ON-LINE SOCIO-POLITICAL
SQUIBS, SQUALKS, & SQUABBLES
|
|
The disclaimer on the head page applies here as well.
|
|
|
Waruno Mahdi's WWW Homepage
ON-LINE SOCIO-POLITICALSQUIBS, SQUALKS, & SQUABBLES |
|
||||
The disclaimer on the head page applies here as well.
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
Linguistics and anthropology now on a different page
|
|
Response to speculations on “the downfall” of Islam. Islamic fundamentalism has received undeserved publicity through sensationalist coverage of self-styled “jihad” terrorism. Such extremism does not represent the “silent majority” of enlightened Muslims, but a significant number of insufficiently educated Islamic clerics seriously shares the opinion that recent deterioration of Muslim communities, particularly in the face of colonialist expansion of some Christian nationalities, discloses Allah’s displeasure with Muslims because these had departed from the original faith of Islam. To regain Allah’s favor, they call for a return to the mode of religious observance of the time of the prophet Muhammad. But besides the glaring inconsistency of their logic (according to which colonialist prevalence would actually imply Allah’s preference for Christians), their conclusions are furthermore based on ignorance of the history of Islam. Religious observance and culture during the periods leading up to and during the prosperity of, in particular, the Baghdad Caliphate, the Ottoman Sultanate, or the Mughal (a.k.a. Mogul) Sultanate was not in that primeval phase of development of Islam, but included amongst others influences of Persian, Turkic, Greek, Mongol, and Indian culture. The current outbreak of fundamentalist terrorist violence is probably a consequence of “loser” frustration at being punished with defeat inspite of strict abidance to the presumed only true faith (in its primeval form) that promised to guarantee victory. But besides defying the Prophet’s actual teachings of peace, and hence being neither “fundamentalist” nor “orthodox”, it provides further testimony to the detrimental nature of the illogical teachings of the would-be fundamentalists.
[available as pdf-file, 104 Kb]
Re: Cynical point of view (Oct. 2002);
Re: [Nasional] WNI Keturunan Arab dan Islam Radikal di Indonesia (Oct. 2002, in Indonesian)
Re: [Nasional] FW: INDONESIA DISERANG ! (Oct. 2002, in Indonesian)
Comments on current issue around prospects of an abolition of charges against ex-president Soeharto. Discusses theoretical modalities that might lead to abolition of charges, and tries to explain why such a step is absolutely impossible in the case of Soeharto.
Discusses the relationship between Gus Dur, Megawati, and the military. suggests that the best option for Gus Dur at the moment is to open the way for the presidency of Megawati.
Response to Newsweek May 28 article "A Turning Point For Indonesia". Discusses the relationship between Gus Dur and Megawati, and the implications of continued economic committment of the Indonesian military on their capability to cope with separatist movements.
Bilingual comment (Indonesian and English) to a report in Detik.com about KOPPASSUS doing "anti-guerilla" training for platoons to be sent to Aceh, circulated in indonesia-act mailing list April 16, 2001.
Response to Jane Woodward's article "Rule of Law or Tyranny of Law?" in the Jakarta Post of March 8, 2001.Re: New military operations in Aceh and the ExxonMobil factor (Mar. 2001)
Comment on an article by Carmel Budiardjo entitled "New military operations in Aceh and the ExxonMobil factor" and a correction, both on indonesia-act mailing list March 18, 2001..
Response to an input by Tim Behrendt deploring summary accusations against Indonesian Muslims in a letter by a Mike Subritzky placed in the NZ Herald, in connection with Sino-Indonesian refugees in New Zealand.
Mike Subritzky has meanwhile sent me a clarifying reply.
Response to querry on President Abdurrahman ("Gus Dur") Wahid and the pro-democratic camp in the face of calls by muslim minority parties for an impeachment.
Parts 1 and 2 (never had time to write the planned parts 3 & 4).
Two contributions, responding to queries on the term masyarakat madani (civic society) and its conceptual relationship to citiesand the middle class, and also to comments on the developments of its use in Indonesia and of results of the recent general elections showing a city-bias of votes for the PAN party which had been associated with the "civic society" movement.
Letter to the Editor, in response to Wimar Witoelar, "Megawati's speech draws a fine line", in Jakarta Post 6-Aug-99.
Response to query on the Borneo Discussion List about reasons of minimal conversion to Islam in Kalimantan (as contrasted with the rest of the Archipelago), and whether consumption of porc among Dayaks might be a factor.
Essay discussing the implications of alarming developments in Indonesia for realization of disintegration and meltdown scenarios being currently being discussed in the press and policy-making circles. Includes: 1. Are the Self-Sustaining Faculties of the State Still Functioning? · 2. What Did Ambon and Sambas Have in Common? · 3. A Short Note on East Timor · 4. Aceh, Irian Jaya, and the Armed Forces.
Response to a discussion on the independence of the free press and democratic parties, on conspiracy theories seeing it threatened.
One respondent called this "Waruno, pontificating on problems of the Near East", so don't say you were not fore-warned if you do decide to read it after all.
That Was It! (18 May) · Bersatu, bersatu, sekali lagi bersatu! (29 May, Indon.) ·
The current economic crisis in Indonesia, its influence on the Asia-Pacific economic region in general, its relationship to a more general social and political crisis in Indonesia. Conditions for a successful peaceful transition to an orderly democratic regime as means of overcoming the crisis.
A response to the ransacking of the Megawati-led PDI Headquarters in Jakarta July 27, 1996. A discussion of underlying sociological and historical factors relevant to assessments of the political crisis leading to and aggravated by the crackdown.
Additions: · Annotated corrections and retrospective comment after the 1997 general elections, added June, 1997; · Indonesian translation clandestinely published in Jakarta in April 1998, on the eve of Soeharto's last "re-election" and esuing "abdication".
This is a re-edited vesion of a text which was broadcast over the Maluku-Net list in four installments on Dec. 10, 11, and 12, 1995, in response to a discussion on that net list from Nov.22 till Dec.4, 1995. It discusses sociological backgrounds of industrial discipline in industrial societies of Europe and Asia and the history of the development in Indonesia in that context.
A new version with additional bibliographic references was mounted Mar.6, 2001.
Changes in the character of the Dutch colony of Netherlands East Indies in the course of the 19th century, leading up to the Aceh War.
A Response to J. Soedjati Djiwandono's article "Is human life that cheap in Indonesia? Ya!" in the Opinion rubrique of The Jakarta Post of November 30, 1999. Also touches upon aspects of the Aceh (and Irian Jaya) problem.
Considers two often repeated propositions on the situation in Aceh, and tries to elicit what steps need to be taken to solve the problem.
See also a response to a comment on the contribution.
Essay in response to suggestions in favour of a geopolitical realignment of Maluku with Melanesia, away from the rest of Indonesia. Contains a review of the cultural and historical affinities between the regions, common cultural roots roots and subsequent developments having either diverging or converging consequences.
This is a re-edited vesion of a text which was broadcast over the Maluku-Net list in four installments on Dec. 10, 11, and 12, 1995, in response to a discussion on that net list from Nov.22 till Dec.4, 1995. It discusses sociological backgrounds of industrial discipline in industrial societies of Europe and Asia and the history of the development in Indonesia in that context.
1. A Preliminary Appraisal; 2. Rectifying History; 3. From West New Guinea to West Irian; 4. Is West Irian an Indonesian Colony?; 5. Is West Irian Part of Indonesia?; 6. Prospects for the Future..
This is an input to bahtera mailing list that was kindly forwarded to mimbar-bebas and reformasi-total mailing lists. It was provoked by the report on President Gus Dur's visit to Jayapura on the eve of New Year 2000 in the newspaper Kompas of Jan. 1, 2000. See also my almost identical Letter to the Editor.
A Letter to the Editorial Staff of The Jakarta Post (in English) commenting a Jan. 2, 2000, report on the same event in this newspaper contains further suggestions for political steps in West Irian that could prove constructive.
Comment and response to Suara Pembaharuan Jan. 2, 2000, report of President Gus Dur's statement on West Irian separatism, and Ottis Simopiaref's Comment in IrianJaya List.
Reply in 3 parts to a comment on the above by Vito Hendrik Gambino, and
Reply in 2 parts to a comment on the same by Andy Ayamiseba, and
Correcting an erronous history of the sociopolitical status and name of the western half of New Guinea that is often repeated in various versions.
A Response to Alwyn de Jong's contribution "The Dutch should act" on IRIAN-L mailing list, containing amongst others a list of changes in the geopolitical status of West New Guinea since the beginning of the 20th century.
Response to some contributions by Ottis Simopiaref (of OPM) on the Internet (particularly "Manipulasi Sejarah" and "Melanesia Merdeka di luar Indonesia"), with a detailed discussion of relevant and less relevant formal and factual circumstances having a bearing on the relationship between Irian Jaya and Indonesia: history of the concept of Indonesian unity, and of the formal geopolitical status of western part of New Guinea; historical claims of Majapahit and Tidore, postulations of the Round Table and New York Agreements, relevance of the New Guinea Council and so-called "Act of Free choice", comparison with Sukarno's policy towards Malaysia; modalities of cultural diversity within multi-ethnic nations, significance of globalization on political strategies aiming at protecting the rights and interests of Irian Jaya population. With brief replies to comments by other Maluku-Net subscribers on the name Irian Jaya, on slavery in Indonesia, and a longer reply to a comment on Non-Nuclear Malay contribution to "Malay" culture in Indonesia.Response to a badly disguised attempt towards refuting arguments made above with the help of disinformation ascribed to a Bernard Nietschmann, misusing the good name of the University of California at Berkeley, on Eastnet mailing list, 22 Jul 1998.
Discussion with Geoffrey Heard on the name "Irian", and about the notorious Terra nullius principle and its implications on the Irian Jaya problem, on Eastnet mailing list, 25 Jul 1998.
Comments on some points of an essay by George Aditjondro on the relations between Irian Jaya and Indonesia as a whole, on Maluku-Net and Jaga-Net mailing lists, 13 Oct 1998 (in Indonesian)
Discussion with Mr. Amunggut Tabi on the name "Irian", about the person of Frans Kasiepo who proposed the name in 1946, as also on matters of political tactics and unity in the West Papuan movement, on Eastnet mailing list, 6 Nov 1998.
Some Considerations for a Solution for West Irian, on Eastnet and Jaga-Net mailing lists, 22 Dec 1998 (in response to a contribution by Iain Wilson on the etymology of the name Irian, and inspired by above-mentioned discussion with Mr. Amunggut Tabi).
Response to "Oh, Irian Jaya" on Apakabar (10 July) · On News from Irian Jaya on SiaR (11 / 13 July) · Discussion with a respondent from Yogya (11 - 14 July) · ......
Response to a call for alert on the situation in East Timor by Amnesty International: Discusses possible consequences of continued international tolerance of apparently organized terror in East Timor.
UN general Secretary Kofi annan's decision to go ahead with the registration for the East Timor referendum. Lessons one can learn from Indonesia's own history with regard to perspectives of the development after the referendum.
General Wiranto has made his threat a reality, that the referendum in East Timor would lead to "unrest" in the territory, a formulation fully within the tradition of New Order regime euphemistics. The Indonesian military and the "militia" it had conscripted of East and West Timorese have unleashed a scorched earth and ethnic cleansing campaign of unprecedent thoroughness and brutality, now taking on features reminiscent of nazi "final solution".
Additional reasons why an inquiry into the responsibility of Indonesian generals for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor is so important, and why it would be dangerous if the UN should back out of its responsibility on this point as a result of a political stalemate.
Arguments against strict application of justice against returning militias, for the sake of getting the pronciple guilty before a tribunal.
A note on East Timor's independence, and responses to two comments.
