Unrest in Indonesia – The BIG Issue?
Having lived in Jakarta or thereabouts for more than two decades, I have come to love the city, despite it’s frustrations, notably the traffic…
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..but I still use public transport, which has certainly improved over the years…
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…with the TransJakarta buses a big improvement on those old kopajas.
The bonus from using buses is that I get to talk to lots of local people and often see the same folks on the same buses they use every day to work or college.
One such is an undergrad guy, who likes to talk politics.
He used to say he was only interested in the subject academically, but he was impressed that I had once been a student anti-communist activist.
Like most Indonesians, he understands how evil communism is.
However, this month has changed him.
He just told me today that he had joined the turbulent demo last week!
Why?
Because he likes freedom.
Much media coverage has concerned the benighted moves to jail those ‘guilty’ of extra-marital sex…
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…which has been happening for thousands of years in every country but seems to get uptight old (and younger) windbags here terribly steamed up.
Especially when they’re caught!
Far worse, in my view, is the ‘blasphemy’ nonsense – various Western media have mentioned this as a cause of the rowdy unrest, but I cannot pin-point any specific alteration planned.
As if the law were not already quite oppressive enough, as shown by the imprisonment of Jakarta’s best-ever governor, Ahok, two years ago, merely for quoting a verse.
=
Ahok
Slouching Towards Shariah, Indonesia Jails Ahok!
Some malevolents even wanted to have him executed!
There’s also an imbecilic clause about insulting the head of state.
And there are issues about the campaign against corruption, which is at least as offensive to decent people as the Brussels/Strasbourg rip-offs are to the subjects of the EUSSR…..
“I’m Interested In…”“Oh No You’re Not,” Say Strasbourg Slugs!
Brussels Lush Again – Your Taxes Pay For This Bum’s Booze!
…which are not oftimes reported here, although local scandals are!
Beef Scandal – Islamist Fanatic Luthfi Jailed ‘Till the Cows Come Home!’
…
I offer you a link with more details on the demo and the reasons.
So which did my commuter-pal object to most?
Not the so-called ban on ‘free-sex’ – ‘but you foreigners must beware,’ he laughed!
Nor the ‘blasphemy’ blather. ‘It will make no difference,’ he said, ‘Ahok never blasphemed but they jailed him anyway!’
Nor even the corruption issue. With a ruling class like ours, he shook his head sadly, corruption will never end.
NONE OF THE ABOVE!
My bus buddy wants to be free to insult heads of state.
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Not that he especially dislikes President Jokowi – in fact he says the incumbent is ‘not a bad guy.’
But he savours what he reads about life in the West, where EVERYBODY insults every politician every day!
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If They Were Your Daughters? Merkel’s Never-Ending Evil
And with good reason, I had to admit!
JazPen 11:18 on September 30, 2019 Permalink |
A fair summary but I have to hand it to you, Ross, you manage to hammer away at your preffered targets of every kind even when talking about here.
I hear the traffic is turning bad again today because of students doing their demos again.
You staying home?
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ross1948 14:34 on September 30, 2019 Permalink |
I wish I had stayed home, JazPen. I got another book from that little shop in Pasar Festival, and eventually got the 6A to change at Monas. We passed through Sarinah, a stop there, then at Bank Indonesia were told it was going no further and we had to return to Sarinah.
Clever, ya?
From Sarinah, we had a long and winding mystery tour via Cideng’s back streets then instead of going down to Grogol via Tomang, we all got taken back to Harmoni, which we passed without stopping and took the route past RS Sundel Bolong!
Capek dech!
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Wulan 15:12 on September 30, 2019 Permalink |
Oh Ross, you make me laugh when you say RS Sundel Bolong.
The halte busway name is RS Sumber Waras.
The sundelbolong is a dangerous ghost with a hole in her back.
But you know that, ya, very funny hehehe. I laugh like kuntilanak.
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