Jennie M. Xue

Development Education and Global Citizenship

 

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by Jennie S. Bev, Santa Clara

We are small dots on the Earth and even smaller dots in the universe. Yet, each and every dot has a significant role to play, both globally and locally. 

Forty years ago, international education scholars started a movement called “development education,” which later morphed into “global citizenship”.  

In 1975, the UK-based World Studies Project (WSP) was founded by the One World Trust, which defined “development education” as “education concerning issues of human rights, dignity, self-reliance and social justice in both developed and developing countries.” 

The promotion of understanding the causes of under-development, optimal development and achievement of an international economic and social order is emphasized.

It might take awhile for Indonesia’s curricula to adhere to this vision. The basic requirements of honest integrity and good management of the learning environment, which were reflected in problems encountered in the recent national examination, still require strong corrective measures. 

However, we need to be aware of the challenges of modern societies in order to participate fully in a globalized world. 

It doesn’t require learners to go overseas to study like two decades ago, for various learning materials are available for free or with very little cost through online exchanges and collaborations. The digitalization of learning and global influences should be tapped for optimized results. Of course, experiencing a different culture in person would develop better understanding and more empathy, which is highly recommended. 

Indonesia, with its overpopulation and strong consumer economy, requires more than education on morality and ethics. It is interesting to note that the latest national curriculum focuses on the study of religion and the religiosity of school subjects. 

The Aging World and Indonesia's Population Boom

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by Jennie S. Bev, Santa Clara, Northern California

While many populations in the world are aging, Indonesia’s population is exploding. In terms of consumption, it means Indonesia is still a very attractive market. However, such a condition is accompanied by classic problems derived from overcrowding including, but not limited to, a high crime rate, unemployment, diminishing living space, mounting trash, water scarcity and risks of flooding. 

In terms of the oversupply of manpower, Indonesia enjoys a high number of blue-collar workers. With the right mind-set, attitude, skills, and knowledge base, Indonesia’s population explosion can be turned into a winning formula. 

According to a UN report titled World Population Ageing 1950-2050, there are four main characteristics of this aging world population: unprecedented, pervasive, enduring and has profound implications. In this century, aging in the world’s population is unprecedented, due to significantly lower birth and mortality rates. This is the case not only in developed Western countries, such as those in Europe, Canada and the United States, but also in Asian countries like Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Singapore. 

Indonesia, however, is an exception. According to 2012 data, there are 17.7 births annually per 1,000 people. Every year, approximately 3.5 million to 4.5 million births occur, which is almost the entire population of Singapore. In Singapore, approximately only 7.72 births occur annually per 1,000 people, while in Korea and Japan, the ratio is 8.4:1,000 and in Taiwan, is 8.7:1,000 

Post-Industrial Network Synchronization

by Jennie S. Bev

Parts of the world today, especially Santa Clara in Silicon Valley where I reside, has reached the post-industrialism or “knowledge economy” era. In Indonesia, hints of post-industrialism can already be sensed. Indonesia is aware of the power of post-industrialism, and it helps to have persons such as Mari Elka Pangestu as the minister of tourism and creative economy.

A post-industrial society is created when the service sector produces more wealth than the manufacturing sector. In a newer definition, a post-industrial society is one in which innovative products and services are primarily created by individuals working with strong scientific and artistic knowledge.

Silicon Valley and Hollywood are good examples of a knowledge or post-industrial economy. The main characteristic of this economy is creativity, with continuous invention and re-invention. A post-industrial person is future-oriented and is highly innovative regardless of the field. Instead of manufacturing products and being a rank-and-file employee or executive, or even a factory worker by following orders and having a rigid job description, they are individuals who are set to replace the Industrial Revolution’s workers. 

Consequently, the environment has become highly competitive. When Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations, massive consumption and making as much profit as possible required massive amounts of capital. In a knowledge economy, those who have access to funding might no longer be the strongest players.

Socioeconomic Classes in Our Classes

  

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by Jennie S. Bev

Karl Marx might have called them “the bourgeois” and “the proletariat”. Adam Smith might have called them “the capitalist” and “the laborer." Seth Godin might have called them “the linchpin” and “the cog." Well, not exactly like that, but sort of. 

Observing the education system and schools in Indonesia, it is interesting to note that classes of students and graduates are so obvious. By “classes” here, I refer to social and economic classes — and sometimes, intellectual. 

While national plus schools are proud to offer bilingual and, even, trilingual curricula, elementary public schools are currently being reformed to teach the Indonesian language only. Among national plus and private schools, a varying degree of non-academic reputation is obvious, as some schools are more “elite” than others, mostly due to the social, economic and sometimes political status of the parents of the students. 

Human beings are rank-conscious creatures, just like other mammals. And some institutions reinforce ranks more actively than others, like schools.

Indonesia, India and Silicon Valley Diaspora

 

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by Jennie S. Bev

A bill allowing dual citizenship for Indonesians living abroad is currently being mulled. I strongly support it for it provides ease for transnationalism to occur between nations so we can benefit from each other’s existence. As a Silicon Valley resident, I have come to observe Indonesian, Indian and Silicon Valley diasporas worldwide.

The First Congress of Indonesian Diaspora held in Los Angeles last July aimed to bridge Indonesia and the US with human capital. With 150,000 Indonesians and Americans with ties to Indonesia , both Indonesia and the US have a lot to gain from such a connection.

What is “diaspora” per se? Etymologically speaking, it is derived from the Greek words dia (across) and spreien (to sow or scatter seeds). It was first used in third century BC in a Hebrew scripture for Hellenic Jewish in Alexandria and was popularized in the 16th century with “black African diaspora” with slave trade from West Africa to the New World.

Colonially speaking, it is about dislocation from native homelands through migration, immigration and exile. Post-colonially speaking, it is transnational mobility and a hybrid between and within nations and cities.

Diaspora is often mistaken with “transnationalism”. The former is about the people, the subject of movement, while the latter is the force of the movement, which can be globalization or globalized capitalism. Transnationalism is not limited to the movement of people, but also movement of knowledge, technology and other cultural elements.

Globalisasi, demokrasi dan kekacauan

oleh Jennie S. Bev

CALIFORNIA, Jaringnews.com - Perkembangan ekonomi Indonesia luar biasa. Dengan economic growth lebih dari 6 persen di 2012, serta PDB per kapita USD 3.500 dan PDB nominal Indonesia USD 846 miliar di tahun 2011, Indonesia sudah menduduki ranking 16 besar dunia, setelah Korea Selatan yang mempunyai PDB USD 1,12 trilyun. Ekonomi, politik, dan kultur semakin mengglobal. Sayangnya, ketimpangan sosial dan ekonomi juga semakin besar yang dapat dirasakan dengan semakin “tidak nyaman”-nya dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat.

Situasi ini bukan enigma, mengingat semakin bebas pasar yang dibawa bersamaan dengan semakin demokratis suatu negara membawa dampak semakin tinggi pula ketidakstabilan politik yang disebabkan oleh kecemburuan sosial. Pengamatan ini sejalan dengan teori Amy Chua dalam World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability, yang menyatakan bahwa kecemburuan masyarakat mayoritas akan semakin besar terhadap sekelompok kecil para pemegang kekuatan ekonomi.

AEC 2015 and Indonesia

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by Jennie S. Bev 

March, 2012 - The ASEAN charter was signed in 2007 with a promise to build an economic community fully engaged in globalization. With this in mind, the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) that was signed in May 2010 will remove all tariff barriers in most of the ASEAN region by 2015. Such a major agreement comes with opportunities, responsibilities and consequences. How would a potential ASEAN economic community (AEC) in 2015 change Indonesia’s business and economic landscape? What are the possible challenges?
 
The AEC provides a needed foundation for building an economic community fully engaged in the global economy by creating a consolidated—and competitive—single market. Goals such as financial stability, development of regional infrastructure, connectivity, sustainable development and closing the development gap should drive the community to create and implement mutually beneficial programs. For instance, under ATIGA, the first group of ASEAN countries (Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) would drop their tariffs by 2015 while the newer members (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam) would drop their tariffs and non-tariff barriers by 2018.

Bridging peoples and cultures with dual citizenship

by Jennie S. Bev

Last August, Dino Patti Djalal, the Indonesian ambassador to the United States, sent an email to Indonesians living there containing an open letter and a photograph of him and his family with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. The email is part of an interesting new initiative to enable Indonesians who live abroad, in this case the US, to have dual citizenship. Currently, Indonesians are not allowed to hold two passports, and children from mixed marriages must decide by the time they are 18 whether to be Indonesian or take the citizenship of their non-Indonesian parent.

Instead of ruminating about the negative concept of “brain drain,” Djalal’s initiative would illuminate the Indonesian diaspora as an important source of skills and knowledge capital for their motherland, or “soft power” as Joseph Nye, the famed Harvard professor, might say.

It is a great idea, as this seed of discourse may eventually be considered seriously among Indonesian lawmakers and politicians and passed into law. Separately, a petition proposing dual citizenship is also currently circulating among Indonesians living abroad. The first few bricks needed to build this bridge have been laid.

It's time to push for dual citizenship

by Jennie S. Bev

A movement among Indonesians abroad to push for dual citizenship has started. Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal and the Indonesian consul in San Francisco, Asianto Sinambela, seem to support the idea as well.

Dino sent an e-mail to Indonesians in the United States mentioning that he supports the concept and would forward it to the government, legislators and political parties. Meanwhile, at a function in Wisma Indonesia in San Francisco on Jan. 27, Asianto said: "Dual citizenship would be beneficial for Indonesia."

I could not agree more. Citing Dino, I think citizenship is more a matter of "legal convenience" than nationalism. In this globalized era, it is preferable to think positively about dual or multiple citizenships, as they provide more advantages than disadvantages. Considering that the ASEAN Free Trade Area will be in full force in 2015, having dual citizenship will allow people to have more freedom to do business in other countries. Think about all the economic, information and technology exchanges that can take place without any barriers or boundaries.

2012 outlook and maintaining sustainability

by Jennie S. Bev

The year 2012 is here. Is it a time to celebrate or to get ready for another calamity? The United States started this economic implosion in 2008; next was Europe; now India and China have been showing signs of declining growth. 

Obama has failed Americans with his inability to uplift the economy and increase jobs by over-expanding the government, over-spending and under-performing. 2011 presented a gloomy picture for the western part of the world. 

Whether 2012 will be a better year for the global economy, no one knows for sure. Most notable economists like Paul Krugman, Robert Reich, Michael Spence, Joseph Stiglitz and Nouriel Roubini agreed that 2012 would offer a 50-50 chance of global and US recession. So, at this point, whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, you have an equal standing. 

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.

Asian culture is thriving in America

  

 by Jennie S. Bev 

In today’s mainstream society, Americans illustrate a greater acceptance of Asian influences, values, and culture. Asian pop culture is thriving. From suburban noodle houses to Zen-style spas, Ayurvedic restaurants, Shiatsu massage, kanji tattoos, Yugi-Oh, Ichiro Suzuki baseball cards, Thai diners, and anime and manga comics to.. the list goes on.

Asian cultural influences seem more naturally accepted in today’s America, which is encouraging. Joseph Nye, a Harvard professor and former dean of John F. Kennedy School of Government, coined term “soft power,” which refers to cultural elements making meaningful changes in society. Professor Nye is an ambassador for bridging cultures to bring meaningful coexistence and understanding to people with various backgrounds.