Latest on Fri, 09:25 am
Fly safe
If the meltdown of the economic system can be stopped in time, some of us will leave the financial safe houses where we have run for cover and fly to Indonesia next year. There will probably be visits to family in Sumatra, friends in Jakarta, places of leisure in Bali or Lombok and reconnaissance operations on Ambon. For instance. That means we have to plan quite a lot of transport.
We could do that by car or bus. But everybody knows that road traffic Indonesian style is quite adventurous. In other words extraordinary dangerous and rather uncomfortable- though the chances of colliding with a politician as intoxicated as the Austrian politician Haider was last week, before he crashed himself to death, are small in a predominantly Islamic country, I presume.
Maybe in some instances railways can provide the solution. Or sailing. We could take ferries. Not a bad idea. Though pretty slow and hazardous as well. They are in the habit to be overcrowded, capsizing and sinking. And not all of us are tremendous swimmers. So, after all, if we want from, say, Benkulu to, say, Yokyakarta, it probably leaves us no choice than to look for airlines. That is if you leave out swimming, cycling or walking. Read More
Promotion of the Open Mind.
Usually I try to keep clear of the construction workers of the castles in the air. Good doers and softies. But there is nothing wrong with people who practice their ideals. Courageous guys and dolls who persistently work towards reducing conflicts, helping mutual understanding and enhancing harmony in society and between societies. Especially in times when dogmatic loudmouth extremists – politically, economically and theologically- seem to have got hold of the stage.
It’s high time to promote the voice of moderation. Jennie Bev is one of those voices. I think she is right. It’s about time to contradict and, if necessary drown out, the too harsh, threatening, aggressive sounds of the Bushes, the Osama’s, the Wilders’ and the Abu Bakar Ba’ashirs. I think Jennie Bev’s article, which was in the Jakarta Post also, is about this common sense people trying to strengthen common sense on both sides of the gaps which divide them.
Violent Indonesia?
Is it information or disorientation? Time after time reports about violence in Indonesia are in our newspapers. They never fail to blame intolerant Islamic minorities and the army.
Like today, after I started up my PC, I immediately read my provider’s message about a violent attack by FPI on AKKBB. Allegedly the militant Muslim organization did so because it presumed a demonstration held by AKKBB was in support of Islamic Ahmadiya, which is considered by them to be heretic, which to them seems to mean intolerable. The aggression, the report goes on, infuriated large parts of the population and politicians. Read More
Ayat Ayat Cinta versus Alles Is Liefde
Jakarta is a very modern, urban city. Amsterdam is a very modern urban city. Jakarta citizens and Amsterdam citizens both are 100% human – the same virtues, the same vices. We all live in a global village, a distance of 12.000 km doesn’t make much difference. Or is there? Take for instance “Alles is Liefde” and compare it to “Ayat Ayat Cinta”.
The Lure of Dyed Hair
Whether we like it or not, who we are is in part defined by others. Personally I don’t mind if other people, knowing my nationality, think of Erasmus, Spinoza, Rembrandt, Van Gogh or even Johan Cruijff. Or if they associate Dutch social security, the 0,8% for developing countries and liberal laws on drugs, abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality with me. No, I would even love that, because it makes me look much better then I am. Actually, for a long time the image of my compatriots and me benefited from this conditions.
But times they are a changing. Actually these are worrying days. They seem to prove to me that living longer does not make life necessarily happier. As a country we now too often make a very poor showing on the stage of the world. And sometimes what happens is downright embarrassing. Look at the letter to the editor of the Jakarta Post by the Egyptian Ambassador in Jakarta for instance. Or to one of the discussions which is running these days on the popular site IM which is about the same subject: an announced short movie by a Dutch member of parliament, which will have a clear anti Islam and to Muslims even a provocative and insulting, content. At least it’s title, Fitna, is not very reassuring. Reminiscences of the Danish cartoons pop up. Yeah, something is rotten in the Kingdom(s) of Denmark and Holland, the old bard might have said.