Crocodile Tears

Again, another crocodile tears from SBY. Few days ago SBY tore when meeting with representative victims of the muud of Lapindo. The muud has been spurting more than 1 year but SBY had done nothing. Yes, nothing. Lapindo enjoys the weakness of SBY, and people got silt and lost their houses, land, and everything.

Is there any chance for SBY? I think its enough. In 2009, say no to SBY.

An hour in a romantic KRL

In the last week end I didn't have any vacation, because I had to work for drafting a government regulation for domestic loans in Bogor. You can see the story at this newspaper. But I don't want to tell about my work, I want to tell an interesting one that is a story about my travel between Jakarta and Bogor that is about riding KRL. It was my first experience after coming back from Amsterdam. There was an hour in a romantic KRL with its incidences. I guarrantee that It was much more interesting than a movie starred by Nicholas Saputra, 3 Days for Forever (3 Hari untuk Selamanya), or other stories about travelling.

Friday night, 15/06/2007, 07.15 PM, New Pasar Minggu Station.

After waiting the train for 15 minutes, the first train was coming. Oh my God, that train was very-very crowded. No space everywhere. I had no idea how to come into the train. The
opportunity was only 15 seconds, and I still couldn't get the way for joining with people on
the train. The train started to move on, and some people tried to ascend to the roof of train. I just saw them, because I had no bravery to do it. Not too long, the train was gone, and I had to be patient for waiting the next train.

20 minutes left, the second train was coming. It was still as crowded as the first train. I had no choice, I enforced to come into the train. Did I do that? Just a little, I held by the baluster of the door train. It's okay, then the train had moved on. I could defense my purchase on the baluster, and luckily, the train ran smoothly.

On the next station, there were so many passengers waiting for the train. When the train stopped there, those passengers enforced to come into the train. I was initially standing on the door, but on a moment I was already in the train because I was pushed.

This happened persistently until New Depok Station, and the passengers started to leave the train afterward.

My body was sweat as same as all passengers. I was trying to enjoy the situation and I begun to dream if I leaped on the train in Amsterdam. Oups, no-no, I was still in KRL, nice and lovely KRL.

"It's okay, it just takes no more than one hour. Just be patient." I tried to cheer up my own heart. Then I remembered my promise when I was studying in Amsterdam, that I will always love my country. Loving KRL is just one of all.

I am sorry I didn't bring my digital camera, eventhough if I brought it, I am sure that I couldn't use it.

That is ours. The KRL is our face, the real Indonesia's face. We can see Indonesia in the small scale without visiting Beautiful Indonesia Miniature (Taman Mini Indonesia Indah-TMII). The different is that KRL is our back side and TMII is our front side, the front side with thick make-up.

Do you know how often those people ride KRL? Surprisingly, they do every day, off course except saturday and sunday. So very often. What does it tell us? Everybody loves KRL. Eventhough necessity, whatever the condition, KRL is our beloved transportation.

This is showing a mismatch between public concern with government policy. KRL has a huge market, but government doesn't care and realize that there is a big opportunity to develop the proper mass transportation connecting Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek). Or maybe government does realize that, but they don't know how to take action because...... I can't speculate what government thinking is. If because there is no short term gain, we only can pray for a coming good policy maker. But again..., I am one of the policy makers.

New Kids on The Bus

This morning I watched a special show when I was riding my lovely transportation, Kopaja bus with line of Lebak Bulus-Senen. There were bus performers (pengamen) that we can find easily on public transportation in Jakarta. But they are not usual boring performers as I see every morning. They are two wonderful and accomplished kids with their guitars and very good the way of singing. The first kid was as a lead vocal, and another one was as a backing vocal, sho there was nice harmony in their performance. I thought they are not more than 12 years old. They sang a nice song...,

It likes a star in the sky (bagai bintang di langit)
That's our love (begitu cinta kita)
It's never ending (tak kan pernah berakhir)
For together forever (tuk bersatu s'lamanya)

Have you heard this song before? I ever heard this song, but rarely, so I didn't notice who is the real artist. But I could enjoy this song, because of a good performance of the wonderful kids on the bus.

Then they got good pay offs, because they have a comparative advantage comparing to other performers, an old economics theory from David Ricardo. They don't learn economics, but from them I got an economics phenomena that I have to learn.

Reunion

Yesterday I had a unique reunion with my lecturers from Vrije University Amsterdam and my collegues during studying there. Thanks to Radio of Netherlands for conducting that moment. There were Professor Jan Willem Gunning, Youdi Schipper, and Chris Elbers in Hoofdorp (a half hour from Amsterdam), Ferry in Bandar Lampung, and Dian in Payakumbuh (West Sumatera).

The discussion dwelled on the experience in taking master economics at VU, and I remember so well how I was struggling in finishing my study. For you who wants to pursue master or phd in economics, be quite strong in mathematics and more hard working, hopefully you can succeed those programs. You can see at Greg Mankiw's blog for other tips (I totally agree with those).

But..., that coincidence makes me sigh for Amsterdam, and when am I able to go back there?

SBY is a Brave-hearted

Actually I am lazy to give a comment for SBY, but, this morning, he appeared as headline in almost all news media because he did not come to House of Representative (DPR). What are reactions of media? Starting from a polite news, such as Kompas, then a little bit rigorous as Media Indonesia. In my opinion, he is not a statesman and he does not try to learn how to be a statesman. Frankly, if I could give a stricture comment for him that he were a effeminate. Am I too hard-hearted?

Well, after a big controversy yesterday, SBY was coming with a new statement, "I am ready to make a communication with DPR everytime". What? It was too late to be a gentleman. It was very elegant if SBY came into DPR yesterday, and a part of problems, especially political problems, was solved.

Was he affraid? Of course he is never affraid, as he had told to public persistently. But if I remember some cases, such as Lapindo against Aburizal Bakrie (no action), non budget fund of DKP against Amin Rais, I have a simple conclussion. He is a craven, but tries to be a brave heart very slowly. When he has a bravery, it comes too late.

Three in One

This morning I saw a stupid incidence resulting from an instant policy. There was a razia for 'jockey 3 in 1'. The incidence was not far from my office, along imam bonjol street. Many jockeys were catched by local government policemen (polisi pamong praja) with a series of abuse.

What are the stupid ones? First, the jockeys are innocent (in my oppinion) because they just play upon for market existed by 3 in 1 policy. They supply a service for a demand from everyone having car with passengers less than 3 that wants to go to 3 in 1 lines. What are the wrong things?

Second, then local government give the reason why they do the razia because the jockeys are disturbing a neatness. Another wrong thing. They do not still anything, they do not disturb anyone, they are not malefactor, and it is not a criminal, so again what are the wrong things?

The conclussion is that wrong policy is followed by the wrong action, so please stop conducting a foolish policy.