Blogger Indonesia of the Week (13): Nad’s Note

Do you want know what the Indonesian people, or some of them, feel when the three bomb blast in Bali? Or what they feel when BBM (petrol) and, automatically, all prices in the market hike more than double?

Come to Nad’s Note: the Lesson of Unlearning. He/she seems to be mysterious kind of guy from the gender point of view. yet for convenient consideration I’ll identify it as he.
He looks having many experiences in writings and i suspect he might be a journalist or a columnist from the way he express his opinions so smoothly and in English; and also in quoting some few different sources.

he looks so active in following the current events in indonesia: from political, economical, cultural and religious perspective. by “active” It means following the indonesian events from two different sources: the analytical point of view written by journalist or experts on one hand and by “listening” to the voices of the grass-root; the people on the street, on the other.

Many non-indonesian analyst blogger who are actively following the indonesian events almost on daily basis like Jakartass and Indcoup –both are british stay in Indonesia–often forget the latter. by relying your comments on what media and columnists said, you miss the real point any true analyst and journalist will never do: the interaction with the grass-root people on the street by mingling directly with them talking and listening to what they say and experience. that’s why many international journalist ready to die to go to the hotspot of the world like Iraq, for example, just to get the first hand source right from the mouth of main sources: the people of Iraq and the insurgence; not from the embedded ‘prostitute’ journalists.

I dont wanna lecture anyone here. I’m just a bit disappointed by the way some foreigners in Indonesia see things happening around them are not different with the way their counterparts in across the continents think which only mean that even the physical appearance are here in indonesia; virtually they’re not! The understanding to the real situation is so bleak and i’m sure that they see all that happenings in indonesia from the convenient window of fifth odd floor of their offices. forgive me if i’m wrong, as far as i can recall, the westerners who mingle very closely with the people on the streets are only those who come here for visiting as a tourist. i think they (the tourists) should blog more than those who are sitting behind the desk.

from that point of view, it’s relevant (1) to visit some english blog written by Indonesian (if you’re not familiar with bahasa indonesia) like Nad’s Note blog; or (2) to subscribe to some major indonesian current-event mailing list on yahoogroups like Indonesia Forum, and Apakabar, etc. to have more clear picture, understanding and advantageous as an analyst/commentator who’re so close with the nation and people you ‘re talking about. Unfortunately, all discussion in mailing list are in bahasa Indonesia.

I agree with Neil, that as far as cross-culture goes, you need to be emphatical first and critical later, not the other way round. As he put it in his good blog “hate is not the answer”. “There can be no peace in the world without peace between different religions..”