Overseas Think Tank for Indonesia

facilitating intellectuals to contribute to indonesia

Archive for January, 2010

Binis yang Akan Merubah Dunia

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Dikabarkan bahwa BioCentric menawarkan kerja sama dengan siapa saja yang bisa menyediakan tanah sekitar 3 acre di daerah yang banyak mendapat sinar matahari dan biaya pertama sebesar USD 80.000/acre. Mereka akan mensuplai pengetahuan, teknologi, dan juga menyalurkan produk akhir ke pembeli.
Sumber gambar: heatusa.com

Oleh Dr. Beni Bevly

Beberapa saat yang lalu, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) di Tanah Seberang mengajukan ide yang berjudul “Five technologies that will change the world”. Sebagian besar dari kita pasti akan tergoda untuk mengetahui teknologi apa sajakah yang diajukan oleh raja koran ini. Bukan hanya itu, efek alamiah yang inheren dari perkembangan teknologi ini diperkirakan akan menunjang perkembangan bisnis yang akan merubah dunia pula. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Beni Bevly

January 22nd, 2010 at 11:37 am

Gus Dur di hati saya

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Keberaniannya mengakui kesalahan Institusi NU di masa lalu menyingkap komitmen Islam sepanjang masa untuk membela perikemanusiaan masyarakat korban.

Oleh Mutiara Andalas, SJ

(Artikel di bawah ini adalah Eulogy Mutiara Andalas dalam kegiatan Gus Dur Candlelight Memorial di Foster City, San Francisco Bay Area, USA pada hari Jum’at, 8 January 2009).

Menjelang era reformasi 1998, saya ikut diantara komunitas persaudaraan lintasagama yang mendirikan tenda Tim Relawan untuk Kemanusiaan di kantor Pengurus Besar Nahdatul Ulama. Saya berjumpa dengan nahyidin muda yang mengisahkan kekaguman dalam rasa hormat pada sosok Abdurrahman Wahid. Pengalaman awal saya dengan Gus Dur adalah melihatnya keluar masuk gedung PBNU dari tenda. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Beni Bevly

January 12th, 2010 at 4:13 pm

Bapak Pluralisme Indonesia

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Gus Dur: Bapak Pluralisme Indonesia

Oleh Dr. Beni Bevly

Amukan teroris dan tumbuhnya radikalisme Islam secara pesat setelah runtuhnya Orde Baru pada tahun 1998 di Indonesia telah banyak menimbulkan rasa was-was di kalangan non-Islam radikal, termasuk penghuni bumi di belahan lain di dunia ini. Rasa was-was ini timbul karena persepsi yang tercipta dari tindakan kelompok teroris dan Islam radikal tersebut.

Ternyata ada satu tokoh yang secara berani, kontroversial dan lucu menampilkan sisi lain dari persepsi radikalisme Islam. Read the rest of this entry »

Gus Dur as a defender of pluralism, religious freedom

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Gus Dur also promoted the idea of localization (pribumisasi) of Islam, rather than “Arabization”, although he was well versed in Arabic. By the Indonesianization of Islam he meant the blending of Islamic beliefs and values with local culture.

By Dr. Muhammad Ali

Pluralism has always been a contentious issue, but Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid worked beyond passive tolerance. He advocated the creation of a public space for communication, dialogue and cooperation between the mainstream and the marginalized.

Raised in a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) tradition, but also in Western and Eastern traditions, Gus Dur became the advocate of a reform rooted in the traditions. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Beni Bevly

January 12th, 2010 at 2:58 pm

Virtue, liberty, and rational control

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drama

by Jennie S. Bev

2009 was filled with drama. A high wall between the Indonesian people and their government continued to exist. Great divides were present between hope and reality, between policy and implementation, and between the powerful and the powerless.

We all have been puzzled on the fact that Indonesian political landscape is either getting more complex or simply getting worse, and the rule of law has not improved either.

In short, is Indonesia progressing? Indonesia has been enjoying the accolades of becoming more democratic. But are we progressing at all? At least within the realm of political playground what can be done and by whom? Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Beni Bevly

January 1st, 2010 at 6:00 pm