On Fuel Price Hike

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Do you ever think why Jakarta got jammed every day? Got counts on the number of personal vehicle dancing towards town? Or do you already lost count, like mine? For people already experiencing Jakarta for years, it is a need to own a personal vehicle because the public transportation that supposed to help us doesn’t give any hope. The high number of criminalities and the heat got the most of it, I do realize that having a personal vehicle to facilitate your activities would make the travel more convenience. You don’t have to deal with the insanity of angkot driver who will do, basically, anything to achieve his wants. Stop his vehicle everywhere he wants, or driving like there is no tomorrow. You don’t have to deal with the impossible queue at TransJakarta or what sorcery that made people who stand behind us already got the bus ahead.

The vast growing technology supposed to help us to have a better life, but along the way, got mixed up with consumerism. The price of having a personal vehicle increased each and every day, yet the demand got higher. The city planner/developer/government (or whoever I don’t know) see the chances even clearer. They support this act by building more highways. Hiding behind the reason ‘the solution to traffic is to build more roads’, they gave more tangled problems by encouraging people to buy more vehicle. The result? Look around for yourself.

By April 1, 2012 Indonesian government planned to raise the price of petrol fuel prices. Thus they said that subsidiary of fuel prices will be diverted to build more infrastructure and fund the education/health projects. Or so they said. The demonstration to prevent the act risen up. In fact, the debate and pro-cons have been happen all month. One of the infamous debates took place on Metro TV. Some might say, it just political matters. Some say, it is time to bring down the president that he doesn’t take side with the citizen anymore.

In my opinion, I support the raise of petrol fuel prices. The mean fact is, if you can’t afford it, just don’t buy it. Many personal vehicle use subsidized fuel to accommodate their fuel needs, while subsidized fuel basically aimed for low income communities. But it is a core problem also to provide fuel with different prices (subsidized and non-subsidized) in same place without running any authority. Indonesia is the country where chances are being dug and slipped. It is just a common instinct to buy cheaper stuff where no one telling us the rule. Admit it, Indonesia is not ready to be a country to run by such morale and awareness. (For more interesting information, you can read the timeline of @MuhammadAssad and @gm_gm with hashtag #BBM)

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late night radio broadcast #2

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late night radio broadcast #1

This is still a late-night radio broadcast.
It’s still past midnight, and we’re still here to make you feel better.

How do you describe pain, one of you had asked through our inbox.
Oh, this is a funny one.

Pain is the ultimate proof that we are alive.
It is hard to see one suffer, especially in a traumatic one.
I’m not sure if pain can be shared.
It won’t be, in every single way.
It can be ease in such a hard way, but I don’t think it can be shared.
It is a journey and a battle against time and mind, that one should pass.

To hate is such a terrible act of parting, such a terrible way of beating the pain.
This is such a pity, to leave everyone brokenhearted.
I once experienced it, you might too.
And probably someone over the roof miles away from us too.
That is why we’re here, on the same wavelength.
Crying the same song we’ve known so long.

So, here’s one for you.
This is the first song and after this, we’ll be calling someone.
You might know him and all of his belongs.
He feels the pain, more or the same with us.

It might be you, so don’t put your phone on hold.

We caused so much agony.
We can’t seem to move ahead.
This is such a pity.
We should give all our love to each other.
Not this hate that destroys us.
This is such a pity.

Small Things That Make a Change

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For many living years of my life, I’ve seen many faces of this country called Indonesia. Have been living in one of the most crowded city of the world—Jakarta—gave me perception of what is called to be “Life is Hard “. Since Suharto’s fall on 1998, I’ve seen the country risen up slowly, but I’m becoming unsure whether it rises to perfection or destruction. I’ve seen many state owned enterprises cleaned themselves from their dirty image of corruption and nepotism. BUMN like PLN, PT KAI, and others have been taking pledge to rebuild themselves and trying to make a change. People are working harder in different role, they’re trying to help themselves to build the nation. Many movements take charges and the movement gets more creative each days. They’re not rushing to go down the street and read their demand with loudspeaker anymore, they’re taking different ways to reach the society and the government. To have the chance to speak up, to be heard.

A small movement that have been encourage people to send postcard through air mail named Card to Post, made a program called Postcards to Mr. President (Kartupos untuk Pak Presiden) where they wanted to gather as many postcards as possible that contain everything they want to tell to Mr. Yudhoyono. Other community named Indonesia Berkebun has been activately involved on several green projects to create green area on the heart of the city. The pilot project has been applied on many corners of Jakarta, and now has spread its project to other big city like Bandung, Bogor, and Semarang. Many youth program blooms, Indonesian Youth Conference is one of them. Initiated by Alanda Kariza, the program aims to be a place where young people gather and exchange their concerns and idea. Or even our friend from Good News from Indonesia (GNFI) that intended to spread positiveness and optimism through good news that coming from many corner of Indonesia. It is relieving to see so many people /that/ care. It gives me hope on humanity, hope to awaken the country that for many years has been safely keeping the name “The Sleeping Giant”.

But this morning, some thing strucked me. Reading the essay titled Take a Train in Jakarta gave me meltdown. I don’t know where it comes from, but suddenly I feel so small and powerless. We’re just a particle in this galaxy and why should we live if we’re not changing anything to the world we’re living? There must be a bigger conspiracy that made us still breathing this air, still enjoying the sound of the clock’s ticking. Jakarta is just a small city with it 661 km2, but with its over 9 million population, what can be worsen could happen in the near future?

Ever heard the term Negara Semut? That said you just need to do your role right in order to make everything right. I try to diffuse to that term for some times. The thoughts that I just need to do my role perfectly. Then after that, I just need to wait until every screw is in the exact places. Leave the democracy to those who learn politics. Leave the demand for health insurance to those who study it. Leave the lack of quality of education to those who wanted to become a teacher. Isn’t it selfish? I felt so terrible to ever have those thoughts. Is it just my gateway to close my eyes for any other problems other than mine? Is it just my act to be careless?

To feel powerless over miserable place we’re living is miserably sad. ‘Better Doing Something than Nothing’ is still laying in my head, and I still hoping to make some change. I know it won’t be an instant process. It takes a long time to fix the country because the root of destruction comes from each of us, from the darkest times of our life, from the traumatic accidents happen in the past. Changes are not easy to make, but changes are needed for us to stay alive, in order for us to survive.

I’ve been tired of this country for many times, I have been betrayed for many times. But if I have to say one lesson that Indonesia (or simply Jakarta) has thought me the most, it is the will to never give up the fight. This city has been telling its miserable story that made me believe that I need to hold on to hope, to try even harder, to not give up easily in order to change those miserable stories into glorious ones.

Indonesia, I won’t give up on you, so don’t give up on us too.

Big things always come from small ones. And small things always have impact, no matter how small it is. One hour in your life could mean a day for other people, so start thinking about the bigger part of your day. Try giving a hand to those who needed, it can be anything that you can do. It could be a little trouble for you but it can be a big help for other. Start living!

Titipan

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Di atas papan semua orang punya waktu tiga jam untuk mengetahui arti hari itu.
Tapi mungkin tidak cukup waktu seribu tahun untuk mengetahui arti keberadaan.
Bagi kamu tangis itu adalah jawaban untuk segalanya dan alasan untuk melangkahkan kaki.
Bagi kami tangis itu adalah semangat pacu untuk memulai mencari arti.
Dibutuhkan kamu dan kami untuk duduk berhadapan.
Entah untuk menghasilkan sebuah gelombang baru ataukah untuk sekedar bercengkrama.
Sehabis ini izinkanlah kami bertemu lagi.
Dengan mengenakan sepatu di alam mimpi, dititipkan semua yang selama ini dicari.
Terima kasih telah mampir, dan percayalah titipan itu akan kami simpan.
Sampai suatu saat nanti, titipan itu akan kami serahkan lagi.
Kepada semua yang terus lahir, untuk mencari arti keberadaan.
Dan kali ini mungkin tidak perlu waktu seribu tahun.

Selamat hari Sabtu.