This post is probably worthy of a PhD thesis, and perhaps I will write it one day (a PhD thesis is something that is definitely on my bucket list). I might have to decide whether I write it from an education perspective or a legal / justice perspective (then again, I might just combine both and be much less focused).

I have always been interested in these ideas, but strangely enough had not really named them and related them back to theories in the field. In that regard, I have a recently completed subject on diversity for setting readings that 'forced' me to read in more detail about these ideas. The reason I had been thinking about these ideas previously related to both Australian and Indonesian contexts.

In the Australian context it really related to criminal justice and the over-representation of my indigenous brothers and sisters in the court and jail systems (and whether education had a role to play in redressing this sad imbalance).

In the Indonesian context it was really about whiteness theory co-opted into an idea of Indonesian-ness theory. Simply, the idea of honorary Indonesian-ness or Indonesian-ness being the norm to some degree. This one is a much more complex one than whiteness theory because of the way that Indonesian-ness is constructed in the first place. Indonesian is a melting pot of diversity and this is recognised in the notion of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or Unity in Diversity (although it might be argued that the concept might be better understood from a literal reading of the Javanese that it comes from as being unity from diversity). To be honest, I had also been thinking about the idea of Indonesia-ness with respect to Barack Obama, the US President, and the reverence ordinary Indonesians have for the man and expectations of him from three or so years of living in Indonesia as a child.

This is intended to be a short post. But, hopefully it might inspire a few comments instead of just the usual page views that my posts get.

So, here is the basic idea. Whiteness Theory really is about "whiteness" being the norm. The kicker is that you do not have to be white, but merely accepted as being white. Hence, whiteness is not about race, it is about cultural values and the perceived power and opportunities that being 'white' brings. Yet, it is arguable whether whiteness is an overt or covert theory. The idea that it is covert rests in the manner in which race is talked about, this is in spite of the idea that whiteness theory is not about race, because more often than not it is race which premises the discussion.

I guess what I have been thinking about is the convergence, or lack thereof, between whiteness theory and this idea of post-racialism. This came more to the fore with the election of Obama to the White House, as people started falling over themselves, like Oprah Winfrey for example, in order to claim that this was the start of something big; a post-racial America. Personally, I would need to do a lot more research, but first impressions are that these people are kidding themselves in a reality sense. I understand conceptually what post-racialism entails but I wonder whether the election of a person of mixed race to the presidency of the US is in fact a sign that post-racial America has arrived.

If whiteness theory is about power and privilege then could it be argued that Obama's rise to the presidency fits within the parameters of whiteness theory where arguments of power and privilege prevail?

I do wonder whether the election of an Indonesian of Chinese or Indian or Arab descent would signify a post-racial Indonesia? But, I think before I can wonder that, I tend to wonder whether Indonesia can reach a place of tolerance of, and for, minorities, and really live up to the idea of unity in diversity.

As you can see, there is real potential for me to add to the abundant literature already out there on this topic. Oh, and no apologies for the disjointedness of this rambling post, it remains an unedited ramble of ideas, thoughts, and concepts that are bouncing round in my head.

Ho hum...one more university assessment task to go.

The Petulant President -- SBY and the No Show in Holland...

It is amusing to watch from a distance, although simultaneously sad as both my wife and son are Indonesian, the president of Indonesia behaving like a petulant child. Indonesians must surely expect more from the man they elected president.If nothing else they must expect leadership.

The last couple of days has seen the president abruptly cancel a planned visit to The Netherlands. The cancellation was so abrupt in fact that it did not occur until the president was at the airport and about to board the place for Holland.

It seems that just before the president was to board the plane, he received word that the RMS, which is the South Maluku Republic Independence group had commenced legal action in The Netherlands to have the president arrested for the alleged torture of Malukuan activists earlier this year and a case from 2007.

Now, there are a couple of immediate problems with this decision to cancel. First, the president was officially invited. It is unlikely that the government of The Netherlands would allow SBY to be arrested. Then there is the small issue of head of state immunity to contend with. Secondly, it would appear that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia dropped the ball on this one. The RMS action is in the earliest of early stages and there is very little likelihood that they could sustain a command responsibility action to the president of Indonesia anyway.

The possibility of SBY being arrested on arrival in Holland is so remote that it just is not worth considering.

However, the abrupt cancellation provides SBY and his handlers with a real perception problem. Why was the president so frightened of arrest that he did not even board the plane? Is he in the know on what really happened? Is there substance to the allegations that these activists were tortured while in custody in Maluku?

The president in his own defence suggested that he was upset that anyone would do such a thing against him. He was insulted personally and insulted on behalf of Indonesia. Personally, the president needs to grow a set and have the testicular fortitude that the people expect him to show. He needs to be a leader. This most recent display reminds me of the schoolyard bully who does not get his way in the playground and instead of playing he packs up his things and takes the ball and goes home. It is petulant and it is childish.

Indonesia and Indonesians deserve better. The president has not been insulted or disrespected, rather he has insulted and disrespected the Indonesian people. Simply, he has brought shame on himself and his nation.

Ho hum...

Tommy Soeharto Mulling A Presidential Run...

Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle.

It is not like Indonesia does not have serious enough problems to deal with already. But, this kind of announcement is always mildly amusing and distracting enough to divert people's attention for at least a little while from the more serious problems, like increasing religious intolerance.

However, when you feel like the press is not giving you enough attention, then an absurd announcement will undoubtedly get you that attention. This is in addition to doing something sufficiently scandalous to get the gossip shows to show you a little love.

So, in this vein, Tommy Soeharto, the youngest and most ambitious of the former president's children has acknowledged that if political parties were interested in nominating him for the top job in 2014, then he would be more than willing to consider it. My main man for the 2014 nomination is actually a woman. I think Sri Mulyani Indrawati (SMI) would make an excellent reforming president. She would be up against it, but I reckon she has the ovarian fortitude to go hammer and tong against established interests like Aburizal Bakrie, and win.

But, I digress, this is a post about how funny it is that a convicted murderer and purveyor of graft reckons he is seriously a shot at a nomination. Tommy Soeharto was sentenced to 15 years in the slammer for his part in the assassination of an Indonesian Supreme Court Justice, Syafiuddin Kartasasmita. Kartasasmita was the judge that sentenced him in an earlier graft case.

What is truly funny is that Soeharto thinks he is even a chance at getting any votes. Let's face it, his most recent foray into the political arena was a crack at the Chair of Golkar which was a failure of super proportions; the man could not garner any votes. So, any political parties out there thinking that Tommy is an option, really need to consider taking a reality pill.

The man is tarnished goods.

It is time that someone got into Tommy's ear and told him some home truths, "Son, you are a convicted murderer, you have been convicted for being corrupt, you are no shot at political office, you are so tarnished as a political entity that we could not sell your candidacy to people who were all deaf, blind and dumb. Sorry mate, but even those people who could not hear, see or talk the sorts of evil that you are about could still not be convinced to vote for you!"

Tifatul Sembiring -- The Minister for Stupidity & Nonsense...

There is nothing funny about HIV / AIDS and there is nothing funny about Tifatul Sembiring (aka TitS). It would seem that TitS via his Twitter account (@tifsembiring) thought that a joke through a play on the letters of AIDS would be something amusing to send to all his Twitter followers.

Now, AIDS for just about everyone else stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. But, for @tifsembiring it stands for, in Indonesian, Akibat Itunya Ditaruh Sembarangan, which in English means in essence "caused by the reckless putting of one's penis" presumably into places where penis' should not be.

This sort of reminds me of a time way back when, perhaps in the mid to late 1980s, a time when I was just a youngster, and when AIDS was still very much considered "a gay disease". The "joke" then was Anally Injected Death Sentence which was neither funny nor representative of what sort of tragedy was to unfold on a much broader scale, and a tragedy that continues to unfold on a large scale even today in places like Africa.

TitS tweet is offensive, but then it is hardly surprising as he is an offensive man. He is very much a sufferer of PKS or Perennial Klown Syndrome. But, when it is all said and done, his tweet proves that old cliche, "if you have nothing positive to say then perhaps it is better not to say anything at all." Or that other classic, "it is better to be thought of as a fool for five minutes rather than open your mouth and confirm it for a lifetime."

It is pretty sad that the Minister for Communication and Information knows diddly about both the primary elements of his brief. If he was in command of the elements then he would have known that there was no other possible outcome from putting a tweet out there like this than bad.

The Minister needs to exhibit a little class, and show a little remorse for making a joke of, and mocking those that are suffering with HIV / AIDS. Perhaps he could impose some community service hours on himself and go and work at a HIV / AIDS charity doing good work in Indonesia. I would highly recommend Yayasan Spiritia, they are doing good work. Perhaps, the Minister would learn a thing or two about some of the challenges that people living with HIV / AIDS face every single day in Indonesia, like struggling to be able to get a regular supply of affordable medications or simple discrimination.

The real question is whether the Minister has the testicular fortitude to man-up and admit that his joke was not a joke but rather it was nothing more than a chance for him to offend and pretend that it was all fun and games. My guess is the Minister will not be able to escape from his Perennial Klown Syndrome woes and try and redeem himself on Twitter while holding out hope that others will come to his rescue with piss poor support like, "lighten-up it was just a joke".

As I said, and many others will continue to say, there is nothing funny about HIV / AIDS.

Postscript:
The support for TitS can be found in some of the comments in response to the article at The Jakarta Post. It would seem that the claim is that the offending tweet is part of a much longer logical sequence that makes the tweet less offensive. The tweet is not TitS' personal belief but rather just a comment on, and relaying of, something said by a former Health Minister of Indonesia (Professor Sujudi).

However, it probably is worth pointing out that the series of tweets, to which the supportive commenter refers to, has a very distinct homophobic viewpoint suggesting that HIV /AIDS is a "gay" disease and represents God's choice of raining down destruction and death on those that practice "deviant" behaviours. The postscript was added about 40 minutes after the original post.

Disclaimer: Oh, and if anyone picked up on the PKS theme relating to the TitS...no offense is intended to any other organisation or group that uses the same letters to represent themselves. If you look at the accompanying photo you can see that the Minister has in fact got the "Krusty the Klown" (from "the Simpsons") thing happening.