Latest on Fri, 06:13 am
Newsflash: Muchdi Purwoprandjono cleared
Human rights activist Munir Said Thalib was murdered. Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, former Garuda pilot, has been convicted for the murder. But, as the JP reported today, the man who allegedly instructed the murderer, was cleared by the court’s president, Judge Suharto (sic). But then, what else could have been expected since this was Muchdi Purwoprandjono, a retired army general and former second in command of BIN?
Munir’s widow Suciwati will appeal.
Not a really happy start to the New Year neither for human rights nor for her. I wish her all the luck she needs to get justice done in ’09.
Let the Bali Bombers tidy up the graveyards
It’s in the papers here, there and everywhere: the Bali bombers will be executed at long last by a firing squad next month. That is five years after their death sentence. In the meantime they have become real media celebrities in the region. Almost pop stars.
I don’t doubt this is the correct outcome of fair Indonesian justice. Nor will I dispute the emotions of relief felt by the surviving victims and the next of kin of those who were killed by the blasts of 2002. Yet, I doubt the wisdom of the decision.
The company you keep
The saying goes ‘tell me what you read and I’ll tell who you are’. And vice versa of course. Some German philosopher even went as far as saying that you are what you eat. To me it seems to imply that your real identity can be known by what you relate to.
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Mixed Signals from Jakarta
Like everywhere else in the world Jakarta also has several realities. One is caused by the ever widening gap between the poor and the rich. And the way the common man has to cope. By this account (in Dutch) the growing new middleclass gladly pays € 2.10 for the popular iced latte. Or rather 30.000 rupiah. By comparison: in New York the price is slightly under $ 4.- (= € 2.50). A saleswoman in a bookshop earns about € 85.- a month, so she can spend it on approximately one ice latte a day- after that she’s got rid of all her money but a little cash which she can use for one or two nassi meals a week. The nassi vendor makes less than half of that income, € 35.- a month. So as for now he and his wife are no plausible Starbucks’ clients at all. Maybe this is the Indonesian Dream: the shining bright future when there is one iced latte a day for everyone. Unfortunately the liberal democracy is still in its toddler’s stage.
That’s the reality of daily life. But way up, practically out of sight of the common man, is this other reality. Or should I use plural: other realities. Realities for which he/she is too busy trying to survive to pay much attention too. Or even to bother at all.
I love mankind, but we are heading for trouble. Big time.
Though I’m in a gloomy mood, I hereby declare I love mankind. But, lets be honest about it, the world would probably have been a better place without the human species.
I love believers. They are my fellow men and women after all. But don’t you think the lot of them wouldn’t be so fucked up, if they never ever had been in touch with their ideology?
Surrounded by friends and family members who are economists of a kind, I can’t but love economists. I do so also because they are part of mankind. And because, as professionals, they are believers. They usually believe economy is a science. The only science with an absolute unshakable truth: the free market. As you know in this ideology the invisible hand is God and Milton Friedman is his prophet. To them there is no economy, but free market economy. There is no alternative.