Diary Entry: Day 2

By: Rashaad Ali

10 July 2009

Space is a matter of perspective. The Comfort Zone is relative to the individual, I thought, whilst squeezing onto my bed trying to find some sleep before the long day that awaited us. Space is relative, as porous as the walls, as thick as the mattresses, as loud as the aerobics lesson next door.

I woke an hour before I thought daylight would arrive in Yogyakarta. Skipping breakfast because of my tardiness, I bundled out of the shower and hurried into the bus with my fellow travellers, sleepy-eyed for the beginning of our journey.

Our first stop was Universiti Gajah Mada (UKM) where we attended a small session, elucidating the political situation of Indonesia in light of the recent general elections. Conducted by Dr. Aris Arif, we listened in as he described his general disdain for the candidates of the election. According to him, 40% of the country’s population abstained from voting, whether due to administrative problems or as a form of political dissent. Furthermore, in Indonesia there is no compulsion to vote, and Dr. Aris practised this by abstaining as each candidate came from a military background with plenty of skeletons in their respective closets. These include the repression of student activism with state violence and involvement in the East Timor turmoil in the late 90’s to name a few.

Session at Universitas Gadjah Mada

He continued to expound the flaws of the candidates from Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) to Megawati revealing their dark dealings to us in the comfort of the Centre for South East Asian Studies’ meeting room. One thing seemed clear however, political awareness in Indonesia was not merely reserved for the intelligentsia as politics appears to permeate through all levels of society. The general election seemed to morph into a battle between the lesser of evils with citizens voting for candidates they trusted more over others. When this option would not suffice, the choice of abstention was also on the table.

A group picture in front of the UGM Post-graduate building

We left the university with a better awareness of our surroundings and an appetite for lunch. While Shazwan, our student guide, Adi and I made a momentary diversion for the Friday prayers at a nearby mosque, the rest of the group settled themselves at the FoodFezt restaurant. Joining up with the rest half an hour later, I ordered a plate of nasi kebuli with chicken and a plate of Indonesian satay. Similar to its namesake in Malaysia, satay in Indonesia is served dipped in chili soy sauce, tasty despite the fiery sensation in my stomach.

Our next excursion took us away from the city to the grounds of a local NGO known as INSIST (Indonesian Society for Social Transformation), which focuses on micro supporting systems for the local populace for social sustenance while also conducting research programs to improve the self-determination of the individual, relieving them from market dependency. INSIST has many member offices and training grounds spread across Indonesia, providing agricultural training for the locals. The presentation was delivered by Mr. Roem, who himself has been active in the political scene for many years and his anti-establishment sentiments are reflected in his personal philosophy especially with respect to the running of his unit here in Yogyakarta. His leftist ideals were teeming with altruism, invoking my inner Guevara out from its dormant period into activity.

Walking to INSIST

Another bus ride home and we returned to the confines of our residence, only to embark outward once again in search of food. We took a long walk and stopped at the Alun-Alun Selatan which is part of the Sultan’s palace. Reluctant at first, I eventually succumbed to the romantic notion of eating sidewalk food to discover an amazing plate of soto ayam which I enjoyed on the grass alongside those who embraced the questionable hygiene of the food. Satisfied with our delicious and cheap meal, we tried our hand at walking blindfolded in a straight line between two banyan trees, a task proven to be a lot harder than it sounds. Bumping into strangers, bee-lining in the opposite direction whilst watching friends try their luck caused an eruption of laughter amongst friends and strangers alike. Walking back across the field to catch a cab home, a warmth of satisfaction began to diffuse in the air contrasting the cool of the breeze, at the enjoyment and satisfaction that the second day in Yogyakarta had provided for us. Dragging our tired feet across the cobbled pavement a slow sense of familiarity begins to transcend physical space, broadening the boundaries of comfort.

*View more pictures of the day from our photo album



WRITER'S PROFILE: Rashaad is a Malaysian doing a double major in Writing and International Studies under the Bachelor of Arts program at Monash University Malaysia. He loves reading, writing, eating and sleeping. He loves the nasi padang in Yogyakarta because there is nothing like good food to supplement a life-changing trip.

Indonesian Society for Social Transformation (INSIST)

By: Marina Tan

10 July 2009

On 10th July 2009, a group of 18 Monash University Sunway Campus students gathered at the Yogyakarta INSIST Centre, as part of a study trip to explore Yogyakarta’s cultural and political climate. The group was received by Mr Roem Topatimasang, a senior committee member of INSIST. Moderator of the session, Australian exchange student Joanna Molloy got the ball rolling by introducing the Monash group to the INSIST staff and inviting Mr Topatimasang to introduce INSIST, giving a brief idea of its history, vision and the challenges faced when implementing its aim of achieving a self sufficient Indonesia.

Founded in 1997 by a group of like-minded activist, INSIST initially stood for Institute for Social Transformation. On 20th May 2004, the INSIST committee members unanimously signed the Declaration of the New Insist, effectively changing INSIST to be an abbreviation for the Indonesian Society for Social Transformation. This change of name was in line with the organisation’s aim to be more inclusive to the whole Indonesian nation and to avoid the flaw of centralisation according to a senior INSIST committee member Mr Roem Topatimasang.

Mr Roem Topatimasang smiling for the camera

In line with INSIST’s vision of transforming Indonesia’s agriculture sector from a very commercial-orientated venture into a venture which focuses more on agricultural and energy self- sufficiency, the 10 acres of land where the INSIST Centre in Yogyakarta is built upon is a showroom of self-sufficient organic farming, being surrounded by model organic paddy fields and rows of chilli plants. A wooden building behind the office is made out of sustainable local wood beams and banisters made out of coconut trunks. Below the building is a container with the capacity to collect cattle manure and legumes-material for biofuel, one of the forms of sustainable energy being promoted by INSIST. According to Mr Topatimasang, biofuel was more suitable for the Indonesian villagers as it did not require the installation of the expensive solar panels required to convert solar power into energy.

Because INSIST is merely a supporting organisation and not an implementing organisation, INSIST is not involved directly with the scientific aspect of research on agriculture. Instead,its member organisations will conduct the necessary research and send its findings to INSIST who will then implement the findings such as the more effective methods of planting rice on the model paddy fields in the INSIST Centre compound. As mentioned by Mr Topatimasang INSIST focuses on exposing the system of self sufficient agriculture to the rural farmers.

INSIST's lovely backyard

When asked about the main obstacles in achieving their vision, Mr Topatimasang shrugged and said that “The biggest challenge would be changing the mindset of the rural farmers”. Having been used to farming being strictly regulated under the Suharto regime and following government recommendations for the growing of crops, most farmers have been ingrained with the mindset that farming is for the commercial market and not for the purpose of achieving self-sufficiency. Nonetheless, Mr Topatimasang says that the people are now open to the idea of farming for self- sufficiency, but the problem remains that many farmers lack the knowledge and accessible information on self-sufficient organic farming. This is where INSIST plays an important role in making the information on self-sufficient farming available to the rural farmers. This is either done through formal methods such as workshops and seminars or informal methods like participating in the villagers everyday activities of fishing or simply by having a drink while informing them about self- sufficient organic farming.

Asked by a Monash student on whether the organic products produced by the farmers were sold commercially, Mr Topatimasang adamantly shook his head and said commercialising the produce would just defeat the purpose of the whole self-sufficient organic farming which focuses on the grassroot level of agriculture, in this case, the rural farmers. Instead, Mr Topatimasang said INSIST’s main revenue were from research published by its publishing house, and the fees imposed on its member organisations.

“It is all about autonomy, a person could be politically autonomous, but if he depended on others to supply food, he would not really be autonomous”,claimed Mr Topatimasang. He explained that if one had enough food for himself, he maintains his own autonomy and depends on no one. A staunch supporter of human rights, Mr Topatimasang believes that the fundamental human right is self-dependence, not just at the national level but done via the achieving of collaboration with several players in the field.

A group picture of the travelers with Pak Roem

*View more pictures of the day from our photo album


WRITER'S PROFILE: Marina is a final year student at Monash University Malaysia, doing a double in the Bachelor of Arts in Writing and International Studies. Marina is from Malacca and was particularly impressed by INSIST which opened her eyes to the alternatives to capitalist free market. She finds INSIST fascinating as it is a real-life example of the theories she has learnt in her International Studies unit.

Political Space and Images of Representation

By: Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

10 July 2009

Within five minutes past the 2 billion Rupiah gates of Universiti Gadjah Mada (UGM), the first thought that immediately crossed my mind was the vastness of the institution. That thought was quickly reinforced as we went deeper into the university’s huge compounds with faculties known as ‘gedung’ literally meaning warehouses in the Malay language.” Indeed, sounds of awe and amazement were shared by all of us as we entered Indonesia’s oldest University.

And my word, it was certainly a sight to behold. UGM seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. Students could be seen walking to and fro to buildings and little motorcycles buzzing in and out of campus despite it being the semester holidays.

There are a few interesting things to note about UGM. First of all, UGM is open to the public at all times. One does not need to flash a student card of any sorts to enter the grounds of the university. Secondly, UGM is pronounced ‘u-u-K-m’, with the G pronounced as K, in congruence with the local Indonesian way of enunciation. Most of our students guides were current students of UGM, so showing us around the campus and getting to our destination was a smooth and enjoyable process.

We were here to visit one of the many faculties of UGM which is the Centre for South East Asian Social Studies (CESASS), also known as Pusat Studi Sosial Asia Tenggara. This centre specifically deals with issues pertaining to human rights, democracy and politics, with a direct focus on Indonesian politics. We had a chance to visit the library for the centre before the talk, one which boasted a variety of books about politics and nationalism, ranging from international publications as well as local publications. International books were translated into the local Javanese language or Bahasa Indonesia, and theses from post-graduate students were also compiled and made accessible.

Visiting CESASS's Library

After a good ten minutes of exploring the library, we proceeded to enter the designated room where the discussion would be taking place. The speaker for the discussion introduced himself to us as Dr. Aris Arif Mundayat, Director of CESASS. A pleasant fellow with a voice that evoked immediate thoughts of wisdom, Dr. Aris wasted no time in launching the lecture-cum-discussion.
It started off with a summary of the recent Indonesian general elections. I was personally quite surprised upon finding out that the three candidates who ran for the president’s post all had or still have active military history and influences, with the most notable amongst the three being Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono commonly referred to by his initials SBY in the newspaper reports. According to Dr. Aris, further empirical research into the previous general elections showed that out of the country’s entire populace, only 60% exercised their rights to vote. Quite a number of us were shocked by the statistics, and were curious about the situation

Inked fingers mark the voters of the presidential election

Dr. Aris, with a subtle hint of a grin, replied by saying that there is no compulsion to vote in Indonesia. People have the right to either practice their voting rights or otherwise. No legal actions would be taken against those who do not vote. He also added that there are a number of reasons why people voted for SBY given his vast experience in politics alongside several others. He is considered a great leader by many, given his capability in the handling of the nation’s affairs in times of turmoil. He has also been successful to an extent in reducing corruption rates in Indonesia as claimed by the speaker.

However, politics in Indonesia do not necessarily work in binaries. People do not vote for a candidate simply because he or she represents a party with a convincing manifesto. Rather, the people in Indonesia base their votes on a more personal preference. It seems to be a battle of portrayed ‘images’, as even SBY has been known to utilize a variety of advertisements. The question that came to my mind at this point was whether presidential candidates are then used more as a form of commodity, a product to be sold to the pseudo-buyer also known as the voter. The media apparently also plays a prominent role in the image profiling of political aspirants. For example, middle class people voted for SBY while lower class citizens voted for Jusuf Kalla.

Dr. Aris Arif Mundayat & Budi Irwanto, MA

Some of us found the talk to be really thought-provoking. Rashaad Ali, a fellow traveler at the session felt that the talk provided an interesting insight into the political site in Indonesia, particularly the participation of demographics into the Indonesia populace. On a final note, one major difference between Malaysian and Indonesian politics could be theorized here. I think that there is definitely a better dissemination of information in Indonesia with a deeper level of participation in political discourse on a grassroots level. A Friday morning well- spent indeed.

*View more pictures of the day from our photo album


WRITER'S PROFILE: Shazwan is a Malaysian student at Monash University Malaysia originally from Penang.He has hopefully made it through his final semester with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Communications and minoring in Writing. He tries to study social sciences when he can, but in truth he thinks life is a big lesson itself. Usually mistaken for an Arab, Indian or Chindian, Shazwan has grown comfortable with the androgyny of his identity.