Defining Nationalism

Today is August 17th and we celebrate Indonesia's 65 years of independence. As usual, everybody talks about nationalism. But I wonder how often do we bother to stop and think in between, just what nationalism really is. I mean, what does it mean, exactly, love for your country?

"Patriotic feelings, principles, or efforts," says my Macbook dictionary. Alright...what is patriotic? "Having or expressing devotion to and vigorous support for one's country." Right. Why do we vigorously support our country, again?

Because it's our country?

But isn't that a bit like..."I believe in my religion because it's my religion"?

In other words, "There's nothing really special about Indonesia, I love it simply because it's the country I was born into."

I don't know about you, but this doesn't make sense to me. I believe this is a false and lazy interpretation of nationalism. Unfortunately, it is a rather popular interpretation.

This interpretation underlies a number of problems about nationalism that I would like to discuss today.

The first of which is a line of thinking about nationalism that we are easily susceptible to and one that I once possessed, I must admit.

Some people love Indonesia because of its achievements or its gifts. And some love sharing about them. While I appreciate their intentions, I do so with a slight cringe.

Surely it doesn't hurt to let other people, especially foreigners, know about the positive side of our own respective countries, but nationalism that is defined only by the positive aspects of our nation is a hollow one.

"I love Indonesia because it has beautiful mountains, beaches and rice paddies; because its economy grew while others shrink; because of its diversity; because its students win gold medals in international science competitions; because of etc, etc..."

While these are things that we can be proud of, loving Indonesia only because of its wonders is a bit like, "I love my girlfriend because she's beautiful."

There are at least 3.291.805.000 women in this world. Surely there are more than one beautiful woman?

Switzerland has staggering natural scenery. Japan has geniuses in all shapes and sizes. China and India have a massive and skyrocketing economy. And talking about diversity, there are an estimated 800 languages spoken in New York, USA alone.

They are also beautiful, why don't we love them?

Sure you can appreciate the fact that your girlfriend has beautiful eyes, lovely hair and flowery scent. But if you only love her because she's beautiful, then your love is pretty damn shallow and, therefore, unsustainable.

Another problem that I would like to discuss is symbolic support.

Many would limit their definition of nationalism to expressing symbolic support - in the form of singing Indonesia Raya, waving the Red & White flag, using Bahasa Indonesia in every single waking moment of your life or wearing Batik. Some even extend the definition by expressing utter disrespect to a certain neighboring country in 'defense' of such symbols, foolishly convinced that somehow expressing disrespect towards others, while losing composure and elegance along the way, proves that we are any better.

Symbols are created to represent something, it is not the thing itself. Showing symbolic support should only be a representation of our love towards Indonesia, it should not be the love itself.

So what is the true definition of nationalism, then?

I love how the dictionary comprehensively defines nationalism as expressing both support and devotion. Supporting is one thing; devoting is another. So according to my Macbook, if you only support your country without devoting to it, you are not nationalistic.

Aha. Bingo. Devotion - that's the whole point.

For it is neither helpful nor useful to love your country without devoting to it. For it is useless to try and define nationalism without trying to figure out, "How can we best serve our country?"

Why should we serve our country?

I believe this is a personal question. My answer does not necessarily have to be yours, and vice versa. But I also believe that there is a certain fundamental truth that applies to all of us; and it is the following:

Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential, and discover the role that you'll play in writing the next great chapter of your country's story.

-BHO

For me, this means that in life, if we chase only after the big house, the nice car and all of the other things that our money culture says we should buy; if we only forge a career path that adheres to the society's definition of success even though it doesn't necessarily reflect our own values; if we are leading a life in such a way because others tell us, "This is what success looks like", I think that eventually we'll get bored. We'll eventually suffer the worst kind of pain - the silent pain of not being able to live our lives to the fullest; of not being able to make a difference.

Now, there are 195 countries in this world, spread across seven continents. Why are we born into this particular country?

Why wasn't I born into the ruins of Somalia or in the deserted islands of the Solomon Islands? Why wasn't I born among the wealth of the United States of America or among the rocketing pace of growth in China? Why wasn't I born into the Islamic state of Saudi Arabia or under the repressive regime of Iran?

Why Indonesia?

To tell you the truth, I am still looking for the answer myself.

But what I do know so far is that we were born into where we were born because we have something to offer that that particular place needs. I was born into Indonesia because I can play an important role in the betterment of Indonesia, and only through Indonesia will I learn the values that can help me become the best man that I could ever be.

And you know what?

Serving Indonesia does not necessarily mean you have to become a politician or work in the government. Our passion and skills are unique; and the best way for us to serve is to follow our own path.

We are living in an era with so many grave challenges. This also means that there are endless opportunities for us to contribute. And each of us has something to contribute to the life of our nation.

Indonesia needs genuine politicians as well as innovative entrepreneurs. Indonesia needs dedicated educators as well as passionate students. Indonesia needs creative filmmakers as well as hard-working athletes. Indonesia needs sterling diplomats as well as tenacious local community workers.

And Indonesia needs selfless parents as well as selfless children.

We all have our own roles to play; and if Indonesia is to move forward, we all need to play our roles to the best of our abilities.

Our quest, then, is to figure out what are our unique qualities and how we can best utilize them to serve Indonesia. Who knows? In the process, we just might become the best version of ourselves.

So in the end, this is about ourselves. We serve ourselves through serving Indonesia.

And for me, it is the only way to live life to the fullest. To be able to look back one day and say in my deathbed, "I've made a difference."

Happy 65th birthday, Indonesia. I love you.

The Sri Mulyani Phenomenon: Why We Should Always Be On The Move

If there is one thing that I am grateful about the whole Pansus brouhaha is that it has put the spotlight on one of the most (previously) underrated state official: Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

Only after she was put under constant pressure from almost every political corner, even that of, in fact, especially that of her boss’ political allies, that the scale of her integrity was truly revealed to the Indonesian public. Few would blame her for opting the Managing Director position in the World Bank Group as the place she could make the most effective contribution. As she has stated herself ever so graciously in her quasi-political speech, “My contribution as a public official is no longer wanted in the current political system.”

When will our political system be ready, then, to allow public officials of her caliber in pushing for reforms widely and successfully?

Out of faith, I believe that time will come. But not in 2014. Which is why Sri Mulyani will not be President, or will not make an effective President by then.

She or other iron-fisted reformists will only be able to fully flourish in an adult democracy. After two presidential and legislative elections, our democracy made its way out from childhood. But looking at Senayan, you get the feeling that we still have a long way to go before graduating teenage years.

As long as the New Order generation still dominates how politics is run in Indonesia, I am skeptical that we will make a significant breakthrough in reforming our country. It takes a generational shift to produce a conducive political environment for reformists like Sri Mulyani to effectively push their agenda. One election cycle won’t do it.

Another reason why she is unable to move forward with her reform agenda is because she is a lone wolf. If the reform agenda is to be sustainable, other reform-minded incorruptible figures must step up to the plate and commit themselves to the cause. It is both foolish and counter-productive to expect one Sri Mulyani to sustain the reform agenda alone.

If change is to materialize, there needs to be enough people who demand it and fight for it. Currently, that is simply not the case in the government and in the parliament – there is not enough iron men/ladies. It takes time for one Sri Mulyani to grow in such a prominent cabinet post. It will take a while for similar figures to fill in prominent legislative and executive positions. One election cycle won’t do it.

Last, but not least, even if Sri Mulyani is to become President in 2014, either she will affiliate herself with political parties or run as an independent candidate.

The problem with the first scenario is that one of her main strengths – and public appeal – has always been her independence from any political madness that has defined our democracy so far. She is above politics and she is unlikely to be interested in stepping down to join the noise where common sense is rare. Sri Mulyani is first and foremost a technocrat, not a politician.

That leaves us with the second scenario. Is our country ready for an independent candidate? Probably. But an independent President? Unlikely. In Indonesia, people vote on the figure instead of the party so there is every possibility that her high public support can be translated into votes. However, one must wonder how would her government handle resistance from all sides without any, let alone solid, political support in the parliament. If the Century debacle teaches us anything it’s that reformist technocrats don’t last very long in a self-interest political climate. Moreover, it is naïve to expect that by 2014 our parliament will be filled with reformists who is more than happy to support any reform agendas.

To sustain a true reformist government, especially one that is led by a technocrat, the political climate must be transformed first. And that will take time. One election cycle won’t do it.

Besides, Sri Mulyani said it herself to a number of foreign correspondents. “I have absolutely no aspirations for the presidency. In 2014.”

So, what’s next?

Sri Mulyani had enough with the heat, so she left the kitchen – with style. Concerned Indonesian citizens now have a huge task in front of them. But our task is bigger than simply getting Sri Mulyani to office in 2014 or 2019 or whenever she chooses to run, if ever.

If Obama is a symbol of hope for America and the rest of the world, then Sri Mulyani is our beacon of optimism. And both Obama and Sri Mulyani insisted that this is not about them. They know that it’s much, much bigger than them. It’s about us. This is about perfecting our union, and that is a burden and responsibility that we all share.

In the immediate future, we need to demand and support the Agus Martowardojo-Anny Ratnawati duet to continue the reform agenda Sri Mulyani championed so fiercely in the Ministry of Finance. In the long run, we must uphold the values that Sri Mulyani stands for: integrity, honesty, and accountability – values that exist in the hearts of anyone who wishes to realize progress in Indonesia.

We must start the work in creating the environment that allows reformists like her flourish. We must penetrate the toxic system from the inside and get as many incorruptible figures as possible into the parliament and the government. We need to make petty grievances and take-all-give-none politics a thing of the past. We need to renew one of the ideals that have found this great nation: a democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives. We need to start the work in making sure that our representatives truly represent the people.

We need to earn the leaders we yearn for.

Perfecting our union is never a simple task. True progress may not be achieved in one election cycle, one lifetime or even in one generation. But the most important thing is that we start and continue our work.

When Emil Salim – one of the nation’s greatest servants who happens to be my granduncle, whom I am extremely proud of – was asked “How are you?” by Peter Gontha in the latter’s TV show, Opa Emil replied, “Always on the move.”

Why ‘always on the move’?

“Because the challenges that this country face are so enormous, many and dynamic that we have to be always on the move in confronting them,” he answered.

My fellow Indonesians, let us always be on the move in perfecting our union.

Cicak vs Buaya

In my opinion, the President’s taken the right (although less popular) stance in not taking sides with either KPK or Polri.

KPK symbolizes the country’s fight against corruption, but how can you expect a president taking sides against his national police force?

It is the corrupt state of the Polri that should be subject to reform, not destroy the whole institution altogether (which is essentially what a motion of no confidence from the President would do, in taking side against the institution).

And all the talk about ‘Singa si Raja Hutan harus turun tangan’; I wonder, ‘turun tangan’ doing what exactly?

Freeing Chandra-Bibit due to public sentiments? Think about what this really means: the president, out of personal will, decides to overstep the law and abandon constitutional procedures to conform with public pressure.

That is principally wrong and, to a certain extent, can be seen as an abuse of presidential powers.

For the time being, let’s hope that public pressure will be enough to corner the corrupted forces behind this whole case. I do have faith, that we will earn justice if we demand it strong enough.

Those are my opinions, I welcome yours. What do you think?