Berpikir Untuk Bangsa

Superb Student = Anti-Social Person

2009-10-21T20:34:00.000+07:00

As students, we might wonder about things that we should do to achieve the best. There’s an extreme case that I’d like to tell that I deem to be interesting.

Suppose you’re an economic student. You’d attend 8 classes to maximize your credit every semester and even you’d write a letter to the dean to request a pass to take one more class. After each class, library would be your next destination and you sit there for hours reading economic theories in various textbooks.

Since you’re still curious about some points mentioned in the class, you’d stop by your professor’s room for discussion. At the cafetaria, you would likely be browsing the internet via your mobile phone for economic news while eating your lunch.

It would be better to go to faculty of mathematics and science to sit in statistics and mathematics classes than to join a social organization and activities. You’d only be close friend to those that can have lengthy discussion with you about economics theories or issues. Or you’d be a friend to someone if he can collaborate with you to write a research article in economics for some competitions.

If, by a slight accident, someone try to engage a conversation with you, you steer the topic to economics and when he doesn’t follow, you’d probably end up with excuses to go somewhere else. When you feel boring and want to have some challenge, sport or activity, you’d probably pick bridge or chess so that you can practice your senses in probability and game theory, else more you can play them by yourself.

By the end of the day, you’d be less likely to pick a novel or comic books and you’d be more likely to read an economic article or journal as your bedtime stories.

Okay, at the end, you’d be an outstanding student without any holes and gaps present in your knowledge but then you would be an anti-social kind of person.

But why don’t we study hard and we do decent and sociable activities like being active in organization, hang out with your friends, play some music, and do team activities like sports. At the end of the day, you might not be someone with the perfect knowledge but you have done something worthy and gracious for the others–not only to yourself.

Hey, We can’t be perfect, but we have the choice to be complete and balance as a person.

If I Were SBY, My Priorities Are..

2009-10-21T12:16:00.001+07:00

We have experienced two elections as Indonesian, the first in 2004 and the most recent in 2009. The former was the portrayed as a big momentum after reformation movement in 1999 and the later was considered as the nation’s drive to a mature state. Despite the presence of misconducts and offenses during the process, the election ensures that the best leaders and parties earn the responsibilities to lead Indonesia in the next five years.

In this opportunity, I would like to pass on good wishes to Mr. SBY and Mr. Boediono as leaders and also main figures in Indonesia. Thouh deemed conservative by many, I believe the pair reflect the hope of many realistic and optimistic views that our nation can go strength to strength in years to come.

They will be supported by a cabinet of Indonesia’s crème de la crème in different background each capable of establishing team and policy to solve problems. Thus SBY and Boediono do not want this talents to go away and not make any impact. Thus SBY and Boediono shall set up priorities for the cabinet to execute. If I were SBY and Boediono, here are the list of top priorities.

My first priority would be strenghtening macroeconomic foundation through optimization of microeconomics activities. The goals of this priority are increase in domestic production, price stabilization, job creation, regional development and eventually better wealth distribution.

The basic idea of this priority is to enhance the supply-side activities which has been the setback in the past. The ever increasing demand is not balanced by the supply thus excess-demand is present. The consequences are persistent inflation and growing imports hence increase in domestic productions is essential to compensate the rising demand. It will then promote price stabilization.

Increase in domestic production as well as price stabilization is an incentive for firms to expand their production thus job creation is achievable. We shall be wise with the priority that is not to concentrate in developed region such as Java and Bali but expanding the prospects to other regions as well in order for them to develop. The regional development endorse better wealth distribution among regions in Indonesia.

The above is somewhat the perfect scenario but we shall note that there are “X” factors lurking outside the window. We can recall force majeure such as natural disasters, energy crisis, and global crisis which are unavoidable. In order to limit the effects of such event to our economy we need regulations concerning economic safety-net. These regulations will help us in the bad times such as recessions or even the avoided depression. Establishment of these regulations require the executive and legislative to collaborate even better in the future.

My second priority will be improving infrastructures especially those that will keep the wheels of economy spinning. Those infrastructures are roads, railroads, seaports, natural power plant, and communication with special attention to railroads.

Imagine that our production is growing but there are obstacle in its distribution because lacking of infrastructure. The goals of prize stabilization is far from the horizon and bottle-neck is there to be witnessed. Better infrastructure leads to optimal production and distribution. Let’s visualize when productions are hindered with electricity blackouts and distributions are held up because the roads are stuffed. Hence, infrastructure plays an essential role in supporting production activities.

I would pay more attention in railroads because it is vital in people mobility in everyday life. In reality, many argue that wider road and more highways are good enough to support mobility. But can you imagine what will happen if the number of cars is increasing all the time and the consumption of fuel is costly to the state budget and environment. More railroads means efficiency and effectiveness of public transportation that can be benefit more people.

The condition for this priority is the provision of continuous fund because infrastructure projecs are carried out in years thus fiscal management will be central.

The third priority is to again promote education especially in underdeveloped regions in Indonesia. Education is essential in the building of the nation’s character and mindset. Malaysia investment in education after their independence, rather than in infrastructure, has better pay-offs today than Indonesia’s investment decision in infrastructure at the same time. I have faith that education assures the continuity of development in years to come.

Education is not about the physical state such as buildings but it is about forming the right attitude of the offspring. I would insist not to trade this priority with the other.

The fourth priority is institutional reform in law and its enforcement. The root of all problems in Indonesia is its institutions where clear objectives are lacking, disclosed rewards are present, and the absence of punishment for any wrongdoing. The execution agenda and priorities without adequate institution is inefficient and ineffective hence optimal results will not be realized.

Reform in law and its enforcement assure people behave optimally toward the set of objectives because deviation from it would be costly. This reform, in fact, cannot be done by SBY and his team solely but with collaboration with the legislatives. The executives and legislatives need to be productive to generate policies and laws (UU) in years to come.

I believe that there are many other issues that will have to be prioritized soon and, as time goes on, there will be shift of priorities in Indonesia but I believe that the four stated above is the foremost. Overall, those priorities above are bound to concept thus details and practical issues are not mentioned.

It is not up to SBY, Boediono, and the cabinet to change the destiny and the fortune of our country but it is up to the entire nation. If we want to change the course of our nation, we will have to change our ethics and mindsets.

A Leader or A Gamer?

2009-10-14T10:13:00.004+07:00

Which one does Indonesia need the most right now? An inspiring brave-heart leader or a "gamer" who is capable of designing numerous rules of the game?

Great leaders inspire us all, it's true, but to what extent? Let say you're a big-time corruptor and you happen to listen to the president's enlighting speech about war to corruption. Will you suddenly stop doing corruption? I bet you won’t. And since you’re the corruption godfather, what you’ll probably do is finding a more sophisticated way of doing corruption without being notice by the law.

But believe it or not, a “gamer” can! Let me reveal the idea.

The core of all problems in our nation - corruption, fraud, counterfeiting, you name it - is in the institutions. We are lacking of appropriate rules of the game, those that can change the way people behave in the institutions.

Here’s the big picture. Good rules of the game will reward every beneficial actions and punish all the wrongdoings. Good rules of the game also ensure that the rules are implemented. Since you’re bounded by such rules, you cannot run away from it thus they will affect you’re behaviour.

Let me give you the first example. Say there are two countries, A and B. Both country A and B have rules that punish people for throwing rubbish carelessly. But in country A, people are not aware of the rule and the authority make no effort to put the rule in practice. In country B, the authority set up enforcements standing by for rule-breakers and ready to punish them. Let say I’m a filthy person who likes to throw waste everywhere I want to. When I’m in country A, I don’t give a damn where I want to throw my garbage. But eventhough I’m a careless person, I do not want to throw garbage except in the garbage bin if I'm in country B because I do not want to be fined that will cost me.

See! Even bad guy put their head down to the rule if the rules of the game is practiced.

Let me give you the second example, a simpler one. Say there’s a stop sign in the corner of an intersection and you’re riding your motorcycle.

Everywhere in the world, the stop sign requires you stop for a moment and continue the ride after you are assured the road ahead is clear. Either you don’t know the rule or you’re sure you won’t be fined, you ignore the sign.

On the next intersection, you find another stop sign. But, this one differs from the last.

Oh dang! If I don’t stop, I will be fined $250! That’s my salary for one month! So you have to stop. But it’s so quite and you’re sure enough that there are no police standing by. So once again, you ignore the sign and keep riding.

On the last intersection before your intended destination, you find another stop sign!

There’s a stop sign, a fine warning, and a policeman. I will bet that you’ll stop otherwise you’re a mad man!

There are some lessons learned from the examples above.

1. First, we need proper rules of the game for many issue, topics, concerns, and problems in Indonesia. Thus, we need gamers’ mastermind

2. second, we need to reassure the rules of the game take account of rewards and punishments (for example: the fine and penalty)

3. third, we need authorities and enforcements to ensure that the rules are practiced. Otherwise the rules are just another waste.

4. fourth, correctly implemented rules reassure that people – especially the bad ones – to think twice before break any rules.

I will not put aside the role of leaders because Indonesia need leaders and I always encourage individuals that have the capability to devote theirselves to become leaders. But, we can learn from this that corruption, frauds, and other problems in Indonesia are the prolemma of our institutions. Even the words of the most inspiring and true-hearted leaders might not be enough to stop the problems.

Heyho "Gamers"!

Money is A Good Servant but a Bad Master!

2009-02-26T08:27:00.002+07:00

I remembered I took monetary economics two years ago, and one of the final test question is, "discuss this quote-Money is a good servant but a bad master." I was surprised with the question though correlated with monetary study. After that I looked up in the web and it was a quote from Francis Bacon, Sr who was an English lawyer and philosopher in the 17th century.

Well, lets discuss the quote then...

How can a servant be considered a good servant? The answer is simple, if they can fulfill his master's wishes, needs, or orders immediately. Money can do this task. If you're hungry, your money can buy you a set of meal at that time. If you're thirsty, your money can buy you a drink right away. If you need information, your money can buy you a newspaper.

Well, then how money be a bad master?

Let' say you trade your place with the money, and now you become the servant and the money become your master. Then you have to do, whatever it takes, to fulfill your master wishes, and in this case your master is money! The bad thing in money being a master is, money doesn't have a limit, but we humans do. So if you worship money, than you'll do almost everything for money even if you have to do the worst thing in the world!

That is why there are so many crime to get millions of dollars. It is simply because they take money as their god!

So be wise with money, if your money can buy you basic needs then be thankful and save the rest. Who knows they might be useful in the future. If you are greed, then money is everywhere to gain even with most evil act possible.

Plastic Bag Or Paper Bag??

2009-02-26T07:35:00.002+07:00

Can you guys wonder how many plastic bags are used everyday? Because I can't! I went to supermarket yesterday and realized that we use lots and lots of plastic bags everyday. Where do these plastic bags go after they are not used? I remembered the doctrine that my elementary school teacher used to tell the class, don't use plastic too much because they can't be decomposed and just imagine if one day our earth will be full of plastic! Is using plastic then a sin?

In Indonesia, plastic bags are an essential in everyday life. Just look at its versatility, you can use them for food, groceries, garbage, and many more! But in many countries, paper bags are preferable. The wrap food with paper sheets, the grocery bags is made from recycled paper.

Which one is better? Many will think that paper bags are better because they can be recycled and the reproduced for the same purpose. But it is going to be wise if we look at the new technology in the plastic production. Many plastic today are biodegradable, which means they are environment friendly.

But the question is, are the plastic bags used in Indonesia are biodegradable? If not then how can it be environment friendly? Well, there's an answer! I read a blog called Manusia Sederhana and he posted about recycling plastic, though not fully discuss plastic bags specifically but I think it can be useful! At least it will give us more points of views about plastic that was considered harmful for the environment.

And the good news is that there is awareness from people to reduce the usage of plastic bags today through rigorous campaigns about green environment. If the cost of using plastic bags is higher than the cost of using paper bags, then we should change to paper bags. But if there are efforts to reduce the cost of using plastic bags like mentioned above (biodegradable, recycling, campaigns), then there's a judgement to use plastic bags.

My stance is as follow, if a plastic bag isn't neccessary than I can just put in on my pocket or my bag or carry them. It may not be significant, but if let say 10 million people are doing the same at the same time, imagine how significant it will be?

Cheers!

My Favorite Blogs!

2009-02-20T22:59:00.002+07:00

Here are two of my favorite blogs which are amazing and I love to read them! Since I'm an economics students I can learn a lot about various topics in economics from these blogs. And the best thing about reading these blogs is that we can learn about democracy in education that American People have. These blogs are truly an amazing gateway to learn. Hope we can find inspirations for Indonesia from these blogs.

1. Greg Mankiw's Blog

2. Freakonomics

Go read them and find lots of inspirations!

For Indonesia!

Pasien Dukun Ponari: Individu Tidak Rasional?

2009-02-20T09:44:00.003+07:00

Dukun cilik Ponari membuat heboh Jombang untuk beberapa minggu terakhir dan media tidak luput dari kehebohan yang terjadi. "Keajaiban" batu Ponari dipercaya oleh ribuan pasien dapat menyembuhkan berbagai jenis penyakit. Bahkan ada pasien yang datang dari Kalimantan Timur untuk mendapatkan pengobatan dari Ponari. Bagi sebagian orang, perilaku pasien yang mendatangi dukun dianggap sesuatu yang wajar di Indonesia namun perilaku ini dianggap tidak rasional.

Bagi sebagian warga Afrika, penyakit adalah kutukan dan dukun adalah obat terbaik. Albert Schweitzer mendedikasikan hidupnya untuk merubah persepsi turun menurun ini dan membawa standar kesehatan bagi warga Afrika. Persepsi tersebut masih dianut oleh sebagian kecil warga di Indonesia. Sebagian kecil yang telah menggunakan obat pun masih berperilaku tidak masuk akal. Sebagai contoh yang dapat kita lihat, ada warga yang mengkonsumsi puyer setiap hari untuk menggantikan makanan, ada pula yang merasa pusing jika tidak meminum bodrex setiap harinya dan lainnya. Hal ini menunjukkan betapa miris pengertian warga Indonesia terhadap dunia kesehatan.

Rasionalkah perilaku tersebut?

Manusia melakukan sesuatu dan mengambil keputusan terbaik dengan informasi yang dimilikinya. Semakin baik dan lengkap informasi yang dimiliki, semakin baik pula keputusan yang diambil oleh manusia. Dalam hal ini, informasi dimaksudkan adalah pengetahuan yang dimiliki. Dan pengetahuan didapat dari pendidikan, buku, media massa, obrolan informal, dan banyak lagi.

Sayangnya, sebagian warga Indonesia belum mendapatkan pendidikan yang layak dan pengetahuan yang luas akibat segala keterbatasan. Akibatnya, mereka tidak memiliki informasi yang lengkap sebagai bekal dalam mengambil keputusan yang rasional. Sehingga keputusan yang diambil tidaklah selalu dapat dipandang baik dan rasional oleh mereka yang memiliki pengetahuan lebih. Dalam hal ini, banyak yang akan menganggap bahwa pasien Ponari adalah orang yang tidak masuk akal terutama mereka yang memiliki pengetahuan yang luas.

Salahkah pasien-pasien tersebut?

Kita tidak dapat sepenuhnya menyalahkan mereka karena datang ke Ponari, untuk meminum air sumur Ponari, dan mengambil lumpur di sekitar rumah Ponari untuk obat oles. Mereka memiliki pengetahuan yang terbatas sehingga mereka memutuskan untuk melakukan hal tersebut.

Jadi, ini adalah tugas kita semua yang memiliki pengetahuan luas untuk menyebarkan bahwa berobat ke Ponari bukanlah alternatif yang terbaik dengan alasan yang logis dan masuk akal. Kita harus membenahi sistem pendidikan terutama di daerah terpencil sehingga akses ke ilmu pengetahuan dapat menjadi luas. Jika hasil tidak dapat untuk saat ini, kita semua dapat melakukannya untuk generasi yang akan datang.

For Indonesia!

Salahkah mereka

Kampanye Ala Indonesia: Informasi Tidak Sempurna

2009-02-10T15:02:00.001+07:00

Hari sabtu kemarin, sewaktu jalan-jalan ke sekaten di Alun-alun Jogja, saya terkejut dengan berbagai macam pemandangan yang hampir sama! Pemandangan tersebut adalah atribut-atribut kampanye yang menempel di arena sekaten mulai dari kereta mini, bom-bom car, kios-kios, sampai baju penjaga wahana di sekaten. Partai dan caleg benar-benar memanfaatkan momentum sekaten yang dikunjungi ratusan orang setiap harinya untuk mempromosikan diri.

Sebenarnya pemandangan tersebut tidak terjadi hanya di sekaten tetapi hampir di setiap sudut kota di Jogja dan kemungkinan besar di semua kota, kabupaten, dan propinsi di Indonesia. Tulisan ini tidak akan membahas besarnya uang yang dikeluarkan untuk kampanye putaran ini karena hal tersebut merupakan rejeki bagi banyak orang di Indonesia khususnya industri percetakan. Tulisan ini membahas kritik terhadap isi kampanye beberapa partai dan caleg yang pernah saya lihat langsung. Saya ingin membahasnya karena menurut saya kampanye yang disampaikan mengganjal dengan tujuan yang ingin dicapai partai dan caleg yaitu merepresentasi rakyatnya.

Pertama, beberapa poster dan spanduk caleg yang pernah saya lihat adalah lucu. Umumnya mereka menampilkan beberapa hal:
- nomor urut mereka dalam pemilihan
- sifat pribadi mereka seperti jujur, adil, merakyat, dan lainnya
- slogan
- dan pastinya nama partai.
Bahkan ada satu caleg yang memasang foto Beckham karena nomor urutnya sama dengan nomor punggung Beckham yaitu nomor 7!

Inilah beberapa alasan saya mengapa hal tersebut adalah tidak sesuai dengan tujuan mereka. Sifat pribadi seperti jujur, adil, merakyat, bijaksana yang ditawarkan sebagai caleg seharusnya tidak perlu ditampilkan. Apabila dia yakin dengan dirinya sebagai pemimpin yang amanah dan bertanggung jawab Insyaallah sifat-sifat tersebut sudah ada di dalam dirinya alias given dan tidak perlu diberitahukan ke orang lain. Dengan kata lain, biar orang lain yang menilai saya apa adanya. Tapi caleg-caleg kita seakan ingin berkata, "Sumpah, aku bersih, ga akan korupsi!" tetapi dalam kata yang lebih halus.

Nomor urut yang ditampilkan menandakan bahwa mereka ingin sekali dipilih pada pemilu ini. Mohon maaf, tetapi buruk sangka saya adalah untuk menarik mereka yang kurang dalam pengetahun dan edukasi dan memilih berdasarkan ingatan akan angka. Atau ada yang menghasut pada saat pemilihan untuk memilih nomor tertentu. Artinya, yang penting masyarakat ingat nomornya, tidak perlu ingat mukanya apalagi namanya! Bagaimana bisa menjadi wakil rakyat???

Kemudian slogan, well, hal tersebut merupakan atribut yang ada di setiap lembaga yang ada. Baik di sekolah, kantor, bank, dan lainnya karena didalam slogan terdapat nilai atau value yang ingin selalu dipegang. Slogan bukanlah sesuatu yang salah dalam poster maupun spanduk, yang bermasalah adalah dimana program-program yang akan mereka laksanakan apabila menjabat?

Ini adalah sebuah ironi karena pemilihan caleg ditujukan untuk memilih calon dengan program yang dapat meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat di berbagai bidang. Tetapi mengapa sampai saat ini jarang atau bahkan tidak ada caleg yang mempublikasikan program-program yang akan mereka laksanakan. Sewaktu kampanye, program yang dikeluarkan adalah program normatif seperti pendidikan gratis, peningkatan pelayanan kesehatan, dan tidak lupa pemberantasan korupsi.

Di negeri Paman Sam, calon senator misalnya harus memberikan gambaran program-program yang akan dilakukannya selama kepemimpinannya. Mereka melakukannya dengan melakukan kampanye lisan di beberapa tempat strategis dimana masa bisa mengerti apa yang akan dia bawakan dalam kepemimpinannya. Selain itu mereka menyebar booklet yang berisi penjelasan mengenai program-program yang akan dilaksanakan selama kepemimpinannya. Kualitas calon pemimpin benar-benar dinilai dalam proses ini.

Bukan itu yang ingin kita lihat. Yang ingin kita lihat adalah program-program yang mereka akan laksanakan kedepan. Dari situ, kita dapat menilai apakah mereka merupakan calon yang visioner atau mereka yang hanya memanfaatkan "nama" mereka untuk menggaet suara. Tulisan Mankiw di blog-nya yang berjudul "Judging President" memberikan gambaran baru mengenai bagaimana menilai seorang pemimpin. Pemimpin sebaiknya dinilai tidak dari hasil kerja mereka misal naiknya ekspor, turunnya utang, turunnya harga sembako, turunnya harga BBM. Namun, pemimpin sebaiknya dinilai berdasarkan proses yang diambil dalam melakukan sebuah keputusan. Output dari keputusan bisa buruk maupun baik tergantung variabel-variabel eksternal yang berpengaruh, namun keputusan tersebut merupakan hasil pemikiran terbaik dari segi benefit dan cost, manfaat mudarat, di masa ini dan masa yang akan datang. Apapun outcome-nya, apabila keputusan diambil dengan proses yang seharusnya maka dia adalah pemimpin yang baik.

Well, saya benar-benar meragukan apakah mereka benar-benar harus dipilih karena saya tidak dapat mengenal mereka dan saya tidak dapat mengerti program yang akan mereka laksanakan. Bagaimana kita dapat memilih dengan informasi yang tidak sempurna?

Ini adalah catatan penting yang patut kita jadikan tonggak perubahan menjadi yang lebih baik. Untuk mengatasi "kegundahan" masyarakat akan "keabsahan" partai dan caleg yang melakukan kampanye, mereka diharapkan dapat lebih proaktif. Proaktif dalam memperkenalkan diri mereka ke rakyat, tidak sekedar nomor urut dan slogan, namun juga program-program yang akan mereka lakukan. Kita tidak ingin salam memilih pemimpin bukan?

Sir Alex ke Jakarta?

2009-02-08T17:15:00.003+07:00

Rooney dkk bakal ke Jakarta! Yap, berita kedatangan The Red Devils muncul di surat kabar beberapa minggu lalu. Sir Alex dan timnya akan bertandang ke Gelora Bung Karno bulan Juli depan. Pastinya, berita rencana kedatangan MU ke Indonesia bener-bener mendapat respon ciamik dari penggemar MU. (red:termasuk saya!)

Kedatangan MU ke Indonesia adalah bagian dari tur Asia MU di liburan musim panas tahun 2009 ini. MU sudah beberapa kali melakukan tur ke beberapa negara Asia pada beberapa tahun belakangan ini seperti Jepang, Korea, dan Cina. Kedatangan MU di Asia bukanlah suatu kejutan dilihat dari banyaknya fans MU di Asia. Situs resmi MU mencatat 120 juta rumah tangga di Asia dapat melihat MUTV. Memang tidak semua dari 120 juta menonton MUTV tapi aura MU di Asia sudah tidak asing lagi.

Buat MU sendiri, salah satu tujuan dari tur ini kemungkinan besar adalah apresiasi terhadap fans mereka di Asia. Yang menarik sebenarnya adalah kesempatan bisnis yang besar dari kunjungan MU ke Asia terutama Indonesia. Pastinya, MU berusaha melebarkan empire mereka di Indonesia. Football is business my man! Bulan ini kalau tidak salah, majalah resmi MU bernama United berbahasa Indonesia sudah mulai terbit. Sebelumnya sudah ada MU Cafe di Jakarta.

Indonesia sebaiknya memanfaatkan momentum kedatangan MU ke Indonesia. Kalo kita tidak bergerak, keuntungan dari kedatangan MU ke Jakarta hanya kepuasan fans yang melihat aksi pemain MU. Itupun kalau pemain inti diturunkan semua, kalau apes ya kita cuma bakal melihat second line MU...

Indonesia harus dapat memanfaatkan kedatangan MU untuk perkembangan dunia persepakbolaan Indonesia. Coaching clinic bisa jadi satu awal yang baik. Klinik ini tidak hanya untuk pemain sepakbola saja. Justru yang penting adalah klinik manajemen tim. Untuk menjadi tim terbaik di dunia, pastinya MU memiliki manajemen yang sangat baik. Kita harus belajar banyak mengenai sistem manajemen mereka dan kita terapkan dengan gaya yang sesuai untuk sepakbola Indonesia.

Bisa juga pemberian beasiswa ke pesepakbola junior kita, siapa tahu ada pemain Indonesia membela MU di masa depan. Ingat Dong Fangzhou dari Cina dan Park Ji Sung dari Korsel yang menjadi bagian sejarah pemain Asia di MU. Kedatangan MU akan menjadi momen untuk menginspirasi persepakbolaan Indonesia. Pemain junior kita yang selalu melihat aksi MU di TV dapat langsung melihat. Pastinya mereka akan lebih bersemangat berlatih dan menjadi pemain yang lebih baik physically and mentally.

Kedatangan MU ke Indonesia tidak akan sering terjadi. Sebaik-baiknya kita bisa belajar dari kedatangan salah satu klub terbaik di dunia. Tidak hanya belajar teknik sepakbola tetapi seni menangani tim untuk menjadi tim yang terbaik. Viva MU, hidup Indonesia!

Note: tiketnya mahal juga oi!!!

Education as Punishment

2008-06-11T06:49:00.005+07:00

Wow dude! What a topic we have here! Yeah yeah yeah, the education I'm talking about is our education: Indonesian education. Also, the reasons why we need to reform our education as soon as possible because education is one important part of someone's life.

Education, the definition..

The definition of education, the one I quote on wikipedia, is process of teaching and learning of knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency. It's a great definition, it might be a short one but it covers all elements of education. So, let's start looking at our education system. Shall we?

Teaching and Learning..

This is my opinion, Indonesian teaching is regarded one of the best in the world. I tasted it myself, Indonesian and American fifth graders are no match, we can beat their mathematical skill. Yes, Indonesia teaching is one of the best, but only in the level of technical analysis of the subject. No lab, no observing!

We won many medals and honorable mentions in math or physics world olympics. Isn't that fascinating guys? We achieved great things in the top level. So why we rarely win chemist or biology competition? It's because we only taught to solve technical analysis, calculation, and equation problem. We can't excel in biology and chemistry because we aren't thought to do field analysis and lab works. The system only taught us the theory. Isn't easier for you to remember the theory if you have already done it with your own hands?

Teaching and learning, it says it all. Teaching and learning is a two way communication. A teacher teaches the students, and at the same time learns many things from the students. Not in Indonesia, our teachers know all things so they're undebatable. It's like in the military world, the teacher is our general and we are all private, do what the general told us to do. That's why, asking is one of the most reluctant things to do in the class for many (not all) Indonesian students. Coz, we're not encourage to!

Two plus two is Four. The square root of sixteen is four. Ninety six divided by twenty four is also four. There are 1001 ways to Rome, why should we stuck on one way? We aren't motivated to be creative, our exams will be graded high if we write on the teacher's notes in the class.

Our teachers' orientation in grading is also unique. We, Indonesian students, are stupid but sometimes we're lucky. So they start grading from zero and each correct answer gets some points. That's why it's so hard to reach a 100. In other countries, students are considered smart but sometimes unlucky. So, they start grading at a 100, and each mistake gets a minus, and another mistake gets a minus. That's why, the lowest score in the class is no lower from 90.

History Subject..

We are great nation, we are a rich nation speaking of its long history. But do students understand our history and all it's messages? Yes, but partially. We might be wondering why this dilemma kills us..

It all started in the class. First, to understand history we need to read and then we can discuss it in the class. Not many Indonesian like to read, it's not our common habit. Reading is like an obligation, that's why we're so reluctant to read. Reading is not a need for Indonesian. In many countries, book is like a meal, you need them everyday. Books are supplements of our daily life, they might say. In the morning before activities in school begin, students are given time to read whatever they wanna read. Simple isn't?

Second, our students tend to memorize the lesson. History gives more knowledge and messages if it's not only memorized but also understood. So why do Indonesian students memorize the sucject? Because, the teacher told us to, because that's what the exam requires. Let me give you an example..

Indonesian history exam:
When did Indonesia gain independence?

American history exam:
On the fourth of July 1776, United States of America gain independence. In your opinion what is the message of the declaration?

Indonesia exam needs an exact answer or you failed to get a point. American exam needs your opinion, so we need to understand and be creative in answering. That's why, Indonesian students hates history subject, and the aftermath is that they hate the history as general. Truthfully, a great nation is a nation where history and culture are nurtured in every citizen.

Education is a Need

Education is not a punishment, it is a need for all of us. International institutions regard education as one of human's basic needs beside food, shelter, and health. It's so basic that no human can survive living on earth without any education. And don't say that education is only attained in the class, No. Every interaction we make is part of education, because we can learn and get knowledge from it, even in the simplest form.

While our education system in Indonesia reforming and it will take a long time, let's start from ourselves. Let's be concern about our education that when we're lucky enough to get a proper education, we make the best out of it. There are many unlucky ones in Indonesia, those who need the lucky ones to provide a system for them. Let's make our education better for the future of our nation.

Fuel Subsidy Makes Us Lazy

2008-06-04T17:21:00.005+07:00

Doesn't it? Tell you guys the truth, I don't have any data or quantitative findings to prove that statement. We're gonna just look around to see that this kind of subsidy really makes us all lazy. So don't be shock, we all, including me, are the subjects here.

What is subsidy actually?

First of all, I want to quote someone's statement in an article that I found debatable! He said that the fuel need to be subsidized because the price is too expensive. The statement might seem so heroic to innocent. Instead, subsidy is implemented in a commodity if such commodity give large benefit to the society, education for instance. In the other hand, a commodity that bear so much cost for the society need to be taxed like pollution.

What about fuel, is worth to be subsidized (especially Premium and Solar)?

We can go places if we have fuel, let say by motorcycle or car, and we get to those places faster. Those are the benefits. But don't we all realize the cost? How much pollution has been produced from those fuel that we use? How many tons of carbon monoxide sucked through our lungs, that one day can cause cancer and even death? How many hours lost from jams because everyone's using cars and motorcycles? Let's think! This commodity called fuel has more COST than benefit today, so it wise to tax those fuel, instead of SUBSIDIZING those fuel.

Oh okay, good point, so what do you mean by saying that subsidy makes us lazy?

Lazy number one: fuel consumptive. Lets criticize ourselves, be honest. Your campus is a kilometer away, and we used cars or motorcycles to get there. Can we just walk or ride a cycle and save those fuel?

Lazy number two: bad timing. The campus is a kilometer away, it's 6.55 and I have a motorcycle. Bugger off, I won't be late, I'll be there in 2 minutes. And guess what we all keep waking up late everyday! Suppose we take bus or walk or cycle to get to campus, I'm sure we won't bet to get up late!

Lazy number three: motorcycle is my feet! Everytime you're hungry, you just ride on your motorcycles to buy your dinner. Even if the place is still in the same neighbour! You wanna buy cigarettes, newspapers, magazines you're reluctant to walk even if it's close to where you stay. What the hell's wrong with walking???

So, do we still need subsidy?

Yes, we do! But not in fuel! We need subsidy in education, health, and infrastructure. If we have better education, we'll be a smarter nation. If we're healthy, we can achieve things better. If we have better infrastructure, our days will run easier. These subsidies will encourage us to do our jobs everyday. Those are long term plans and goals.

For the mean time, yes, taking away fuel subsidy will hurt many people since we all have been using them in our daily consumption. So it might be wise to come up with programs to help society from this phsycological shock. These programs are intended for the short run. At the very end, our intention is to balance today and tomorrow.

Last message?

Let's be realistic, buy things that we can buy, and don't spend on things that we couldn't afford. Oil is expensive these days, so will be fuel. If we can't afford it, let walk or take the bus or cycle. At least, save our energy, then we can save our future.

This post is one of my way to make a change. Yes, a change. Change in what I do, because whether we realized it or not we are living a spoil live in Indonesia. I always try to minimize my fuel consumption, I start to use my bike again, or walk. I realize it's not gonna be an overnight solution, it will take time. But, we have to start right?

I don't want to offend anyone on this post. I felt that this is a good message and since it's good I want to take you all with me. Together we can make our Indonesia much more better, greater, and stronger. Amen.

UGM Delegates Interview for HNMUN 2009

2008-06-03T21:53:00.005+07:00

Ola!

HNMUN? What's HNMUN? Hello, anyone???

Well, HNMUN stands for Harvard National Model United Nations. In HNMUN (or some called it Honeymoon), students from all over the world gather to discuss international issues and agenda. Your delegation then will represent certain country and you will talk on behalf of that country in the committee. It's so complex, that's why the preparation for HNMUN took more than 6 months!

The previous HNMUN 2008 is the 54th session in the history of the ocassion. We talked about Crime, Sovereignty, Gaza, Hedge Fund, Global warming, Women Education, Child Soldier, and many more. All topics are well described by the committee so that delegates have clear view on the matter.

Well you have it, it's Harvard's, it's global, and it has great history, what more quality can you ask for?

Wait... Students from all over the world?! For Real?

Yeah! Of course mate! They've got delegates from Trinidad & Tobago, France, Germany, China, Korea, Spain, you name it! They've also got delegates from Universitas Gadjah Mada, the first time ever to take part in HNMUN history. This is a proud history as this is considered as international achievement, being able to walk on such occassion. Here's a photo of 2008 UGM delegates that went to Boston last February along with Mr. Tony Prasetiantono, taken at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.Of course, the show must go on guys! That's why we're gonna interview all of you who are interested and proud enough to represent our university. For those who has integrity, determination, and great willingness please apply.

You won't regret it, it's a "once in a lifetime chance." You wanna let that pass away?

Application date for interview, June 16th & 17th in Faculty of Economics and Business UGM from 06.30 p.m. to 08.30 p.m. Guidelines and procedures applied.

Interview will be held on June 19th in Faculty of Economics and Business starting from 08.00 a.m.

Interview details will be summarized on flyers throughout campus starting June 11th, 2008. For more details about the conference, check out HNMUN official website. For summary of last year topics, you can access it through here.

Gumilang Aryo Sahadewo
Universitas Gadjah Mada National Model United Nations 2008
Legal Committee

Going for KKN!!

2008-05-31T00:07:00.001+07:00

Udah tiga tahun kuliah, tidak terasa sudah banyak kuliah, kerjaan, kegiatan di kampus! Nah, sekarang waktunya refreshing dulu dari kebisingdan tidak terasa kalo saya sudah harus kuliah kerja nyata atau kerennya alias gampangnya KKN. KKN nya bakal dilaksanain di sebuah desa bernama Guwosari di Bantul pada bulan Juli sampai dengan bulan September besok ini.

Kalo mau ke Guwosari, temen-temen telusuri aja Jalan Bantul sampai ketemu perempatan Masjid Agung. Setelah itu kalian ke arah barat sampai ketemu jalan kekiri dan kalian akan ketemu perempatan tanpa lampu merah pertama. Dari situ kalian belok ke arah barat dan kalian akan ketemu jembatan Guwosari!

Satu tim KKN di Guwosari adalah satu unit, trus di-break down jadi 5 sub-unit di 5 pedukuhan. Nah aku dapat tempat tinggal di dukuh Watugedug. Hmmm, dukuhnya paling jauh dibanding lainnya ditambah daerahnya yang luas banget. Letaknya agak di dataran tinggi jadi bakalan dingin banget kalo malam hari, we e' e' e'.. Rencananya, aku mau tinggal seminggu sebelum pelepasan KKN, jadi bisa adaptasi sama bikin laporan lebih awal jadi pas minggu pertama bisa seneng-seneng waktu sosialisasi, hehehe.

Di Guwosari ada goa Selarong yang cukup terkenal di Bantul. Di goa Selarong sering diadakan acara-acara budaya tiap tahunnya termasuk Grebeg tanggal 27 Juli besok. Temen-temen KKN kita bakal bantu-bantu penduduk desa untuk acara ini.

Yang belum kutemukan tu kulinernya yang unik di Guwosari. Moga-moga di survei besok bis ujian aku bisa tanya-tanya tempat kuliner yang bisa didatengin, hehehe...

Hidup KKN Guwosari! Oke Rek!

Don't worry, still more to come from KKN Guwosari

Why Italian Kids Hate but Indonesia Kids Love McD's

2008-05-30T22:51:00.006+07:00

Kontroversial! Yap, judulnya kontroversial, hehehe. Inspirasi buat nulis ini dateng dari seringnya aku nonton Travel & Living-nya Discovery Channel. Boleh dibilang, itu the most alluring show especially buat yang suka new experiences. Some experience yang kudapet dari nonton channel tu pas kubandingin kultur luar negeri sama kultur Indonesia tentang makanan! Disini kuambil anak-anak dari itali dan Indonesia sama McD's, one of the biggest western fast food chain di Indonesia. Anyway, let's get going..

As far as I know, fast food business in Indonesia bertumbuh cepet banget! As far as I know dari cerita temanku di Milan: there ain't no McD's in Italy, no Starbucks, Italian won't eat or drinks those stuff! FYI, ada McD's buka di sebuah desa di Itali, trus tutup setelah 3 bulan. Hebat yak?! Kenapa gitu?

Anak-anak Indonesia simply like the taste and the simplicity dari makan fast food. Inget-inget dah waktu kita kecil, pergi ke McD's and stuff adalah waktu yang ditunggu-tunggu? Ngaku! hehehehe. Mungkin jadi kebiasaan ye? Habis pulang sekolah, banyak kan yang minta ke mami atau papi untuk mampir McD's and friends?

Sekolah-sekolah di Itali, mulai TK ampe SD, kantinnya bersih banget, almost like 4-star hotel kitchen dab! Pas kru masak dikasih burger ama host TV, they said "Oh, That's Rubbish, throw that away!" Mereka ga mau itu dimakan anak-anak di sekolah mereka. Anak-anak disana ternyata diajari berbagai macam veggies and fruits as soon as kindergarten. After that, mereka maem makan siang dari bahan yang telah dipelajari, real experience ain't it? Bis itu, mereka makan malam dengan masakan Ibu mereka, almost everyday.

Karena dimulai dari kecil, akhirnya jadi kebiasaan sampai besar. Itu kenapa McD's subur di Indonesia. Anak Itali terlanjur cinta ama masakan mereka, makanya mereka sugesti ama fast food ala western. Ingat-ingat, orang Itali itu stubborn masalah makanan, makanan terbaik adalah their Mom's cooking! Karena itu semua sudah dibentuk sejak kecil...

Kita punya banyak makanan yang bisa dibanggain n kita harus lestarikan ke generasi kita. Someday, kita semua akan lebih milih nasi sayur asem ama tempe tahu ala Indonesia dibanding those cheeseburgers!