Jennie M. Xue

Compassionate democracy: myth or reality?

by Jennie S. Bev

Democracy in its simplest definition refers to rule by the majority, in which their voice determines decisions. In other words, this definition implies that minorities have very little, or even no voice at all.

While there are instances of "voiceless" minorities, interestingly, this may not appear to be so in certain circumstances. In today's Indonesia, those belonging to fundamentalist groups - both theologically and politically, are rather small in number but have been loud and influential on the mainstream. This is both mind-boggling and hard to comprehend.

Does democracy truly mean the majority dominates the minorities leaving the latter with very little breathing room? If it does, is "compassionate democracy" simply a myth or even a legend? How should minorities react? Even more importantly, how should those who belong to the majority behave toward minorities? With those exceptional fundamentalist minorities' strong voices affecting the majority, how should we interpret Indonesian society and its respect and acceptance of differences?

America the undereducated?

 by Jennie S. Bev

In a global world that will judge us on our intellect, the United States is falling behind.

The Mountain House Branch Library allows every member to check out 50 items at a time. But according to Susan Jacoby, in her highly acclaimed book, The Age of American Unreason, the attention of span of today’s children and teenagers has decreased considerably, thanks to MTV, video games and the Internet.

The United States might need to swallow a bitter pill in terms of cultural literacy and education, which is reflected in low reading and handwriting skills. Moreover, without mindful awareness of the seeming shrinking capacity of our youngsters’ minds, it might be hard for America to compete in a highly globalized world. We might no longer be the superpower country when our kindergartners sit in high school classrooms.

“Fitna” and digital exclusion

by Jennie S. Bev

In October last year, Indonesian Internet users enjoyed momentary happiness when Communications and Information Minister Muhammad Nuh personally promised "free speech among bloggers,” and then when both the government and private sectors agreed to provide Internet connections for at least 20 percent of the population by 2012.

Investor Group Against Digital Divide (IGADD), which was the non-profit think-tank behind this grand plan, said users of broadband technology would increase by 20 times, which would greatly bridge the "digital divide" between rich and poor.

Finally, Indonesia, as the last truly unwired Asian country, has decided to go digital with the protection of free speech. And for a country that was acknowledged for its peaceful transition into democracy, with the prestigious Democracy Award from the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC), in 2007, it seemed as if things had finally fallen into the right places. Yet the truth bit hard. Indonesians have not won the battle to win democracy, or even narrowed the digital divide. It may as well be on a dwindling downward spiral into the darkness, if things remain as they are.

Banality and compassion

by Jennie S. Bev

Modern lifestyle is known to be quite monotonous and routine. Many people work, live, and even breathe on cruise-control auto-pilot mode. Those who follow the rules are oftentimes stamped as “good gatekeepers” and those who despise and challenge the rules are known as “rebels” and “dissidents.” Just like a driving recommendation by California State’s Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV), in which a driver must follow the current freeway traffic speed to avoid accidents regardless of the official speed limit, living has been more or less quite like that.

Living a drone-like existence might not be inevitable, but human beings are, by nature, restless creatures, who would need to find a balance between mind and heart, between righteousness and wickedness, between banality and pertinence, and between savagery and compassion. When it is time to choose, oftentimes theology comes into play. Without a balanced perspective between intellect and affection in understanding theology, which is oftentimes regarded as the “divine voices,” many people have been victimized by dogmatic elements, leaving helplessness and restlessness to widespread even deeper.