Building change from local urban communities<\/p>\n
Marco Kusumawijaya, Urban Development Consultant, Jakarta,
\nmarcokw@centrin.net.id<\/p>\n
All types of noisy demonstration on the streets of Jakarta
\nmust stop, because those to whom they are addressed are
\nmeditating, practicing a form of anti-Buddhism: Hear no goodness,
\nsee no goodness and speak no goodness. They do not even smell the
\ngoodness of the sweat and blood of demonstrators. Meanwhile, at
\nthe other extreme, members of the middle class simply send a 125-
\ncharacter cell phone message (SMS) saying, \"I saw you on TV, good
\nshow, man! We support you, but regrets, I could not join today --
\nthere will be other times, right?!\"<\/p>\n
On Sept. 29, high in a mountainous real estate-cum-resort
\nsouth of Jakarta, 150 upper-middle-class families took their
\ngrievance to the streets -- in their cars! They were protesting
\nthe rise in charges for garbage collection, while using their
\nluxurious cars to pollute the air for all of us to inhale.
\n(Pathetically, they did not know that cars running slowly in
\nfirst or second gear emit more CO2 than in higher gear.)<\/p>\n
Protests in the form of human chains, or loud voices from a
\nsound-system above a truck amidst a few thousand yelling people
\nmay have to stop. Listen to the media: They want something more
\ndramatic and sensational.<\/p>\n
They want the demonstrators to press harder. They want them to
\ncrash down the fence, break windows and doors, lock up city hall
\nand legislative buildings with the corruptors inside, or perhaps
\njam the toll road. And, of course, not one or two thousand
\npeople, but a million, please!<\/p>\n
These will really look good and sound good, and keep the media
\nbusy and excited for a couple of days, with perhaps a couple of
\n\"breaking news\" items plus follow-up talk shows.<\/p>\n
That is okay if the demonstrators want immediately to be
\ncriminalized. It is all the same, whether they shed their blood
\nfirst on the streets or at police stations.<\/p>\n
And middle-class people will say, \"Well, all this wouldn't
\nhave been necessary had the government been more responsive, and
\nwe wouldn't have had to suffer this much in the traffic jams, if
\nonly told in advance. We actually sympathize with the cause, you
\nknow, but the methods aren't right.\"<\/p>\n
\"We actually sympathize\" is indeed a comfort. But how does one
\nreach the \"right method\" if the target will not listen?<\/p>\n
Activist and philosopher Karlina Leksono, at the Soedjatmoko
\nMemorial Lecture last Sept. 30, mentioned two key items as the
\nbasis for engagement: a sense of care and justice. It is not
\nenough to express solidarity with ad-hoc contributions.
\nA sense of justice should motivate people to go to the roots of
\nproblems, of the sufferings of others, and therefore a sense of
\nresponsibility to effect change, which is only possible when
\nthere is deeper engagement. Engagement is a moral imperative, and
\ncommitment is a prerequisite to bringing about sustainable
\nchange.<\/p>\n
So should the comrades in demonstrations go underground
\ninstead? I'm not really that pessimistic. We have only just
\nstarted in local politics. A long journey starts with one little
\nstep. Whether what we are doing now will bring effective change
\nis to be seen much later, but whatever more is required to bring
\nthat about must be built upon foundations being laid down now.<\/p>\n
When the Dutch colonial government started the kampong
\nimprovement programs in Jakarta in 1925, it was not only driven
\nby ethical politics back home -- but also by local politics in
\nthe city. Abdul Moeis -- a novelist-turned-politician -- talked
\nto a crowd in 1913 outside the People's Council.<\/p>\n
He criticized the paltry compensation for land acquired for
\nthe development of Menteng in Central Jakarta and the generally
\nbad state of native kampongs, which were neglected by the
\nauthorities. His colleague, M.H. Thamrin, did the same, and the
\nkampong improvement programs in the New Order were named after
\nhim.<\/p>\n
Healthy local politics should truly be built upon diverse
\ninterests and communities outside the formal power structure.
\nThere is need for more non-government, non-partisan, and not-for-
\nprofit organizations within civil society. They need to build a
\nplatform from within and with civil society. In other words,
\nthere should be work on the demand side.<\/p>\n
This platform should consist of at least four basic
\ncomponents: A vision of the preferred future, with an outline
\nprogram to achieve it; a set of instruments (indicators and ways)
\nto measure achievement; a strategic framework for citizen
\npolitical action; and a network of information and relationships
\nthat cuts cross communities and interests.<\/p>\n
Local political work should be more interesting than just
\ndemonstrating: It is about measurable and tangible things,
\ndirectly related to fulfillment of daily needs. At the local
\nlevel, the relationship between a policy and its successful
\nimplementation in the field is more certain and can be calculated
\nclearly.<\/p>\n
Many factors can be rationally identified and defined. And
\nthere is no need for any mythical leader either. Perhaps it is
\nexactly all these elements that make it difficult for a
\npolitician to be truly worthy!<\/p>\n
The roots of society are in the urban and rural communities.
\nSo, many innovations are now groomed more in local communities
\nand civil society organizations.<\/p>\n
It is precisely for its closeness to reality and the people
\nthat urban movements that start from localities are a critical
\nsource of struggle, not only against abstract state domination,
\nbut also against the Leviathan nature of capitalism, which knows
\nno borders and globalization.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/building-change-from-local-urban-communities-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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