The Media Isn't Always Right
I was just blogwalking and found out about my friend infuriated by the comment of an UNICEF about Indonesia. According to my other friend's comment, the information about Indonesia is being talked as a poor country. Hmm... this is a great topic as a blog post.
Yes, Indonesia is a pitiful country. Many non-mainlands are not being well-maintained, especially those that in borderline. As a matter of fact, almost all of the infrastructures were built during East Indian colonial time. For example, the gas pipe in Palembang and Jakarta railroad.
We too have issues of decision makers are filled with selfish people that would only get their own communities. This resulting in many unbalanced development building, minorities bullying, and so on. The injustice are very distinctive that few areas are beginning questioning their loyalty to the republic.
What interesting enough is, our people are of great people. Many would made innitiatives without authority's backing up. Many would never give up and give their best. As an entrepreneur once said, "Indonesia without its government is still alive and breathing. All the government should do is not making silly decisions."
This proved during 2008 financial recession.
As the world collapsed, including the Europeans, Indonesia still rocking hard. We don't get the impact. Look at Greece, now Portugal, and soon other EU country. Indonesia right now is the new Asia's golden child.
Indonesia have great gap between upper class and lower class, although there is an increasing lifestyle in the middle class. And the best part is Indonesia have bigger number of people in the productive age. That would boost the productivity on Indonesia.
How about the rotten officials?
The refresh of government officials would replace the old 70's recruits. The bet would be in the five years from now. The new generation of officials would proves their worthy of either being the better or the same corrupted as their previous.
Personally, I have hope for the new generation. When BPK inspected my workplace servers at Universitas Indonesia, they behave like real auditors. They chased all of the inventory and checked all of them. We were getting busy because of them. But, we were happy, their young face and the dilligent works that they showed actually put our hopes for the next generations.
As I joked to my work friends, "they were from big four [a nick for four best Public Accountant companies] before they signed in for becoming government officials. That's where they get their professionality."
Well, that's actually not a joke. There are massive exodus to become public servants (Pegawai Negeri Sipil/PNS). I don't know how massive. I only heard and saw that from people close me and their friends.
You won't know how Indonesia before you meet many people and watch them yourself. So, making prejudice about Indonesia is plainly wrong. Indonesia neither bad nor good. Indonesia is its own people having many communities with one community playing a role as majority.
My own wish for Indonesia is to protect all of its people. Including the way of life of the traditional society. As all of us whom involved in LSM or getting in touch with them informed, we knew the traditional society have suffer great loss.
Many young people would not respect their old wisdom for the forest. That's because many forest intended for their tribe (Hutan Adat) were deforestated by misguided companies. Many tribes were sent from their home because of the capitalism.
Worst of that, people minds have changed. They would burn down the forest for palm oil. They were not educated well! Our little rain forest is the world's oxygen supplier. The suffering would last decades and some would not reversible.
Yes, Indonesia is a pitiful country. Many non-mainlands are not being well-maintained, especially those that in borderline. As a matter of fact, almost all of the infrastructures were built during East Indian colonial time. For example, the gas pipe in Palembang and Jakarta railroad.
We too have issues of decision makers are filled with selfish people that would only get their own communities. This resulting in many unbalanced development building, minorities bullying, and so on. The injustice are very distinctive that few areas are beginning questioning their loyalty to the republic.
What interesting enough is, our people are of great people. Many would made innitiatives without authority's backing up. Many would never give up and give their best. As an entrepreneur once said, "Indonesia without its government is still alive and breathing. All the government should do is not making silly decisions."
This proved during 2008 financial recession.
As the world collapsed, including the Europeans, Indonesia still rocking hard. We don't get the impact. Look at Greece, now Portugal, and soon other EU country. Indonesia right now is the new Asia's golden child.
Indonesia have great gap between upper class and lower class, although there is an increasing lifestyle in the middle class. And the best part is Indonesia have bigger number of people in the productive age. That would boost the productivity on Indonesia.
How about the rotten officials?
The refresh of government officials would replace the old 70's recruits. The bet would be in the five years from now. The new generation of officials would proves their worthy of either being the better or the same corrupted as their previous.
Personally, I have hope for the new generation. When BPK inspected my workplace servers at Universitas Indonesia, they behave like real auditors. They chased all of the inventory and checked all of them. We were getting busy because of them. But, we were happy, their young face and the dilligent works that they showed actually put our hopes for the next generations.
As I joked to my work friends, "they were from big four [a nick for four best Public Accountant companies] before they signed in for becoming government officials. That's where they get their professionality."
Well, that's actually not a joke. There are massive exodus to become public servants (Pegawai Negeri Sipil/PNS). I don't know how massive. I only heard and saw that from people close me and their friends.
You won't know how Indonesia before you meet many people and watch them yourself. So, making prejudice about Indonesia is plainly wrong. Indonesia neither bad nor good. Indonesia is its own people having many communities with one community playing a role as majority.
My own wish for Indonesia is to protect all of its people. Including the way of life of the traditional society. As all of us whom involved in LSM or getting in touch with them informed, we knew the traditional society have suffer great loss.
Many young people would not respect their old wisdom for the forest. That's because many forest intended for their tribe (Hutan Adat) were deforestated by misguided companies. Many tribes were sent from their home because of the capitalism.
Worst of that, people minds have changed. They would burn down the forest for palm oil. They were not educated well! Our little rain forest is the world's oxygen supplier. The suffering would last decades and some would not reversible.
All in all:
In the end, my friend is right. He has the opportunity to have better life. It is ignorance to say all Indonesian is poor. Not all of us poor. But, the facts that UNICEF brought also right; Indonesia deserve better handling, especially for "minorities".
We'll see and watch these five years as the new government officials make their ways into the top. Can they change the government? I hope so.
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