Renungan Indonesian in England

BBC Indonesia mengadakan survey: di manakah Anda pada Mei 1998?

Berikut kenangan dan renungan saya, 17 tahun setelah kerusuhan 1998 dan jatuhnya diktator Soeharto.

Sebagai wartawan muda dan jebolan UI, saya hadir di Salemba. Tak lama orasi2 mulai, saya dapat tiga pesan di pager: dari kantor, dari suami, dan dari orang tua. Semua isinya sama: segera pulang, rumah Lim Sui Liong di Gunung Sahari akan dibakar (kami tinggal di Kemayoran, tak jauh dari istana pemilik Indofood dan kroni Soeharto tsb). Namun bis dan mikrolet tak ada. Jalan Salemba seperti kota hantu walau halaman UI penuh demonstran. Berjalan kakilah saya dari Salemba. Untung seorang pengendara motor berbaik hati memberi tumpangan hingga perempatan Jl Angkasa. Sampai rumah putra saya Jack Bara yang masih bayi menangis di gendongan ayahnya, surat-surat penting dan pakaian seadanya sudah di travel bag. Kami siap cabut jika api menjalar... Untung tak terjadi. 

Demokrasi Indonesia kini telah 17 tahun, masih remaja namun terbukti makin dewasa. Bangga sekali dengan pidato Presiden Jokowi di pembukaan KAA bulan lalu. Sementara pada saat yang sama negara Inggris Raya tempat lahirnya demokrasi moderen, negara asal John Locke dan Magna Carta, sedang mengalami kemunduran demokrasi. Pemerintah Konservatif berencana menghapus UU HAM (Human Right Act 1988), mengurangi anggaran kesehatan (NHS) dan melegalkan kembali perburuan rubah. Rakyat miskin kian tergantung sumbangan sembako dari foodbank sementara sahabat kaya para politisi menikmati pengurangan pajak. Indonesia, ayo pimpin keadilan sosial di dunia!

Celebration of Democracy? UK Election 2015

Dear UK citizens, I hope that those who could vote today, would have used voted and use your voices wisely. General election is the big celebration of democracy. People might not see it that way here in the UK. People might be fed up with lies told by politicians just before elections. Fed up with promises they could not - or would not intended to - keep. 

Still, elsewhere on Earth people are threatened by guns on their way to polling stations. Blood spilled, bomb exploded, innocent children killed. For democracy? For the right to choose one's own future? For politicians who are going to betray their people? Still, people around the world are longing to have a peaceful general election like today.

Aceh, March 2004, first democratic election in Indonesia since Soeharto regime. Was it democratic for Acehnese people? With big guns everywhere? "Vote for your life", Aceh, 2004 (http://youtu.be/WSdClPsFovc)

I remember my first general election in Indonesia, 1992. (I am now middle age, so I am allowed to say, "I remember...") There were three parties. In theory. Though for over 30 years only one party could win. My father begged me to vote for one party, "Or your father would have no job tomorrow." He was a civil servant then. All civil servants were members of one party, the one that had to win for 33 years. It was only two decades ago.

For goodness sake, British people today, you are lucky to be alive. To stay alive after voting. You are lucky to have the free choice. This is democracy. Like it or not, the b*****d in Number 10 was your choice. If tomorrow you have a prime minister who looks like that cartoon Wallace and Gromitt, he would still be the result of years of freedom to choose. Embrace it! Somewhere out there, people are dying to have a choice!

In Indonesia we call general election 'pesta demokrasi', the big celebration of democracy. I hope people in the UK today are celebrating.

People's power?

I might sound old, but I can't help to compare the people's power that toppled dictators in Indonesia 1998 and Philippines 1986 to today's trade union march against the tories in Manchester, UK. 

 

The big difference was that in Jakarta 1998 and Manila 1986, people march united as one against a dictator - Soeharto and Marcos. The people were anonimous Joe Everybodies. Today's protest in Manchester, UK, was filled with banners and placards of organisations or political parties all advertising their interest. None provides practical and logical sollution. 

Indonesians toppled Soeharto's dictatorship by marching as one, not by advertising organisation A, B, C...

I do agree that today's government in power - coallition between Conservative (or Tory) and Liberal Democrat - is evil. Any government who kiils the poor - Cameron in UK 2010-2013 or Sutiyoso in Jakarta 2002-2005 - is indeed EVIL. I agree that they need to step down and be replaced by human who work for the people, not for the greedy bussinessmen and international conglomerates.

Well, this guy said it nicely

Still, it made me sad that today's trade union march was more about promoting individual unions or political parties or institutions or causes, rather than marching together as one. I do not buy the advert of trade unions because all they wanted is our subscription. I had been a member of two unions, both had no union representative available when i really needed them, and I was not the only one with this experience.

I am still waiting for politicians with real human hearts who will defend the people, the poor, with all their hearts until the last blood... I have not seen the quality of Chico Mendez and Romero here in the first world England. 

I am disappointed of the country where modern democracy was born. Still I cannot just leave this modern society, go to the jungle of West Papua and join their Liberation Army. Well, of course I could, but I still have a responsibility of raising my son until he goes to university and independent. Neither does joining badger resistant army would do any good for now. 

Therefore I will continue doing what i can do - fighting for what is right in anyway I can, working togther with those who have human hearts, and fight the evil of greedy capitalistsm, politic of selfishness and injustice. I will fight with my service user for the right of public service for those with no internet access (damn you manchester, advertising the city as digital champion while discriminating against those who are not internet-literate!). I will advocate for those who are entitled of student bursary but their social workers are too lazy and beaurocratic to provide. I will fight for the better treatments of new social workers by the dictatorship of their local authority and fight for transparency in local authority management. I will fight for the stop of badger cull for this is human laziness to address the real problem and find innocent creatures as scapegoat....

Come and join me all human hearts, with care and love we can defeat the evil little by little...

In all our different ways, we can unite in one compassion for fellow human. We can continue to question injustice especially by those in power. We can refuse to be victims and take responsibilities to make a difference. For it is better to light a candle than curse at the darkness....