Thea June 12th, 2009
Idar is only a seventeen years old girl from Subang, West Java, who tries her luck in this capital city. Without proper educational background, she gets a job as an a helper in a young couple. Every day, she helps the host to clean the house, amange the kitchen and do the laundry. Working in a small new family doesn’t need to her to work hard and she receives a proper pay for that.
Once in her village at Subang, Idar was a jobless. She only helped her parents waiting house while they worked in the rice field. She’s the the second from two. Her brother also works as farmer, just like their father and mother. Sometimes, the brother is in project where employs him as a labor. Rarely he does it.
As for Idar, several times she receives order to sew. The payment is unpredictable. Averagely, she receives 50-500 rupiahs for every order that she finishes. Everyday, she can complete 10-20 orders per day, depending on the complexity of working.
Idar never completed her primary education. Only three months she attended the junior high school. She hesitantly quitted because her parents couldn’t afford the fee. In her class, there were other four students who had similar condition like her. And for people in her village, it’s very common that children not continue their education, even completing the primary level. The reason is classical, lack of money. The vicious circle of poverty is very obvious there. Many people are jobless and depend only to their rice field which doesn’t yearn any good result. They can’t improve their quality of life because they lack of skill and have no good education background. And it will continue over and over again.
Hei..our president-to-be!!! Pay attention to the real condition of your people. Don’t only talk about promise but never realizes it. Idar is not the only one. Many Indonesian are in the same condition with her. If you promise to weave the education fee, it should apply to all people regardless any condition. We wait you real work!!!
Thea October 30th, 2008
A release I read from kompas.com this morning informed that Barack Obama gains a preliminary victory over McCain, winning 53 % of the overall ballots. This is of course a great movement for Obama and Biden, along with their team and their supporters.
John McCain probably should be grateful that this election isn’t open for the citizen of world. Compared to Obama, he’s definitely much less popular. He’s conceived as the representation and supporter of status quo, while Obama is the one who brings and promises the change. The change not only for America but also for the world, in sense his opposition against the Iraq occupancy by the American soldiers. Unlike McCain, Obama prefers to forge a more friendly approach toward the so-called terrorist country. He chooses a diplomatic approach rather than deploying more armies to the battle field.
Next week, Americans will vote, deciding their commander in chief. I read many comments putting doubt in Obama’s victory in this election. They are questioning about American readiness to be led by the first Afro-American president. Asides his competency, skill, and expertise, after all Obama stays not a pure white citizen. HOwever, world-wide, Obama is seen as one of the citizen’s world. undoubtedly, his experience with world-wide cultural experience is kinda “a gimmick” for him to win all people’s heart. He has Kenyan blood, was born at Hawai, ever grew at Indonesia. He seems just one of us.
Will Obama win? We’ll see in the coming week if he really can realize his “change” mission toward a much better the “promising country”.
Thea October 19th, 2008
Visiting Menara Karya last friday for taking my new key BCA, I found a “special” facility provided by that building. Even in Wisma Mulia, the building where my office settling, and is said as one of the most expensive building in Jakarta, I don’t find one.
The special facility is rest room. What is special about that? The one I call special is because it’s dedicated for people with special needs (PSN), such as people with wheel chair. The rest room is much larger than typical rest room so the wheel chair can get in to the room and necessary movement can be done there.
In Jakarta, I assume only small numbers of building which are built with such feature. Unlike developed countries, which almost all public facilities are designed so people with special need can access, in developing countries rarely I found that. Yeah, maybe there are still a lot of things considered more urgent in Indonesia than raising awareness of equal access for PSNs.
Once becoming volunteer for YAKKUM Rehabilitation Center several years ago, I met persons who were very eager to campaign of equal access for people with PSNs. They urged to the local authority in order to imply the aspiration of PSN in every policy issued. Not only appealing the authority, they also did things, which probably considered simple things, yet very useful for the PSNs such as modifying vehicle so the PSN can ride on it or giving vocational skill so they can have special skill to be self-sufficient. It was a very happy moment when we could do something to them.