I just just read on the blog of fellow blogger Unspun that today is the National Blogger's Day.
He explained that this event was declared four years ago i.e 27 October 2007, by the then Communication and Information Minister Muhammad Nuh when he opened the first annual gathering of Indonesian Bloggers a.k.a Pesta Blogger at the Blitz Megaplex in downtown Jakarta.
At a time when most news media in Indonesia are owned or controlled by people who have money, Bloggers provide the public with more independent and non-biased information.
Bloggers have made some contributions to the implementation of justice. The most noticeable being the case of Prita Mulyasari i.e a mother of two very young children who was jailed for sending e-mails to her friends about the sub-standard treatment she received from the OMNI Hospital, and fined Rp 200 million but released after strongly protested by Bloggers who also collected money to pay for the fine.
Then there was the case of Vice Chairmen of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) i.e. Chandra Hamzah and Slamet Bibit Rianto who were jailed on charges that are not clear, therefore released after strongly protested by Bloggers.
In this connection I hope that Indonesian Bloggers would use their freedom wisely in accordance with the laws and regulations.
Happy National Blogger's Day.
Showing posts with label Freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freedom. Show all posts
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Is Freedom a Blessing or a Curse ?
The Constitution of 1945 stipulated that the freedom of every Indonesian citizens is protected by the laws.
However, in 53 years after its independence on 17 August 1945, Indonesia was ruled by authoritarian regimes that used their powers merely for the interests of their family, friends and groups. Freedom was very limited, oppositions was crushed, the media was heavily censored. Any violation would be severely punished either legitimately or illegitimately, among others by shutting down the publisher/broadcaster and detaining the persons in charge.
In spite of the lack of freedom, between 1968 and 1998, Indonesians enjoyed economical, social, political and security conditions which were relatively stable.. The economy grew steadily, educations were affordable, no very serious religious, racial and political conflicts among the people was reported.
But unfortunately, the economy was heavily depended on foreign debts, investments, and exports of natural oil, gas, timbers, so when the international financial crisis broke in 1997, Indonesia was hit very badly, and forced to accept the emergency program directed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including the liberalization of social, economic and political lives.
This fact and nationwide public protests against the 32-years authoritarian regime of President Suharto had forced him to step down from 32 years power on 21 May 1998, and asked Vice President Habibie to take over.
And liberal democracy came to Indonesia and the social, political, economical and security situation became unstable.
One year later, the first free general election was held and won by the anti-Suharto Indonesian Democratic Party in Struggle led by the daughter of former President Soekarno namely Megawati. Unfortunately, the People's Consultative Council (MPR) did not elected her as president, instead they elected the leader of the largest Islamic organization namely Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) on October 1999.
Gus Dur was a very liberal and highly respected human rights. He abolished racialist laws against minorities including Chinese citizens, recognized extreme-fanatic religious movements, etc. Muslim-Non Muslim bloody conflicts broke in the Island of Maluku and Sulawesi.
Gus Dur's policies were too controversial for other politicians, including his plan to disband the pro-Suharto Golkar Party, so on July 2001, the MPR ousted him and Megawati became President. Many violence broke, among others the suicide bombing in Bali in 2002
In 2004, General Susilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY) won the first freely-held presidential election with a land slide majority of more than 60%. But his Democrat Party only minority seats in the House of Representatives so he must form coalition government with the Golkar Party several Moslem political parties. This weak political support has made SBY always hesitate in taking actions especially against violent organizations using religion as mask like the FPI that often carried out illegal sweepings and curfews on public places.
More suicide bombings exploded in Bali (2005) and Jakarta (2009), many inter-religion conflicts broke in some parts of the country.
In 2009, more than 60% of the people, including me, re-elected SBY once again, but considering that his Democrat Party on got around 25% of the seats in the House of Representatives, therefore SBY must once again rely on the support of his coalition partners i.e. the Golkar Party and Islamic based parties.
This is ironic, because our Constitution adopted the Presidential government-system, whereby the President hold supreme executive power, therefore should not be depended on the House of Representatives.
Today, almost two years I cast my votes for SBY and his Democrat Party, he is still like before. As a result, the majority of our people are still living in poverty, unemployment is growing, many injustices exist, reluctance to fight corruption, only few people can afford the very expensive higher education.
Moreover, violence organizations are seemingly becoming more stronger.
Considering the above, I felt that SBY and his Democrat party should stick to the promises that they have made during the last general election and presidential election i.e. govern the country based on the concept of pluralism, supremacy of law, equality before the law merely for the best interest of the Indonesian people and not just for certain individuals, groups and political parties. That way, people would not regret casting their votes for you in the elections. And the freedom that we have since 1998 would be a blessing, and not a curse, for us.
Well, that's my personal opinion about freedom, I shall be very glad to know about your opinion.
However, in 53 years after its independence on 17 August 1945, Indonesia was ruled by authoritarian regimes that used their powers merely for the interests of their family, friends and groups. Freedom was very limited, oppositions was crushed, the media was heavily censored. Any violation would be severely punished either legitimately or illegitimately, among others by shutting down the publisher/broadcaster and detaining the persons in charge.
In spite of the lack of freedom, between 1968 and 1998, Indonesians enjoyed economical, social, political and security conditions which were relatively stable.. The economy grew steadily, educations were affordable, no very serious religious, racial and political conflicts among the people was reported.
But unfortunately, the economy was heavily depended on foreign debts, investments, and exports of natural oil, gas, timbers, so when the international financial crisis broke in 1997, Indonesia was hit very badly, and forced to accept the emergency program directed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including the liberalization of social, economic and political lives.
This fact and nationwide public protests against the 32-years authoritarian regime of President Suharto had forced him to step down from 32 years power on 21 May 1998, and asked Vice President Habibie to take over.
And liberal democracy came to Indonesia and the social, political, economical and security situation became unstable.
One year later, the first free general election was held and won by the anti-Suharto Indonesian Democratic Party in Struggle led by the daughter of former President Soekarno namely Megawati. Unfortunately, the People's Consultative Council (MPR) did not elected her as president, instead they elected the leader of the largest Islamic organization namely Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) on October 1999.
Gus Dur was a very liberal and highly respected human rights. He abolished racialist laws against minorities including Chinese citizens, recognized extreme-fanatic religious movements, etc. Muslim-Non Muslim bloody conflicts broke in the Island of Maluku and Sulawesi.
Gus Dur's policies were too controversial for other politicians, including his plan to disband the pro-Suharto Golkar Party, so on July 2001, the MPR ousted him and Megawati became President. Many violence broke, among others the suicide bombing in Bali in 2002
In 2004, General Susilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY) won the first freely-held presidential election with a land slide majority of more than 60%. But his Democrat Party only minority seats in the House of Representatives so he must form coalition government with the Golkar Party several Moslem political parties. This weak political support has made SBY always hesitate in taking actions especially against violent organizations using religion as mask like the FPI that often carried out illegal sweepings and curfews on public places.
More suicide bombings exploded in Bali (2005) and Jakarta (2009), many inter-religion conflicts broke in some parts of the country.
In 2009, more than 60% of the people, including me, re-elected SBY once again, but considering that his Democrat Party on got around 25% of the seats in the House of Representatives, therefore SBY must once again rely on the support of his coalition partners i.e. the Golkar Party and Islamic based parties.
This is ironic, because our Constitution adopted the Presidential government-system, whereby the President hold supreme executive power, therefore should not be depended on the House of Representatives.
Today, almost two years I cast my votes for SBY and his Democrat Party, he is still like before. As a result, the majority of our people are still living in poverty, unemployment is growing, many injustices exist, reluctance to fight corruption, only few people can afford the very expensive higher education.
Moreover, violence organizations are seemingly becoming more stronger.
Considering the above, I felt that SBY and his Democrat party should stick to the promises that they have made during the last general election and presidential election i.e. govern the country based on the concept of pluralism, supremacy of law, equality before the law merely for the best interest of the Indonesian people and not just for certain individuals, groups and political parties. That way, people would not regret casting their votes for you in the elections. And the freedom that we have since 1998 would be a blessing, and not a curse, for us.
Well, that's my personal opinion about freedom, I shall be very glad to know about your opinion.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Religious Freedom is protected by the Constitution
The Indonesian (amended) Constitution of 1945 Articles 28 and 29 stipulated that every citizens has the right to choose its own religion and faith.
But unfortunately, recent incidents in Cikeusik, Temanggung and Pasuruan, show that some citizens have ignored the constitutional rights of other citizens.
The worst thing was that the authorities seemed to forget that religious freedom is protected by the Constitution that they seemed to be helpless when a fanatic group using the symbol of a religion brutally attacked the houses, places of worship of other religions and even killed 3 people in the above mentioned incidents.
The most horrifying thing was that the authorities do not seemed to be annoyed when the said fanatic group threatened that they will oust the government of President SBY if their organization is disbanded.
The above situation not only worried people in Indonesia, but also Indonesians living abroad. For example fellow blogger Rima Fauzi and Imelda Tenyala in Brussels, Belgium have initiated the Solidarity Movement for Religious Freedom in Indonesia (Gerakan Solidaritas Kebebasan Beragama di Indonesia) which can be contacted at : solidaritasberagamaindonesia@gmail.com.
I hope that each and every citizens of Indonesia would accept the fact that Religious Freedom is protected by the Constitution and every differences/disputes would be settled peacefully and amicably.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Freedom of Religion
The American priest Terry Jones has canceled his plan to burn the Quran to mark the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack.
There is no guarantee that such plan would not be carried out again in the future, but this cancellation would at least ease the tensions between Muslims and Christians.
This is a very good development for us in Indonesia as the largest Muslim country in the world, whereby any tensions between Muslim and Non Muslim in other places would surely be felt here.
I hope that the above would make everyone especially in Indonesia, no matter what their religion, culture, race, aware on the importance of establishing mutual understanding with each other, for which purpose good communication among them should be established and always be maintained.
And considering that freedom of religion is protected by our constitution, laws and regulations, I hope that the government and law enforcement agencies would provide equal protection for every citizens no matter what their religion is, and severely punish anyone/group of people who violate the laws.
A firm stance on this matter is very important, because experience shows that failure to do so would cause extreme groups take the laws into their own hands.
If we can improve all that, I am sure that Indonesia would be a much better place to live.
Conversations about this matter on the blogosphere :
- Quran Burning Cancelled ? (A. Fatih)
- Condemn the Burning of Koran (Tikno)
- Islam : an open letter to a friend (Anastasia FB)
There is no guarantee that such plan would not be carried out again in the future, but this cancellation would at least ease the tensions between Muslims and Christians.
This is a very good development for us in Indonesia as the largest Muslim country in the world, whereby any tensions between Muslim and Non Muslim in other places would surely be felt here.
I hope that the above would make everyone especially in Indonesia, no matter what their religion, culture, race, aware on the importance of establishing mutual understanding with each other, for which purpose good communication among them should be established and always be maintained.
And considering that freedom of religion is protected by our constitution, laws and regulations, I hope that the government and law enforcement agencies would provide equal protection for every citizens no matter what their religion is, and severely punish anyone/group of people who violate the laws.
A firm stance on this matter is very important, because experience shows that failure to do so would cause extreme groups take the laws into their own hands.
If we can improve all that, I am sure that Indonesia would be a much better place to live.
Conversations about this matter on the blogosphere :
- Quran Burning Cancelled ? (A. Fatih)
- Condemn the Burning of Koran (Tikno)
- Islam : an open letter to a friend (Anastasia FB)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Are we paying too much for Freedom?
With a population of 240 million living in 17,000 island, with 6 major religions and different cultures, Indonesia is one the most plural country in the world.
Most of the people are Moslems living side by side with Protestants, Catholics, Hindu, Buddha and Confucian.
Since independence on 17 August 1945 until May 1998, Indonesia was governed by authoritarian regimes, where everything, including freedom of expression, should be based on social-political-economical stability and order. People in general and the news media in particular must speak, write and/or do things which are according to the regimes' rules of the games. Otherwise there would be severe consequences.
As a result, social, inter religion, political life seemed to be normal, and the economy grown quite stable.
Then came the so called "Reformasi" after the late President Soeharto stepped down from 32 years of authoritarian rule on 21 May 1998. The Constitution was amended several times, all members of parliament must be elected directly by the people - no more 20% seats for hand picked military representatives - the economic system changed from socialist planned system into a free fight liberal system, people are free to create political parties and organizations, the news media are free to write, talk, show almost everything, etc. etc.
As a result, religious hardliners who were banned in other countries were allowed to return, thereby causing so many problems like years of violence between Moslems and non Moslems in Ambon-Maluku and Poso-Sulawesi. Although the inter-faith violence have ended in both regions, many smaller scale problems happened in other regions. Beside that I should also mention the series of suicide bombings in Bali and Jakarta carried out by people who were "brainwashed" by hard line religious fanatics that have killed so many innocent people.
As I write this post, there are two disputes reported by the media, first one is Moslems violent rejection on the construction of Christian churches and religious activities, and the second one is Moslems rejection on the existence of a Moslem Sect i.e. Ahmadiyah.
Beside that, there are people who died because of other causes, like the Speaker of North Sumatera Parliament who died of heart attack after an angry mob ransacked a plenary meeting. There was also human right activist Munir who was poisoned to death by who knows who? Violence in Papua caused by various reasons including Freeport, regional election campaigns, etc. etc.
Moreover, the concept of free fight economy has made the owners of financial capital to prosper from imports of products in stead of producing locally, causing the closing down of factories : textile and garment, floor and roof tiles, furniture, steel products. Even fruits and vegetables are imported.
With the China-Asean Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that started on 1 January 2010, that created the Free Trade Area between China and 10 ASEAN countries, things are getting more worst every day.
If no serious efforts is made to protect local industry, including postponement of the CAFTA for 3-5 years, high unemployment rate can be expected to increase in the years to come. As a logical consequence, crime rates would inevitably increase.
But now that the water is already flowing under the bridge, there is no need to regret for what we have chosen. The most important thing right now is that the leaders (Executive, Legislative and Judiciary) should have strong and consistent will to adopt and implement all the laws based on the concept of Rule of Law i.e. Supremacy of Law, Equality Before the Law, Presumption of Innocence, Respect of Human Rights. For that purpose, we need strong, smart, honest, fair and firm leaders who are willing to do his/her very best efforts only for the very best interest of the people of Indonesia.
If we can have all that, we can expect that freedom will bring much better things, and I am sure that Indonesia will prosper continously in the future.
Most of the people are Moslems living side by side with Protestants, Catholics, Hindu, Buddha and Confucian.
Since independence on 17 August 1945 until May 1998, Indonesia was governed by authoritarian regimes, where everything, including freedom of expression, should be based on social-political-economical stability and order. People in general and the news media in particular must speak, write and/or do things which are according to the regimes' rules of the games. Otherwise there would be severe consequences.
As a result, social, inter religion, political life seemed to be normal, and the economy grown quite stable.
Then came the so called "Reformasi" after the late President Soeharto stepped down from 32 years of authoritarian rule on 21 May 1998. The Constitution was amended several times, all members of parliament must be elected directly by the people - no more 20% seats for hand picked military representatives - the economic system changed from socialist planned system into a free fight liberal system, people are free to create political parties and organizations, the news media are free to write, talk, show almost everything, etc. etc.
As a result, religious hardliners who were banned in other countries were allowed to return, thereby causing so many problems like years of violence between Moslems and non Moslems in Ambon-Maluku and Poso-Sulawesi. Although the inter-faith violence have ended in both regions, many smaller scale problems happened in other regions. Beside that I should also mention the series of suicide bombings in Bali and Jakarta carried out by people who were "brainwashed" by hard line religious fanatics that have killed so many innocent people.
As I write this post, there are two disputes reported by the media, first one is Moslems violent rejection on the construction of Christian churches and religious activities, and the second one is Moslems rejection on the existence of a Moslem Sect i.e. Ahmadiyah.
Beside that, there are people who died because of other causes, like the Speaker of North Sumatera Parliament who died of heart attack after an angry mob ransacked a plenary meeting. There was also human right activist Munir who was poisoned to death by who knows who? Violence in Papua caused by various reasons including Freeport, regional election campaigns, etc. etc.
Moreover, the concept of free fight economy has made the owners of financial capital to prosper from imports of products in stead of producing locally, causing the closing down of factories : textile and garment, floor and roof tiles, furniture, steel products. Even fruits and vegetables are imported.
With the China-Asean Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that started on 1 January 2010, that created the Free Trade Area between China and 10 ASEAN countries, things are getting more worst every day.
If no serious efforts is made to protect local industry, including postponement of the CAFTA for 3-5 years, high unemployment rate can be expected to increase in the years to come. As a logical consequence, crime rates would inevitably increase.
But now that the water is already flowing under the bridge, there is no need to regret for what we have chosen. The most important thing right now is that the leaders (Executive, Legislative and Judiciary) should have strong and consistent will to adopt and implement all the laws based on the concept of Rule of Law i.e. Supremacy of Law, Equality Before the Law, Presumption of Innocence, Respect of Human Rights. For that purpose, we need strong, smart, honest, fair and firm leaders who are willing to do his/her very best efforts only for the very best interest of the people of Indonesia.
If we can have all that, we can expect that freedom will bring much better things, and I am sure that Indonesia will prosper continously in the future.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Freedom of Expression
As a result, every day news media like TV stations, newspapers, magazines reported, online and offline, have been reporting about things that happened in our society that should be improved such as Injustice, Corruption, etc.
Unfortunately, said media also spread information which is sensitive and inappropriate for some people, especially underage children, such as sexual assaults, people being beaten, stabbed or even murdered for slight misunderstandings, and other horrifying stories.
Especially that all TV stations are showing Sinetrons (soap opera) which I personally think not worth watching like horror stories, extra marital affairs, full of lots of rude behaviors and harsh words.
Moreover, the internet provides all kinds of writings and pictures, including Pornography and Violence, which may not be suitable for some people especially under aged children.
Personally, I strongly believe that freedom of expression should be protected. But, as a member of society I want to live in a peaceful & harmonious environment, therefore I strongly believe that freedom of expression should be carried out responsibly and accountably, otherwise it would cause disharmony in society.
Considering the above and cancellation of the draft of the Minister of Information & Communication regarding Multimedia Content, I hope that as Bloggers we always respect other people’s rights, and aware the effect that our words and actions might bring to our society. That way, our Indonesia would be a much better place to live.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Student Sex Column
I always thought that people in the United States, especially academicians, are tolerant to differences in opinions, including on matters related to sex, because Freedom of Speech is protected by the country's constitution.
That’s why I was surprised when I read an article in Legal Blog Watch about Kristen Juras, a Law Professor at the Montana University, who tried to shut down a Sex Column in the university’s students newspaper The Kaimin. As a reason, she said that the column, Bess Sex Column, contain inappropriate material for students and reflects poorly on the university. She said that it affects her reputation as a member of the faculty. However, she said that it is not the column's subject that offended her, rather it is because she thought that the Columnist Bess Davis is not qualified to write about Sex. If it has been written by a Sex Expert she would not have objected.
She tried to persuade the management of the newspaper to terminate the column, but failed. Then she plan to take the matter to higher levels at the university. If that also fail, she would go to the legislature.
Thankfully her views is not shared by others who thinks that the Sex Column is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution regarding Freedom of Speech.
That’s why I was surprised when I read an article in Legal Blog Watch about Kristen Juras, a Law Professor at the Montana University, who tried to shut down a Sex Column in the university’s students newspaper The Kaimin. As a reason, she said that the column, Bess Sex Column, contain inappropriate material for students and reflects poorly on the university. She said that it affects her reputation as a member of the faculty. However, she said that it is not the column's subject that offended her, rather it is because she thought that the Columnist Bess Davis is not qualified to write about Sex. If it has been written by a Sex Expert she would not have objected.
She tried to persuade the management of the newspaper to terminate the column, but failed. Then she plan to take the matter to higher levels at the university. If that also fail, she would go to the legislature.
Thankfully her views is not shared by others who thinks that the Sex Column is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution regarding Freedom of Speech.
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