Membutuhkan Atau Tidak?

Pagi ini seorang kawan dalam jaringan perburuhan mengirimkan email berisi kegelisahan akan anak-anak bangsa yang telah menjadi begitu konsumeris, atau hedonis dalam bahasanya. Masih sekecil anak-anak SD sudah akrab dengan semua jenis handphone, blackberry, bahkan mobil-mobil edisi terakhir. 

Memang tak banyak artinya kita hanya mencela tanpa mencari hal-hal yang secara prinsipial bisa dipraktekkan sebagai pribadi, sebagai keluarga, sebagai bangsa. Pikiranku jelalatan mencari apa yang bisa kita lakukan.

Saya teringat contoh ini. Sebuah keluarga Indonesia beranak empat yang tinggal di Delaware mengisahkan bagaimana  mengubah anak-anak yang semula tak suka sayur akhirnya bisa dan terbiasa makan sayur. Sang ibu melatih anak dengan sebuah pertanyaan, “Apakah saya (badan saya) memerlukan sayur?” Akhirnya, tanpa dikomando anak-anak itu bisa dan terbiasa mempertimbangkan sendiri untuk memakan sayur atau apapun yang semula ia tak suka.

Berkaca dari contoh itu saya seolah tak berhak ngomel bila anak-anak terjebak hedonisme, karena kita sendiri gagal melatih diri dan keluarga untuk memilih karena membutuhkan, bukan karena mengingini. Ada banyak cara untuk menanamkan cara pikir ini, yakni dengan melatih setiap anak mempertimbangkan apakah barang yang kita inginkan sungguh membawa manfaat, apakah sungguh merupakan kebutuhan? 

Tentu ini tida segampang teori, anak-anak juga pandai menjawab. Pernah saya dibuat kelabakan oleh pertanyaan saya untuk merefleksikan betapa merugikan orang tua kalau anak-anak menyontek, dan anak-anak menjawab: justru menguntungkan, karena membuat sekolahnya cepet selesai, menyenangkan orang tua dengan nilai yang baik. Kembali pada gejala konsumtif, pastilah banyak anak, bahkan banyak orang tuanya yang bisa berkilah bahwa semua itu bermanfaat bagi mereka untuk kontak keluarga, tambah teman, keselamatan anak, agar anak-anak tidak gaptek seperti bapaknya, dan sebagainya. Ya, semua ada alasannya.  Tugas kita adalah menjadi cerdik memiliki atau tidak memiliki, menggunakan dengan cara sebijak-bijaknya. 

Perintah untuk menjadi cerdik seperti ular tentulah bukan perintah untuk ngakali orang saja, tetapi perintah untuk ngakali dunia, agar kita tidak dimanfaatkan, sebaliknya bisa memanfaatkan segala sesuatu secara maksimal dan optimal, sebesar-besarnya dan sebaik-baiknya. Entah soal suka atau tidak suka, kita memang perlu membiasakan anak mempertanyakan manfaat, bukan sekedar manfaat sesaat, tetapi juga manfaat untuk masa depan umat manusia. 

Sebagai bangsa, kita terkenal sebagai negara konsumer. Dua hari lalu aku denger radio yang mengatakan Indonesia adalah bangsa pemakai facebook terbesar ke dua di dunia. Yang pertama entah negara mana, mungkin Amerika sendiri. Dan di sebuah buku tercatat kombinasi Indonesia, Malaysia, dan Filipina merupakan 60% pemakai facebook. Bukan soal facebooknya, sayapun memakai jaringan itu, tetapi alat yang dipakai facebook tentulah alat elektronik yang kebanyakan diproduksi negara lain. Jelas sekali kita adalah pangsa pasar yang dilihat dari bangsa lain sebagai bangsa pasar. 

Seperti apapun lukanya pola hidup kita, negara lain atau produsen tak peduli. Kini tak banyak artinya kalau kita mencurahkan tenaga untuk mencela orang lain, kita yang harus bekerja keras setiap hari untuk menanamkan kebiasaan-kebiasaan baru bagi keluarga dan bangsa.

parnocm16februari2011

A Lesson From Egypt

It was yesterday, Thursday February 10, 2011, when Trudy Rubin, a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, suggested some lessons from couple different countries for Egypt. She took Indonesian case as the most fit lesson for Egypt to learn. Here is a part of her writing:

"So, are there Indonesian lessons that Egyptians could learn?

Here's one: Both the Indonesian regime and the opposition made concessions that helped the reform process move forward, gradually. Acting President Habibie - a technocrat, not a general - opened up the political system. Both the opposition and the former Suharto elite were allowed to form new parties.

Habibie served only one year; a key opposition leader, Abdurrahman Wahid, was elected president in 1999. The army's power was reduced, but it remained the bulwark in the background.

In Egypt, where Mubarak still refuses to leave, real power has devolved to his new vice president, Omar Suleiman. So far, this veep has shown little interest in opening the political system, despite a few cosmetic gestures. A former intelligence chief - who is called "Egypt's torturer-in-chief" by human-rights groups - Suleiman seems more comfortable with intimidation than with facilitating reform.

True, Indonesia had advantages absent in Egypt. Its moderate variant of Islam is melded with elements of Hinduism and Buddhism; Muslim extremism exists on the fringes but is an exception. And the Indonesian opposition had leaders who could rally large numbers of people. Future President Wahid, and gutsy Amien Rais, each headed huge Muslim social organizations that helped build new political movements without espousing political Islam.

But what saved Indonesia was the fact that key players, including the army, Habibie, and the opposition, acceded to real, but gradual, change.

In Egypt, the regime is betting it can outlast the demonstrators. It is refusing to provide space for new leaders and secular parties to develop, which is crucial to offset the Muslim Brotherhood. It may be a minority, but it is well-organized.

Down this path lie more violence, and gains for the Islamists. As Washington should be warning, Suleiman can't afford to ignore the Indonesian model, no matter how different the details."

Who Learn What?

Many analysts were so nervous if Husni Mubarak would create a chaos to prove what he said at the first week of the protest that the country would be led into chaos if he step down soon. Many prediction were produced due to the multi-interpretation word regarding his decision to give more authority to the the military.


Today, the history was made. Egyptian people, in particular the protesters, may celebrate the time when the torture, the oppression and the fear were defeated by the conviction of the people. Mubarak stepped down and the Egyptian dance in jubilant celebration, because their dignity was restored by courage and unity.


Looking at this wonderful moment, I pay much attention to the way the organizer and protesters showed the courage, avoided more violence at the end,  and demonstrated their sincere love even to the military who had been the hands of Husni Mubarak in the past. The Egyptian people hold firm the ultimate goal: freedom, dignity, welfare. It is not the end of their struggle, but we may glad that they met what they wanted.


Yes, the Egypt have similar historical context and experience with Indonesia. However, it is our turn now to learn from Egyptian to pursue a goal without violence.  Moreover, perhaps we blame Mubarak for his oppression in the past, but we may learn his gentleness to leave the throne without creating more victim just to prove his prediction.


Ignatius Suparno
February 11, 2011

What Is Social Policy

Farida lives in Surabaya. It was in 1999 when she started paying attention to a group of three or four kids brought by a lady. The lady sat down at the corner of the street and give eyes to those children who were forced to beg coins from passer by who were stopping at the traffic light.  That place is dangerous section where everybody was in a rush to go by car or motorcycle. The other thing, that place is very toxic place for the children too, since that section is the place where all vehicle would blow the carbon dioxide from the car or motorcycle. Farida also noticed that those children were brought home at eight or nine o’clock in the night. Those unfortunate children had spent every all day long in that section for couple years. Being a witness of that phenomenon, Farida started grumbling about poverty, about the gap between the rich and the poor, about the cost of living, about the policy, about corruption, about the children safety, and many other else. And now after more than a decade she realized that she haven't done anything for those children.

Social Policy is a policy that gives opportunity to everybody to access a good living condition, a humane welfare, or living in dignity. As an action, social policy may be understood as an effort taken by everybody to propose and campaign for a fair policy in a local or national house of representative.