Jennie M. Xue

What the Year of the Horse Means

 

 

Read directly on The Jakarta Post.

by Jennie M. Xue and Michael J. Rahardjo, Singapore and Jakarta

According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the year 2565 is the Year of the Wooden Horse. With the horse as the strongest “fire” animal in the 12 zodiacs, it is believed this year will bring fiery passion in life. Wood will keep the fire burning long and bright. 

With such a positive outlook, I was amazed when reading a long banner in front of a historical mosque in Singapore, located on Mosque Street in Chinatown. Masjid Jamae on South Bridge Road was built in 1830 by the Chulia Muslims from the Coromandel Coast in India. 

The banner said “Wishing All Chinese Friends Happy Lunar Year.” It also cited a verse from the Koran and hadith (a saying from Prophet Mohammad). The Koranic verse said “Is there any reward for kindness except kindness itself?” The hadith said “Behave to others as you would like them to behave toward you.” 

What great news to start the year.

Regardless of the historical origins of such citations, we applaud Singaporean Muslims’ spirit of pluralism and respect toward those who are different. It may have been an example of “pick and choose” verses and hadith that would support a cause. Nonetheless, it was a great job. Good people should pick and choose verses and hadith promoting pluralism, multiculturalism, and diversity, for we all live with people who are different to ourselves. 

Iran Era Hasan Rowhani

 

[Baca langsung di Koran Tempo.]

oleh Jennie S. Bev

Presiden Iran terpilih yang dikenal moderat Hasan Rowhani menjanjikan transparansi atas program nuklir mereka. Ia juga menjanjikan pemulihan hubungan baik dengan Barat, terutama AS dengan harapan sangsi-sangsi ekonomi, perdagangan, sains, dan militer bisa dicabut. Ia juga mengatakan bahwa Iran mempunyai hak atas tenaga nuklir dan ini akan dipegangnya dengan teguh, sepanjang tidak melanggar hukum dan konvensi internasional.

Namun Rowhani mempunyai keterbatasan. Iran yang negara teokrasi menempatkan para ulama di bawah pimpinan Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sebagai pemegang keputusan akan kebijakan-kebijakan nuklir, pertahanan, dan hubungan luar negeri. Para ulama ini dilindungi oleh Pengawal Revolusi. Kemoderatan Rowhani memang merupakan angin segar bagi Barat dan dunia internasional, namun bisa jadi merupakan bumerang dan berupa “noise” saja. Bagaimana Rowhani mengimbangi kekuatan para ulama masih perlu kita tunggu.

Terminologi “Barat” di sini dipakai untuk menunjuk P5 plus 1 yang termasuk: Cina, Rusia, Jerman, Perancis, Inggris Raya, Uni Eropa, dan AS. Terminologi ini tidak digunakan untuk menunjuk dunia internasional keseluruhan dengan 120 negara anggota Gerakan Tanpa Aliansi (Non-Aligned Movement). 

Bahwa Iran mempunyai niat untuk menggunakan tenaga nuklirnya untuk kepentingan penyerangan bom sesungguhnya masih merupakan spekulasi. Catatan sejarah menunjukkan bahwa semestinya Iran mempunyai niat damai dengan tenaga nuklirnya. Melalui tangan Shah, Iran merupakan salah satu penandatangan (signatoris) Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) pada tanggal 1 Juli 1968.

Terhitung 1979, Iran sudah mempunyai program tenaga nuklir sipil dengan dua reaktor di Bushehr di Gulf Persia. Tidak lama kemudian, Iran mengalami revolusi, sehingga Iran dan AS bukanlah lagi aliansi yang akrab. Sebelum Revolusi Iran tahun 1979, AS mempunyai tiga alasan untuk beralisansi dengan Iran: suplai energi minyak bumi, dukungan Iran bagi Israel, dan mempromosikan demokrasi dan kebebasan. 

The Locus Effect: To End Poverty, End Violence

 

[Read directly on TheJakartaPost.com.]

by Jennie S. Bev, Santa Clara

Another public shooting in the US, in Santa Monica. The US is a declining nation colored by high unemployment and underemployment, a shaky economy and deteriorating public services. I know so because I live in California, the state where Santa Monica is located. 

Despite the well-to-do external image of California as the home of Hollywood in the south and Silicon Valley in the north, it is a state that has been the worst run for the last two years in a row in terms of financial health, standards of living and government services. Compared with the other 49 states, North Dakota is by far the best-run state. 

The income inequality in California is also astonishing. While such inequality affects both rich and poor states, the poor states are affected the most. Among the richest states, inequality is the highest in California, Massachusetts and Connecticut. 

The US national median household income has declined considerably. The 2011 median income was US$50,502, which was 8 percent below that of pre-recession 2007. Below are recent statistics collated from various sources, including the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, state bureaus of statistics and various think tanks.

The path to harmony: in search of a responsible person

by Jennie S. Bev

Love makes the world go round. So does responsibility.

To survive as an individual, a family, an institution and a country, we rely on responsible individuals and groups of people. Without the responsible parents who raised us, it would be impossible for us to live and breathe today. 

Without responsible spouses, it would be impossible to have harmonious families where love endures and flourishes. Without the responsibility we have for our own selves, it would be impossible to lead a normal life with a good family, a good career and good prospects for the future.

Without responsible leaders, it would be impossible to get anything done properly or manageably. A country led by irresponsible individuals is likely to suffer a great deal in the long-term: Unnecessary conflict, insecurity, and lack of political stability can be expected. These elements will break a strong country into pieces, something we all need to avoid.

Humanism, an alternative to institutionalized religions

by Jennie S. Bev

Religion is like a coin with two sides. It can make you softer or harder; more compassionate or full of hatred; work efficiently because you believe working is praying or totally don’t work at all but spend your days praying in solitude. Having an institutionalized religion means you believe and adhere to dogmas, whatever they may ask you to do, including those that could cause harm to others.

Humanism as an alternative to having an institutionalized religion is acknowledging and accepting the simple fact that we are humans with humanly qualities and that we are not “special” in anyway because we have the highest intellectual capacity among earthlings. 

We are simply the product of a successful and not-so-successful biological evolution. It is a philosophy, a way of life, and provides guidelines for solving problems. Oftentimes, an individual is already a humanist by default, but doesn’t realize it.

Do no harm and kebebasan

oleh Jennie S. Bev

Standar-standar ganda yang diciptakan oleh dogma-dogma kadaluwarsa sudah saatnya direvisi.

CALIFORNIA, Jaringnews.com - Ujian dari suatu konsep, teori atau filosofi adalah waktu dan fungsi. Mudah untuk berkata-kata, namun waktu yang akan membuktikan kesahihan suatu kata-kata. Mudah untuk menyatakan bahwa sesuatu berfungsi, namun ketika lebih banyak unsur mencelakakan, mencederai, mengganggu kelancaran, dan menambah beban negatif, maka fungsi yang diharapkan hanyalah suatu ide yang dituju, bukan fakta.

Demikian pula halnya dengan konsep moralitas yang berdasarkan standar-standar tertentu, termasuk dari dogma-dogma religi dan hukum-hukum normatif. John Stuart Mill, filsuf dari Inggris Raya yang sangat berpengaruh di abad ke-19, dikenal dengan filsafat utilitarianisme-nya, yang bisa diterapkan dalam hampir segala segi kehidupan, termasuk sosial, politik, ekonomi, dan hubungan-hubungan interpersonal dan intrapersonal. Intinya adalah 'do no harm to others'.

Peacebuilding and peace journalism

by Jennie S. Bev

Covering conflicts, wars, and attacks must be handled carefully. The press is expected to be objective and impartial in covering such sensitive issues. However, oftentimes, the result is the opposite.

We have seen so many TV interviews in which two polarized interviewees are expected to debate fairly and squarely, yet the more aggressive and opinionated one is likely to steer the direction. In written reports, it’s not uncommon to encounter explicit and implicit biases that would jeopardize peace structure in a society.

Katrina, Merapi, and humanity

by Jennie S. Bev

The United States has its fair share of natural disasters and experience in handling emergencies because of them. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this year alone 78 major disasters were declared. Some made it into the international news, traveling as far as Indonesia, while most of the disasters did not. 

In California alone, two major natural disasters were recorded in 2010: A severe winter storm and an earthquake. Smaller-scale disasters like local wildfires are considered minor and rarely make the national news, but remain equally frightening to those who experience them. Hurricane reports in Florida always make national television, occurring at least once every year. 

The perils of irrationality and diplomacy

by Jennie S. Bev

The world is both rational and irrational. Specifically, the world of politics is full of irrationality throughout the history of mankind. Thus, it might attest that men are intrinsically irrational, or at least those with power are.

In Laws, Plato said, “Peace is only a name; in reality, every city is in a natural state of war with every other.” Peace is the rational choice, yet those in politics have been deliberately choosing violence in the name of security and maintaining power status quo.

To balance this out, idealists have been using diplomacy as its antidote. But why doesn’t diplomacy always work? Is diplomacy over-rated? Some diplomatic missions are even abandoned due to no result. What are alternatives to diplomacy in building and maintaining peace?

Soccer and politics

by Jennie S. Bev

 In 16 years after the apartheid ended in South Africa, Johannesburg has already become the host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This achievement has made Africa proud as it is the first time this continent has hosted a prestigious sporting event like this.

Historically speaking, South Africa has been colonized for 300 years by the English and the Dutch with 48 years of apartheid rule. In 16 short years, South Africa already built 1.1 million houses for the poor and has a rising number of middle class, although Caucasians still dominate the publicly traded companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

What an achievement unlike others. Something Indonesia should learn from and implement.

Lessons from the Jews and conflict resolution

by Jennie S. Bev

The historical backdrop of the Israel-Palestine conflict can be traced back 5,000 years to 3000 BC. The story of struggling Jews is part legend, part scriptural, part psychological, and entirely political.

Religions happens to be in the picture because the Middle East is the birthplace of three monotheisms —Judaism, Christianity and Islam— thus making it “the cradle of civilization.”

This “cradle” status ensures the region is continuously in the limelight. Religions are involved, yet they are not the main concern. Instead, this conflict is a humanitarian issue of massive proportion. Like the Mindanao conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict also centers on a piece of land.

Anniversary of Indonesian riots spurs talk about pluralism

by Jennie S. Bev 

This month marks the 12th anniversary of a critical event in recent Indonesian history –the May 1998 riots. Following the death of four university students who were participating in a protest to demand the resignation of President Suharto, people took to the streets, rioting and looting.

Though many claim the riots were a result of frustration with the current regime and mass unemployment, the ethnic Chinese Indonesian community quickly became a target of mob violence, including reports of nearly 100 Chinese Indonesian women being raped.

On the anniversary of this tragedy, we must take the opportunity to look at ethnic and religious pluralism – toleration for a diversity of different groups and cultures – within Indonesian society today.

Manicheism in Indonesia

 

 by Jennie S. Bev 

Along with Serbia, Iraq, Iran and North Korea, the peace-building approach in Indonesia is both polarizing and dualistic. In a term used by Johan Galtung, these traits are “manicheistic.”

Manicheism itself is a term originated from religious studies referring to a dualistic system of good and bad. In this case, it is referring to a preference in a security-oriented approach, rather than in a peace-oriented approach.

In Indonesia, the state prefers to see “security” as identical to “peace.”

Forgiveness and justice after May 1998 Tragedy

by Jennie S. Bev

Twelve years ago, our family and my parents’ house were saved by a mosque. A mob came to torch down the neighborhood but a good Muslim neighbor shouted, “Don’t torch our homes. There is a mosque nearby!” I was fortunate I was there and not on the way to my house in Tangerang, West Java.

Afterward, I heard many cars and their occupants were violently attacked on Kebon Jeruk toll road. One of those cars could have been mine.

Questions on forgiveness and justice have been haunting me since.

Peaceful pluralism and nonkilling policy

 by Jennie S. Bev

The world of politics is based on violence, within which killing —as a form of violence— is a major component in gaining and maintaining power.

Throughout the history of political philosophy, from Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, Machiavelli’s The Prince, Hobbes’s Leviathan, Locke’s Two Treaties of Government, Rousseau’s The Social Contract, Marx and Engels’ The Communist Manifesto, to Weber’s “Politics as a Vocation,” all agreed that killing is a necessary form of force used in a power struggle, if not as a last resort.

Charter for Compassion and hope

by Jennie S. Bev

On November 12, the Charter for Compassion, a document promoting peace and tolerance, will be officiated and hopefully it will serve as an antidote to religious fundamentalism.

It is the brainchild of religious scholar Karen Armstrong whose breakthrough book A History of God shook the world in 1993 with the assistance of the 2008 TED Prize of US$100,000.

The charter includes ideas and writings from people of all nations, all faiths and all religions, including Abrahamic faiths, and secular-agnostic-atheist non-faiths.

Preventing and healing conflicts through artistic endeavors

 by Jennie S. Bev

Whenever we hear the word “peace,” oftentimes we think about Mohandas Gandhi and Dalai Lama, two epitomes of peace. Dealing with peace, however, also means recognizing seeds of conflicts, preventing them from growing into full-blown ones, and eventually past and existing conflicts must be healed. In Indonesia, there have been many conflicts, past and present ones. And due to its diversity and predominantly patriarch social structure, Indonesia is a land of conflicts of various scales, yet the study of peace and preventing and healing conflicts through artistic endeavors haven’t been considered seriously.

The 1965 “communist eradication” massacre that had caused 500,000 to 2 million deaths is a colossal hidden conflict of which its reconciliation hasn’t been done properly. Its improper reconciliation can be observed from the on-going strong stigmatization of relatives of PKI members or those who were wrongfully accused as “communists.” Others like East Timor, West Papua, Aceh, and Reformation incidents, such as Semanggi I and II and May 1998 Tragedy are to list a few of smaller scale ones but equally as appalling and heartbreaking.