Archive for August, 2010
Peringatan Hari Kemerdekaan: Ritualisme Yang Tak Berujung
Image source: suaramerdeka.com
Oleh Tanza Erlambang
Perayaan untuk menyambut hari kemerdekaan Indonesia ke 65 tahun ini, sudah dimulai, baik di berbagai daerah tanah air, maupun oleh masyarakat indonesia yang tersebar di berbagai belahan dunia. Seperti ritual, perayaan itu terasa menoton. Dari tahun ke tahun hanya seputar lomba yang itu-itu saja : mulai dari menangkap kodok sampai main gaple, lomba lari karung sampai makan kerupuk.
Pertandingan olahragapun hanya sebatas hura-hura, tidak mengarah ke prestasi, apalagi prestasi olimpiade atau piala dunia. Kejuaraan dunia sepak bola misalnya, tak pernah sekalipun diikuti. Kita, seperti sudah mentakdirkan diri sendiri sebagai bangsa penonton sepanjang masa. Read the rest of this entry »
In search of a voice and chivalry in fighting corruption
by Jennie S. Bev
News on corrupt officials, intellectuals who work for oppressive conglomerates and businesses causing extreme pollution and catastrophe have been selling newspapers and magazines.
Indonesia is in crisis and we aren’t talking about finances or its poor international image. We are talking about of the lack, or even a non-existence, of knights (the closest Western analogy to ksatria) in modern Indonesia. Read the rest of this entry »
To vote or not to vote, that is not the question
Image source: pemiluindonesia.com
By Evan A. Laksmana
Among the basic rights of any citizen, soldiers included, is the right to vote. But this has not been the case for members of the Indonesian military (TNI), who last exercised this right in the country’s first general elections in 1955.
In fact, since 1971, soldiers had been barred from voting. In return, the TNI was given fixed seats in the national and local parliaments, although the practice was discontinued after 2004. Read the rest of this entry »
Mystery of life, awe, and ecstasy
by Jennie S. Bev
I live with a strong sense of awe and wonder. I love and adore mysteries. They are all around and inside me. Things unknown, things in the future, things far away, and things I keep close dearly to heart.
Mysteries keep me alive and craving for more.
In the end, they give me ecstasy.
We might have been looking for answers throughout our lifetime, yet answers are actually not what we are looking for. Read the rest of this entry »
Menciptakan Kesetiaan Pelanggan
Image source: getentrepreneurial.com
Oleh Dr. Beni Bevly
Beragam pilihan atas produk dan jasa yang ditawarkan bukan hanya menguntungkan pelanggan, tetapi juga akan meningkatkan kesetiaan mereka kepada pebisnis. Keberagaman ini memang menjadi faktor utama untuk menciptakan kesetiaan pelanggan, akan tetapi menurut penelitian NPD Group, Inc. di Port Washington, New York tersirat bahwa kesetiaan ini akan lebih meningkat bila didukung faktor lain, seperti karyawan yang ramah, harga produk yang bersaing, penampilan keseluruhan toko atau tempat penjualan yang menarik, kebersihan dan keterangan/cahaya toko yang menciptakan kenyamanan, dan waktu operasi yang fleksibel dan panjang. Read the rest of this entry »
Is China failing SE Asia’s test?
Image source: travel.nationalgeographic.com
by Evan A. Laksmana
With all the bombast surrounding the 60th anniversary of China-Indonesia relations in the last few months, many seem unaware of recent developments in the South China Sea. In the last fortnight, details have emerged regarding the Chinese Navy’s growing assertiveness and naval projection capability in the region.
According to a recent report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a flotilla of six ships from the North Sea Fleet sailed on March 18 on a “long-distance training exercise” in the vicinity of the Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands — and reportedly near the Malacca Strait as well. Read the rest of this entry »
