The Kampar case: Differences between the U.S. and Indonesia<\/p>\n
Ardimas Sasdi, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Berkeley, California,<\/p>\n
ajambak@calmail.berkeley.edu<\/p>\n
In a blunder analogous to a asinine comment made by the regent
\nof Kampar, Riau, in response to a question posited by a local
\nteacher about the minute educational budget, U.S. Education
\nSecretary Rod Paige has compared America's largest teachers'
\nunion to a terrorist organization.<\/p>\n
Paige, furious over the refusal of the National Education
\nAssociation (NEA) on the No Child Left Behind Act, made the
\nremark on the 2.7 million-strong association on Monday at a
\ngathering of governors at the White House.<\/p>\n
Paige later apologized.<\/p>\n
The New York Times, in an editorial on Wednesday, said the
\nterrorist comment was the latest of a long list of errors by
\nPaige, including a remark last year in which he said he preferred
\nto put a child in a Christian school and suggested that
\nChristians were morally superior.<\/p>\n
NEA president Reg Weaver asked President George W. Bush to
\nexpress his regret to the nation's educators for the slanderous
\nremarks made by his aide and demanded that Secretary Paige step
\ndown. Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives also
\nlambasted Paige and backed the NEA's demand, asking Congress to
\nchange several provisions in the act deemed to weaken public
\neducation.<\/p>\n
The controversial education law, endorsed by President George
\nW. Bush in January 2002, opposed by both Democrat and Republican
\ncamps for different reasons, includes regulations to expand
\nstandardized testing, to appoint top teachers in all core classes
\nand several other reforms.<\/p>\n
Without overlooking their differences, the cases of the Kampar
\nregent and Secretary Paige bear some similarities: These
\nincidents involve education, appointed officials vs. teachers and
\npublic anger, on which politicians later capitalized. Both
\nofficials defied calls for their resignation, arguing that they
\nhad a job to improve education.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the authorities' response to the cases was also
\nsimilar. President Bush's spokesman Trent Duffy said Paige's job
\nwas safe because the President wanted the secretary to do his
\njob, while Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno backed Regent
\nJefri Noer's remaining in office, although a ministerial team is
\nto investigate the Kampar case.<\/p>\n
In an extraordinary session convened after massive rallies by
\nteachers and students protesting the distasteful comments and
\nattitude Jefri displayed toward a teacher invited to a public
\nmeeting, the Kampar legislative council dismissed the regent last
\nweek for the second time in two years. The same council fired
\nJefri in 2002 in a motion of no confidence, but the Ministry of
\nHome Affairs annulled the legislature's ruling.<\/p>\n
There are, however, at least two major differences in the
\nJefri and Paige cases. The differences, within the cultural and
\ndemocratic contexts of the respective nations, include the
\nattitudes of appointed officials in responding to their errors
\nand how the public expressed their opinion and anger.<\/p>\n
Jefri admonished a noted teacher for questioning the small
\neducational budget in the meeting, then attempted to kick him
\nout, arguing that the educator had disrupted the event -- an
\ninadequate response to a fair question. Jefri later met the
\nteacher to settle the matter informally, a practice common among
\npeople of the higher echelon to save face.<\/p>\n
Indonesians, upset by their poor national education system
\ncompared to neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore,
\nhave lately become more critical of the government. Still, not a
\nsingle one of the country's 31 provinces has yet allocated 20
\npercent of their budgets for education as mandated by the amended
\nConstitution, citing financial constraints.<\/p>\n
Jefri's remedy for the dispute differed from that of Paige,
\nwho immediately apologized to the NEA through the media for his
\ninsensitive comment. Executives lodged protests against Paige,
\nbut their protests were limited to a level of discourse, while
\nthe NEA did not organize rallies involving its members and
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
In a striking contrast, the protests in Kampar -- apparently
\nexploited by political opponents of Jefri and endorsed by
\neducation officials -- lasted three weeks and involved 5,000
\nteachers and around 40,000 students from almost all schools in
\nthe regency, a spectacular showing of solidarity.<\/p>\n
There are at least three lessons to be learned from these two
\ncases on opposite sides of the globe. First, appointed and
\nelected officials must always remain composed and exercise
\ncaution in their comments. They must apologize immediately to the
\npublic through the media if errors have been made -- even though
\nthis option may be embarrassing in Indonesian culture -- and not
\nsettle the matter through an informal channel.<\/p>\n
Second, Indonesians may need to stop cursing themselves for
\nincidents in the country, as if they augur ill and foreshadow a
\nnearing doomsday, and see such incidents in a positive light
\nwhile looking for an alternative solution. Paige's case shows
\nthat similar blunders happen in other parts of the world,
\nincluding in a developed democracy like America.<\/p>\n
Third, teachers, as educated citizens, must think
\nintelligently and act in a measured manner, bearing in mind that
\nthey serve as role models in society. The deployment of a large
\nnumber people in rallies was not only risky in view of possible
\nmishaps, but also not conducive to democratic education for the
\nyounger generation.<\/p>\n
In any democracy, schools have a dual task -- to arm the young
\nwith the knowledge and skills needed for future employment and to
\nplay a constructive role in democracy. But schools can also
\nbecome a breeding ground for intolerance and extremism. The
\nKampar case should be the last of its kind and serve as a lesson
\nin democracy for us all.<\/p>\n
The writer is a visiting scholar at the Graduate School of
\nJournalism, the University of California at Berkeley.<\/p>",
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