Okay, let’s continue with our plan.
Fourthly, I would create business friendly environment for small-medium enterprises that many Papuan will stop dreaming of becoming the civil servants. Gosh, these people are so keen on being civil servants. You can tell it from the way they mention their occupations or some relatives’ occupations. It was as if they worked for good, efficient, professional companies that offer big bonuses. Doesn’t it remind you of the very old days back to the days of Dutch colonization when civil servants were considered a different class of society?
But creating entrepreneurship is an enormous task. And it of course will take a long time to make it into a realization when you consider the stage of development most Papuans are at the moment. They are the gatherer. They are not even entering the agricultural phase yet. They hunt for the boars. They catch fish from the sea. They collect sagu from the woods. They don’t plant. They don’t grow. They don’t know how to look after cows. They laugh at the Javanese (transmigran) who carries grass for their cattle. They find it funny to see man feed the animals. Aren’t the animals supposed to look for their own food?
So there occur some problems when they are thrown to the current stage of civilization not so long ago. Instead of taking a natural phase of development, they are thrust into it. Some adjust quite easily, some are not. The latter are then left behind. They are having a hard time to make ends meet. Naturally, it is easy to blame others i.e. the non Papuans. The Papuans tend to get quite sensitive regarding this issue of Papuans vs non Papuans.
So, how does my plan sound? Expensive? Populist?
Hm …. This is not all though. Oh gosh, I actually still have lots of things in my mind. They should learn to throw rubbish in the place where it is supposed to be i.e. the rubbish bin, not on the street or in the front yard or in the office building or wherever they like it. I want the young women to start loving their bodies, respecting their selves, and have safe sex when they are ready. Many young women here got pregnant at a very young age (some are studying at the elementary school or junior high). Their mothers take care of their children because they are too young to raise their own children. Papua ranks first on HIV/AIDS infection rates in Indonesia .
And, yeah, if I got elected, I would only go for the first term. I wouldn’t run for the second term. I’m scared of my human frailty. My vanity. I’m worried that I wouldn’t be able to control the need of power which will corrupt me. So, stop while you can and leave peacefully. One term only, folks.
Okay, so would you vote for me?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Vote for Me - 1
If I were the Head of Sorong Selatan Regency, I would do the following:
Firstly, I would build the hotmix streets from Teminabuan, the capital town, to the places where some people live. Ergh … maybe not hotmix, a strong, good street would suffice ;-). Expensive? For sure, yes. But it could help drive the prices down in the inland, in those faraway kampongs. It is the people in the inland that suffer the most from bad infrastructure. It makes no sense to me that the people in Ayawasi pay 3 times higher for basic goods than the people in Teminabuan which is only 3 hours (120km) away. So outrageous! And these people by the way are by no means rich. They have no gold, no copper, no nickel, nothing there. How do they get by with their lives then? Only God knows.
In line with this plan, I would make affordable public transportation available to the inland. How? I would buy some buses which will run regularly with sensible fares. This would serve as benchmark for other private-owned public transportation companies (or individuals) that are now controlling the public transport in absence of the government involvement.
I’m aware of the vastness of the region. Sometimes, as I wrote earlier, there are only a few houses in one kampong. That could be sorted out earlier by looking at the number of people living in one place. I would not encourage people to live that far away in the middle of nowhere in spite of their sentimental reason of the past. I hate to see people in Seya walk for hours to get 2 buckets of water. I can’t stand the fact that they have to walk for 8 hours through the jungle to carry the materials to build their houses or stuffs that can’t be made in the village. Don’t tell me that they love the place so much that they are willing to endure their hard situation. Get real, people! This island is so big. There’s enough place for everyone. Oh, am I being insensitive and naïve here?
Secondly, I would make the public transportation to and from outside the region as cheap as possible so that the Papuan people can go visit other places as often as they could. Why? They would be able to see how people outside the island go about their lives. Perhaps they could learn something. I couldn’t stand people who think that they are the center of the universe. Pricey transportation cost will cut them off from the rest of the world. As much as I respect their way of lives now, I believe there are many things that they could learn from others.
Thirdly, I would invite the highly competent teachers in the inland and pay them five times higher than their colleagues in towns. Three times normal salary is to compensate for the higher good prices in the inland and twice the price is to reward their willingness to stay in the remote, lonely, difficult-to-access inland. As the prices go down as the result of the would-be-good infrastructure, their salary would be three times higher.
But, listen up, if they skip classes for more than 2 weeks (with no apparent reasons) they should be fired right away. I can't be more serious. Yeah, I haven’t talked about this phenomenon of teachers leaving their post of duty for weeks or even for months. They often go to town to do their own personal business. I know one teacher who has gone for 2 years! Dear goodness! So I smiled when I read Kompas several days ago about teachers in the inland of Papua who complain about their situation to the first lady.
Firstly, I would build the hotmix streets from Teminabuan, the capital town, to the places where some people live. Ergh … maybe not hotmix, a strong, good street would suffice ;-). Expensive? For sure, yes. But it could help drive the prices down in the inland, in those faraway kampongs. It is the people in the inland that suffer the most from bad infrastructure. It makes no sense to me that the people in Ayawasi pay 3 times higher for basic goods than the people in Teminabuan which is only 3 hours (120km) away. So outrageous! And these people by the way are by no means rich. They have no gold, no copper, no nickel, nothing there. How do they get by with their lives then? Only God knows.
In line with this plan, I would make affordable public transportation available to the inland. How? I would buy some buses which will run regularly with sensible fares. This would serve as benchmark for other private-owned public transportation companies (or individuals) that are now controlling the public transport in absence of the government involvement.
I’m aware of the vastness of the region. Sometimes, as I wrote earlier, there are only a few houses in one kampong. That could be sorted out earlier by looking at the number of people living in one place. I would not encourage people to live that far away in the middle of nowhere in spite of their sentimental reason of the past. I hate to see people in Seya walk for hours to get 2 buckets of water. I can’t stand the fact that they have to walk for 8 hours through the jungle to carry the materials to build their houses or stuffs that can’t be made in the village. Don’t tell me that they love the place so much that they are willing to endure their hard situation. Get real, people! This island is so big. There’s enough place for everyone. Oh, am I being insensitive and naïve here?
Secondly, I would make the public transportation to and from outside the region as cheap as possible so that the Papuan people can go visit other places as often as they could. Why? They would be able to see how people outside the island go about their lives. Perhaps they could learn something. I couldn’t stand people who think that they are the center of the universe. Pricey transportation cost will cut them off from the rest of the world. As much as I respect their way of lives now, I believe there are many things that they could learn from others.
Thirdly, I would invite the highly competent teachers in the inland and pay them five times higher than their colleagues in towns. Three times normal salary is to compensate for the higher good prices in the inland and twice the price is to reward their willingness to stay in the remote, lonely, difficult-to-access inland. As the prices go down as the result of the would-be-good infrastructure, their salary would be three times higher.
But, listen up, if they skip classes for more than 2 weeks (with no apparent reasons) they should be fired right away. I can't be more serious. Yeah, I haven’t talked about this phenomenon of teachers leaving their post of duty for weeks or even for months. They often go to town to do their own personal business. I know one teacher who has gone for 2 years! Dear goodness! So I smiled when I read Kompas several days ago about teachers in the inland of Papua who complain about their situation to the first lady.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The Election Fever
It never happens before. Never have I had or known some friends who are running for parliament members. It tells something about my social setting, doesn’t it? ;-) But here (in Papua) is different. I happen to personally know some caleg (calon legislatif).
It amazes me. These friends are not big businessmen or high profile public figures. They are the guy or the woman next door. They are just the “ordinary” people. Most of them are running for local parliament members here in Sorong. Perhaps they are just trying their luck? But perhaps they really have ideas what to do for their voters. Or perhaps, it is actually money and power that lure them to enter the arena. But yeah so? Most of those big guys who call themselves professional politicians are also doing nothing but pursuing money and power. Moreover, they do it shamelessly.
Here, it is easy to spot members of parliament. They dress differently. They behavior are also different. They probably do that consciously to distinguish themselves from others. You can find them easily in the airports because they often travel. Sometimes they even rent an aircraft. It had caused me some troubles the other day. In Jakarta, we don’t give a s*** about them, do we?
Nonetheless, regardless of their true motivation, it is fair to say that here politics is no longer the exclusive game for the elites only. But as much as I dislike the politicians, I don’t think we should ignore them and thus let them rule our lives according to their liking. Imagine if they make unreasonable, outrageous laws that will adversely affect our lives. Who do they think they are? It’s either we watch them carefully or we join in. It is the very reason why I told Rahel and Eta, my Papuan friends here in Sorong, to start thinking about running for parliament. You cannot not care.
I would love to see more intelligent Papuan women run for parliaments or head of regency or head of districts. Psst, some people suggested me to also run for member of local parliament here in Sorong. I'm sure they're joking ;-) ...
It amazes me. These friends are not big businessmen or high profile public figures. They are the guy or the woman next door. They are just the “ordinary” people. Most of them are running for local parliament members here in Sorong. Perhaps they are just trying their luck? But perhaps they really have ideas what to do for their voters. Or perhaps, it is actually money and power that lure them to enter the arena. But yeah so? Most of those big guys who call themselves professional politicians are also doing nothing but pursuing money and power. Moreover, they do it shamelessly.
Here, it is easy to spot members of parliament. They dress differently. They behavior are also different. They probably do that consciously to distinguish themselves from others. You can find them easily in the airports because they often travel. Sometimes they even rent an aircraft. It had caused me some troubles the other day. In Jakarta, we don’t give a s*** about them, do we?
Nonetheless, regardless of their true motivation, it is fair to say that here politics is no longer the exclusive game for the elites only. But as much as I dislike the politicians, I don’t think we should ignore them and thus let them rule our lives according to their liking. Imagine if they make unreasonable, outrageous laws that will adversely affect our lives. Who do they think they are? It’s either we watch them carefully or we join in. It is the very reason why I told Rahel and Eta, my Papuan friends here in Sorong, to start thinking about running for parliament. You cannot not care.
I would love to see more intelligent Papuan women run for parliaments or head of regency or head of districts. Psst, some people suggested me to also run for member of local parliament here in Sorong. I'm sure they're joking ;-) ...
Monday, August 04, 2008
The Whole Holes
They complain. They swear. They curse. It’s printed in the local newspaper. It’s aired in local the radio. Every time I am with other people in a car, in a public transport or a motorbike, I always hear bad languages addressed to the Mayor of Sorong. I’m with them because the streets in Sorong really suck! There is no exception including the so-called main streets.
And the rainy season gives more new holes to the already damaged streets. Those holes are big, deep and full of mud. Don't even think of driving a sedan in town. Compared to other towns in the Bird’s Head, Sorong is the worst when it comes to road or street conditions. And oh, do not forget that it’s also the dirtiest town in the region. The town looks shabby.
Yumame is the mayor’s name. I don’t know what this person is really doing as a mayor. Perhaps he’s got his own imaginary streets that his driver never takes him through the streets in Sorong.
But this is his second term. Who’s to blame then? I guess the people of Sorong have to take the blame, too. Why on earth did they choose someone like him? I heard someone said that he used money to win the votes. So common, huh? It’s a short-term gain for a long-term suffering. So not worth it.
And nothing is done so far. The people here hold a demo when a member of their ethnic dies. They fight against other ethnicity over a personal feud among them. But they do nothing to demand for good public facility. Or perhaps nobody knows what to do. Perhaps, they need someone to organize them?
The mayor’s son now heads a big, established political party ready to run for the next mayor when the dad steps down. Gosh!
And the rainy season gives more new holes to the already damaged streets. Those holes are big, deep and full of mud. Don't even think of driving a sedan in town. Compared to other towns in the Bird’s Head, Sorong is the worst when it comes to road or street conditions. And oh, do not forget that it’s also the dirtiest town in the region. The town looks shabby.
Yumame is the mayor’s name. I don’t know what this person is really doing as a mayor. Perhaps he’s got his own imaginary streets that his driver never takes him through the streets in Sorong.
But this is his second term. Who’s to blame then? I guess the people of Sorong have to take the blame, too. Why on earth did they choose someone like him? I heard someone said that he used money to win the votes. So common, huh? It’s a short-term gain for a long-term suffering. So not worth it.
And nothing is done so far. The people here hold a demo when a member of their ethnic dies. They fight against other ethnicity over a personal feud among them. But they do nothing to demand for good public facility. Or perhaps nobody knows what to do. Perhaps, they need someone to organize them?
The mayor’s son now heads a big, established political party ready to run for the next mayor when the dad steps down. Gosh!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Expansion: Blessing or Curse?
I waited and waited for the so famous sunset in Kaimana as promoted by a popular old song “Senja di Kaimana”. But the beautiful sunset never happened. Well yeah the sun still set but it didn’t look as spectacular as I had expected. Perhaps it’s because of the weather. It’s very cloudy when I was there early July. They say you should come in October to Kaimana to witness that supposedly beautiful sunset. So yeah … bad timing.
Like Bintuni, Kaimana just recently became a new regency. Both regions were used to be the districts of Fakfak. Ever since the new special autonomy for Papua was launched, there have been many new regencies, districts, or even villages. They will set up 3 new provinces in this island after the 2009 national election.
However, considering the small number of population compared to the size of the island, often the new regencies or districts are underpopulated or are just enough to meet the number of population requirement. There are only about 3 million people in the whole island (Indonesian part). I heard sometimes they manipulate the amount to meet the minimum requirement. I saw a new village with only 14 houses (but probably around 20 families lived there).
It seems that people in this region have been pouring so much energy to this particular matter. It’s a hot issue. Sometimes they seem to be overdoing this. There is a reason to that. This expansion (“pemekaran”) needs a lot of money. Using the special autonomy as a vehicle, the central government throws so much money for Papua. Is it to wash the central government’s sins of having ignored Papua in the past? Or is it to prevent the Papuans from demanding their independence.
This expansion brings some positive impact to the regions. Physical development is the most obvious one. New streets, new public facilities or even new jobs are created. The education in Bintuni is free. Over the past years, many people from other East Indonesia come to the newly set regency or districts to look for jobs or business opportunities.
However, it also creates lots of opportunities for corruption. And, problems in other areas still remain. Has the expansion managed to eradicate poverty? Has it enabled the Papuan to handle malnutrition problem? Has it improved the quality of human resources? One may argue that it takes some time to see the impact on those above mentioned area. It’s a long process. Meanwhile, let the government officials or members of parliament get as much money as they want.
Like Bintuni, Kaimana just recently became a new regency. Both regions were used to be the districts of Fakfak. Ever since the new special autonomy for Papua was launched, there have been many new regencies, districts, or even villages. They will set up 3 new provinces in this island after the 2009 national election.
However, considering the small number of population compared to the size of the island, often the new regencies or districts are underpopulated or are just enough to meet the number of population requirement. There are only about 3 million people in the whole island (Indonesian part). I heard sometimes they manipulate the amount to meet the minimum requirement. I saw a new village with only 14 houses (but probably around 20 families lived there).
It seems that people in this region have been pouring so much energy to this particular matter. It’s a hot issue. Sometimes they seem to be overdoing this. There is a reason to that. This expansion (“pemekaran”) needs a lot of money. Using the special autonomy as a vehicle, the central government throws so much money for Papua. Is it to wash the central government’s sins of having ignored Papua in the past? Or is it to prevent the Papuans from demanding their independence.
This expansion brings some positive impact to the regions. Physical development is the most obvious one. New streets, new public facilities or even new jobs are created. The education in Bintuni is free. Over the past years, many people from other East Indonesia come to the newly set regency or districts to look for jobs or business opportunities.
However, it also creates lots of opportunities for corruption. And, problems in other areas still remain. Has the expansion managed to eradicate poverty? Has it enabled the Papuan to handle malnutrition problem? Has it improved the quality of human resources? One may argue that it takes some time to see the impact on those above mentioned area. It’s a long process. Meanwhile, let the government officials or members of parliament get as much money as they want.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)