The elections in Thailand seem set to end 15 months of army rule. The coup was bloodless and generally pretty orderly but the elections are nothing short of a slap in the face to the Generals that led it and perhaps in a sense to the King who OK-ed it. The Thais hold their King in great reverence so it will probably not be a big part of the news but it should not be forgotten that the King could of ended the coup but he did not.
Nevertheless, once the inevitable recriminations start it is worth remembering that the former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, was having some serious questions asked of him in regards to his leadership and lingering corruption issues. However, that aside it is the party, People's Power Party (PPP) with the closest affiliation to the disbanded party, Thai Rak Thai, that he led that has claimed the largest number of seats.
John Lennon might have sung about giving peace a chance, but it is equally true for democracy. Give democracy a chance and people will take it. Democracy is never going to be perfect but it sure beats the yoke of dictatorship, authoritarian, and military rule.
The former PM has been living in exile and even if he was to return there remain outstanding corruption charges against him that still need to be resolved. However, he has been busy in exile playing golf all over the world with rounds reported in Bali among other places. But even more so the billionaire has invested in England with the purchase of the Manchester City Football Club.
So, the question is does he really need to return to Thailand and aside from clearing his name of the corruption charges does he need to? His investments and the relaxation he seems to have found on the golf course is hardly the behaviour of a billionaire business mogul plotting his eventual return to a political career.
I guess time will tell on this one...
Viva Democracy!!!
25 December 2007
The Milk & Cookies are out!
The milk & cookies are out and awaiting Santa's imminent arrival...So I thought I might jot a few posts as I await a glimpse of the big fella, but if he does not arrive in time I will just go to bed and see what he delivered later in the morning...
Australian milk and Anzac cookies no less (probably the wrong time of the year for Anzac cookies but if Santa is on a diet, I will eat them myself)!
Australian milk and Anzac cookies no less (probably the wrong time of the year for Anzac cookies but if Santa is on a diet, I will eat them myself)!
24 December 2007
Happy Holidays
To all my loyal readers, few as you are, and to anyone else that happens by...
Happy Holidays to all!
It is the season to reflect on the year just past and the year ahead...I hope that the year ahead is at least as good as the last and wherever possible better...
Years fly by and it is hard to believe that 2008 will soon be upon us...so make the most of your time here on this earth of ours, live life to the fullest, and have no regrets!
Cheers to all!
Happy Holidays to all!
It is the season to reflect on the year just past and the year ahead...I hope that the year ahead is at least as good as the last and wherever possible better...
Years fly by and it is hard to believe that 2008 will soon be upon us...so make the most of your time here on this earth of ours, live life to the fullest, and have no regrets!
Cheers to all!
21 December 2007
Weddings - Inviting Your Friends and Enemies
Weddings in Indonesia tend to be a lavish affair and the more lavishness the greater the expense. The idea of just inviting your close family and friends just does not seem to work even where the bride and groom might just have such an intention. Once the parents get involved it is time to say hello to invitees you have never met before in your life and probably will never meet again!
I am sure someone somewhere has empirical research to confirm the following insights. It seems that a big wedding is par for the course because traditionally you invited all your neighbors in the Kampong and this could run into 30 or 50 people or so. But, alas as the the Kampong grew so did the size of the weddings. When your Kampong is the sprawling rambling metropolis of Jakarta and its somewhere up to 15 million inhabitants, it is not rocket science to see what is going to happen here.
But that is never enough to explain how it works here. One must look at ego and competition to get a real picture of what goes into planning a wedding in Jakarta. Simply, the more people you get to turn out for the big show is indicative of not only your wealth but also your reputation and status within the circles which you mix. Perhaps not you, as in the bride and groom, but you as in the parents of the bride and groom. As for any good party, 'the more the merrier'. This is the ego factor.
The competition factor is the need to stage a wedding that is so big that it is not just a society event but it is the event. This will ensure that whoever follows you must be committed to going the distance and doing it bigger and better or concede defeat and stage a smaller-scale event. This means that the number of invitees can move into the thousands. Even if I knew a thousand people I am sure I would not remember their names. This means that it is not only your friends get invites but also your enemies get them too. This is to ensure that no offence is made to anyone, this is cultural and not some sage advice about keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer.
Indonesians are no different to any other inhabitant of this ever-warming planet of ours, they love a good competition.
I went to a wedding earlier tonight, it was a lavish affair, but for me the amusement always comes from the 'awe' factor. That is the who's who of the community is there. As a journalist there is always the temptation to talk shop and secure interviews for the following day or the next week or to confirm that information gained from sources is on the money or just idle gossip. But the beauty of the no expenses spared reception is that Indonesians really do know how to lay out a good spread - the entrees, the mains, and the desserts were reason enough to put shop talk on hold!
To be sure this is not a criticism of the practice of big weddings. It is rather an attempt to show the rationale. The wedding reception I went to this evening was a great event and a good opportunity to catch up with people I have not seen since the last wedding we were both at or at least people I have not seen in a long time. These musings do not really do justice to the grandness of the event - it really is a case of seeing is believing.
I think it is time a cost - benefit analysis was done on weddings to determine what sort of return you get on the outlay.
I am sure someone somewhere has empirical research to confirm the following insights. It seems that a big wedding is par for the course because traditionally you invited all your neighbors in the Kampong and this could run into 30 or 50 people or so. But, alas as the the Kampong grew so did the size of the weddings. When your Kampong is the sprawling rambling metropolis of Jakarta and its somewhere up to 15 million inhabitants, it is not rocket science to see what is going to happen here.
But that is never enough to explain how it works here. One must look at ego and competition to get a real picture of what goes into planning a wedding in Jakarta. Simply, the more people you get to turn out for the big show is indicative of not only your wealth but also your reputation and status within the circles which you mix. Perhaps not you, as in the bride and groom, but you as in the parents of the bride and groom. As for any good party, 'the more the merrier'. This is the ego factor.
The competition factor is the need to stage a wedding that is so big that it is not just a society event but it is the event. This will ensure that whoever follows you must be committed to going the distance and doing it bigger and better or concede defeat and stage a smaller-scale event. This means that the number of invitees can move into the thousands. Even if I knew a thousand people I am sure I would not remember their names. This means that it is not only your friends get invites but also your enemies get them too. This is to ensure that no offence is made to anyone, this is cultural and not some sage advice about keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer.
Indonesians are no different to any other inhabitant of this ever-warming planet of ours, they love a good competition.
I went to a wedding earlier tonight, it was a lavish affair, but for me the amusement always comes from the 'awe' factor. That is the who's who of the community is there. As a journalist there is always the temptation to talk shop and secure interviews for the following day or the next week or to confirm that information gained from sources is on the money or just idle gossip. But the beauty of the no expenses spared reception is that Indonesians really do know how to lay out a good spread - the entrees, the mains, and the desserts were reason enough to put shop talk on hold!
To be sure this is not a criticism of the practice of big weddings. It is rather an attempt to show the rationale. The wedding reception I went to this evening was a great event and a good opportunity to catch up with people I have not seen since the last wedding we were both at or at least people I have not seen in a long time. These musings do not really do justice to the grandness of the event - it really is a case of seeing is believing.
I think it is time a cost - benefit analysis was done on weddings to determine what sort of return you get on the outlay.
Peace, Love, and Tolerance
Religious intolerance has reared its ugly head in West Java with the continuing attacks on the Ahmadiyah sect. This attack destroyed a Mosque and houses by burning them to the ground. The Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) has declared the sect heretical and issued a fatwa or edict stating that fact.
I have posted earlier on this issue.
Yet, despite pleas by the Vice President it seems that people just do not get it!
The Indonesian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Perhaps this was, in hindsight, a mistake that slipped through the heretical net during the post-Soeharto euphoria of greater democratic and social freedoms. But mistake or otherwise it is in the Constitution and it is high time the police stepped up to the plate and acted in the manner they must. The right to practice one's faith is protected and therefore must be free form attack by others.
The MUI must also make it explicitly clear in its fatwas that even though the Ahmadiyah sect has been declared heretical, people cannot take the law into their own hands and hand out justice as they deem necessary.
If Indonesia is the law state and a state based on order and where human life is valued, it is time to prove it. The legal framework can deal with heretical sects and does not require the vigilante justice that we are seeing now. Even so, this particular issue needs to be characterized as a public law and order issue and not a religious one.
The Constitution appears to provide a blanket right to freedom of religion. Islam is not the only religion that has issues regarding sects or the development of different faiths from a common faith. It was not so long ago that the current pope suggested that Protestant churches were not real churches.
This is a chance for Indonesia to show how much it has matured and how much it values the greater democratic freedoms its citizens enjoy since the fall of Soeharto - Take It!
I have posted earlier on this issue.
Yet, despite pleas by the Vice President it seems that people just do not get it!
The Indonesian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Perhaps this was, in hindsight, a mistake that slipped through the heretical net during the post-Soeharto euphoria of greater democratic and social freedoms. But mistake or otherwise it is in the Constitution and it is high time the police stepped up to the plate and acted in the manner they must. The right to practice one's faith is protected and therefore must be free form attack by others.
The MUI must also make it explicitly clear in its fatwas that even though the Ahmadiyah sect has been declared heretical, people cannot take the law into their own hands and hand out justice as they deem necessary.
If Indonesia is the law state and a state based on order and where human life is valued, it is time to prove it. The legal framework can deal with heretical sects and does not require the vigilante justice that we are seeing now. Even so, this particular issue needs to be characterized as a public law and order issue and not a religious one.
The Constitution appears to provide a blanket right to freedom of religion. Islam is not the only religion that has issues regarding sects or the development of different faiths from a common faith. It was not so long ago that the current pope suggested that Protestant churches were not real churches.
This is a chance for Indonesia to show how much it has matured and how much it values the greater democratic freedoms its citizens enjoy since the fall of Soeharto - Take It!
Tourism
Indonesia has designated 2008 as the "Visit Indonesia Year" with good reason as 2008 will be the 100th anniversary of the founding of 'Boedi Oetomo' in 1908. Boedi Oetomo was Indonesia's first concerted effort, and a first tentative step towards independence. Independence was finally achieved in 1945.The Boedi Oetomo group and movement is identified as the moment of the indigenous population of the Dutch East Indies awakening. It is this national awakening that is to be traded on in the 2008 visit Indonesia campaign. There is much to see and do in Indonesia, of that there is no doubt, but with so much invested in this campaign you would think that a little more care would be taken.
There would have been no need to attach an expatriate native English speaker to the campaign just to prove read the advertising and campaign materials as there are many capable Indonesians who possess a technical appreciation of English far superior to some native English speakers I know. Unfortunately, it seems that none of those speakers are employed by the Department of Culture and Tourism. I am sure the Department could of found a native speaker to do the job for next to nothing or they could have called up one of the myriad private English language schools that dot the landscape of Jakarta such as English First.
Instead the slogan has become "Visit Indonesia 2008 celebrating 100 years of nation's awakening"...ummmmmmmmmmmm!
News reports suggest that the Department has recognized the grammatical error and is endeavouring to fix it. This is not going to be cheap as the government has already painted plenty of planes owned by the national flag carrier, Garuda, with the not so grammatically correct slogan. In addition to pulling down billboards and recalling other promotional material the costs of the campaign seem set to spiral upwards.
I think everyone should visit Indonesia, it is a wonderfully diverse place with much to offer new and seasoned travellers alike, irrespective of age. Simply, Indonesia caters to all tastes and budgets. Give it a shot you are unlikely to regret spending some of your hard earned cash here. Yet, I hope that if you do take the plunge and come to Indonesia you go to places other than Bali. Bali is nice and I love to go there myself but Indonesia is so much more than Bali - there are 17,000+ islands to choose from! But Bali always reminds me of one of my favorite tales...I once asked a friend when I was back in Australia for a visit whether or not they had ever been to Indonesia. The answer was, "No, but I have been to Bali!" I smile as I think about it now some ten years or so after it happened.
The error has probably been spotted by many but particular notice was taken after an article (commentary and analysis) was published in The Financial Times by John Aglionby
But the moral of this story and the lesson to all - proofread your work before you hand it in or publish it! (The photo is courtesy of AFP)
12 December 2007
Scrap Rubbers at any Cost
Hot off the press is a story in today's Kompas newspaper that Customs Officials have detained a container load of used condoms imported from Germany. The reasons for holding the imports are pretty clear, being used condoms they pose a potential health hazard unless of course each one has already been individually tested prior to export and then their subsequent import to Indonesia. This did not happen so the risk of disease either through contact or airborne pathogens remains real.
It just goes to show that some people will go to any length to make a buck or two. Interestingly, the Bill of Lading suggests that the scrap rubber in the form of rubbers is in fact new waste. This is interesting because the definition of new waste seems to be 'newly used' waste rather than the offcuts and other unsuitable for sale condoms. There are more than 25,000 kilograms of them sitting in this container at the Tanjung Priok port. It is unlikely that Customs was contemplating the import of used condoms when it was permitted for scrap rubber to be imported.
Anyway, a decision is pending.
It just goes to show that some people will go to any length to make a buck or two. Interestingly, the Bill of Lading suggests that the scrap rubber in the form of rubbers is in fact new waste. This is interesting because the definition of new waste seems to be 'newly used' waste rather than the offcuts and other unsuitable for sale condoms. There are more than 25,000 kilograms of them sitting in this container at the Tanjung Priok port. It is unlikely that Customs was contemplating the import of used condoms when it was permitted for scrap rubber to be imported.
Anyway, a decision is pending.
10 December 2007
Dissolving State Institutions - KPK
The recent selection process to choose the five new commissioners of the Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi / KPK) has concluded with the choosing of the Chairperson. The Chairperson was a controversial choice even as a member of the commission let alone as its Chairperson. The general reaction from the community has been negative. Even with calls to have the KPK disbanded and remembered only in the annals of history.
Yet, even with the controversy which has been as much conjecture and rumor as substantiated factual evidence. The reality is that if the evidence is available then it should be made public and the persons it involves called to account. The bickering over the process being political is naive at best. Another unfortunate reality for those so bitterly complaining about the individuals chosen must remember that it is their representatives, those very people elected by them, who are tasked with appointing five of the more than 1000 applicants to the KPK.
Even of the performance of the new KPK is bad then there is quite obviously a degree of accountability that must be assumed by the Commission III of the House of Representatives as it was this Commission that was tasked with vetting the applicants through interviews as well as a fit and proper test. The hope is that this KPK will do better than the last KPK, but this is an eternal hope of humanity that the next generation is and does better than the generation previous. If it is not then we go back to the drawing board and see how we can do things differently in an attempt to get them right.
Nevertheless, this begs the question: Is the solution to all of Indonesia's myriad problems as simple as disbanding an institution if it does not work as it is supposed to or does not provide the result that it should or does not achieve as much as it might? Because if this is the case then the House of Representatives must be disbanded because of the slow pace at which it passes legislation, the courts must be disbanded because they work too slowly and do not always satisfy the communities expectations, the police force and the public prosecution service must be disbanded because they do not achieve outcomes as they are expected to. While we are disbanding things all NGOs are to be disbanded as well because they too have failed in their primary mission of advocating for the little person and making our lives better.
Disbanding the organization is not the way to go...making organizations more effective in accomplishing their respective tasks is the key. There is a need for greater institutional support, public - private partnerships, and a greater role for civil society. If over time these things are allowed to evolve then the outcomes we all so badly want to see will come to fruition in our lifetimes.
Disbanding the KPK is not the answer...the answer is in selecting the right candidates for the job. If the House cannot do the job then the selection process needs to be looked at in terms of how it can be improved.
There is also a need for qualified candidates with corruption fighting credentials to toss their collective hats into the ring and face the selection music. Standing on the outside looking in makes it easy to criticise hiding behind the cover of oversight. If you see it as being broken then you need to have the courage of your convictions to step in and fix it, or at least try. Yet, it is easier to stand on the outside because one is not constrained by the bureaucracy or the law but can make broad ranging statements appealing to the intense emotions that corruption cases generate. It is an unfortunate consequence that the law sometimes provides a legally correct outcome but does not provide the justice that the community craves or perhaps even deserves.
There is no greater calling than public service. The idea of giving back to a community that has given us so much is an honorable pursuit. This reminds me of Robert F. Kennedy who said "each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope...". If each of us was to send forth a tiny ripple of hope our world would be a much greater place for our efforts. So, perhaps it is time that we collectively ask in the words of George Bernard Shaw "Some men see things as they are and say 'Why?' I dream things that never were and say, 'Why not?'"
Yet, even with the controversy which has been as much conjecture and rumor as substantiated factual evidence. The reality is that if the evidence is available then it should be made public and the persons it involves called to account. The bickering over the process being political is naive at best. Another unfortunate reality for those so bitterly complaining about the individuals chosen must remember that it is their representatives, those very people elected by them, who are tasked with appointing five of the more than 1000 applicants to the KPK.
Even of the performance of the new KPK is bad then there is quite obviously a degree of accountability that must be assumed by the Commission III of the House of Representatives as it was this Commission that was tasked with vetting the applicants through interviews as well as a fit and proper test. The hope is that this KPK will do better than the last KPK, but this is an eternal hope of humanity that the next generation is and does better than the generation previous. If it is not then we go back to the drawing board and see how we can do things differently in an attempt to get them right.
Nevertheless, this begs the question: Is the solution to all of Indonesia's myriad problems as simple as disbanding an institution if it does not work as it is supposed to or does not provide the result that it should or does not achieve as much as it might? Because if this is the case then the House of Representatives must be disbanded because of the slow pace at which it passes legislation, the courts must be disbanded because they work too slowly and do not always satisfy the communities expectations, the police force and the public prosecution service must be disbanded because they do not achieve outcomes as they are expected to. While we are disbanding things all NGOs are to be disbanded as well because they too have failed in their primary mission of advocating for the little person and making our lives better.
Disbanding the organization is not the way to go...making organizations more effective in accomplishing their respective tasks is the key. There is a need for greater institutional support, public - private partnerships, and a greater role for civil society. If over time these things are allowed to evolve then the outcomes we all so badly want to see will come to fruition in our lifetimes.
Disbanding the KPK is not the answer...the answer is in selecting the right candidates for the job. If the House cannot do the job then the selection process needs to be looked at in terms of how it can be improved.
There is also a need for qualified candidates with corruption fighting credentials to toss their collective hats into the ring and face the selection music. Standing on the outside looking in makes it easy to criticise hiding behind the cover of oversight. If you see it as being broken then you need to have the courage of your convictions to step in and fix it, or at least try. Yet, it is easier to stand on the outside because one is not constrained by the bureaucracy or the law but can make broad ranging statements appealing to the intense emotions that corruption cases generate. It is an unfortunate consequence that the law sometimes provides a legally correct outcome but does not provide the justice that the community craves or perhaps even deserves.
There is no greater calling than public service. The idea of giving back to a community that has given us so much is an honorable pursuit. This reminds me of Robert F. Kennedy who said "each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope...". If each of us was to send forth a tiny ripple of hope our world would be a much greater place for our efforts. So, perhaps it is time that we collectively ask in the words of George Bernard Shaw "Some men see things as they are and say 'Why?' I dream things that never were and say, 'Why not?'"
06 December 2007
Tragedy and Loss...
Today is not a good day! One of my dogs, Chockie, died suddenly this morning...Some of you might be inclined to think, "Snap out of it! It was just a dog!", how little do you understand the concept of a dog being a person's best friend! Those of you who have owned a pet and loved it like you love a family member will understand my loss and grief. The loss is raw and it is tragic because it was so sudden but it is also so new. This is probably the best time for me to write.
It is easy to say that she had a good life and the like but when it is all said and done she was but eight years old...that equates to 56 dog years but as far as I am concerned it was still way too early! The Zen Buddhism, fatalistic view of 'shit happens' does not quite fit the bill. I am probably more fatalistic about the life and death of people than I am of my own dog.
Chock had been a part of our family for eight years...it is strange how you recall the first couple of days after we 'found' her as a puppy. There was an intent that she would be an 'outside' dog but persistent crying and barking got her inside and she had been spoiled ever since.
Dogs truly are a person's best friend. They are loyal and they listen no matter what your complaint and they take it all in their stride. They snuggle up when your down and they make you laugh when you are sad. To lose that kind of companionship and friendship is the hardest part, it is the toughest.
Our dogs have been a part of our family and they are our children. If you can imagine the loss of a child then you can imagine the loss that we feel right at this moment.
I am sure over time I will remember the good times and they will overwhelm the grief and sadness that I feel today. The tears that I shed today will one day, I hope, be replaced with smiles as I recall the fun and games that we played, but that day is not today.
Perhaps life goes on but today I just want to be sad and to grieve the loss of a trusted and true friend and family member.
I miss you already Chock...safe journey to that big old puppy dog heaven in the sky!
It is easy to say that she had a good life and the like but when it is all said and done she was but eight years old...that equates to 56 dog years but as far as I am concerned it was still way too early! The Zen Buddhism, fatalistic view of 'shit happens' does not quite fit the bill. I am probably more fatalistic about the life and death of people than I am of my own dog.
Chock had been a part of our family for eight years...it is strange how you recall the first couple of days after we 'found' her as a puppy. There was an intent that she would be an 'outside' dog but persistent crying and barking got her inside and she had been spoiled ever since.
Dogs truly are a person's best friend. They are loyal and they listen no matter what your complaint and they take it all in their stride. They snuggle up when your down and they make you laugh when you are sad. To lose that kind of companionship and friendship is the hardest part, it is the toughest.
Our dogs have been a part of our family and they are our children. If you can imagine the loss of a child then you can imagine the loss that we feel right at this moment.
I am sure over time I will remember the good times and they will overwhelm the grief and sadness that I feel today. The tears that I shed today will one day, I hope, be replaced with smiles as I recall the fun and games that we played, but that day is not today.
Perhaps life goes on but today I just want to be sad and to grieve the loss of a trusted and true friend and family member.
I miss you already Chock...safe journey to that big old puppy dog heaven in the sky!
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