Compassionate democracy: myth or reality?
by Jennie S. Bev Democracy in its simplest definition refers to rule by the majority, in which their voice determines decisions. In other words, this definition implies that minorities have very little, or even no voice at all. While there are instances of...
America the undereducated?
by Jennie S. Bev In a global world that will judge us on our intellect, the United States is falling behind. The Mountain House Branch Library allows every member to check out 50 items at a time. But according to Susan Jacoby, in her highly acclaimed book, The...
“Fitna” and digital exclusion
by Jennie S. Bev In October last year, Indonesian Internet users enjoyed momentary happiness when Communications and Information Minister Muhammad Nuh personally promised "free speech among bloggers,” and then when both the government and private sectors agreed...
Banality and compassion
by Jennie S. Bev Modern lifestyle is known to be quite monotonous and routine. Many people work, live, and even breathe on cruise-control auto-pilot mode. Those who follow the rules are oftentimes stamped as “good gatekeepers” and those who despise and challenge the...
Romancing the Koran in Indonesia
by Jennie S. Bev Indonesians have been flocking to a wildly popular novel by a young Indonesian named Habiburrahman El-Shiraz, and now an equally popular new movie, Ayat-Ayat Cinta, (translated as Love Verses). At first blush the work sounds hopelessly and religiously...
Prophetic mindset
by Jennie S. Bev Easter is associated with the resurrection of the Savior. For two millennia, Jesus Christ has been regarded as the one who sacrificed himself to save humankind with his divine power as granted from God. However, not many people, even Christians,...
Gender equalities and urgency for fair masculinism
by Jennie S. Bev March 8th is international women’s day. Indonesian culture and laws reflect a utopian message that men and women live in harmony, in an environment that each gender understands and executes their responsibilities wisely. In this notion, men serve as...
Islam and competing in doing good
by Jennie S. Bev Indonesia is a country with three legal systems: civil (continental), Islamic, and adat (customary). Above all, Indonesia is said to be a country based on the concept of rule of law, which is reflected in the 1945 Constitution. But there are also gray...
Pandora’s box: shariah law in Indonesia
by Jennie S. Bev A declaration that existing local shariah laws can stay in place could generate more shariah laws. In November 2007, Indonesia won the prestigious Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC) for its peaceful...
The power and abuse of language in politics
by Jennie S. Bev Language is a powerful tool in politics and politicians are its most superfluous users, both for good and bad purposes. As George Orwell once wrote in his short piece “Politics and the English Language,” within a masterpiece Why I Write,...
The urgency of teaching political literacy
by Jennie S. Bev Recently, we have been hearing about many things in Indonesian political arena. Most of them call themselves as participants in Indonesia’s reformation era. All consider themselves as noble participants. They want Indonesia to be a better place. A...
Lauding the late Tom Lantos
by Jennie S. Bev On Monday, California’s 12th District congressman, Tom Lantos, died from esophageal cancer. He was 80. The San Mateo Democrat was diagnosed before the end of last year, but waited a month before revealing he was terminally ill. He was the only...
Being Chinese is a personal decision and choice
by Jennie S. Bev A recent statement by Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, a much respected, loved and admired leading ulema and a former president of Indonesia, who said he is a descendant of princess Champa, whose son Tan Eng Hwan was known by his given...
The possibility of indicting Soeharto after his death
by Jennie S. Bev Soeharto has died after more than 20 days of being hospitalized. While his family members, close friends and cronies are expressing their grief, more than one million people who have lost loved ones are waiting anxiously for the news that he...
Raciality and being post-racial
by Jennie S. Bev Recently, Detective Nate Cogburn of the Tracy Police Department arrested a 14-year-old boy who reportedly made a series of phone calls on a blocked number, claimed to be a Ku Klux Klan member, made death threats and said he would burn a cross. This...
Survive downturn with chutzpah
by Jennie S. Bev On Thursday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed that a financial stimulus package of tax rebates and child credits has been agreed upon between the White House and congressional leaders. This is great news for middle-class Americans. It is...
Don’t let next president run amok
by Jennie S. Bev Mike Huckabee. Mitt Romney. Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama. These four presidential candidates’ names have been spotlighted here and there, near and far, online, on TV and in print. These names have been echoing in our minds, but apparently the...
The need for religious literacy in a multicultural society
by Jennie S. Bev As a layperson who was born and raised in one of the most diverse countries in the world with one dominant religion, and who eventually came to reside in a secular multicultural country, I have come to learn a lot about how to respect and...
Smart money on a stay-the-course fed
by Jennie S. Bev The Federal Reserve is the economic institution in this country that can influence interest rates by issuing discount rates, also known as primary credit rates, that are intended to stabilize the financial system. The decision to increase or cut such...
Nationalism, regionalism, and multiculturalism
by Jennie S. Bev Nationalism is not a new concept. It is, however, often misinterpreted and misused. Regionalism and multiculturalism are more recent concepts, which have not been properly understood. How we adopt them and adapt our behavior towards such notions would...
When Indonesia needs Al Gore more
by Jennie S. Bev It has been seven years since the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) resolution was signed by all members of the United Nations in the fourth quarter of 2000. Little has been done to publicize this move, which is meant to help eradicate poverty and...
GDP, poverty, and Gross National Happiness
by Jennie S. Bev A recent presentation of Indonesia's 2007 fourth quarter macroeconomic and reform progress by Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, the former coordinating minister of economic affairs and the former ambassador of Indonesia to the United States, in San...
Building Indonesia’s brand name, image
by Jennie S. Bev In the eyes of international audiences, Indonesia's image is less than a rosy. Due to lack of good publicity, this beautiful archipelago's name connotes corruption, avian flu, terrorism, discrimination, copyright infringement, poor...
The fourth estate: death or reborn anew?
by Jennie S. Bev Originated from Burke, the author of Reflections on the Revolution in France, and made popular by Thomas Carlyle in On Heroes and Hero Worship, the conventional mass media (or the press) is known as the fourth estate, which is a particular capacity in...
Universities key to corruption eradication
by Jennie S. Bev Indonesian public universities, such as University of Indonesia (UI), Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), are perceived as reputable and conscientious, from which many bright civil rights activists known as the...