"PRIBUMI"

It's been a while since I've had the time to post a new entry, and with the hype of controversy surrounding Jakarta's new governor, I couldn't think of a better time to start again.

Ah, the ever-so-refreshing political climate of Indonesia. After the brief respite the whole country has earned after Ahok was imprisoned, another outrage was sparked by none other than Ahok's successor, Anies Baswedan. Watch the video from the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-djoLqttKU

Image: https://www.moneyinsight.id/

PRIBUMI.

In the political speech, Baswedan said the word that the public has dreaded to speak of freely. This sparked extremely different reactions, ranging from religious fanatics and zealots shouting in agreement to self-proclaimed progressive thinkers who scorn Baswedan for the use of the word. The comment section on the YouTube video is cringe-worthy, too. I have found the worst racists crying out for racial supremacy, mentions of genocide, racial slurs, blasphemy, and many other manifestations of idiocy. In the words of Frankie Boyle, "I cringed so hard that I was able to clench my face into a fist."

I want to be clear that this post is not meant to be a defense for Baswedan. Regardless of how different Baswedan and Ahok are, they made the same mistake of not foreseeing the public's reaction. They said things that the public aren't used to hearing, while Ahok's disdain and Baswedan's nonchalance further fanned the flame. Both words that sparked the controversy was unnecessary, but they decided to include it anyway. Their words effectively tore the country into two, though I blame the public's quick judgement and short temper regardless of intention and context as much as I do the two governor's inability to foresee the impact of their speech.

When Ahok was surrounded by the controversy regarding his speech, some people were excessively outraged to the point they demanded his imprisonment. Others who rally to Ahoks's defense tried to justify his mistake, and when failed to do so, tried to blame racism and bigotry for Ahok's downfall. When something similar befalls Baswedan, many of those who demanded Ahok's imprisonment in the past shouted their agreement with Baswedan, while those who defended Ahok expressed their disappointment in Baswedan and nurtured doubts about his wisdom.

The two different circles, the one who defended Ahok (for simplicity's sake, I'll refer to them as Group A) and the one agreeing with Baswedan (Group B) sit at the opposing ends of the spectrum. I'll admit that I mostly encounter people from Group A in my daily life, but many members of Group B has been delightfully vocal regarding their opinions in many online platforms. I need not mention that the radicals of both groups are sickening fanatics, and that as far as I'm concerned, nothing could ever sway them from their respective beliefs. Group A radicals blindly justifies everything Ahok did, good or bad, without concern of the repercussions. Group B Radicals are only radicals simply because it's the only way to dispute Group A. So many accusations of racism and bigotry are flung back and forth, without them realising that they are, to a certain degree, correct.

It's safe to say that many of the most vocal Group B radicals' opinions aren't worth hearing. The shouts of resurgence, supremacy, and genocide directly contradicts the very principles that Indonesia was built upon. However, a lot of people from Group A who used to justify Ahok's poor choice of words have now condemned Baswedan for a similar misstep, and this is what concerns me more. They were puzzled by people who didn't justify Ahok's mistake, and yet now they've put Baswedan under extreme scrutiny. They used to say that the controversy surrounding Ahok was because his ethnicity and unbending morality, but when the public indiscriminately scrutinise Baswedan, their opinions aren't the least bit changed. These people were the people who had the potential to make this country a better place. They used to listen to reason, but now have abandoned it. They used to be open-minded, but no longer. They've let fear and paranoia steer them into fanaticism and prejudice. If this concerns me, it is only because they are the people I know personally or the ones who represent my community, and the ones who might be its undoing if they don't change their ways.

Until next time.