If I were a Zoo manager (from Dr Zeuss?)

This saturday, I went to Ragunan zoo, the most prominent zoo in Jakarta with my family. My first impressions about the zoo, since my last visit five years ago, have strucked me and remind me of a book by Dr Zeuss, if I am not mistaken, 'If I we a zoo manager' or something like that. I am so concerned why this zoo, may be the only place left in Jakarta where common people can still have recreation cheaply, haven't been managed properly. Why, why and why...that was the first question came to my mind. My high expectation on this place, as a place where family can have fun time safely in a city of jakarta where very limited safe and open public places available, has lost when the first time I put my first step into the gate.

My kids run crazily when they see a playground inside the zoo. Hmm, it is a good thing that this zoo provide playground for kids to play, it was my thought. In a city where most parts of the city are dedicated for the rich but not the common people; wide streets (without pedestrians way for pedestrians to walk safely) and toll roads for car owners but very very poor public transport system for common people, large malls full of branded and expensive stuffs for the rich shoppers in most part of the city (but very limited open, free places from children to play if not even talking about playgrounds as we have seen in all parts of melbourne city); seeing a playground inside a zoo created a warm feeling. especially I felt so happy to see that my own kids finally can get something they've really missed; a playground. But our happiness did not come long, as we get closer to the playground we could see how this playground is so old, rusted, dirty, with holes and broken slides, and nowhere for kids to play. I feel pity of my kids, and other kids coming later to the playground, who have wanted a very simple thing in their early childhood live that is a playground, could not get it just because of a failure of the adults who are responsible to manage this type of children facilities.

I lost my words to answer the children questions, 'why this playground is so dirty, and broken, and has a hole on the slide?' My answer is totally different, let's find somewhere else to play but first let's eat our breakfirst. Then we walked and tried to find nice place to put our mat on the grassy areas. But it was so hard to find a good place for picnic. because everywhere were full of rubbish. It was ashamed, that a very nice areas, if it was clean, are so dirty and disgusting. Was it too difficult for everyone to take their own rubbish to the bin, or if they can't find it just take it with the home? I don't think so. There are rubbish bin available in several places, although not so many. This is just we are, many (if not most) people living in this country, has been too lazy to think about other people. This people who live their rubbish everywhere just doesn't care about others. They only care about themselves, enjoy their meals and live the rubbish for others. Don't they think about the workers who have to work so hard since early morning to clean the rubbish, and hasn't finished yet until noon just because the lazy people who don't care about others?

I feel so upset. There must be something wrong about 'littering culture' in this country: is it a fault of zoo manager who doesn't provide enough bins in every strategic places? is it the street vendors fault who sell foods without providing bins for the rubbish? is it the parents or teachers fault who didn't teach their kids properly about moral aspect to be care about others when they do littering? Or is it religious leaders fault to teach about an important aspect of the religion: keeping clean environment is a part of our religious obligation? Or is it a failure of government not to inform the society?

This is certainly a common failure. We have to admit that we've failed as a society to make sure that all parts of society to respect each other. The mountain of rubbish in the zoo is only one example of the lost of respect to others, which many people has claimed to be a part of our culture. The same thing happened in almost many parts of our everyday life, more obvious especially in metropolitan city like jakarta. If this is a common failure, can we actually do something?

I am a positive person or at least I am trying to be positive and see the cup half full than see it half empty. But what I can do is think like Dr Zeuss, to see myself if I were a zoo manager, what I'll do? First, I will plan for cleaning system in the zoo which involve the visitors rather than rely on the cleaning persons. I will make a list of what to do to achieve the objectives, such as:
1. Put BIG SIGN in the gate: "Take your rubbish to the provided bins or take it home with you if you can't find one'.
2. I will provide training for the zoo workers in the loket, when people buy ticket, and also in the front gate, to say clearly 'No Littering anywhere in the zoo."
3. I will provide training for the vendors inside the zoo to provide proper bins, and give message to the consumers to put their rubbish in the bin or leave it with them to take care.
4. I will invest more on rubbish bins in every strategic places around the zoo, with very clear sign about where rubbish bins are available. If necessary I will invest for creative design to put on the bins to make it part of the zoo's attractions.
5. I will invest more on 'Rubbish Security' who are warm, nice and gentle but firm to say to the visitor: 'Please put your rubbish in the bins'.
6. And if course I will invest more for the zoo facilities maintenance: to keep the children zoo is interesting and warm for the children, to maintain the playground continuously to prevent from damage because of either weather or vandalism, and of course to take care of the animals which are the main attraction of the zoo.

Second, of course I will ask the government to support this public place, if money from tickets are not enough for keeping the zoo run appropriately, this is the government obligation to support it. I will try to convince the governor that he/she won't be elected in the next election if they don't support our program, as we will encourage pressure groups in the society who care about the zoo to campaign for appropriate funding and technical supports for the zoo.

If all of the plans failed, I can only go back to my original profession, a mum who want safe public places for my own children as well as other children in the country. But I am keep trying to voicing my concern as long as I can. I think more and more people will do the same. If not us who do it, who will? If not now, when?

A reflection on New Year 2009

Last Night, I enjoyed the changing night from 2008 to 2009 with my partner. We stayed at home, sat down in the terrace, watched the sky full of firework, talked to the neighbours who comes to the street, enjoyed Jagung rebus given by our neighbour living in the next door. Our children are sleeping, they didn't want to watch firework although we've tried to woke them up; The little one doesn't really like loud sound while the big one was so sleepy. So it was time for us.

Our neighbour said that the streets are so crowded, full of people going somewhere to enjoy the new year eve. Are they happy? We then talked about what other people doing in Ancol, in hotels, in big malls, and our conversation went to the meaning of happiness. In bahasa Indonesia we know words 'senang' and 'bahagia'. May be people senang to have parties in these crowded places, but I am always wondering are they really happy? I myself won't feel happy to have parties in a very crowded places, driving through heavy traffic jams, and far away from my family.

We reflected on ourself, we enjoyed new year night from home, peaceful, friendly environment, far away from loud sounds where we can't talk properly. We didn't spend a cent to go the expensive venues in the hotel, malls or places like Ancol. What we spend together is a time. We spend time together, and we feel so happy. so, we don't really need money to get our happiness. As always great people say, happiness is very close to us, it is just a matter whether we can see it or not.

We talked a lot about the changing year, what we have done in the passed year and what we will do in this coming year. There are many unexpected things in our life in the year 2008. We are so grateful to god who always loves our family, gives us courage and strength to pass difficult times, litsents to our prays for happiness, and for peaceful heart that will bring us peaceful lifes. We are so grateful for our children who grow up so quickly, give us smile when we come home after work, who make our life so colourful, who make us smile of their 'unexpected' behaviours.

But we also ask ourself whether we will be able to achieve what we plan for the 2009, as there are so many big dreams. Will be harvard the next destination? Or come back to the original plan for melbourne? It will need a real hard work to achieve this, as only four of hundreds will be accepted for harvard's program I am interested in. Will al of this hard work will be worthy for our future. Will this coming year become a bigger milestone in our lifes after melbourne lifes to implement our dream, for doing more for the humanity, for people in need in Indonesia, as well as for our family?

Our final reflection was we need to reflect more, whether when we decide of available choices, they will be the most worthy-to-keep thinks in our life. We are going to flow like water in the river, Go with the flow, but of course need to be careful of the rocks that may hit our journeys. For sure we get strength and courage to move forward for better things in the 2009.

Prince Charles visit and value of Indonesian forest

Prince Charles visit to Indonesia has become a headline in the news. What has been interesting for me is his visit to a forest in Jambi, south part of Sumatera. I have asked myself why forest and why Jambi. Later I found that the Prince is interested on flora and fauna, and especially he is keen of bird, and even if I am not mistaken he has supported the Royal Society of Bird protection. The answer for why Jambi forest is chosen is not very clear yet for me, but I assume it is related to security issues or other specific criteria for places he can or can’t visit.

Back to his interest on bird protection and its habitat, forest, I suddenly remember what I have learned in a subject community natural resource management during my study in Australia. I have seen that there are different values are put into forest and other natural resources. In Victoria, for example, I have seen that forest protection has linked to the society’s interests for protecting habitat for bird, providing good habitats for native animals, and also for recreation. So, conflicts have arised, for example, between bird lovers and dog walking groups, in which bird lovers have seen that dogs that are unleashed along the beach in the national park area has scared rare birds, and those dog walking in the beach part of the national park should be prohibited. In other words, aesthetic value has become an important part that drive people’s interest on forest.

Saying this, of course I will not neglect that use value is still as important as that aesthetic value as conflict has also arised on forest cutting for woods, such as in Tasmania. However, what I have seen in a developed country like Australia has struck my previous understanding of forest which is in Indonesia has a very important economic and social value.

In 2005, when I did my fieldwork for my article on illegal logging activities published in GATRA weekly news magazine where I worked, I visited Betung Kerihun national park in West Kalimantan, where forest have been cut down by local people for exchange of rupiahs from the tauke, money holders, and then the woods are trucked to the border area of Sabah. It can be easily seen in the surrounding area, that the locals have ‘modern’ stuff such as motorcycle, satellite disk (parabola), television, etc. What has been ironic is that despite money has been poured into the local area for people to cut trees, most of the people in the area are still live in poverty.

So that my question was where those large amounts of money goes into? Do indigenous local people whose live are attached to the forest or even dependant on forest has changed the forest value: from social and religious value, to see forest as a part of their live and a representation of their ancestor, to economic value where forest is seen merely as a source of income?

Learning from these two different experiences on forest value for the local people in a developed country like Australia and a developing country like Indonesia has lead me to an understanding that a same forest can has different meaning for different people and society. Whilst in developed countries, value of forest has moved beyond use value to a level of aesthetical value, in developing countries, value of forest is mainly related to use value as forest become a source for generating income or for livelihood of local people.

Back to the Prince visit to Indonesia, his concern for bird protection or protection of other rare species of flora and fauna in the forest may be important reasons for him to care about forest. On another side, in a country like Indonesia where poverty spread out widely, including in the forest frontier, the conservation can be seen by the local as a barrier for them to earn money for living. Thus, in Indonesia there is a challenge to combine environmental protection and livelihood provision for the people. In this case, the concept of ‘sustainable development’ which has become a jargon faces its challenge to be solved in the reality.

flooding mitigation: pengerukan sungai Jakarta

Semalam membaca tulisan di media (entah detik atau kompas saya lupa) mengenai rencana pengerukan sungai Jakarta dengan dana pinjaman dari Bank Dunia. Singkatnya Gubernur Jakarta Fauzi Bowo optimis bahwa pendalaman sungai di jakarta (deep tunnel) akan efektif mencegah banjir. Muncul pertanyaan dalam diri saya, benarkah ide ini adalah langkah terbaik untuk menyelesaikan masalah banjir di Jakarta? Yang terbersit pertama dalam pikiran saya adalah bahwa jangan2 ini nanti cuma menjadi sebuah proyek besar, berbiaya mahal, namun tidak berkelanjutan. Sebagai seorang lulusan studi Pembangunan, saya telah belajar banyak bahwa proyek-proyek besar di Indonesia seringkali 'hangat-hangat tai ayam', gemerlap dan menawarkan optimisme pada tahap-tahap awal, namun tak berkelanjutan. tahun pertama, tahun kedua, tahun ketiga semuanya optimis. Setelah proyek selesai, setelah tak ada lagi uang, lantas proyek itu dibiarkan terlantar, tak ada yang peduli sampai akhirnya 'bencana' yang semestinya bisa diantisipasi terjadi. Lihatlah proyek monorail, lihatlah busway, lihatlah proyek kali bersih, lihatlah proyek reboisasi. semuanya adalah 'proyek', yang berhenti ketika proyek selesai.

Namun untuk proyek pendalaman sungai ini, saya tak mau pesimis sebelum tahu informasi lengkap soal ini. Kebetulan hari ini bertemu BRian membahas struktur tulisan untuk jurnal. Setelah diskusi soal paper kami, aku menanyakan soal deep tunnelling. Saya yakin saya bertanya pada orang yang tepat, karena ada pepatah entah ajaran agama (saya lupa), intinya bertanyalah pada ahlinya. dan aku percaya, Brian ahlinya soal ini dengan berpuluh-puluh tahun pengalamannya dalam bidang persungaian, flooding mitigation, dll.

Pertanyaanku padanya: benarkah deep tunelling ini the best solution for Jakarta? Brian menjawab bahwa jawaban untuk pertanyaanku tidaklah sederhana. jadi dia tidak menjawab ya atau tidak terhadap pertanyaan ini. Yang dikatakannya adalah bahwa tidak ada solusi tunggal untuk pencegahan banjir. Deep tunnelling hanyalah salah satu langkah, yang bisa dijustifikasi dari sisi engineering dan logika bahwa memperdalam sungai akan memperbesar kapasitas sungai dalam menampung air ketika banjir terjadi. NAMUN, ada beberapa bahaya besar dari deep tunnelling ini. Yang pasti, secara natural, sungai bukanlah sistem yang statis. Artinya, ketika manusia melakukan perubahan terhadap sistem ini, dia, alias si sungai ini, akan selalu mencari cara untuk kembali pada besarnya ukuran tunnel yang asli hingga mencapai equilibrium. Ini dicontohkan oleh Brian terjadi pada Sungai Yarra di Melbourne (yang aku baru tahu kalau luasnya sebenarnya diperlebar untuk tujuan keindahan kota loh), dan telah melakukan 'aktifitas naturalnya' untuk kembali ke ukuran aslinya dan menimbulkan pendangkalan sungai. Yang ini rada teknis ya, dan saya belum sempat meriset lebih lanjut supaya bisa tahu ini. Namun ada bahaya yang lebih besar dari ini.

Salah satu bahaya terbesar dari deep tunneling adalah munculnya kepercayaan (yang ini semu) bahwa dengan sendirinya banjir tidak akan terjadi setelah ruang sungai cukup besar untuk menampung banjir tahunan katakan dalam periode 100 tahun. Akibat munculnya kepercayaan bahwa banjir tidak akan terjadi lagi, lantas flood prone area (masih belum pasti apakah tulisannya seperti ini atau tidak, belums empat riset lebih lanjut soal ini) lantas digunakan untuk misalnya infrastruktur, mendirikan bangunan dstnya. Akibat lanjutan adalah bahwa masyarakat tidak lagi aware akan risiko banjir, dan ketika ini terjadi, yang akan terjadi adalah bencana besar-besaran dengan korban yang mungkin banyak, selain karena tingginya kepercayaan bahwa banjir tidak akan terjadi lagi (ini terlihat dari kata Gubernur yang begitu optimis akan 'tak ada lagi banjir terjadi), juga karena adanya tambahan-tambahan bangunan disekitarnya.

Ini bukanlah pepesan kosong berdasarkan estimasi tanpa bukti. Brian mengatakan bahwa selama 40 tahun para sarjana telah meneliti soal ini, dan bukti paling nyata terjadi di sungai Mississipi pada tahun 1993 (nanti kalau sudah ada waktu, mau baca2 soal ini ah). Deep tunneling atau pembangunan levy (tembok penghalang banjir) saat itu dipercaya akan menghalau banjir yang memang langganan terjadi disana, karena memang New Orleans memang flood prone land. namun tak lama kemudian ketika banjir terjadi, masyarakat tidak siap dengan bencana ini, dibandingkan sebelumnya sebelum pembangunan ini terjadi. Nah ketika terjadi topan Katrina 2 tahun lalu, runtuhnya tembok penghalang banjir inipun telah menimbulkan kerugian yang luar biasa. Bayangkan, untuk kasus sungai mississipi ini, cara-cara canggih melibatkan angkatan bersenjata amerika dan engineer2 ternama dari berbagai segi tidak bisa mencegah banjir. Apalagi di jakarta, jangan terlalu bermimpi muluk bahwa deep tunelling akan menjadi solusi ampuh masalah banjir jakarta.

saya akan menambahkan resiko yang sangat mungkin terjadi di jakarta, yaitu tidak adanya maintenance. Sudah terbukti di berbagai proyek2 besar seantero Indoensia, atau senatero Jakarta saja bahwa kita mampu membangun, namun tidak memberikan perhatian pada maintenance. Akibatnya, banyak terjadi kegagalan dalam proyek2 besar yang didanai biaya besar. harus diingat bahwa pemerintah jakarta akan berhutang kepada bank Dunia, saya tidak pasti berapa bunganya, namun yang pasti hutang ini akan ditanggung anak2 cucu penduduk jakarta di masa emndatang. Saya yakin jumlah utangnya akan besar. jangan sampai UTANG ini nanti hanya untuk mmbangun proyek, memberikan keuntungan pada perusahaan2 yang menang tender dan dapat rpoyek, namun setelah proyek selesai pemerintah jakarta tak mampu memaintainnya dengan baik. Pertanyaaan kepada pemerintah jakarta sekarang adalah, diluar membangun deep tunnel itu, apakah pemerintah Jakarta emmiliki biaya atau sudah mengalokasikan dana maintenancenya? Jika sudah, berapa banyak, dialokasikan untuk apa saja? Apakah sudah ada perencanaan matang soal itu?

Jika saya seorang konsultan yang disewa untuk mengadakan studi soal ini, saya akan melihat keberlanjutan proyek ini, tak cuma untuk membangun deep tunnell namun juga untuk merawatnya. Perlu rencana matang langkah2 apa yang akan disiapkan pemerintah DKI jakarta untuk merawat ini begitu ini selesai dibangun. Perlu perencanaan matang darimana biaya perawatan ini bisa diperoleh. memang benar bahwa pendalaman sungai akan menambah kapasitas tampungan air pada musim banjir. tapi ingat, daya tampung itu terbatas, dan tanpa mainetnance yang bagus, kemungkinan sungai kembali penuh sangatlah besar. Tidakkah ingat bagaimana masyarakat amsih tinggal di bantaran sungai dan sampah2 dibuang ke dalam sungai, berkontribusi terhadap pednangkalan tersebut. Setelah ada deep tunnelling, bagaimana memastikan abhwa masyarakat tidak akan membuang sampah ke sungai lagi? bagaimana memastikan pengendapan di sungai bisa diatasi?

Nah dengan risiko yang sudah disebutkan diatas, bisa diambil sebuah kesimpulan, bahwa pemerintah DKI perlu bersikap rasional dalam melihat deep tunnelling proyek ini. Ini bukanlah simsalabim solution untuk masalah banjir jakarta. Ada banyak hal lain yang harus dilakukan dan terus menerus dilakukan kalau mau jakarta ebnar-benar bebas banjir. Diantaranya, flooding warning system harus diadakan, peningkatan kesadaran masyarakat akan resiko banjir harus dilakukan, upaya melibatkan masayarkat dalam pencegahan dan penanganan banjir saat banjir terjadi harus digalakkan. dan kalaupun deep tunnelling akan berjalan, ingat, maintenance, maintenance, and maintenance!!!!

untuk masyarakat jakarta, termasuk saya sendiri, proyek ini adlah proyek besar, menggunakan uang utang yang besar, karena kita atau anak kita yang akan membayarnya, let's have a say. kalau proyek ini dibiarkan berjalan tanpa pengawasan, yakinlah bahwa korupsi mungkin terjadi, unfair and expensive tender mungkin terjadi, under the table deals mungkin terjadi, dan kita yang akan menanggung akibatnya di masa depan, tak cuma menanggung utang untuk proyek ini, namun juga menanggung resiko bencana yang begitu besar.

pemerintah Jakarta harus melibatkan kita semua, bagian masyarakat jakarta untuk berpendapat, untuk ikut serta dalam pengelolaan Jakarta. Please deh, bukan saatnya lagi pembangunan jakarta menggunakan pendekatan pembangunan infrastruktur semata. Tidakkah bukti2 kegagagalan di depan mata cukup untuk membuat kita bersama-sama belajar dan berusaha memperbaikinya? Sebagai penduduk jakarta (de facto dan de Jure), saya tidak ingin menjadi bagian dari collective failures of Jakarta governments, inhabitants, and societies, to make jakarta unlivable city.

Alhamdulilah, tesis S2ku kelar

Merdekaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

hari ini akhirnya aku menyerahkan tesisku sama Vicki. Alhamdulillah. Terima kasih kepada semua keluargaku, sanak saudara, teman-teman lama, dan sumber-sumber informasi lain yang telah membantu.

Senangnya selesai satu urusan besar.

Tapi masih banyak hal lain harus dikerjakan sebelum pulang. Minggu depan harus presentasi dalam konferensi internasional mengenai Asia di Melbourne. Udah digoda-godain suami katanya presenter lain profesor profesor, paling rendah kandidat PhD, nggak minder nih mahasiswa minor tesis presentasi. hehe...nggak minder lah malah bangga, kan berarti risetku kualitasnya bagus dong, hehe...nyombong dikit kenapa ya sama misua ....Harus bagus dong, apalagi paper untuk konferensi ini bisa dikatakan paper pertamaku yang bisa masuk list 'peer-reviewed'.

Habis itu selesai, jurnal artikel kolaborasi dengan BRian harus rampung sebelum BRian ke CIna, dans ebelum aku pulang ke Indonesia. Ini nanti paper peer reviewed karticle eduaku.
Alhamdulilah, aku bangga, aku senang. Meskipun tesisku cuma minor, karena aku mahasiswa coursework, ternyata aku akan menghasilkan dua peer reviewed journal artikel. Nanti nambah satu lagi ding, tulisan untuk majalah inside indonesia yang juga dipeer reviewed.

Belum lagi tulisanku juga dimasukkan dlam review buku karyanya Burlow 2008, di majalah Monthly Review yang ditulis sama dosen Unimelb.

Senangnyaaaaaaa aku hari ini. Akhirnya setelah semua kerha keras, hari-hari tanpa tidur cukup, hari-hari harus mbujukin Arundati dan Mutiara buat ngertiin mummy yang harus lembur. hari-hari menjanjikan mereka sekolah tiga hari doang kalau mummy udah selesai my work.

Memang masih sibuk minggu-minggu mendatang, tapi akan kupenuhi janjiku sama kalian, kuajak kalian ke kampus, ke haleri, ke museum, ke federation square, naik boat ke williamstown, ke danau, ke shopping. pokoknya semuaaaaaaaaaa yang kalian mau deh. A present for you Arun and Ara for being such good girls when mummy was so busy, and busy, and busy!

My thesis is dedicated for you, my star and my moon.

Konflik SARA: because we are different or we make us different?

Pagi ini di tram saya tiba-tiba berpikir tentang rasisme yang terjadi di mana-mana. Saya teringat ketika Asih, teman kuliah di Jogja baru seminggu datang di Melbourne dan mendapati seorang pria kulit putih memaki-makinya dengan kata-kata rasis. pengalaman yang belum pernah sekalipun aku alami selama hampir dua tahun disini. Saya berpikir mengapa rasisme terjadi, mengapa seorang manusi membedakan manusia lain, padahal The God (everyone's god) jelas-jelas mengatakan manusia adalah manusia, tak peduli apa warna kulitnya, atau keturunan siapa.

Pikiran yang mengusik ini muncul mungkin karena semalam berdiskusi dengan suami tentang bagaimana dua orang anak SMA (yang satu kelihatannya keturunan Indonesia yang lain berkulit putih), terlihat sangat akrab di tram, dan sepertinya bersahabat baik. Itu menjadi menarik karena mungkin hal yang sama memang jarang terlihat, terutama di kampus dimana mahasiswa internasional banyak terlihat dengan orang-orang yang 'satu warna kulit', dan orang-orang berbicara di tram dengan bahasa 'roaming'.

Kembali ke persahabatan dua anak berbeda warna, pendapat saya adalah bahwa orang-orang yang 'baik', yang tidak membedakan manusia berdasarkan warna kulit, jumlahnya mungkin jauh lebih banyak dibandingkan yang 'rasis', yang merendahkan orang lain yang 'berbeda' baik dengan cara yang nyata ataupun tersamar. Saya tidak ragu, bahwa orang yang menganggap warna kulit bukan masalah masih mayoritas di Australia, di Indonesia atau dimanapun. tetapi saya juga memperkirakan bahwa meski setitik, the nature of human adalah seperti ini: jika seseorang yang berasal dari golongannya atau kelompoknya melakukan suatu kesalahan, itu akan cenderung diatributkan kepada orang tersebut; sementara jika ada seseorang dari golongan yang berbeda melakukan kesalahan yang sama, itu akan diatributkan pada golongannya daripada pada dirinya sendiri. Maka yang muncul kemudian adalah kalau Golongan X atau orang dari negara X, atau orang dari suku Anu biasanya begini. Muncullah judgement yang jika dipupuk dan dimanfaatkan oleh pihak yang berkepentingan (bisa institusi negara, institusi agama, institusi bisnis, dstnya), akan meledak menjadi kekerasan (lihat beberapa kasus penyerangan orang Asia di Australia misalnya), kebijakan yang diskriminatif (non-fair go, one Nationnya Pauline Hanson, atau bahkan seperti kebijakan baru pengganti multikulturalisme Australia yang menekankan pada Nilai-nilai Australia). Di Indonesia, lebih banyak lagi contoh kasusnya: kerusuhan anti Cina, kerusuhan anti Madura, kekerasan terhadap Ahamadiyah, dstnya dstnya. Itu yang ekstrim. Yang tidak ekstrim adalah pandangan seperti ini: kalau orang jawa pasti begini, kalau orang Sunda pasti begitu, kalau orang Aceh pasti begini begitu, kalau orang kalimanatan pasti begitu begini.

Yang menjadi isu kemudian adalah apakah jumlah 'orang baik' yang banyak tadi mampu memberikan batasan sehingga seorang yang 'rasis', 'setengah rasis' atau 'agak-agak rasis' tidak bisa 'menyakiti' orang lain dengan ucapannya, tindakannya, atau kebijakannya.
Di Australia, aturan hukum anti rasisme jelas-jelas ada. Di Universitas, ada kebijakan yang tegas tentang rasisme, konseling atau bahkan pendampingan hukum untuk orang-orang yang mendapat perlakuan rasis. Namun lagi-lagi, aturan hukum hanya mampu menjaring pelaku rasisme yang tertangkap basah (terekam, ada saksi, ada bukti) atau melakukan rasisme yang nyata dan bisa dibuktikan (misalnya kebijakan yayang tidak fair-go). Sementara, tindakan rasis yang tersamar, yang hanya bisa 'dirasakan', diceritakan kepada kawan, tapi sangat susah dibuktikan. Yang terjadi kemudian yang diperlakukan berbeda akan membuat judgement untuk mennjeneralisir bahwa orang-orang yang berkulit sama dengan pelaku rasis terhadapnya, semuanya rasis. maka muncullah lingkaran setan judgement satu sama lain.

Dan ketika orang-orang rasis itu bisa dengan bebas, lenggang kangkung, melakukan aksinya, itulah tanda-tanda kegagalan sebuah masyarakat. Itulah tanda-tanda bahwa cepat atau lambat, clash akan muncul, entah karena sebab yang natural (perebutan sumber daya alam, perebutan sumber ekonomi/ penghasilan/ pekerjaan/ pasar) atau karena sebab-sebab yang dibuat untuk kepentingan politik misalnya. Ibarat api dalam sekam, tinggal menunggu penyulutnya.

Lantas saya membaca mailist tentang kasus Gayo. lantas saya membaca mailist tentang kasus Ahmadiyah. Dan pikiran saya masih berputar tentang klaim atas 'pemilik sah suatu area'. belums empat melanjutkan, harus pergi kuliah. Semoga ada waktu lagi menuliskannya.

MelbourneLife: Multicultural Australia- Moomba

Brrm...brrrmm...brrrm... a magical sound of aboriginal music instrument made from a-meter-long wood shake (what is the English word for menggetarkan?) the Melbourne ground. It was a sign of the parade opening. A sound of clap...clap...clap from a-hand-shape musical instrument which were given freely for thousands audiences waiting for the parade in the 40 degrees Melbourne spring weather, was suddenly stopped. The musician, use aboriginal types clothing and some dancers (some looks like aborigin people, but some are white people) brought a magic atmosphere in the lively melbourne Swanston street -from the Little Broke st to Arts Centre across the Yarra River. This is Moomba. Welcome to Moomba festival. Welcome all Melbourne visitors, to the land of Aboriginal people....The ceremony, however artificial it was, was a warm welcome for everyone, coming from many different part of the world to the land of opportunity, Australia. A warm feeling in my heart too, a temporary visitor to Melbourne (at least for 2 years and may be 3 more years if I continue my doctoral study here), that I am welcomed here, in a very different place to my origin in Central Java Indonesia.

Multicultural society, it was what I've seen in the street, during the three-long-weekend holidays last week. people with different colour of skin, people with different cultures, people with different types of clothings are in the street, some perform their cultural performance (including from Indonesia), some important groups such as SES (State Emergency Services), Police of Victoria, etc parade and were greeted with respects by the audiences. It was nice to feel that people are the same no matter they have different skins, cultural backgrounds, or religious backgrounds. I know that this is may be just simplify judgement of something that I've only seen in the surface, in a festival, where everyone usually enjoy the holiday atmosphere. I am not deny, that racism or racialism (I still don't know which word is more appropriate) often occurs too, in this society, either directly or indirectly.

Direct racisms examples can be seen for example in the recent case of Adealide's Indonesian student were hitted by a gang of 9 young mens who drunk and said ' here are asian people, wanna hit them? which was answered with echoed answer 'why not?' Indirect racism may occurs
very unsubtle, so noone would not be able to prove it, but just feel hurt of those words or behaviour. The example happened to my uni friend from Gadjah mada, Asih who got such traumatic experience in the bus, in the first week of her stay in melbourne. I myself, fortunately didn't experience such experiences, I was only witness someone being racist to others, neither also my husband or apparently my children at their school (childcare). I feel very fortunate of having great experiences during my stay here.

Despite those bad example, until this point Australia, at least the government either federal or labour have been successful in maintaining multiculturalism in Australia withoput necessarily create chaothic problems. of course, there are some weaknesses which I should acknowledge, may be I will write about it later when I have time. May be it is also the result of local government efforts about giving a fair-go system work in the implementation.

Wuf...have to go, need to teach Bahasa Indonesia to my friend at 1 pm. then go to career day. Will write again next time. Hope not too long. Always need more time to write a contemplation like this.

TO BE CONTINUED