Rape is Never a Joke!

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/21/imo-view-rape-never-a-joke.html

Insensitive! It’s not the way I call the sick joke thrown by the candidate of Supreme Court Justice, Daming Sanusi, about rape during his fit-and-proper-test at the parliament. “Idiotic” would be the right notion for his foolish move to what he described as an ice-breaker for the tense atmosphere. It again shocked me to learn that public officials, authority and politicians alike keep making repeated unethical remark on such sensitive issue. Apparently, they have a pact to keep singing their hideous chorus that fit perfectly to the the maxim “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”



Responded to a question from members of House Commission III as to whether death penalty in rape cases was a necessary change from the existing law, Daming said that “both the victims of rape and the rapist might have enjoyed their intercourse together, so we should think twice before handing down the death penalty.” The lawmakers shamelessly laughed at the revolting joke. What a sickening theatrical performance of the Month!


It was totally unethical. It was totally unacceptable. Rape victim is no laughing stock, particularly within the so called ‘respected’ institution! Perhaps, the currently judge at the Banjarmasin High Court should try to animate the crime himself to experience the feeling of rape victims! How would he feel if some brutish men snatched him out of his car, dragged him to remote shabby hamlet, gang-raped him, then left him bloodied and broken? I am curious whether he would stand his ground to put forward that bizarre assumption! And say timidly, “Oh, yes I took pleasure in the crime myself! So don’t blame them!” Duh!

Given his gender bias and insensitivity, I can’t help but thinking on how would justice be served in the face of such attitudes. Instead of dealing with the problem as a law and order issue, he converted the bestial crime against women as a sickening joke to break the ice! Along with many other public officials, they are still stuck within a mentality that looks to excuse the behavior of rapists resulted from deeply ingrained patriarchy within our society.

These public servants have warped mindset of cultivating patriarchal beliefs to always raise fingers at woman when she becomes a victim of rape. It’s the way they dress! It’s the way they behave! It’s their fault! If women obey the men, such thing will not happen! No wonder shocking instances of rape continue to hit the headlines along with the tendency of authority and public administrators to blame the victim.

This victim blaming approach explains why crimes against women continue to be on the rise. Worse, such attitude is perpetuated by the lenient punishment for the heinous crime that only carries a maximum sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment. Mostly, offenders of such crimes received less! If we keep on ascribing blame on women and succumbing to the light sentence, the perpetrators will get away easily. The lenient law will not bring deterrent. A victimized woman will be further exposed to ignominy and trauma. And the monstrous crimes would continue to happen.

Unfortunate as it may seem, we are saved from the odds due to the growing public awareness championed through socia media. A torrent of electronic wrath burst forward following Daming’s comment that went viral across the social media. It has sparked widespread anger and condemnation. The public pressure has helped to build a catharsis for check and balance that has often failed to be executed with grace by our legislation.

Accordingly, the judge and lawmakers could no longer turn a blind eye over their highly unacceptable behavior. The credibility of the the man in question crumbled, thus likely cost him the post. The damage has been done and the social sanction has been imposed. No amount of apology could mend the shaterred image.


In spite of such public pressure, social media campaign and women empowerment, severe retribution through harsher punishment for rapists can be an effective way to free our country from this horrifying offence against women. The fear for strict and stern sanction will subdue the animal instinct in men whose minds are socially perverted.

Another lesson for authority from this raucous uproar is that rape is never a joke! It is a monstrous crime that should be stopped!

Lance Armstrong’s Fairy Tale: Do the Ends Justify the Means?

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/04/imo-view-lance-armstrong-s-fairy-tale.html

We all have heard the legendary Robin Hood Tale of Sherwood Forest. He was a heroic outlaw in English folklore who helped the oppressed from corrupt local government and sheriff, stealing from the wealthy lords to give to the poor. An almost flawless modern day Robin Hood was reborn perhaps in the fairy tale – like story of Lance Armstrong. A survivor of metastatic testicular cancer, Armstrong beat all odds and became the epitome of strength and grace. One critical question however remains to haunt us: Do the ends justify the means? The validity of this maxim, in my view, is the classic moral debate of all time one hardly ever comes to an agreement.




Once ranked among the greatest athletes of all time by winning seven consecutive Tour de France as well as championships in other cycling events, Lance Armstrong has seen the clouds of doping gather until they have formed thunderstorm destroying all his lifetime’s achievement within one straight blow. The “American icon” had admitted in Thursday’s interview with Oprah that he was victim of his own falsehoods as much as his use of performance-enhancing drugs, ending years of vehement denials of doping allegations. He conceded his deceit over an elaborate doping scheme on a U.S. Postal Service team that put him on top of the podium at the Tour de France time after time over the years.



The colossal scandal irrevocably had tainted what should have been his glorious career. It quickly sparked heated debate over whether Armstrong’s demise outweighed his continuous fight against cancer. Despite the lies, his life struggle has motivated and inspired many people, especially those with cancer. Lance Armstrong Foundation had raised millions of US dollars for cancer research from the sales of yellow “LiveStrong” bracelets and other fundraising efforts. It helps change lives. It helps save lives.



In spite of this remarkable contribution towards humanity, the question remains irksome for many. Cheating is ethically, morally, and legally wrong. For me personally, his drug abuse cannot be tolerated or justified no matter how noble the end is. As a member of society, I agree that any drug abuse, lying, and cheating in professional sports should not go unpunished. We don’t want to build a society based on lies and cheatings.



It scares me to think the kind of society we will be seeing if we encouraged people to cheat, lie, steal and do whatever drugs are necessary in order to accomplish good things.



For example, in schools, we are always taught to be honest in facing the exams – that cheating is WRONG! It’s unbearable to think any teachers have intention to encourage dishonest behavior such as lying, cheating, and stealing among their school children to pass the national exam as in the case of letting the ends justify the means. Surely, such misconduct will firmly imprint the conception that ‘it’s ok to do ethically and morally wrong action to gain greater good! It helps to fertilize the seeds of corrupt habits and behaviors.



For that reason, should we accede to the maxim ‘the ends justify the means’; it would be like letting contagious disease to spread. It would infect others like raging fire until it is too late to stop the damage. We do not want to see our society have no moral scruples and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Therefore, I personally think that Armstrong’s ends doesn’t justify his means.



I used to admire Armstrong for his extraordinary achievements in sports. Now, I was disappointed. His life story was based on lies and denials. It was wrong. Yet, I can’t turn a blind eye of his significant contribution to save lives through the cancer foundation he built. His support for those who have cancer is noteworthy. Many still feel thankful and supportive of Livestrong. I think the foundation will survive but he must answer to his crimes.



In the end, Lance Armstrong is after all NO modern day Robin Hood. I doubt his initial motive to win at any cost is to help people with cancer. Yet, along the journey, he has successfully weaved a fairy tale story that inspired many, thus has helped to save lives. He will remain as a complex figure that many will find it difficult to place him clearly into any one category. Is he a hero or a villain? For me, he is both.

Education Is No Zero-Sum Game

Following the squabble over the omitting of science and English in elementary public schools awhile back, the Constitutional Court has ruled out against the contentious international-standard school pilot project, known as RSBI (Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional) last week. The ruling declared RSBI program breaching the Constitution for discriminating and segregating students.


Despite gaining an exuberant welcome nationwide, it does not signify victory for the students who are the key subject of education. Again, they have fallen victims to uncertainties plaguing our national education system resulting from the never-ending jumble tumble between policymakers and bureaucrats in the expense of the students.

Education for all! We uphold that sweet jargon dearly. Any children apart of their social strata, race, religion, and social background have equal right to benefit from accessible education. It is the responsibility of the government to provide affordable and qualified schools for its citizens as mandated under The Indonesian Constitution. Education is a long-term investment as today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. It is therefore mandatory for the government to build a strong and sound high-quality educational system that will ensure the nation’s future.

To achieve this, the government had ordained Law No. 20/2003 on Education requiring all municipalities and districts in the country to have at least one RSBI. The program originally aimed to boost the quality of the Indonesian schools to stand on par with their counterparts in developed countries in producing high-quality human resources.

RSBI enjoyed special treatment other public schools did not get. Each RSBI got an annual block grant of between Rp 300 million and Rp 50 million from the government to buy equipment and hire staff. They used English as a medium of instruction and adopted an international curriculum. In addition, the schools were entitled the discretion to levy fees from students, whereas other public schools were free. As always, when it comes to money, any discrepancies will lead into disastrous result. Such is the root of evil in this country! Money tends to corrupt people!

Consequently, the noble cause crumbled. Parents, teachers’ organization as well as the anti graft and corruption watch groups discovered inappropriateness in the program.

First, the program was deemed discriminative since it denied seats for students who could not afford the suffocating tuition fee. The liberty to extort higher fees than other public schools has made RSBI far too expensive for students from disadvantaged families. It meant the taxpayers also paid subsidy for wealthy parents since RSBI was funded by the state It was tantamount to the liberalization of the public education sector. It was against the philosophy of ‘education for all’ as stipulated in our constitution. The poor remained marginalized from the mainstream education.

Second, most RSBI have not shown any indication of improved education quality since their inception. Their students generally performed the same or even worse than students at any regular public schools. The term RSBI was always just a label, accentuating the prestige that boosted rich parents to send their kids in schools that used English. They focused more on adopting English into their lessons rather than on improving the quality of teaching. They hired English coaches to coach the teachers. Then, the teachers tried to teach in broken English. In the end, the students lost in confusion, let alone understanding the subject. Accordingly, the idea of RSBI was better solely because of their English was irrelevant and did not correspond to the improvement of education quality.

Third, there was lack of transparency in the financial management of RSBI related to the unlimited fees they could collect. The program has been managed in such a way that money mattered the most. Parents complained on how the schools raked in millions of rupiah a month on the pretext of improving education. Illicit fees collected to pay extra allowances having no transparent and accountable report. In reality, the money was going toward auxiliary expenses to build physical facilities, pay additional stipend for teachers and staff, rather than improve the quality of teaching and extracurricular activities.

The court ruling was lauded as the victory of the public who advocated education for all. Yet, the decision does not address the root problem of the tangle within our national education system. It leaves the RSBI and their students battling with the uncertainties on what might happen to them next. It also evokes the question on what would happen to the billions rupiah already spent on the program. Either way, nobody wins!

Again, the students fall victims. We easily turn on each other, playing a blame game instead of formulating constructive solution for the improvement of our national education system. The reality is we all share responsibility for the success of public education. The policymakers, bureaucrats, the teachers, the parents and the students, have role to play. Until all parties are able to sit in one table under goodwill to find the best solution, there will always be such squabble to repeat. Education is no-zero sum game to play!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Mirror mirror on the wall rectify my error,

Cast your magic, ease the pain,

Relieve me from relentless terror,





Mirror mirror on the wall, save me from this plight,

Double time, half the pay, five voices all demanding,

Yet only my two hands to type the fight,



Mirror mirror on the wall, lead me to the dragon’s lair,

Beg the King to grant me wings and mighty roar,

Whence I transcend this bitter end, discharging every chore.





Mirror mirror on the wall, the day is nearly done,

Reflect upon my intellect, and how this war was won,

With fallen wings into the terrain,

Tomorrow it all starts again!


(collaborated with a friend)

My Dear Annoying Train

O, dear my ugly loving train,


You broke my heart again,

Over and over you constantly let me down,

Leaving me stranded in the rain now and then,



O, dear my hideous darling train,

Feet sore, toes got trampled over,

Beads of sweat rolled down like a river,

How dare you said sorry and sorry again!



O, dear my obnoxious silly train,

You taxed me with overpriced horrible service!

While delayed was your pathetic excuse,

So lame as an obselete song,

Forgotten and abandoned!



O, dear my sweet annoying train,

Poor as you were,

I had no choice but to love thee,

My Dear Playful Rain

It's January morn, lad!


thundering downpours woke me in the dead of the cold,

torrential rains battered my window sill,

while the sun hid behind the invisible wall!

Making the day a hellish dull!



O, stop thy mocking grin!

I need my sun to shine again,

a little dance to make my skies smile!

So I can hurriedly be off my way!

O, you mischievous spoiled rain!

Stop ruin my day for just today,

I had no mood to play jest with thee,

For I had affairs to attend soon!



O, wicked heartless rain!

It’s almost 7 yet thy still dally,

Binding me with thy childish whine,

Be good and I shall be your most wonderful companion!

Be bad then I shall be thy most fearsome foe!

Stop Gender-Biased Regulation against Women!

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/14/imo-view-stop-gender-biased-regulation.html

The year of 2012 closed with heinous crimes against women. It again underlined that violence against women continued to persist as one of the most heinous, systematic and prevalent human rights abuses in the world, including Indonesia.


A 23 year old medical student in New Delhi was brutally gang-raped on a moving public bus in front of her boyfriend, then thrown semi-naked on the road to die . A few weeks later, she died due her massive internal injuries after being savagely beaten during the rape. Slow response by authorities marked by patriarchal system had incited widespread outrage led into riots throughout the city. This incident reminded us that patriarchal system elaborating the oppression of women, failed to protect women against violence in public places.

Shortly after, I watched the news of the tragic end of an eleven year old girl. Previously, she was treated under intensive care unit (ICU) at Persahabatan Hospital, East Jakarta, due to unabated seizures on Saturday. While she was administered medication to cure the seizure, doctors found vaginal and rectal wounds on the fifth-grade student. It was suspected that she suffered sexual assaults prior to her deteriorating condition. Her injuries were suspected to have caused brain infection leading to her death. Again, it was another failure on how family and the society as a whole failed to protect women against violence by sexual predators.

Afterward, I read on the news that Aceh, the only province that followed Sharia (Islamic Law) would soon issue regulation banning women passengers to sit straddling in motorbikes. The Major of Lhokseumawe said the regulation was aimed to save people's "morals and behaviors." Further, he elaborated that straddling the bike seat violated Islamic values.

I was enraged. It was way beyond my sane understanding. It was the most outrageous and bizarre 'joke' I've heard in the beginning of 2013. How come the ways we sit on motorcycles determine the morality of men! It also meant women were not allowed to drive motorcycles! How could we drive if the law forbad us to straddle! I see no common sense in this upcoming law!

I am a woman and a Muslim. I always sit "side-saddle" when I take ojek (motorcycle taxi) for convenience reason. But I sit straddling while driving my motorbike! I can assure you that the way I sit doesn't cause moral decadence of my neighbors or viewers! I don't read any such regulation either in the Holy Book or Hadist.

The law is discriminatory and has a gender bias. It is formulated by patriarchal regulators and systems that always see women as seed of 'evil.' Thus, they need to put a leash on us like we are some sort of animals! Gee, sometimes I just don’t understand the way ‘civilized’ men think!

If the central government ever passed the proposed regulation, our legal pendulum would swing to yet another extreme. Gender bias has run rampant in our court system. It took many painful years for our legal systems to recognize women as victim of domestic violence. Women still have long way to go fighting for equality in front of the law.



Instead of inventing such ludicrous set of rules, the authority should develop laws and regulations that could ensure and safeguard the protection of women against heinous crimes of raping and beating, also discrimination. Men should respect women the way they respect their mothers, sisters or wives. The laws accordingly should be free from prejudice and gender-biased.