Blogger Indonesia of the Week (43): Anymatters

Posted on September 7, 2007
Filed Under Blogger Indonesia, Blogger of Week, Fatih Syuhud, Politics

These days have been a difficult days for Yogyakarta people and Indonesian bloggers are swiftly and aptly expressing their condolences and solidarities with their own various ways. The most common is by posting something relating to do with the 6.2 earthquake. Anymatters who is studying finance at Victoria University of Wellington are one of those.

In his latest entry, he posts the details and the causes of the quake in Jogjakarta from scientific point of view based on his “interview” with an Indonesian scientist who are doing a PhD in New Zealand.He wrote

According to USGS, the earthquake is categorised as strong with 6.3 magnitude and occured on Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 5:54:02 AM local time. The epicentre is exactly located at 7.977°S, 110.318°E with 35 km (21.7 miles) depth about 20km of SSW Yogyakarta, not under the South Indian Ocean.

With a lack of natural disaster education and knowledge, surely a false tsunami rumour coming from the South Ocean direction has spread to people around Yogyakarta city.

He seems to follow the quake news very closely by highlighting that there’s a rumour that the quake will be followed by tsunami-like tidal waves which was not true.

The tsunami scare started when Yogyakarta province police chief Bambang Hari Sampurnojati told local radio that the earthquake was to be followed by tidal waves.

“We panicked when we heard that there was a tsunami. We were ready to flee,” Yogyakarta resident Clemon Cilik told the state Antara news agency. (AFP)

He also explains two possibilities on how the quake might cause to mount Merapi’s eruption threat

…the impact of the earthquake on the volcano eruption, however, has two possibilities: slowing down or quickening.

He writes many good commentaries in his blog and on political-cultural-religious issues he seems to have a relatively neutral opinion which is good and adds to his credential as an authoritative and credible blogger

Take for example his commentary on Danish cartoon controversy in which he condemned unapologetically those cartoon creators

As a Christian who originated from Indonesia, I have to say that the cartoon creators are just a bunch of stupid Danish non-believers who don’t show respect to Islam as using a matter of freedom of speech to justify their action. These guys don’t even understand what religion is. So pitiful.

No wonder if the people of Islam all over the world will be angry. If I were one of them and rich, I would have hired “a group” to eliminate the cartoon creators forever as showing my own justice of faith.

Anymatters commentary on inter-religious controversies like that of Prophet Muhammad cartoon is a telling example on how a follower of particular religion should approach to make a credible and neutral comments: be critical to own fraternity for the sake of advocating the truth and justice.

Muslims should also follow this kind of approach whenever some other Muslims doing injustices against non-Muslims. Only then, the inter-religious gap, suspicion and conflict can start to be resolved and bridged.