http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/11/12/linda-christanty-a-flair-storytelling.html

Linda Christanty: A flair
for storytelling

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | People | Tue, November 12 2013, 1:07 PM

For short story writer and journalist Linda Christanty, 2013 is the year of achievements. In October, her short-story collection, Seekor Anjing Mati di Bala Murghab (A dog died in Bala Murghab), won two awards: the SouthEast Asia (SEA) Write Award from Thailand and the Prose Award from the Language Institute, Education and Culture Ministry.

The other SEA Write Award 2013 recipients were Haji Hasri Haji (Brunei Darussalam), Sok Chanphal (Cambodia), Soukhee Norasilp (Laos), Mohamed Ghozali Abdul Rashid (Malaysia), Maung Sein Win (Myanmar), Rebecca T. Anonuevo-Cunada (Philippines), Yeng Pway Ngon (Singapore), Angkarn Chanthathip (Thailand) and Thai Ba Loi (Vietnam).

Previously, Linda received a prestigious honor at home twice, the Khatulistiwa Award, for her short story, Kuda Terbang Mario Pinto (The flying horse of Mario Pinto, 2004) and her short-story collection, Rahasia Selma (Selma’s secret, 2010).

Linda also once earned the Best Prose Award from the Language Institute, Education and Culture Ministry (2010) for her collected essays on politics and culture, Dari Jawa Menuju Atjeh (From Java to Aceh). Earlier in 1998, Linda secured the Prose Award from the same ministry. Her essay entitled Militerisme dan Kekerasan di Timor Timur (Militarism and violence in Timor Leste) was chosen as the best article on human rights in 1998.

Expressing appreciation and gratitude for the SEA Award, Linda described it as an inspiration for her to produce more work of a higher quality. The woman, born on Bangka Island on March 18, 1970, has a fairly long track record in literature and journalism in Indonesia.

Apart from her short-story collection and essays, Linda’s other writings include The Kersen Pohon (a short story published in the Asia Literary Journal, Hong Kong, 2006), Orang Tiro (a feature on Free Aceh Movement members after the Helsinki Accord, published in Arena Magazine, Australia, April 1, 2007), The Grave Keempat (published in a journal by the Cornell University Program of Southeast Asia).

“The writers I met in Bangkok acknowledged Thailand as a Southeast Asian nation highly appreciative of literature while their own countries hadn’t yet accorded such high recognition. In their view, the SEA Write Award is very prestigious,” said the author, who once joined the pro-democracy students before the fall of the New Order regime in 1998.

Originally, this award was initiated by a member of the royal family of Thailand who showed great interest in literature, with several Thai companies as sponsors. The government of Thailand later proposed it as a Southeast Asian award, which was approved by other ASEAN member countries.

Thailand’s long track record of appreciation for literary work in Southeast Asia, according to Linda, can be noticed in the “Literary Corridor” in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, one of the sponsors of the SEA Write Award.

“On the walls of the corridor, the names of SEA Write Award recipients are inscribed on stones, starting in 1979. I saw the names of Indonesian men of letters like Romo Mangunwijaya, Rendra, Sapardi Djoko Damono and others. The Mandarin Oriental was formerly called the Hotel Oriental, where world renowned writer Joseph Conrad [1857-1924] once stayed,” noted the disco enthusiast.

In 1979, the SEA Write Award was first granted to writers from ASEAN countries and Indonesia’s first recipient of this honor was poet Sutardji Calzoum Bachri. Up to 2013, 35 Indonesian authors have received the SEA Write Award. Linda is the fourth female writer bestowed with the same award, the others being Marianne Kattopo (1982), N.H. Dini (2003) and Oka Rusmini (2012).

Although the literary award from the Indonesian government is not yet comparable to that of Thailand, Linda believes Indonesian literature has bright prospects, as indicated by the country’s young authors producing quality writing. “But it’s not just a matter of writers and their good products. We also need great literary critics,” she pointed out.

Linda claimed she had read literary works since the tender age of eight, covering Indonesian as well as foreign books. “Later I also learned history, politics, psychology, gastronomy and fashion. Some literary critics begin to read literature as adults or in their college years,” she indicated.

Besides her authorship, Linda was also an active member of the pro-democracy group against the New Order. Her involvement in politics, said Linda, was due to her concern over the situation. Her grandfather was the first to introduce her to politics. Her house used to be a meeting place to discuss world political issues when she was a youngster.

“When Bobby Sands, a Northern Ireland activist, was on a hunger strike, my grandpa protested against the British government. Upon coming back home from school every day, I would ask him if Bobby was still on strike. When Bobby died from his actions, I was very sad. Such experience formed my personality and inspired me to join the struggle for a better life during the rule of [former president] Soeharto,” she recalled.

Linda’s student movement was only a small part of her experiences that later inspired her literary work, establishing her as an Indonesian short story writer with a flair for narration.

Linda has amazing story writing abilities, leading to her readers getting carried along. The death of a dog may be commonplace in the public eye, but in the perceptions of Linda, it can turn into an unusual occurrence.

Pandangan Dr Siddiq Fazil mengenai demokrasi, pluraliti dan PRU-13

DEMOKRASI,PLURALITI DAN PRU-13
Oleh Dr.Siddiq Fadzil

Pilihan raya dalam sistem demokrasi adalah hari kebesaran kuasa rakyat. Ia harus disambut dengan semangat hormat terhadap suara rakyat, yang bukan lagi “suara anjing menyalak bukit”, tetapi suara berdaulat yang membawa kata putus, sebagai aktualisasi prinsip al-sha`b masdar al-sultah (rakyat adalah sumber kekuasaan).

Tetapi pilihan raya hanya akan benar-benar menjadi hari kuasa rakyat, apabila rakyat dapat menggunakan hak demokratiknya dengan bebas dan cerdas, bijaksana dan penuh rasa tanggungjawab.

Dalam kaitan inilah relevannya gerakan pencerdasan rakyat untuk memungkinkan mereka membuat pertimbangan yang adil dan rasional, dan seterusnya menentukan pendirian dan pilihan yang tepat.

Dengan demikian barulah pilihan raya dapat menjadi mekanisme demokrasi yang menghasilkan pemerintahan dari rakyat, oleh rakyat, untuk rakyat.


Demokrasi dan Media


Dalam era kekuasaan media, rakyat seringkali tidak dapat melihat sesuatu dalam realiti seadanya. Banyak negara yang masih mengamalkan pilihan raya, tetapi tidak mengamalkan kebebasan media (freedom of the press), yang diamalkan adalah kebebasan daripada media (freedom from the press) dalam pengertian pemerintah yang bebas daripada kritik dan sorotan media.

Media yang telah kehilangan kebebasan dan diperburuk dengan kehilangan etika tidak lagi mampu memaparkan kebenaran, tetapi lebih banyak bertindak sebagai alat propaganda politik, termasuk menghitamkan yang putih dan memutihkan yang hitam.

Demikianlah orientasi sebahagian media masa kini sehingga kita harus mengajak rakyat lebih tekun berdo`a:
Rabbana arina ‘l-haqqa haqqan wa ‘rzuqna ‘ttiba`ah, wa arina ‘l-batila batilan wa ‘rzuqna ‘jtinabah

(Ya Tuhan, perlihatkan kami kebenaran itu nyata benarnya dan kurniakan kami keupayaan mengikutinya, dan perlihatkan kami kebatilan itu nyata batilnya dan kurniakan kami keupayaan menghindarinya).

Kebebasan media adalah bahagian integral daripada demokrasi. Kerana itu pilihan raya tanpa kebebasan media hanya akan menghasilkan pemerintahan yang kehilangan legitimasi demokratik (democratic legitimacy).

Sebagai image maker media selalu melakukan pencitraan palsu sehingga yang tampak bukan citra hakiki sebuah parti, dan bukan wajah asli seseorang calon. Pemalsuan citra yang begitu berleluasa, pasti akan mencederai demokrasi, kerana ia bererti menafikan hak rakyat mendapatkan maklumat yang benar, lengkap dan seimbang tentang calon dan parti yang bertanding. Bagaimana mungkin rakyat akan membuat pilihan yang tepat jika sudah tertipu dengan pencitraan kosmetik media propaganda.


Mengundi Sebagai Kesaksian

Dilihat dari perspektif agama, mengundi dalam pilihan raya bukan sekadar hak, yang boleh diterima dan boleh pula ditolak. Lebih daripada itu sebagaimana yang ditegaskan oleh al-Shaykah Yusuf al-Qaradawiy, ia adalah kewajiban pelaksanaan kesaksian (shahadah) yang tidak boleh ditolak apabila dipanggil,

“…Dan janganlah saksi-saksi itu menolak apabila dipanggil. …” -- al-Baqarah:282. Tidak keluar mengundi bererti menyembunyikan kesaksian (katm al-shahadah), suatu kesalahan berat yang dicela dalam al-Qur’an, “…Dan janganlah kamu menyembunyikan kesaksian, kerana barangsiapa menyembunyikannya, sungguh, hatinya kotor (berdosa)…” --- al-Baqarah: 283.

Kesaksian dalam konteks pilihan raya bererti pernyataan sikap dan penilaian yang jujur terhadap kelayakan seseorang calon dan partinya, berdasarkan kriteria asas: qawiyyun amin (kuat dan dapat dipercaya) dan hafizun `alim (berintegriti moral dan berkompetensi intelektual).

Kerana itu yang harus layak bukan hanya calon dan parti, tetapi juga pengundi-pengundinya yang harus memenuhi syarat kesaksian yang terumus pada kata al-`adl (keadilan), “…dan persaksikanlah dengan dua orang saksi yang adil di antara kamu…” -- al-Talaq:2. Kesaksian adalah amanah. Mengundi parti atau calon yang tidak layak adalah penghkhianatan terhadap amanah yang menepati istilah qawla ‘zur (kesaksian palsu) dalam al-Qur’an.

Memberikan kesaksian palsu adalah dosa berat yang digandingkan dengan syirik sebagaimana yang firmankan oleh Allah s.w.t., “…,maka jauhilah (penyembahan) berhala-berhala yang najis itu dan jauhilah perkataan dusta.” -- al-Hajj:30.

Ternyata mengundi dalam pilihan raya tidak hanya memerlukan kefahaman serba-serbi tentang demokrasi, tetapi juga kesedaran tanggungjawab moral. Justeru, kesaksian harus dilaksanakan dengan jujur, semata-mata kerana Allah, bukan kerana kepentingan diri, kaum kerabat dan suku-sakat, “…dan hendaklah kamu tegakkan kesaksian itu kerana Allah.” --. al-Talaq:2.

Untuk memungkinkan rakyat melaksanakan tanggungjawab kesaksiannya dalam pilihan raya, mereka tidak boleh naïf -- tidak mengerti bahasa politik, tidak mampu memahami sepak teranjang serta simpang-siur politik, dan tidak dapat mengenal mana wajah asli dan mana wajah hiasan citra kosmetik.

Ranah politik memang banyak jebakan dan jerangkap samarnya, ada angguk yang bererti tidak, ada geleng yang bermakna ia, dan banyak sumpah yang mengandung fitnah.

Demokrasi hanya akan sihat dan subur di tengah rakyat yang sedar, cerdas, jujur dan enlightened. Demokrasi akan mati dalam oreintasi politik ke-fir`aun-an yang mengekalkan kekuasaan dengan strategi pembodohan rakyat, “(Dengan yang demikian) maka Fir`aun memperbodohkan kaumnya, lalu mereka mematuhinya; sesungguhnya mereka itu adalah kaum yang fasiq – derhaka..” -- al-Zukhruf:54.

Rakyat yang telah lama diperbodoh tidak lagi mampu membezakan keadilan daripada kezaliman, mereka tidak tahu bahawa hak-hak asasinya dirampas, dan tidak sedar kekayaannya dirompak. Yang mereka tahu siapa yang memberikan wang adalah orang baik yang wajar disokong, tanpa menyedari bahawa si pemberi sebenarnya adalah penyamun yang telah merompak habis harta-bendanya.

Jadilah mereka rakyat yang senasib dengan kaum Nabi Hud `a.s. yang setia menyokong kezaliman, “…dan (mereka) menuruti perintah semua penguasa yang sewenang-wenang lagi durhaka.’ -- Hud:59; atau menjadi rakyat yang bodoh sombong seperti kaum Nabi Nuh `a.s., “…dan mereka mengikuti orang-orang yang harta dan anak-anaknya hanya menambah kerugian baginya.” -- Nuh:21.

----------------------
* (Tulisan ini berdasarkan teks ucapan di Konvensyen Pencerdasan Rakyat, di Dewan Kompleks Belia dan kebudayaan, Shah Alam, pada 9 Mac 2013).


dipetik dari bm.harakahdaily.net

"Ketegangan Perasaan " dalam AGM UMNO

"Ketegangan perasaan" dalam AGM UMNO
Oleh Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
6:13PM Dis 1, 2011

http://www.malaysiakini.com/

ULASAN Saya pulang ke Malaysia untuk seketika. Jadi panel forum dan tetamu jemputan sempena Perhimpunan Agung Umno 2011. Saya rasa wajar saya hadir, sebab Muktamar PAS yang lepas saya telah hadir sebagai tetamu.

Menghadiri, mendengar secara langsung, merasai suasana, bertemu sahabat handal yang menjadi pimpinan parti-parti tersebut mempunyai ‘sentimental values’ yang tersendiri. Saya berterima kasih kepada kedua parti-parti tersebut yang masih sudi menerima saya sebagai sahabat.

Bahkan pada 27 November baru-baru ini saya juga dijemput oleh PKR untuk memberikan ucaptama Maal Hijrah sempena Kongres Nasional mereka. Namun saya tidak dapat hadir atas faktor masa. DAP juga pada tahun 2008 pernah menjemput saya semasa mensyuarat agung mereka untuk memberikan syarahan khas. Masa itu saya juga tidak dapat hadir atas sebab tertentu.

Secara umumnya, saya rasa parti-parti politik di Malaysia masih lagi mempunyai ruangan untuk pandangan pihak luar parti yang kadang-kala berbeza di sana-sini. Juga, mungkin saya boleh anggap itu sebagai satu pengiktirafan kepada pihak ketiga yang tidak terikat dengan parti tertentu. Bukan pengiktirafan peribadi, tetapi untuk semua pihak yang ‘sealiran’ di sudut ketidakterikatan dengan parti tertentu.

Pihak ketiga

Hal ini memang wajar, atas banyak sebab. Antaranya; pihak ketiga atau ‘third force’ dalam negara ini bertambah meningkat. Golongan yang tidak terikat dengan lambang parti mungkin melebihi 65 peratus dalam negara ini. Mereka ini biasanya terdiri dari golongan yang ‘mesra’ dengan dunia teknologi maklumat yang pelbagai dewasa ini.

Biasanya mereka terdiri dalam kalangan golongan muda yang sukar untuk digula-gulakan, atau diperbodohkan di segi maklumat. Sekeras mana regim-regim Arab pun telah tergugat dan tumbang akibat ledakan dunia komunikasi dan maklumat moden ini. Keadaan ini nampaknya diakui oleh ucapan Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dan Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaludin dalam ucapan mereka di perhimpunan agung ini.

Saya melihat suasana perhimpunan Umno kali ini ada ‘ketegangan perasaan’ memandangkan pilihanraya ke-13 sudah hampir. Isyarat dalam banyak ucapan memberi tanda jika Umno gagal kembali menawan hati rakyat, tidak mustahil untuk berlakunya pertukaran kerajaan pusat.

Kebimbangan itu dilahirkan sama ada untuk menjadikan ahli-ahli Umno lebih bersungguh, ataupun sememang ada isyarat ‘merah’ yang telah dilaporkan oleh jentera-jentera parti tersebut. Cumanya, saya dapati penulis ucapan presiden kurang kemas dalam menyampaikan mesej sebelum pilihanraya itu. Tidak dari segi bahasa, tidak juga kekemasan di sudut isinya. Saya menjangkakan sesuatu yang lebih mantap daripada itu.

Harapan

Dalam artikel saya yang lepas saya telah sentuh satu faktor terpenting yang mempengaruhi seseorang yang berakal dalam mengundi. Faktor itu perlu disedari oleh semua parti. Faktor itu ialah ‘harapan’. Seseorang yang berakal akan mengundi atau memilih parti yang paling dapat memberikan ‘harapan’ sebagai kerajaan yang akan memerintah.

Ini kerana politik adalah soal pengurusan kehidupan. Kita semua ini hidup atas ‘harapan’ yang ada dalam jiwa kita. Harapan terhadap masa depan diri sendiri, atau keluarga atau sesiapa yang kita cinta dan sayang menyebabkan kita terus berjuang untuk hidup. Bahkan, sehingga perjuangan kita merebut keredhaan Allah juga adalah atas harapan wujudnya rahmat Allah yang luas, keampunan dan syurga yang dijanjikan.

Maka agama menyuburkan harapan dalam jiwa insan. Para penyampai ajaran agama disuruh menanamkan harapan dalam jiwa setiap manusia. Ini jelas menerusi firman Allah: (maksudnya) “Katakanlah: "Wahai hamba-hambaKu yang telah melampaui batas terhadap diri mereka sendiri (dengan perbuatan-perbuatan maksiat), janganlah kamu berputus asa dari rahmat Allah, kerana sesungguhnya Allah mengampunkan segala dosa; sesungguhnya Dia jua Yang Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani”. (Surah al-Zumar: 53).

Justeru, sesiapa yang menyebabkan manusia putus harapan terhadap Tuhan maka dia akan dihukum. Dalam konteks itu Nabi s.a.w bersabda: “Jika seseorang berkata: binasalah manusia, maka dialah yang paling binasa” (Riwayat Muslim). Maksud jika dia menyatakan bahawa sudah tiada rahmat atau keampunan untuk orang lain, maka dialah yang paling jauh dari rahmat dan keampunan.

Ini kerana, apabila manusia putus asa dari rahmat Allah maka dia akan terus menjadi pemaksiat atau penderhaka kepada Allah. Apa lagi yang hendak dilakukan apabila sudah tiada ruang keampunan dan kerahmatan melainkan meneruskan hidup ‘menikmati’ dosa. Maka, sesiapa yang menyebabkan orang putus asa, dia amat ‘celaka’. Segala kerosakan akan berlaku akibat putus asa tersebut.

Dalam kehidupan duniawi, sesiapa putus harapan maka dia akan putus asa. Sesiapa yang putus asa sanggup melakukan apa sahaja bagi menamatkan kehidupan, atau menghidupkan harapan yang baru. Jangan hairan jika orang yang putus asa itu membunuh diri, atau meletupkan diri bersama orang lain, ataupun melakukan kerosakan yang dahsyat. Tiada apa yang hendak dibimbangkan lagi. Tiada apa yang hendak ditakutkan lagi. Itulah yang akan terjadi akibat putus harapan.

Harapan Politik

Dalam politik itulah kuncinya. Mana-mana pemerintah yang menyebabkan rakyat putus asa maka segalanya mungkin berlaku. Rakyat Arab yang melakukan ‘Arab Spring’ yang sanggup mati ataupun hancur negaranya hanyalah berpunca dari putus harapan. Walaupun kerajaan yang memerintah mereka memberitahu tentang bahaya tindakan mereka, namun apa yang hendak mereka endahkan.

Mereka sudah putus harapan. Sekurang-kurang dengan tindakan mereka yang mungkin dilihat lebih merbahaya bagi orang lain, tapi bagi mereka mungkin menghidupkan harapan baru. Bahaya atau lebih bahaya atau kurang bahaya hanyalah sama bagi sesiapa yang sudah tiada harapan.

Maka dalam pemilihan politik ataupun pilihan raya, kuncinya ‘harapan’. Jika sesuatu kerajaan menguburkan harapan rakyat, maka kerajaan itu juga akan terkubur. Jika dia dapat menghidupkan harapan, maka kerajaan itu akan terus segar dan disokong.

Maka itu sebabnya Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi semasa awal pemerintahannya memenangi pilihanraya dengan begitu besar dalam sejarah Umno, sebab harapan kepadanya semasa itu begitu besar. Namun, selepas beberapa tahun memerintah, harapan itu makin hancur, maka pada pilihan raya berikutnya tsunami politik pun berlaku.

Apabila Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak menjadi perdana menteri, maka beliau berusaha menghidupkan semula harapan yang makin pudar terhadap Umno. Cumanya, dalam menghidupkan harapan di sudut tertentu, kadangkala di dibunuh pula harapan yang lain atau oleh pihak yang lain. Dalam Umno sendiri ada penghidup dan pembunuh harapan.

Kemudian, perkataan ‘harapan’ itu sendiri begitu luas dan sangat relatif. Harapan rakyat setiap negara, generasi dan kumpulan itu berbeza. Kerajaan yang berjaya ialah kerajaan yang dapat menghidupkan setiap harapan ini. Parti politik yang gagal mengenali harapan rakyat, ia adalah politik yang tidak relevan untuk berkuasa atau dipilih. Kerencaman harapan itu memerlukan ketangkasan politik untuk mengenali dan berinteraksi dengannya.

Persaingan Harapan

Perbezaan harapan itu sangat penting untuk dikenali. Dalam negara seperti Malaysia yang sudah maju banyak langkah ke hadapan, harapannya bukan lagi seperti negara-negara miskin yang mengharapkan makanan dan tempat perlindungan untuk meneruskan hidup.

Bantuan wang dalam sampul, beras dalam kampit, gula dan teh yang dihulurkan oleh wakil rakyat bukan lagi menjadi harapan dalam banyak keadaan di negara seperti kita. Ramai yang sudah cukup dan melebihi cukup di sudut itu.

Harapan mereka mungkin beralih kepada hak-hak kerakyatan yang lain seperti kebebasan berpolitik, bersuara, kerajaan yang cekap dan telus, kesamarataan hak dan pelbagai lagi. Inilah kesan globalisasi. Mereka akan bandingkan diri mereka dengan tempat lain yang lebih baik.

Mereka hendakkan yang terbaik untuk mereka. Dalam era ini, jangan salah percaturan bahawa apabila rakyat cukup makan, maka mereka pun akan diam. Jika tidak, masakan negara mewah seperti Arab Saudi, Kuwait dan Bahrain juga menghadapi ancaman kebangkitan rakyat. Semuanya, kerana harapan yang lebih besar berkembang selari dengan perkembangan sesebuah negara.

Dalam negara kita, persaingannya ia persaingan siapakah yang paling dapat memberikan harapan kepada rakyat. Mungkin rakyat belum putus harapan, tetapi mereka meneliti siapakah yang paling dapat memenuhi harapan.

Dengan rekod hampir tujuh dekad memerintah, dengan pelbagai jasa dan juga isu-isu yang mencontengi jasa, apakah Umno masih menjadi harapan rakyat?

Dengan perubahan ‘harapan’ bagi generasi baru, apakah Umno masih relevan untuk generasi kini menaruh ‘harapan’?

Inilah persoalan yang mesti dijawab oleh Umno pada hari ini. Rakyat yang mengundi parti lain, bukan semestinya bencikan Umno, tapi mungkin merasakan harapan mereka berada di pihak yang lain. Rakyat yang membenci Umno pula bukan semestinya menyokong parti lain, tetapi mungkin kerana merasakan Umno telah menghancurkan harapan mereka.

Rakyat yang menghargai jasa Umno yang lalu bukan semestinya akan mengundi Umno pada masa ini kerana mungkin ‘harapan’ itu sudah berubah dalam persekitaran yang baru. Inilah yang sepatutnya perwakilan Umno kena fikirkan.

Sejauh manakah sesebuah parti dapat menangani harapan rakyat, sejauh itulah ia akan menguasai undi. Jika Umno terus berjaya, Umno akan terus menang. Jika tidak, maka sebaliknya!

Nota: Ulasan ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis/penyumbang dan tidak semestinya mencerminkan pendirian rasmi Malaysiakini.

Prof Madya Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin adalah felo pelawat OCIS, Oxford dan bekas mufti Perlis.

Breaking the stereotypes about Thai Muslims

Artikel yang sangat menarik mengenai generasi muda Islam di Thailand

Breaking the stereotypes about Thai Muslims

Kong Rithdee/ Bangkok Post

November 23,2011

Do not confine the image of Thai-Muslims to tea, mosques, sarongs or bearded and skull-capped men. Or trouble, either. Try something else, because the image can be colourful, modern, non-stereotypical - and yes, it can be pretty cool as well. Despite, or because, the South is still burning with trouble and the Arab Spring seems so far away, the Thai-Muslim population, like everyone else on this chaotic planet, are trying to find their own voice, while struggling to communicate with others. So it's wise for us all to take notice, and listen.

So let's hear a new voice: Two new free-sheet magazines are presenting the picture of Thai-Muslims that goes against the traditional perception of the sub-culture. On a recent cover of Halal Life - a magazine put out by a group of young people who extend the meaning of halal beyond food - two young Muslims pose like indie hipsters, with a lively photoshop trick, in an overall design that could easily recall a popular publication like A Day. Meanwhile, Salam Art - another paper by a group of young writers - combines news with cultural features and titbits in an effort to showcase the idea of Islam as an art of living.

The concept of the two monthlies is rooted in the fact that their young publishers - men and women, the latter in headscarves - choose to view their religion and its implications less from a spiritual and more from a contemporary angle, a 21st-century Bangkok looking-glass, so to speak. They are both an expression of subcultural pride, and yet they're fashioned in a way that's teasing with mainstream recognition.

"We talk about Muslims, we don't necessarily talk about religion," said Furaqon Ismail, 31, a native of Bangkok and one of the founders of Halal Life.

Halal Life team: (L-R) Naiem Wongkesorn, Asma Kunsun and Furaqon Ismail

"It's not that we don't see the importance of Islam as a religion. We do very much - but we only believe that not every Muslim represents the identical imprint of the religion. What interests me is how we can confirm our identity, our Muslimness if you will, and at the same time happily be a part of this society as a whole. This is the question that the young generation of Thai-Muslims will have to deal with."

"We define Islam as the art of peace, the art of living, and through that lens everything in this world can be described as Islamic," said Zalma Boontamtan, a young, lively Bangkok-born woman who started Salam Art with two other friends. Her colleague, Ilyas Daengvijit, adds that his fascination with the prophet's life was also an inspiration for the idea of the magazine.

"Prophet Muhammad's manners and his attention to every detail in his everyday life is amazing. And to me, it shows that Islam is delicate in every aspect. That's what we think our magazine can be - something that pays attention to the details that people may forget."

For instance, the five-issue-old Salam Art recently ran a feature on the merry-making event at the end of the fasting month under the title, "How to party, Muslim-style", which shows that while the paper has the demographics of Thai-Muslims as its principle readers, it's doing a cultural service to non-Muslims who care to pick up a copy (or to go online). In another issue, the publisher features a Muslim activist who works with Muslim inmates in a Bangkok prison. And in another issue, the magazine interviews a group of experts in the art of "Khat", or Islamic calligraphy, a sacred, elegant practice that is little known, even among Muslims in Thailand.

Halal Life, meanwhile, focuses on profiling Muslims who have made their mark, or who are representing the possibility of a career in the modern society. The two men on the cover shown here are a cafe owner and a graphic designer; of course there are Thai-Muslims doing all kinds of jobs, but the enclose of stereotypes can make us easily forget that. Besides the regular food reviews (Muslim restaurants) and music reviews (Islam-related albums), Halal Life thrives on contemporary perspectives and quality photos and on par with most Thai glossies. It would be too gross to say it's hip, or even fashionable, but Halal Life is clearly updating the image of young Thai-Muslims as a reflection to the image of the society as a whole.

The need to speak up is not new. Both Halal Life and Salam Art have been motivated by predecessors in Muslim-oriented free papers, most notably Roti-Mataba, which came out in the mid-2000s and was a successful attempt to make "Muslim" a cultural rather than a religious term (the magazine, founded by Davood Lawang, is still published, but not regularly).

In 2004, Furaqon of Halal Life teamed up with another group of friends to create Kampong, a news-heavy free magazine that caused a sensation among Thai-Muslims both in Bangkok and Southern provinces for its partisan view on the Muslim world.

"After the 9/11 attacks and trouble in the three southernmost provinces, we felt the need to say something," said Furaqon, 31. "Kampong was successful because Thai-Muslims in those days were hungry for alternative information, and we gave it to them. During that time, the spotlight was on us - it's still on us more or less - and we couldn't ignore it. We had to show what we were and what we thought."

On the internet, the MuslimThai.com site is the equivalent to Pantip.com for Thai-Muslims. Founded by Somkid Leewan, it has commanded a wide popularity - and criticisms, when the democracy of opinions sometimes stray into dubious terrains - among users for many years, and it recently launched a free-sheet paper, Muslim Thai Post, as an ancillary. As the name suggests, the paper focuses more on news and politics in the Islamic world, nationally and globally, and in terms of reportage and viewpoints, it remains slightly more traditional compared to the lifestyle-oriented and youthful-looking take presented by Halal Life and Salam Art.

"Mainly, we think about Muslim readers, but we hope that the magazine can be for everybody," said Zalma of Salam Art. "We hope to inspire people to look at Islam and Muslims differently, from an angle they might be aware of before. And this implies to people of all religions. What's frustrating to me is the fact that, while Thai-Muslims complain that they're misunderstood by the world, they still do not understand themselves or what's happening in their own society. So how can we communicate with others effectively?"

What the two magazines are doing is broadening the concepts of Muslim to the public, non-Muslim space, and even though the publishers operate within the confines of their faith, they still run into opposition from time to time. This reflects the inner tussle between the "moderate" and the hardliners when defining the essence of Islam and Muslims. Two months ago, Halal Life put on its cover two musicians from a Muslim band, and they were criticised by a number of strict Muslims for popularising the "non-Islamic" practice of secular music.

Salam Art team: (L-R) Wallapa Anant, Ilyas Daengvijit and Zanma Boontamtan

The publishers of Salam Art, likewise, admit they have to be careful when dealing with "sensitive subjects". For instance, when the magazine decided to put a female artist, donned in a headscarf, on the cover, they decided to use illustration of her portrait instead of a photograph.

"Yes, we played it safe, because there will be people who still can't accept the picture of a Muslim woman on the cover," explained Ilyas. "But we're not sacrificing what we want to say. In this case, we believe that there's a way to do it without losing our quality and to find the right balance. We won't compromise our message with paranoia."

"As a paper, we're a recorder of history," said Furaqon. "We know that some people do not totally agree with our presentation of the Muslim culture, but we're presenting what's going on in the society. The problem with some Muslims is that they look down on themselves and blame others for making their lives difficult. But that's not true. We don't have to be ashamed of who we are, and we don't have to lose our identity to be a part of the society either. I think this is more or less what Halal Life is trying to say, to Muslims first, and to everybody else, too."

Boogieing on My Own-By Marina Mahathir

Saya terbaca artikel yang sangat menarik ditulis oleh Marina Mahathir dalan blognya http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com, yang menjelaskan pendirian beliau, betapa beliau lebih mementingkan prinsip berbanding bertanding dalam pilihanraya

Boogieing on My Own

BY MARINA MAHATHIR

http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com

A question I'm often asked these days is, why don't I enter politics and why don't I stand for elections? It always puzzles me when I'm asked this because it's not a question that I ever entertain myself. So for people to even think of it is something I find curious.

But I suppose I shouldn't be. I come from a 'political' family, apparently, and for many people, it is only 'natural' to go into the 'family business', given that other 'political families' have done the same. But what most don't understand is that in my family, it is not at all natural. If my parents had their way, all their children would be doctors because that's their real wish for us. But none of us did. They left us to decide for ourselves what we wanted to do, hence we all wound up doing anything but medicine.

Nor was there much encouragement to go into politics. My father doesn't happen to believe in dynastic politics so he never encouraged us to enter the field, certainly not while he was in office. That's why my brother Mukhriz didn't join until after Dad stood down. We don't as a rule huddle as a family to talk about political strategy of any kind, though of course as people who are aware of current affairs, we do talk about what is going on around us on the rare occasions that we get together. And believe me, it's a much more well-rounded conversation than you'd expect.

So there was never any talk about me going into politics or even joining any political party, which would naturally, I suppose, have been UMNO. Certainly my parents have never insisted I should, probably because they know me well enough to know that I won't fit in. Neither did I think of it myself, having a natural aversion to any sort of political organisation, whichever side they may be on. Something about the need to always toe the party line, wear uniforms, sing party anthems etc turns me off. I'm one of those people who cannot stand dancing poco-poco for too long because I get impatient with the need to conform with everyone else. I prefer to boogie on my own.

So entering politics is something I've never considered. My only regret really is that in all the years that Dad was in office, I never ever went on the campaign trail during elections, not to campaign but to observe it from close quarters. I sort of feel that as a writer, I should have done that for the experience but I never wanted to at the time and didn't really think of what I missed til Dad stepped down. Ah well, can't turn back time now and yes, it'll be a major omission in any autobiography I might one day write.

But lately I've had to analyse why people want me to go into politics. There are basically two categories of people who keep mentioning it. One lot are those who get very irritated with the many comments I make on the state of politics today. They think that if I want to comment on it then I should enter politics or butt out. By that they mean join a political party and stand for elections. The thing is I don't find a single one of the political parties in Malaysia today at all appealing, whether in Barisan or in Pakatan. I think it's because they are all filled with politicians.

Unfortunately politics today is pretty much a discredited occupation. Once upon a time it was a noble profession because people entered politics to fight for their fellow citizens. They wanted freedom, self-determination, the right to progress on their own terms. Politicians then came from professions who were in touch with the realities on the ground - teachers, doctors, lawyers, social workers.

Today we have to wonder what background some of our politicians have. Some don't seem to have worked at a regular job at all, going almost directly from being student activist to national figure. Some may have worked before but seem to lack a basic grasp of the fundamentals of political representation and governance. Some have been there so long that they seem to have forgotten what life as an ordinary person is like.

If we had problems with our health, we would go to a professional who has done years and years of study to qualify to certain standards. This is important because we need to trust them in order to place ourselves in their care. Similarly we wouldn't ask just anyone to design and build our homes, offices, roads etc. We would go to architects, engineers, contractors and others who have the sort of professional qualifications that would be required.

Yet when it comes to governing the country, these days we accept pretty low standards. We choose people with either little governing experience or qualifications which are often suspect. That's partly because at the candidate level we don't have a say as to who gets to stand for elections. We just vote for whoever is there on the slate. And really very often, as was the case in the last election for me, we really don't know what makes these candidates worth voting for. We're supposed to simply trust the party they come from. If that were all it takes to secure votes, why do parties talk about 'winnable' candidates? The candidate himself or herself does matter.

Perhaps we should institute some sort of exam for wannabe politicians and only allow them to stand for elections if they pass. Certainly the exam should include knowledge of the Federal Constitution and world affairs. Plus maybe a long essay on "why I would be good for this country." Exam papers should be marked by a panel of ordinary citizens and results made public.

So one lot thinks I should enter politics because as an individual or as an NGO, I shouldn't be talking about politics. I have a problem with that line of thinking because for one, why should I have any less qualifications than the lot that we have right now? And secondly, as Aung San Syu Kyii said, "even if you don't like politics, politics will come to you." Like it or not, politics affects everyone so we should all be able to have a say, any time, all the time and not just once every five years. Politics cannot be limited to 'professional' politicians from political parties only. After all, what they, the limited few, do affects the rest of us, the majority of the citizenry.

Then there's the other lot who think I should enter politics because they like what I've been saying and doing all these years. Well, thank you but... no thanks. Firstly, as I said, I'm not about to join any political party and therefore if I ever stood, I'd be an independent. The impact of independents thus far has been pretty minimal. Standing for elections is a difficult and expensive business and there is no point, I think, in standing and in the unlikelihood of a win, being one of a tiny number of independents in Parliament. Against the behemoths that are our existing political parties, we'd just get drowned. Unless there are enough independents that they essentially form a third party which both sides need to court. But fat chance of that! (I did once on Twitter jokingly suggest forming a Common Sense Party, because that seemed to be the trait most lacking in our politicians across the board. Surprisingly many people said they would join it!)

In any case one needs to enter politics at a relatively young age in order to have the stamina for it. And I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for that I think.

So I kinda like being where I am, an independent observer of events. But I know I confuse people a lot, principally people who are so immersed in politics that they can only see things in black and white. Well there are some of us who prefer to stand on principles rather than politics. I've talked about hyperpartisanship before, where people on one side, by default, insist the other side is wrong because they are on the other, and therefore 'wrong', side. I think all political parties are guilty of this, which is really a shame because then we, the electorate, get forgotten. Surely nobody can be totally wrong, or totally right all the time.

Standing on principle means that regardless of who, or what party they belong to, if they're right, they're right, if they're wrong, they're wrong. And if civil society ie NGOs, individuals, writers, artists and everyone else who don't belong to political parties, is to have any credibility, then we should call it as it is. Our strength is in NOT being partisan.

Personally, my principle is that I will always support and help those who have no voice. Unfortunately, usually, though not always, the voiceless are the ones most ignored by those in power and even those who aspire to power. They don't know anybody, have no money, have few outlets to have their grievances heard. Often they are scorned and stigmatised by society for being different. Yet I do believe that the true measure of a good government is how it takes care of the weakest segments of society, not the strongest.

I also do not understand injustice and inequality. My years at the Malaysian AIDS Council opened my eyes to a lot of both. As my 'guru', the late Dr Jonathan Mann, emphasised, one's health is directly affected by one's enjoyment of the basic human rights. The more rights you have, the better your health. And the opposite is also true.

So if you cannot have basic health care, your right to life, to health, to employment is jeopardised, if not totally violated. If you do not have the right to education, then again all your other basic rights are affected. All these rights are guaranteed not only under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also in our Federal Constitution. Therefore I think it should be the role of all of us, as well as politicians, to fight for those rights for everyone. And if our politicians don't, then it is incumbent on civil society to call them out on it. (By the way, Norhayati Kaprawi explains it all more succinctly than me here.)

For me therefore, life is about principles. And trying to tell the truth is a great part of that. This Raya, I had several people come up to me at open house and ask me why I have joined the opposition. I'm sure the oppos may be just as surprised as me to hear this! Apparently, joining the Bersih rally is tantamount to joining the opposition and these people believed it because some noisy people said so.

Well! That's news to me! I went to the Bersih rally for all the reasons I said in my post about it. I do believe in clean and fair elections. Who on earth would want dirty and unfair ones? I'm sorry, that is beyond my comprehension. I also did not feel it right to remain in the safety of my home while so many young people I know, including my daughter, were risking being teargassed at the rally. My presence there doesn't mean that I have thrown my lot in with those political parties in the opposition. I'm afraid I don't particularly trust them because after all, they ARE politicians and by nature they'll say anything to get a vote. They may sound good on some things but a good test, I find, is to check their attitudes towards women. Most of them are quite shaky or fail miserably on that score. (Of course I would welcome any election pledges to lift every single reservation on CEDAW for example but I don't see anyone doing that yet...)

On the other hand, there are those who purport to work for the ruling government who do them no favours either. When they censor news, or worse, make them up or distort them, then they only make people angry. It is a mistake to think that the ordinary Malaysian is too dumb to see through all sorts of political machinations. And when you see the powerful unjustly attack the powerless, then the decent citizen's natural inclination is to get indignant. It is beyond unseemly really when the most powerful people in the country see fit to call individuals all sorts of ugly names. For one thing, it makes them look dreadfully insecure.

This is therefore a plea for some common sense and decency to return to our political arena. Voters like me want to elect representatives who truly represent us and our concerns, are regular people with good values and are nice to everyone, even those they don't feel naturally comfortable with. We want people who respect every citizen in this country and who understand that everyone has the same rights under the Federal Constitution, with some exceptions (okay, it's there in the Constitution, let's not deny that). And we want gracious and magnanimous people who, if they lose, will reflect humbly on what they could have done better and not go all out to sabotage winners.

We want leaders who realise that freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are among the rights they need to protect, not curb. We need leaders who have the guts to say so. We don't want wishy-washy people.(And as a fine example of wishy-washiness and confusion, today the lawyers' walk to protest the Peaceful Assembly Bill was itself protested at by others who didn't seem to realise that with this new Bill, they too would be prohibited.)

And I think we want a stop to nonsensical statements by all parties, statements which seem more geared to getting headlines than about real well-thought-out policy on real issues, not manufactured ones. People, there's a global economic disaster looming!!

Perhaps for the coming elections, instead of our political parties or coalitions issuing manifestos on what they will do for us, we the voters should issue a people's manifesto on what we want from whichever coalition that wins. A list of demands which, if they want our vote, they must promise to fulfil. In other words, WE set the agenda. Then they can compete for our votes. And let's make it clear that our votes cannot be bought with money. We are just way too expensive for any amount of money.

So for anyone who thinks I'm on this side or that side, make no mistake: I'm terribly snotty about the company I keep. And thus far, there are truly very few people who imagine themselves our leaders who I could stand to sit down at dinner with. I do think however that there are lots of decent people lower down the scale, those who are genuinely progressive and sincere but who are perhaps suppressed by the perennial need to toe the line. And that's a real pity because it's all of us who lose in the end.

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Temuramah Dyah Paramita dengan Andreas Harsono

Ini sebuah artikel mengenai wartawan Andreas Harsono, salah seorang wartawan yang mempopularkan Jurnalisme Sastrawi di Indonesia.
Sekadar untuk perbandingan.Semoga bermanfaat


My Jakarta: Andreas Harsono,Veteran Writer
http://andreasharsono.blogspot.com/2011/11/andreas-harsono-veteran-writer.html

Andreas Harsono is one of the country’s most controversial journalists, but even a stint in prison has not stopped the recipient of Harvard’s Nieman Fellowship from writing about human rights and fighting for justice.

My Jakarta sat down with the author of ‘ “A9ama” Saya Adalah Jurnalisme’ (‘ “My Reli9ion” Is Journalism’) to find out what’s on his mind. The veteran writer explains why he thinks it is important to celebrate cultural diversity, what he’d like to hear from U2 if they ever come to Jakarta and how 
Gus Dur earned his respect despite falling asleep during an interview.

What makes your writing controversial?

Over the last 10 years, my main job has been writing stories of up to 50,000 words, called long-form writing, which take months to research and are quite costly. Such work allows me to get to the bottom of an issue, which is why I advise that research is as important as writing. This method results in me writing only two or three stories a year. But for more difficult issues, I still release short reports. I also still write features and interviews.

Are human rights issues your sole passion in journalism?

In the past, I wrote about corruption and conflict in general, but later I became more specialized in human rights issues, like those in Aceh, East Timor, West Papua, Java and Burma. I realized that I’d had that passion since I was in second grade, when I admired many human rights activists.

Did you feel threatened when you were detained in East Java, because of your work on discrimination against Shia Muslims?

I see threats and condemnation as part of a process Indonesia has to go through to respect human rights. Nowadays we have more free space to express our opinions, though of course there are many who use hate-speech.

In West Kalimantan, I was accused of pitting one ethnic group against another, and undermining the republic. But like Gus Dur [former President Abdurrahman Wahid] once said, ‘Gitu saja kok repot?’ [‘Why sweat the small stuff?’]. My mentor, Goenawan Mohamad, told me there are two similar words in Malay, one is takut [fear] and the other takluk [surrender]. Takut is natural but takluk is not. I may be fearful but I’m not going to surrender.

What about the risks to your family?

When I publish a ‘dangerous’ story, I usually tell my wife about the risk, and she responds, ‘You do your job, go ahead.’ I once even wrote a story that might have affected the company she worked for, but she gave me the same response. Luckily, nothing bad has ever happened.

Is freedom of expression still rare in Indonesia?

Legally, there are spaces for free expression. But there are more than 100 statutes condemning it. Just look at how many human rights activist face prosecution because of their work.

We are in the era of citizen journalism. Any thoughts?

This is one of the best times for journalism. In the past, publishing a story required a printing machine. Now we have blogs and Twitter, which function like a news wire service. But at the same time we are risking a ‘tsunami of information.’ We can drink a glass of water, but we can’t drink a tsunami. I mean that everyone involved in writing needs to learn democracy along with journalism since many are just voicing hatred, rumors and even teaching bomb-making.

Care to share any little-known facts about yourself?

I love Beethoven, Queen and U2. Twenty years ago I used to be the lead singer in a rock band. I took a music course at Harvard.

Any chance you like U2 because of their activism?

I learned about U2 in 1985. They talked about the killings in Belfast — Bloody Sunday — and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Which is why if U2 were ever to give a concert in Indonesia, I would love to hear them talk about human rights abuses in West Papua.

If you were to write about Jakarta, what would you say?

I’d like to write about the colorful ethnicities of Jakarta. The food like mie Aceh, jagung bose Flores, nasi kuning Ternate, babi batu Papua, and the people like the Talaud ethnic group, Sambasnese, Ambonese and Kandanganese. This diversity should be celebrated and maintained to avoid social breakdown in Indonesia. If the center is shaken, outer territories will lose balance. That’s why in a highly centralized country like Indonesia, moving the capital is not the answer. The key is to decentralize power.

We’ve talked a lot about your writing — what about your reading?

I consider ‘The Elements of Journalism’ by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel as my favorite. I also like fiction such as Chaim Potok’s ‘My Name Is Asher Lev,’ which also happened to be Gus Dur’s favorite book.

You’ve mentioned Gus Dur twice. What connection did you have with him?

Indonesia is the way it is today because of his presidency in 1999. He — a liberal thinker, humanist and a human rights advocate — led one of the most important periods in Indonesia. He didn’t produce any laws that hurt his people. Because of that, people trusted Indonesia under his leadership. We owe him much more than we know. I once interviewed him and he fell asleep [laughs]. Awakened, he continued the interview without apologizing. I knew he was tired, so it wasn’t a big deal to me. Gus Dur was just being himself.

Andreas Harsono was talking to Dyah Paramita.

Correction
The My Jakarta interview printed "East Java" instead of "West Kalimantan" in my answer about the accusation of pitting one ethnic group to another. I corrected that error here.