Who is Trying to Kill The KPK?

(published by The Jakarta Post on 14 Nov 2009. Click here)

If I were a corrupt official, of course I would want the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to die. If the KPK institutionally cannot be "killed", I would try, at the minimum, to weaken its power and damage its reputation. Losing the public trust will make the KPK equal to a toothless tiger because trust is its lethal weapon. As the public desperately hopes for the KPK to crush the chronic corruption in this country, the KPK has been expected to be an angel who can do no wrong.

The KPK has been becoming a frightening specter that constantly haunts those who are corrupt. This is a very serious menace that ensures that the rats (read: corruptors) never sleep in their nest peacefully. The superpower body has been successfully throwing corrupt officials in jail since the body formed.

However, the success has not been without consequences. The more corrupt officials that are sent to jail, the more enemies the KPK creates, because corrupt officials in Indonesia are countless. All of those, of course, expect the KPK to die.

In opposite, the KPK has become a superhero for those who revolt against corruption, because the long-running practice has damaged the Indonesian country both economically and morally. We saw transparently the so-called morality of high-ranking government officials, the lawmakers and the law enforcers who were meant to uphold the law and justice.

When money can buy everything, law is absolutely nothing. We saw the decay of morality through the wiretapped conversation between someone suspected to be Anggodo Widjojo, the brother of fugitive Anggoro Widjojo, and several high-ranking officials that were publicly revealed in the Constitutional Court (MK). In the hearing, obviously the law was in Anggodo's hands. He was seen as more powerful than those who supposedly upheld the law. He made all arrangements and the officials nodded. That horrific scene was nakedly and publicly published. I am hoping it wasn't true. I am hoping the scene was just a soap opera or a mafia movie.

Suppose the wiretapped conversation was authentic; that it was Anggodo who easily orchestrated the music and asked the elite figures to perform this dirty dancing? The criminal's relative conspired with brokers and the law enforcers to criminalize anti-graft fighters Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah. This is a country where we live, where money is power. The corrupt officials let themselves be slaves to serve those who pay. Is it obvious that money is the root of evil? No, but loving money is.

It is okay to charge Bibit and Chandra with abuse of power and bribery. Let's give the police the opportunity to prove it. But the more important thing is, whether Bibit and Chandra are innocent or guilty as accused by the police, that the goal to eradicate corruption is in danger after a series of attempts to damage public trust in the KPK. Indeed, the perfect way to shoot enemies is by using their own bullets. So the perfect way to shoot corruption fighters is by corruption allegations, too.

I am grateful for the massive support that has been shown by the public to save the KPK, regardless of whether Bibit and Chandra are guilty or not. Some people have joined street demonstrations, some others have expressed their protest with hunger strikes, and others have given support via internet campaigns. As of today, the number of Facebookers who have committed to stand by Bibit and Chandra has reached 1 million as targeted by the initiator.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) should thank the KPK and stand on as the vanguard to save the KPK, because one of key reasons people revoted for him was his corruption-eradicating efforts. People expect SBY to show the same commitment today.

Money can buy the law, but not justice.

***
Serpong, 6 Nov 2009
Titus J.

SBY Can Pull Out The Red Card

(published by The Jakarta Post on 2 Nov 2009. Click here)


President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono have completed the selection process of their team. Fairly, the new team should be given sufficient time to work and prove whether they are capable or not. Although we are not very satisfied with the cabinet composition and the "minimum" curriculum vitae of some of them, we should not respond it with cynical comments. How could we say particular ministers are not the right person to hold the position even before they start their works? We better think positive, don't we?

President SBY will be the most responsible one for his minister failures because, using his authority, he selected whoever he thought were the suitable persons to be his team. Of course, that's also based on negotiation and political deals though SBY showed the recruitment process was the same as a professional company treated the job seekers.

At the end of the process, when the list of names was announced, the public collectively raised their eyebrows after learning of several names being put there.

However, I think the public has understood there's consequences to the government forming this grand coalition. It makes sense in politics that nothing is "gratis" (free), isn't it? In simple words, in politics, if I were to support you, how would I benefit? That's why long before SBY and Boediono won the presidential election, public have known that SBY-Boediono administration would be more colorful than before.

Of the 37 team members, 20 ministers are from political parties. Public concern about correlation between the names against the posts they have assigned, since most of them (from the political parties) did not match with their background and track record, lack of experience and competency. So what? My friends, that's the consequences, and let's think positively (again). Otherwise it will be too difficult to explain.

The selected ministers have signed an integrity pact provided by SBY. They have passed the interview, passed the medical checkup as well as the psychological test, and they have been sworn in as ministers in the presidential palace. What else? It is time for them to work, and of course, time for us to watch them do so.

Now the day is running. Let's see what the new ministers will do within first 100 days because the targets have been defined by SBY to the ministers.
We would expect the 100 days program to be closely monitored and evaluated by the President at the end of the 100 days, and if the performance of the ministers is poor, replacement is required. It's fair enough.

But, should the President SBY replace an incompetent minister from one political party with another person from the same political party? I would hope not, because the essence is to recruit the best person for the sake of the country. If initially SBY has offered the political parties to submit their best persons, and their performances donot meet with expectation after some period of time, aren't they entitled to be substituted? How could the political party take President SBY as the hostage to accept whoever candidate that they are proposing no more better resources they have?

Let's remind SBY and Boediono that they won more than 60 percent votes. Frankly, the victory could not automatically creditable to the parties that coalesced and supported the duet. Winning votes as much as sixty percent is not a trivial value in election, because if we compare it to United States presidential election 2008, Barack Obama "only" won 52.9 percent over John McCain. That's not a landslide victory, but we saw that Obama was confident in picking his confidants.

Logically, with the strong support from people, which was as much as 60 percent, there's no reason for SBY to bow down to parties' pressure. SBY should be confident since he has won the direct presidential election, and this time is the second victory for him. It was the people who consciously delivered the mandate to him, not the "king maker" like with previous presidents.

So Mr. President, I agree with you when you said to your ministers that in regards to the jobs, their loyalty should only be to the President and not to the party. You should encourage yourself to act decisively towards your ministers for serving people and perform all the best. If they failed, people would appreciate if they stepped down voluntarily. If they don't, you have to pull out a red card.

***
Serpong, 27 Oct 2009
Titus J.

Earthquake: Time for Introspection

(published by The Jakarta Post on 14 Oct 2009. Click here)

As usual, every time natural disaster strikes Indonesia, some people will relate the disaster to something divine. That’s okay, because religious people believe there is God who orchestrates everything that happens in nature. Others perceive the disaster is merely a natural phenomenon, because nature lives and tectonic plates move, so natural disasters are not an act of God. Maybe the argument is not completely wrong, because science teaches us how and why all of those things happen. Scientists will explain the earthquake that struck West Sumatra recently with logical theory.
Indonesia seems to be religious nation, so it is hard to deny that every disaster stands alone without God’s involvement. However, as a religious nation, some of us like to contradict religious beliefs with superstition. Some people who love numerology immediately analyze the date, month and year when a disaster occurs. They claim spiritual numbers can tell us what will happen in future.

Besides seeing the world through numbers, others blame natural disasters on leaders casting jinxes, because during the last term, a series of disasters occurred in Indonesia. They said it was bad luck. This is so absurd.

While some people like to be superstitious, other people believe the earthquake that claimed thousands of lives was a curse and punishment from God. The wise man says if we do not care when God is speaking, God will use the nature to speak.

Whether or not the earthquake has anything to do with God’s punishment, this is a time for us to do some introspection. We should not become too busy to make connections between the disaster and punishment from God, because we are human being with many weaknesses. Do we think people who live in Jakarta and other regions are better than those living in Padang?

Let us think positively and put negative thoughts aside. Those who always think negatively will respond the disaster by judging others, but positive thinkers will respond to it by introspecting and confessing, that we are too small, and have nothing to be proud of. The pessimists will say the disaster was a curse, a punishment and bad luck, but the optimists will see that disasters raise our consciousness and bring us back to God.

Indonesian people have been losing their original identity for a long time. We have forgotten our pride, our nation’s solidarity that was established by our founding fathers, and prefer to be proud of our own group. With the disaster, we can see that all people, regardless of social background, religion, ethnicity and culture, have come together in display of solidarity to our brothers and sisters in the afflicted area. Disaster, in fact, has made people unify and come together. Just take the example of Aceh after the tsunami 2004.

Please don’t behave as if we are the only truthful nation and consider other nations (read: Western nations) as infidels anymore, because in every disaster that has struck our country, they are the ones who quickly responded with sympathy, financial aid, modern equipments, food and even volunteers to provide relief efforts on site.

We appreciate members of the international community who do not hold our past experiences against us, such as some of their citizens dying in terrorists acts committed in Indonesia. Faced with disasters, aren’t we just meaningless human being in the middle of the vast nature?

Please don’t proclaim proudly that we are the religious nation anymore, if our country is at the top list as most corrupt countries in the world. We walk around as dignified nation, yet corruption is still rife. We know corruption destroys our moral principles and damages our country, but instead of avoiding it, we befriend corrupt individuals and try to prevent anti-graft institutions from doing their job.

Let’s reinvigorate our nation’s sense of solidarity regardless of background or attributes. Let’s remove our differences and strengthen our spirit of togetherness, not only among our fellow Indonesians, but also with members of the international community. We cannot live alone.

Our country sits on the “ring of fire” where about 90 percent of world’s earthquakes occur. If we don’t experience an earthquake today, it doesn’t mean it will not happen to us tomorrow. Natural phenomena are unavoidable but we don’t need to worry too much as long as we have many friends.

God will not handily punish humankind, because He will always send us sign before. It might be through a natural phenomenon. Actually if we’re not too busy, and want to be more humble, we can learn from what nature tells us. The problem is, He has spoken to us but we did not listen to Him, did not care, or pretending to be deaf.

***
Serpong, 6 Oct 2009
Titus J.

Experiencing a 'Kopi Item' at Starbucks Coffee

My 80 years old father in law is a coffee lover. A cup of coffee is his mandatory daily menu in the morning that makes his face brighter every day. It’s no problem with his stomach though he drinks coffee without eats anything in the morning. Thanks God for blessing him with incredible health in his 80s.

Please don’t get a wrong perception. A coffee for him is just a coffee a la ‘kopi tubruk’. I don’t know where the terminology of ‘kopi tubruk’ came from, but, as we’ve known it is an opposite from a modern coffee that usually served in contemporary coffee shops or cafes such as espresso, cappuccino, lattes, etc. Towards those coffee varieties, my father in law definitely does not know at all. So, coffee for him is just as simple as two spoons of ground coffee plus two spoons of sugar mixed with hot water in a cup. Three of those then be stirred-up to make it ready to drink.

A pack of ground coffee with 250 gram can make about twenty cup of coffee for my father in law. The price per pack is less than Rp. 20,000,- to get a good local brand. So, with a simple calculation, we knew the price per cup of coffee.

Since I had a coffee maker, my father in law said goodbye to his favorite ‘kopi tubruk’. Now he can drink coffee without lees in the cup because the smart machine automatically proceed coffee bean to become coffee liquid directly while the lees is separated.

One day, my father in law joined us to accompany his wife (my mother in law) see a doctor in a prominent hospital in Tangerang. That day we forgot to serve his favorite coffee at home. While waiting for my mom being treated by the doctor, he walked in the lobby area and found a small coffee shop over there. Hmm…that’s Starbucks Coffee. He did not know what Starbucks was, but by smelling the aroma that always entices everyone who passes by, my father knew a ‘kedai kopi’ (a coffee shop) was sitting there.

The smiling barista greeted my father in law politely and offered him the menu. As all of the items mentioned by the barista were so strange in his ear, he just shook his head till the list completely read.
“Just give me a ‘kopi item’ please,” my father in law said expecting his favorite one. The barista understood that my father in law asked him the black coffee.
“How much?” asked my father.
“Twenty thousand rupiahs, opa (grandpa),” the barista replied.
My father in law stupefied. He groped his pocket and paid for the coffee. After received the coffee in a beautiful paper cup, he then left the smiling barista slowly. Hmm…the shocking price.

The following day, in the morning as usual, I brewed and served a ‘kopi item’ to my father in law. While he was stirring-up the coffee, suddenly he giggled when remembered the ‘kopi item’ a la Starbucks the day before. I knew what was in his mind. It’s nothing else than the shocking price because twenty thousand Rupiahs for him means twenty cups of his previous favorite ‘kopi tubruk’. Happily, he still enjoyed the morning with his lovely ‘kopi item’ that I served.

Another day, again, my father in law had to go to the hospital to accompany my mother in law to see a doctor. Apparently, the ‘kopi item’ a la Starbucks has made him little bit addicted. The aroma has tantalized him and dragged him closer and closer to the coffee shop. The same young boy barista greeted him politely.
“Good morning, opa, a black coffee again?” he asked.
“Yes, kopi item. But can I get a smaller size, please?” my father replied (actually he expected to get a cheaper coffee).
“I am sorry, opa, there is no smaller size for your kopi item”
“Uhm…no smaller size ya? Uhm…I cancel my order then,” said my father while he’s searching various cakes and breads inside the glass shop display. The barista waited hospitably, starred down my father’s face.
“How much is this one?” he pinpointed to some pastry.
“That’s twenty thousand Rupiahs, opa,” said the barista.
“Allright, I take this one,” my father said and handed over Rp. 20,000,- of banknote.

After some minutes, the barista came and served the pastry.
“Opa, here is your pastry,” he said. “And, this is your favorite kopi item.”
My father in law dazed for seconds.
“But I did not order the coffee,” my father replied. “I only ordered this pastry,” my father said confusedly.
“Don’t worry, opa, the coffee is free for you,” the barista said nicely while handing over the coffee to him.

That day was a wonderful day for my father in law. That was not just because of getting his favorite ‘kopi item’ with free of charge in Starbucks, but the ‘touch of tenderness’ by the Starbucks through the young boy barista in its small outlet at the hospital. My father in law was so impressed with his experience that day. He told everyone the story. In the middle of difficult time to deal with his wife sickness, a simple care and sympathy for an old man like him was so meaningful.

What the barista did was a confirmation toward a tenet of Starbucks that drive it to its phenomenal success, because the strength of Starbucks is not just merely a coffee business, but a relationship building between the barista and the customer. The barista who in charge at the hospital has carved the natural touch on my father’s deep of heart. “Leave your mark” is one of the five principles of Starbucks business according to Joseph A. Michelli in his book “Starbucks Experience”, and the barista did it very well.

A shocking price for ‘kopi item’ or black coffee in Starbucks? Just ask my father in law. I am sure he would come back to the hospital and come to Starbucks – whether to order his favorite ‘kopi item’ or just a pastry (expecting to get a bonus again?).

***
Serpong, 22 Sept 2009
Titus J.

Just Continue to Make Movies

I would like to praise Indonesian film industry for the achievement within past ten years. Honestly, I have no appetite at all to watch Indonesian movie before. Indonesian movie, to me, at that time was like a coffin that slowly going down to grave. Indonesian movie was dead. But, then Garin Nugroho, Riri Reza, Mira Lesmana, Nia Dinata, Rudi Soedjarwo, Joko Anwar and other potential film directors came and breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of the film industry. The film industry became alive and milestone has been piled ever since.

In term of quality, Indonesian movie is doing a quantum leap. Compare to 1980’s era, when the Indonesian movies dominated with vulgar sex exploitation and mystical content, today we look at different face of the Indonesian movies which deserves our two thumbs up. The appearance of those film directors that coloring the film industry with a better quality and creativity has made Indonesian movies are able to speak proudly in international competition arena.

Several films directed by Garin Nugroho won international award as the best film such as Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti (Love in a piece of bread) in Berlin International Film Festival (1991), Daun di Atas Bantal (A leaf on the Pillow) in Asia Pacific Film Festival (1998), Puisi Tak Terkuburkan (Unburied Poetry) in Singapore International Film Festival (2000) and Opera Jawa (Javanese Opera) in Independent International Film Festival of Bruxelles - Brussel (2008).

Rudi Soedjarwo snatched the best director in Bali International Film Festival 2004 with his film Mengejar Matahari (Chasing the Sun). Riri Reza gained a spectacular successful with his film Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warrior) where people and film critics labeled it as “A must see Indonesian movie” in 2009. Since the release of this film on 25 September 2008 till March 2009, the film has been watched by 4.6 million moviegoers. The film was selected to perform in Berlin International Film Festival 2009, and even played in CineStar Cubix Alexanderplatz, Berlin. Pintu Terlarang (Forbidden Door) that directed by Joko Anwar awarded as the best film in Puchon International Fantastic Festival (South Korea) in 2009.

No doubt. The Indonesian film makers today are fantastic. They are talented and incredible. They are not just dilettantes. Yes everybody can make film, but making a good film is not just a matter of talent, capital (money) and idealism. The important thing that can make it happen is the wide-opened of freedom of expression that boost creativity in the film industry.

It is clear, the wind of change has blown. We can see resurrection of good movies since reformation history in 1998. Surprisingly, this art industry filled by majority young talented people with various formal education background, not just a cinematography background. They have been creating an advanced progress so far, and I believe it because of freedom that has made them doing good jobs. Like John F. Kennedy said: “The best road to progress is freedom's road,” so the progress of the Indonesian film industry clearly boosted by the freedom of expression.

The enactment of the new film law on 8 September by the House of Representatives has made people raise eyebrow. Is there anything wrong with our movie industry today? Film producers, directors and actors condemned several articles in the new law and commented as set back. “Neither government nor lawmakers contribute to the progress of film industry so far, and now they want to shackle our creativity,” they said.

It is hard to be understood that the new law requires movie producers to get permit from several ministries and local administration. They should report plan, title and scenario to the government before making movie. From the bureaucracy perspective, it’s obviously a complicated rule because we all knew how the government official doing their works. The negative image shown by the bureaucrats has made people reluctant to get in touch with them. We knew the reason.

Mira Lesmana and Slamet Rahardjo, two of prominent film directors also condemned article 6 as it would suspect the film makers as criminals. Although it is good that our society should avoid violation, gambling, drugs, pornography, and provocation related to ethnicity, race, and religion in our daily life, I believe we don’t need to stipulate it to the film law. In particular case, a film needs to take some of those scenes for the sake of a lesson learned, for example: A film about social riot in May 1998, East Timor following the referendum 1999, murder of human right activist Munir, conflict in Poso, etc. This is to remind us that our nation, long time ago, had ever passed the dark tunnel in our history. It would be important for us today and our next generation for lesson learned to avoid the repeated history in future.

Finally, I support Mira Lesmana, Slamet Rahardjo and other film makers to submit judicial review to Constitutional Court (MK), but I would more suggest them to forget the existence of the new law and continue making movies without fear. Indonesian lawmakers and government like to regulate everything in all aspect of our life, but too easy to forget after that. They like making law, but too hard to implement the law enforcement towards those who break the law. Why? We knew the answer.

***
Serpong, 14 Sept 2009
Titus J.