Thursday, June 17, 2010

All the photos below taken from

http://www.facebook.com/barackobama

Photographer: Pete Souza






BP OIL SPILL; Too far from anti-british

I am following the news about the BP oil spill. I noticed this issue for the first time from tweeter and facebook. Then I found according to Guardian if I'm not mistaken, this causes low popularity of Obama especially in UK and US as well. Then, I've been following the criticism toward the inadequate of federal government solving this problem.

Surprisingly, as a freedom of speech nature is, many Americans not only criticize but also express vulgar disagreement and 'the worst words' ever I read in Obama's facebook, tweeter and youtube.

Then, I keep searching what's been going on actually. I also download some podcasts from iTunes about this issue. Not to mention that I download couple of Obama's speech videos.


What I found again is the nature of the freedom of speech as it is. Secondly, there is a frustration toward the huge problem and its impact. Unlike natural disaster, this oil spill keeps on and on perhaps until July or more.


Thirdly, and this is what makes me respect on Obama. I've never seen a president on earth acting like a worker, true worker for his people. Pictures don't lie. I never see Obama stressful until I noticed a picture of him looked so stressful to find the solution of this problem. The point what I want to say is he works. He does the job instead of just sitting in his luxury oval room. He talked to people, he mingled with them, he touched and heard them. And the photos are not merely as photos for publication purposes. I think it is far from that. I don't see that. People mentioned about PR but I don't see that. The pictures taken by the photographer, I believe he understands what's goin on. You can't get those images when you'are not deep involved in things or when you don't have the sense.


The other point I respect on him is his standing position to be with his people against oil industry (the rich behind it) when this company is found wrong. He speaks aloud his position precisely as his position for the healthcare bills against most of the pharmacy industries involved. His standing position for people that what mostly makes me keep respecting on him.


Again, people might have different opinions from varied angle and analysis. And I might be also wrong because I might be not as objective as I could be. But one for sure, I can see a man who is called a president works and stands for his people benefit and interest.


By the way, I read some blogs and news that it seems Obama stir the issue to be like anti-british. Even, there is a writing explaining how this anti-british attitude got in Obama. Imao,.. I can't believe it. The true I believe is how this industry press try to stir the core of problems to be fishy and blur... Man...

I also do understand David Cameron's position. It's not that he does not want to protect BP as a British company but I think, I might be wrong, he understands the complexity and the pressure this company created in American public. And it might be wise to be 'careful' in putting himself in the 'tending to be blur situation'. I think..

Again, this issue is far from anti-british. If that true happens, my respect and perhaps most of people around the world won't respect to Obama.


Monday, June 14, 2010

dambisa moyo on poverty

Listening to Dambisa Moyo after all is giving more confidence of my belief that aid should be re-considering again. There should be a review on that.


Couple things I agree with her is that her perspective that aid, especially aid of G2G (Government to Government), failed to decrease poverty in Africa. It is true in most of under developed countries as well. Another point I like is the way she portraits the aid as a bandage. Aid functions as a supporting for a wound. But it is not a cure, more less.

I would say aid is more like fixing tool of impacts of a bad system. Aid works for symptom created by a system. The system itself is greediness of capitalism of the economy regime where 0,000015 percent (less than 1 percent) of the population of this earth decides how people should be in term of economy.

What general idea in my head, too wide and naive if you would like to say so, is main factors of this global injustice are merely due to two correlated factors. First of all is greediness of few people and secondly is about economy regime. I will try to explain this my 'naive' theory.


Now, take a look at Forbes Magazine listing the most fortune individuals/families on earth of 2010. Forbes lists 1,011 individuals/families who are the most fortune on earth. I once counted their total wealth and the amount is 3,567 billion USD (3,567,000,000,000).These 1,011 persons (families) own the world. They decide the life of 6,827,100,000 people on earth. One thousand people decides the life of 6,8 billion of people.

Another fact is 80% of people on earth earn less than 10 USD per day (Source: World Bank). So, if you earn more than say 300 USD per month you are lucky because you are not a part of this 80% category. I am in the 80% though. Nevertheless, it is more less 12% out of 6,8 billion people (819 million) people earn less than a 1 USD per day...

So, if the one thousand wealthy people just donates 50% of their wealth to the poor people, only 50% from their wealthy, you can make poverty history. You won't see poverty any longer on this earth. As simple as that?? Give it a try :) :) :)

Sunday, June 13, 2010

social democracy

Couple months ago, I attended this workshop re-inventing "truth Indonesian democracy". The big deal is to promote social democracy which was actually the original political ideology of Indonesian founding fathers. And spirit of Indonesian constitution is very much about it. However, the fall of Sukarno, Indonesian first president, all left ideology was banned. Suharto forcefully led Indonesia to open market system of capitalism since. The fall of Suharto 1999 let Indonesia seek for its right system. Since that, Indonesia is still between "communism phobia" and "searching for right way".

The growing of Islam fundamentalist I believe very much is a side impact of that situation. In one side, we are aware that in terms of economy Indonesia was very much underdeveloped in Sukarno presidency. On the contrary, under Suharto presidency the open market system created huge gap between the have and the poor. Sadly, there is no any president after Suharto (4 presidents) who is convincing Indonesian people where to go and how.

And social democracy is re-vitalized if you could say so. And it seems that it will take a long journey..


The picture below was a session of discussion by three academicians and Budiman Sudjatmiko (speaking). This discussion was supported by FES

Saturday, June 12, 2010

It's been two months no posting. It's not that I did not write anything but its just not in this blog. I've been much occupied for another two blogs; one is in Bahasa Indonesia about scholarship, its process, Q&A and another one is photo blog.


I created this blog, www.suara2yangtakbisadiam.wordpress.com as I did not find any satisfactory source of information about IFP scholarship and its process. Then, I came to realize that if I myself didn't have enough information to what is going on and what will happen, how others can get them. So, I created it.

Another one is about photo blog at www.1234567890foto.wordpress.com Well, this is very much like hobby though. Say, it's just another fun things to do, to see things from the lens.