RUANG HIDUP

Million Dollar from Blogging, Is it True?

2008-07-25T22:52:00.000+07:00

Yah, judul di atas jelas sangat provokatif. Terutama bagi mereka-mereka yang hingga saat ini belum mencobanya...he he...[mencoba pendapatan setinggi itu, siapa yang nggak mau???]. Yah mencoba menjalani Make Money Blogging. Tapi ngomong2 bukan karena komentar Kang Kombor juga seh aku bikin posting ini. Yah hanya untuk menyemangati aja sebetulnya. Dan selebihnya mengapresiasi kabar positif.

Kabar positif apaan? Bahwa diluar sono ada loh Blogger dengan penghasilan 5 Juta dollar hanya waktu sekitar 2 tahun. Yah, di Australia tepatnya. Mau tahu lebih jauh?

Kabar itu dilansir Darren Rowse, si Problogger dalam postingnya hari ini. eh..berapa lama seh selisih waktu Australia dan Indonesia. [ah nggak tau dech...] Pokoknya posting tersebut bertanggal 24 Juli 2008. Berikut sekilas cuplikannya :

Yaro Starak has just published an audio interview with one of his former students (and now a coach) from BlogMastermind Alborz Fallah.

Alborz is behind a car blog here in Australia - a blog that has enabled him to grow his blog to a point where it’s been valued at over $5 million - have a partnership with Yahoo, take on investors and more. It’s pretty impressive since he only started blogging in 2006!

Gimana, keren nggak tuh. 5 Juta Dollar hanya waktu dua tahun, man....siapa yang nggak mau, hayo angkat tangan he he he. Wah gitu dulu deh....

Bush League TV for Your Funny Ideas

2008-05-27T04:55:00.001+07:00

Feeling bored with all your frozen routinity days and activities will force you to break up your day with any jokes or funny ideas, why don’t you open up your eyes and find out what Bush League will offer you to brighten your day. Yes, it is all they will give you, man. But how could you get it all funny ideas?

Simply move your fingertips and find how Bush League will offer you much funny ideas. And remember that they not only give you ideas, because they also will give you many funny videos which is surely will bring laugh to your day.

If you have no any ideas on talking a funny things why dont you try to search out it on Bushleague.tv which will offer you more then just a funny stories. But you don’t have any ideas to brighten up your frozen day? Simply hurry up find out what they could make any difference for your frozen day without any funny ideas and jokes. Perceive your browser and let you know further more and start your laugh with their stock of jokes and funny ideas. Or if you feel bored with all their reading materials, let you try their funny videos and get start to relax.

But do not say that they would not give you then just any fools jokes and funny ideas, since they also have mens lifestyle which will make you wake up from your long sleepy lazy.

Enjoy Germany with HotelDeutsche

2008-05-14T08:41:00.000+07:00

How much do you make a trip to Germany and making a small trip to such cities like Berlin, Frankfurt, Köln and Munich? Doing so, for more than twice you could easily know that Germany is one of Europe countries which have many good national roads. Again you could also be familiar with it numbers of roads that are usually signed with an easy symbols “B” means Bundesstraßen (federal road) then followed by its number, such like “B 1.”
Staying long days in Germany will also allow you to make a small trip to some major cities like Berlin. As a well-known world city Berlin is very famous city. Mostly people will know if you ask them about “The Wall of Berlin” as the sign of old Germany dichotomy long years ago. Side seeing around the city would be make you know further about many old Germany traces. And if you want to stay there for few days just choose on of Berlin Hotels to stay in.
Other city interesting to visit is Frankfurt, an international city which many to offer. You find out more Europe taste there. An to stay in just take one of Frankfurt Hotels for your living.
Other the two cities above you could also find more interesting experiences to visit Köln and Munich as an alternative route. Feel free to explore your imagination about the Old Europe in the two cities. If you want to stay for few days simply call HotelDeutsche to help you choose one of Köln Hotels and also Munich Hotels.
Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Germany,Old Europe Traces

Celebconn.Com for Your Celebrity Booking

2008-05-03T11:43:00.000+07:00

If you plan to arrange a special event engaging celebrity within let you talk your plan to Celebconn.Com, the company that specializes on celebrity booking, celebrity coordination and also celebrity endorsements. The company has many long experience in coordinating many events with many world class bodies like The National Association of Broadcasters, Volkswagen, Audi, Metro Goldwyn Mayer and many others world organizations.
Simply state what you want in your event, also state who is the celebrity you would like to invite them, just simply contact them to help you coordinating your program. With all their long experience, surely they could give you better then other in celebrity coordination.
But if you feel doubt simply ask their partners above and learn from them how the company will help you managing the event. These all big labels, surely, will guarantee their service quality to help you. Simply contact them and get your best service from Celebconn.Com. Good Luck.

Nandini Bali Jungle Resort and Spa

2008-04-14T04:24:00.000+07:00

Nandini Bali Jungle Resort and Spa Bali Info

Baik untuk bisnis ataupun liburan, setiap kamar 18 di properti bintang-5 ini dirancang untuk membantu para tamu bersantai dengan kenyamanan dan gaya. Fitur yang ditonjolkan di setiap kamar, di antara amenity lainnya, yaitu pengering rambut, jubah, penyejuk udara, bar mini, balkon/teras, kamar mandi terpisah. Untuk membuat masa tinggal para tamu semakin lengkap, hotel di Bali ini menawarkan safe box, penyewaan mobil, dry cleaning dan laundry, restoran, layanan Kamar, taman asuhan. Hotel ini menyediakan fasilitas bersantai dan rekreasi unggul termasuk kolam luar ruangan, spa. Properti yang memesona ini telah lama menjadi favorit di Bali baik untuk pelancong bisnis maupun rekreasi. Pemesanan di Nandini Bali Jungle Resort and Spa Bali sangat sederhana melalui formulir pesanan aman online kami. Cukup masukkan tanggal yang Anda kehendaki lalu serahkan.

Amenities Kamar

balkon/teras
bar mini
jubah
kamar mandi terpisah
pengering rambut
penyejuk udara

Fasilitas

dry cleaning dan laundry
layanan Kamar
penyewaan mobil
restoran
safe box
taman asuhan

Olahraga dan Rekreasi

kolam luar ruangan
spa

Aktivitas rekreasi di bawah ini ada di atau dekat resor; mungkin dikenakan biaya.

Foto dan Info Kamar

Guest Room

Hotel Facility

Jacuzzi

Swimming Pool

Retaurant

Guest Room

Online Games City

2008-03-27T05:38:00.001+07:00

Online casino was a popular game around the world. Many people like to play on it and also get some cash and bonuses. But one of the popular site will make you satisfy is Online Slots City. It refers to the site which will allow you to find out much of online games providers. The site will help you finding out many game and casino sites with every easy to play, but with all your minimum skill on playing games or casino.

As an online games machines, Online Slots will really gives you many slots of gaming and casino. All you need to play was sitting on your chair on your room with your favourite drink or snack, turn on the computer, then let your fingers will bring you to the lucky playing areas. Form which you will be driven to the sites that will allow you to get more bonuses on playing either online games or casinos.

Don’t worry about your skill since Online Slots will help you how to play with an easy to use guidelines. Let take your time to play and win your bonuses. Good luck.

On How To Choose a Web Hosting

2008-03-27T05:19:00.001+07:00

Hosting a web site is nowadays an important for every people who plays certain position in earning money online. Moreover when blogging becomes a side job to increase our revenue. However, choosing a good web hosting is not always easy for us since every hosting provider offers many competitiveness based on their subjectivity.

Above anything we have a strict rules on how to find out the best web hosting affordable for our intentions, either for individual or organizational needs. One above anything on hosting provider, before you decide to host your site it would be important that the company provide a certain perceiveable back up to your online activity. It relates on how the company perceive their services with such guarantee that will make your site is clearly easy to access and is easy to resolve when it downs sometimes.

For such reason you need to make a simple online research on which hosting company will give you the best web hosting services. After that research you could conclude which ones is suitable for your needs on hosting. On of the good reference on how to get the best web hosting was kaushalsheth.com which will allow you to know better about several guidelines on choosing a web hosting provider. Refer to the link and hope you find your intentions. Good luck.

Snapbomb, Blog and Earn Cash

2008-03-06T21:17:00.001+07:00

Are you a blogaholic who spend very much times infront of your computer to write, edit and another thing relates to blog? If so, it will be better to you to join Snapbomb. This is the site which will give you all of opportunities to earn cash from your blog. Just write what you love and get your cash from it. It really nice, isn’t it?

Other then cash you earn, from the site you could improve your blog marketing which will drive more traffic to you. Surely, it will be nice to do. Huh…? All what you need to do was making a buzz about the site and let their system calculate how much cash you earn from. Let u try and enjoy blogging. Happy Blogging. Happy Earning.

Technorati Tags: Paid to Blog,Blogging and Earning Money

Find The Best Dentist

2008-03-06T16:39:00.001+07:00

For those who are interesting to make a better on their teeth they could firstly consult to the dentist, especially asking the possibility to do with your teeth. The dentist will make some diagnoses then they would recommend the next step to do with your teeth.

For some reasons we need a good dentist to help us improving our performance. Because teeth beauty was an important thing in our daily performance. Moreover while we are doing business which involve many persons, so that performance will be matters. Unfortunately it is not easy to find out a good dentist that knows our need. But, do not be worry about. You could find good service on your teeth problems from Vancouver Dentist while you were in Canada.

For another good dentist you also call Montreal Dentist or Calgary Dentist while you were in Montreal, Canada. Don’t ever doubt about their services since they have long record on the services. With all the good services you will get a better one which will improve your performance among people. And surely it will also rise up your business performance.

Hurry up find their services and let them give you the best dentist services making your best performance with which you will never find yourself in a missy look.

Technorati Tags: Vancouver Dentist,Montreal Dentist,Calgary Dentist

Compare and Apply Your Credit Card

2008-03-04T05:43:00.000+07:00

Having and using credit cards for some reasons will make people discipline in their cash management. With which they will show every transaction in a monthly accumulated billing, we could schedule every transaction in easier way. Then, such discipline billing report allow us evaluate our consumption easily.

Unfortunately we have to make an extra selection before applying credit cards. Many of credit cards providers were not offering ideal type of credit scheme. But other will give you better then another type of credit card. How could you know which one will give you better then another? Do you have enough resources for knowing about?

Since you have no enough information about credit cards types with all they offer, let you get your help from Yourcreditnetwork. It was an agency enriched with almost all type of credit card, the limit, the rates, etc, etc. You could research through their site finding out any information you need on credit card and compare each other to get a better type affordable for you. After everything you could choose and apply for your credit card.

But you should remember one thing after getting your credit card on your hands that you have to restrain your self while using it. Controlling every transaction through its monthly billing surely will help you much to stick away from a sticky situation that will challenge you any times. Manage your transaction volume and get discipline in your consumption. Good luck.

Technorati Tags: Credit Cards,Credit Card Network

Environmental Health and Safety

2008-02-27T05:06:00.000+07:00

Environmental Health and Safety is one of the most important concepts people talk and discuss about in current times. The discourses not only arise in domestic scope which relates on individual life but broaden as widely as the global concern. Since the earth warming process reached a global endanger level to our life. And mostly, as widely known, the environtmental catastrophic was caused much by the effect of industries.

On such condition we were glad to know rigorous research held by some experts affiliate to EDSGRP arise as one hope which allow people to wait a good news on its advantage relating to environmental health and safety. The company has been allocated their much resource, either in research and developing every new concept. How much people do hope to their efforts to be success, right?

Nowadays, the company was in deep concern to help many large companies to stand up the commitment in preserving environtmental aspects throughout their production. They provide environmental compliance services for industry that require value and top-level client service. Their service areas currently include:

Risk Management Planning
Air Permitting
Spill Prevention Planning
Emergency Response Planning
Chemical Inventory Management
Audit Program Development
Waste Management

For your interest on their service, simply find them here. Let’s make a better green work together. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Global warming,Environtmental Health

Before Applying Credit Cards

2008-02-22T06:55:00.000+07:00

Applying credit cards is a tough thing for the first time. We will be asked to answer this and that, and also to fulfill many form of this and that. Surely it would make us nervous and then, lastly, not sure about will we apply the credit cards or not. But remember that credit card is an important thing in your business activity you have to consider it as one important thing to have in your wallet. Surely it would accompany you along your business activities, so you will need it absolutely.

But before everything let you know many important things while you apply for a credit card. You should know well which ones suitable for your business interest. Look at percentage of every transaction they quote. Let you ask the vendor about the percentage of balance transfer, percentage new purchase, and also percentage on both transfer and purchase. It would be matters for you.

Other then, you should also know the cashback, rewards and lifetime balance transfers they give to you as cardholder. Knowing these important things would give you many points allow you to control every needs of payment made on your credit card. Especially while you know the interest free credit cards give you allowance here and there. Want to know more, let you follow this link. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Credit Cards,Applying Credit Cards

Online Casino Resource

2008-02-21T23:22:00.000+07:00

If you like playing casino too much you should read this seriously because of much important resources of online casino sites review were highlighted here in. Therefore it could be lose out to leave the review highlighted there in. Surely it was one of the best online casino reviews which will give you more then other. Let you find out many targeted online casino which will give you more in bonuses or jackpots.

Their review listed many online casino with which you could decide where would you were playing in. Simply follow the review and you will find the best place to play in.

Following the site you will also find out many tips for online gambling which will give you more then other. Through which you could trace many tips enrich your style on playing.

Other then, for the beginner, you could also find many tips how to play like a master with which you could play here and there with master styles of playing. But if you need some software you could also find there more. Follow this link, and you will get in there. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Online Casino,Online Games

Angkutan Banjir

2008-02-19T13:18:00.001+07:00

Nah kalo ini lain lagi. Angkutan banjir yang sekarang sedang ngetop. Foto dibawah diambil dari KOMPAS. Coba deh simak.

Jumat | 15 February 2008 | 00:00 WIB
Rengasdengklok, Karawang, Jawa Barat
Warga memanfaatkan momen banjir untuk mengais keuntungan. Sebanyak 15.337 hektar sawah dan ribuan rumah di sejumlah kecamatan di Karawang, terutama di pesisir utara terendam banjir karena meluapnya sejumlah sungai pembuang sejak Jumat (8/12). Hingga Senin (18/2), air masih menggenangi sawah di sekitar daerah aliran sungai.

memanfaatkan momen

Warga memanfaatkan momen banjir untuk mengais keuntungan. Sebanyak 15.337 hektar sawah dan ribuan rumah di sejumlah kecamatan di Karawang, terutama di pesisir utara terendam banjir karena meluapnya sejumlah sungai pembuang sejak Jumat (8/12). Hingga Senin (18/2), air masih menggenangi sawah di sekitar daerah aliran sungai.
Kompas/Mukhamad Kurniawan (MKN)
12 Februari 2008

Technorati Tags: Angkutan Banjir

Heran Kok Pada Hobby Berantem Yah

2008-02-19T13:03:00.000+07:00

Kadang aku heran. Kenapa juga orang-orang di republik ini begitu gemar berantem satu sama lain. nggak politisinya, gak juga suporter bolanya. eh yang parah lagi mahasiswanya juga doyan berantem. yah gak perlu disebut satu-satulah kasusnya, orang kita sama-sama tahu kok. sebab menurutku semakin sering disebut semakin pula kita merasa malu dengan diri kita sendiri.

Kok Malu? ya iyalah.....masak gak malu kalo kualitas sepak bolanya gak juga membaik, kenapa kok malah supporternya berantem. emang enak final liga indonesia dilakukan tanpa penonton. he he mungkin hanya ada di indonesia aja kale...

Soal mahasiswa berantem ataupun merusak kampusnya? bingung juga aku deh. perasaan saat dulu aku kuliah gak kurang juga sebetulnya masalah yang bikin kita kessel banget di kampus. dari mulai mutu layanan akademik, hingga kualitas dosen yang segitu-gitunya, sampai bahkan urusan SPP yang dinilai terlalu mahal. tapi gak sampek bikin kita ngerusak kampus tuh. barangkali hanya ada di indonesia yah yang begini. maksudnya? yah begini....sudah kualitas pendidikannya gk maju-maju, eh mahasiswanya juga ikut-ikutan berantem pula. heran gak seh....

ah itu dulu aja deh, masih banyak sekali hal-hal yang sebetulnya bikin aku heran dan gk percaya di negeri ini. tapi kadang bosen juga membicarakannya. GAK MUTU, Memalukan bin Nggak Tahu diri getuuu...

Technorati Tags: Liga Indonesia Rusuh,Mahasiswa Rusak Kampus

Camelbackdisplays for Exhibition Needs

2008-02-19T12:08:00.000+07:00

Sometimes you will need a display for promoting any product, moreover if you have business with several products to sell. Displaying such product surely will top up your popularity services and in certain step will drive your product selling volume. Unfortunately we have no any experiences to do displaying products by ourselves and it could be a serious problem in marketing courses. But don’t worry about this problem since you still have an alternate way to promote your products by order other body or company specializing on promoting product. They will help you realize your trade show displays, banner stands, truss and any other needs on displaying your product. Just call the company through this link and you will find out all your needs.

In doing so, you never need to know any details on either promoting or exhibiting products strategy since they will do all for you. Remember that such promotion will bring you in to a better marketplace performance which will enclose you with the market of your products. And surely your product popularity will increase better step by step, then your trade results will top up time by time. So let you perform your business with a better way, and let them take all their work done. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Exhibition Needs,Product Promotions

Reserve Your Cheap Flights

2008-02-19T10:55:00.000+07:00

Currently we see many travel company promote travel package which are cheap and competitive. They serve not only for domestic but also international flights with all their campaign and promotion strategy. They always claim as the cheapest agent of every need in flights packages. But did you know about Travel.Com.Au?

The company was travel agent which has many packages to offer. They also has a broader destination coverage then other travel agency. You could ask them to reserve your international flights ticket, and surely they will give you cheap flights price. You also can choose either for Qantas, Singapore airlines, or United Airlines. But you will also get affordable prices for Jetstar service.

Beside these offers, they will also help you finding out the best traveling package with their expert consults. Don’t worry about your travel agendas since they will always serve you with the best consultation. Just say what you want either for your Asia, Africa or other continent intentions.

Other then flights need you could also ask them for Hotels reservation in your destined countries. Let them do all you need to enjoy your travel either for business or holiday intentions. Let you follow this link and consult your travel agenda. Good luck and happy traveling.

Technorati Tags: Cheap Flights,International Flights,Travel.com.au

Anticipate A Bad Credit Loans

2008-02-17T03:21:00.000+07:00

Credit card becomes one of important tool for every people in current time. Moreover for those who was a high frequent traveling person or a dynamic person with many duties in several places. He should support his mobility with any kind of credit cards. But unfortunately, we often find out a bad credit offered by low trust provider. And this could make a ones sucked into a huge loans he could never anticipate.

In order to avoid such condition happened to you, it would be better if you look like what Badcreditoffers.Com suggests about such any offers. The company will serve you with all many resources on credit and loans information with which you could either compare or select which credit offers affordable for your stats. Not only comparing such offers you are allowed to know better what credit providers are giving you a bad credit loans. On helping you find out the best credit offers the company leads you to a good financial stats for a current time and future.

Technorati Tags: Bad Credits Loans,Bad Credits Offers,Annoying Credit Offers

Enjoy Playa de Carmen

2008-02-16T14:06:00.000+07:00

What do you see about Mexico? Exotic ! Many people would perhaps say the same word while we ask them about Mexico. The country serves people either many imaginations and impressions even we did not visit it. But how people figure the country on their imagination was a clear one. Mexico offer not only a natural sexy environment but likely they serve better for any tourist engagement. That is why Mexico is a popular travel destination for travelers from any country.

One of the best places to visit therein was Playa de Carmen. An exotic place located about 42 miles southern of Cancun. This place could be reached either with a public transportation like bus or taxi, it will take one a half hours from Cancun. Playa was a small village grew up rapidly in population for few years. It becomes a popular favorable place for European tourist.

Getting arrived in Playa you could find either condos or villas for rent. Let you find the best of Playa de Carmen villas which will double your impression to this beach rocky village. Other then, you could also find Playa de Carmen condo rentals while you get in there with your groups of travelers. And for any other intention let you look it from Playa de Carmen vacation rental which will help you find out your favorable places to stay in there.

It also will be better when you plan your trip to Playa with consult to the Cometoplaya.com, and surely they will help you prepare your special travel to Playa. Simply contact their staff and let them do everything for you. good luck and happy traveling.

Technorati Tags: Playa de Carmen,Condo fro Rentals,Playa de Carmen Vacation Rental

A Safety Playground for your Children

2008-02-12T00:35:00.000+07:00

Renovating a home will make us confused sometimes. Moreover, when we are talking about provide a small playground for our kids or children. It will take a time to talk especially when we describe the plan, then decide what kinds of playground equipment
will we put in either in back or front yards of our home. Will we put for example a swing sets and consequently will allow our children playing there. Or we choose another type of playing sets. This process will take time too much since we will define what kind of playground we will put for our children. We have calculate rigorously about how save it is, or we will also talk about how comfortable it is.

Confusing with such problem will make you late to make your appropriate schedules when will you start renovate your home. And, definitely, it will spend much more time. Why don’t you ask the expert to handle this kind of preliminary discussion and let them show up their expertise to help you defines. Simply talk to them and they will suggest many options to you. and remember that they will suggest as long as they help other describe, plan, and build the playground. Even they will suggest you with any swing sets or tire swing for your family playground. Feel free to find the through this link. Good Luck.

Or Maybe you need to know this cool book, let you find it.

King Of The Playground
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Read more about this book...

Technorati Tags: Safety Playground,Build A Safety Playground,Playground

Steel Material for Your Need

2008-02-09T23:01:00.000+07:00

Currently every building, moreover the highest ones, is using steel materials as a mean on their building process. This is not a current revolutionary on steel buildings style anymore. The use of steel has long history in this modern living moreover since people firstly imagine that metal building was hopefully could be exceed longer then hundreds years. And after that almost of every construction process must use steel as the main mean.

Currently, this such construction mode are familiar to every building construction process. From the beginning on the grounded step till the topping up level all involve steel materials. Other then a large scope of building the smaller ones also using steel as a main material, it was like build carports and other need of housing.

But did you know the good company which will serve you better on your steel buildings materials? One of the best I know to recommend was SteelMasterUsa. The company specialize steel and metal related material. With all their long record surely they could help you getting high quality steel or metal related materials. Simply contact their staff and let them take the duty to meet your all intentions.

They will also help you with an easy way to buy and order the materials. Feel free to find out their cool site through this link. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Steel Buildings,Metal Related Materials

Online Casino Review

2008-02-09T21:34:00.000+07:00

After talking a nice site to get many information on either Gaming or Casino, and now on I would like to write about a special online casino which will give you many sources of information on casino operators allow you to play better.

Imagine what you could do then when they are listing casino operators with amount up to 3000 online listing. It will be a good helping site for player to cut out the time spent in finding out the best online casino. The site was designated to help you all the player.

Not only with all amounted to thousands listing of operators the site also provides a detailed review of many aspects in the playing like score, bonuses offered by each operators, and many other. Surely with which you could do increase your playing rank better day by day. And after all, the site will also lead you to big bonuses and jackpots. Ok, let you check it out through this link, and Happy Gaming. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Online Casino Review,Casino Review,Casino Operators Lists

Online Gaming and Casino Review

2008-02-09T21:03:00.000+07:00

If you like gamming too much you must will always update your gaming information, software and many of other supporting things to your nice hobby. It will also apply to everyone who are playing casino. They will always be updating their playing information. As a hobby whether gaming or casino both are interesting for those who are playing and enjoying it. That is why I recommend you this online casino site which provides a large source of daily updated information relates to gaming and casino.

As a one of the best authoritative sites on Gaming and Casino the site will help you to much updating your list of playing, tournament, and also jackpot information. They are listing many top sites on it which are meet your need. They will also lead you to find out the best Best Online Casinos ,Casinos with best bonuses, and not least Most Voted Online Casinos. And above anything you will be updated by their reviews on many Gamming and Casino operators in many location. It will be a helping ones for you, isn’t it?

Let you access the site and you would find out many that I could say here. Happy Gamming and Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Online Gaming Reviews,Casino Review,Best Casino Operators

Nice Good Ink for Your Business

2008-02-09T09:40:00.000+07:00

Last week ago I met my colleague, the old ones, who works in one printing agency. He told me a sad story on spending too much cartridge in every week only for editing process. And easy to know what next, he loses some margin of company benefit. It could be a small thing, but worthy in managing one business especially in implementing a rigor management by calculating and accumulating small-thin benefit from every transaction made.

I feel guilty after hearing the story not because of anything but only because I could imagine that he will receive smaller revenue in each month. And it will affect his household budgeting too much. For I knew he has no other source of revenue to fulfill his household needs. Surely it must be a guilty thing for me. But after browsing here and there with searching a good ink cartridges I found a good information about such problem.

What do I found is? It was CarrotInk. The company specializes on serving any need on printing technological support. They have many source in ink cartridge like HP, Brother, Canon, and other ink cartridge for a high branded printer. For HP, for example, they will serve you with their hp ink cartridges. And hp c6656an ink cartridge is one of their best ink services.

With a wide coverage of service they will help much in providing ink cartridge for us. Just search up what ink affordable to your printers on their site and feel free to choose which one meet your need.

Surely with such helpful information i call back my friend and suggest him to book ink through Carrot Ink. I told him what will he can make with the good ink in his business about the benefit, cutting the budget to maximize benefits, and other thing I hope could help him find a better business. Really, I’m happy cause could do a small think helpful for other.

Technorati Tags: Ink Cartridge,Printing Business,Carrot Ink

On High-End Faxing Technology

2008-02-09T07:35:00.000+07:00

Handling a mass documenting services was always a tough to do for every company with a width stakeholders around the countryside. Moreover while those are using many difference means on faxing services. It would be hard to handle without any specialty either in technology or expertise. That is why in some extent a big company with nationwide rank stakeholders using a special technology on handling their faxing document.

One of the best company serve on faxing specialty was AxaCore which is located in San Diego, California. The company founded in 1996 with focusing on three key services including Fax agent, Scan Agent, and Xdoc. They cover not only an America-based client but cover a worldwide service either directly or through partners, OEM providers, and also direct selling.

How about faxing technological support they could do for your nationwide company? Don’t worry about since they will help you with many methods of faxing document like a fax server, fax over IP, or fax broadcast. Other then they also have a unique fax methode will help you more, that is Fax Blast. And for your worldwide partners, agents, vendor and other stakeholders they will serve you with a VoIP fax which allow to save your budget more.
With all their high end technological support surely you could drive your company to the top rank company worldwide. Simply follow this link to know better about the AxaCore, and Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Faxing Technology,Fax Broadcast,Fax Server

8 Theories For AdSense Fluctuations

2008-02-08T09:16:00.000+07:00

Google Adsense (GA) till now on is a one of the best PPC program many Blogger earn much revenue. It seems to be the one of the PPC Blogger favore too much. Unfortunately, not many Blogger

with good knowing about how it was. I pick this cool article hopefully we could learn much about GA. Happy Blogging.

@dmin

By Jason Lee Miller - Thu, 02/07/2008 - 5:28pm.

In brief: find another basket for your eggs

Recently, many web-publishers reported drastic drops in their Google AdSense earnings and offered up many theories as to why that occurred. The problem was reported in web forums, on popular SEO blogs, and in the comments section of the last WebProNews article on the subject. After all that, we've narrowed it down to 8 possible explanations.

In other words, we're closer, but not there yet. It could be innocent, accidental, natural, or orchestrated, but the majority of you seem to be reporting steep (and for some of you, I mean steep) drops in AdSense earnings. The Search Engine Roundtable poll mentioned last time grew to 135 respondents, and the percentages stayed the same: 55% are reporting decreases in earnings.

It could also be that angry people speak the loudest, but many seem pretty sane in their reporting, saying earnings are declining despite level page views and click-through rates.

But we're going to err on the side of the smaller guy, assume you're getting screwed by the big guy, and propose the most possible and/or likely reasons for that. Included with this assumption is that all of you are on the up-and-up with great content, great SEO, great business savvy, and have done everything right but still find yourselves victims of the corporate machine.

See how nice that is? Here goes.

It's the economy, stupid.

This explanation wins the Occam's Razor Award—i.e., the simplest explanation is the correct one. As the economy enters a slow-down period, many advertisers are trimming their budgets, decreasing how much they spend on branding-related advertising and redirecting those funds to more direct response ads, which would include AdWords.

One commentator noted the golden rule of the economy: It will fluctuate. This could be what's happening, and that fluctuation could be swelling on the political side of the content fence as Presidential primaries take center stage on the Information Highway.

Advice: Look into AdWords and improve organic SEO. Otherwise, wait it out like the rest of the economy.

Google got stingy with the AdSense real estate

During an increased focus on conversions rather than clicks and intensified efforts to combat click fraud, Google made AdSense ads more difficult to click. A few have reported that since "the clickable area" of ads was decreased, CTRs have also decreased. At the end of the day, the AdSense drop many publishers are experiencing is a direct result of Google's offensive against accidental clicks.

Google is another good company gone public

This is a more cynical, greed-driven, conspiracy explanation that may resonate with more distrustful element of the audience. You know how everything seems designed to make you pay more at the gas pump? Reports come out that $3.71 per gallon is the tipping point where Americans will drive less, oil is at record prices as companies collude on what to charge on a street-by-street level, and Exxon cites less supply while setting yet another quarterly profit record by pulling in $1,300 per second, and the oil profiteers in the White House hadn't seen any type of crisis on the horizon for the past 30 years.

Phew. Try to say all that in one breath. But the theory goes like that. Shareholders like profit.

So, between the third quarter 2007 and when the fourth quarter report came out last week, Google's stock plummeted from $747 to just a little over $500. No doubt they saw this coming well in advance of their earnings report and looked for ways of tightening things up earnings-wise. It's especially troubling for Google because not only do they control two-thirds of the search market and 75% of the search ad spend, they report consistent growth that would impress anybody, that would be calls for champagne for any company, except the analysts who expect more of them.

If so, it should make you feel better that they missed estimates anyway.

But as a part of that plan to maximize earnings, Google found a way to decrease what they paid out to publishers while increasing what they took in from advertisers. This would also help offset Google's recent moves against made-for-AdSense sites developed expressly for domain tasting, an action that costs Google a reported $3 million.

Admittedly though, when you're dealing in billions, a few million isn't much – unless you're trying to make estimates. But Google also reported a 30% increase in AdSense clicks over the fourth quarter 2006, and a 9% increase since the third quarter 2007. So over all, clicks are up.

Even though clicks are up, and revenues seem down for publishers, Google still reported a 34% increase in AdSense revenues over the same period last year and a 12% increase quarter-over-quarter. This is interesting because Google's traffic acquisition cost—the portion of revenue shared with Google AdSense partners—went up only 1%.

The short version: Clicks are up, revenues are up, amount shared with publishers is level.

Search clicks are better

One proposal says that Google is lowering the estimated value of content clicks in order to protect the value of search clicks, as advertisers shift from network ads to search ads in a slower economy.

You're being better-dealed

Not much explanation needed on this one. Google's making more money from big-name advertisers and big-name websites. Smart-pricing is hitting you hardest because you can't compete with international brands and websites with millions of page views. It also serves as a decent explanation for why Google is sharing the same amount of money with publishers while increasing clicks and revenues.

No fixed advertising contract means no fixed advertising pay-out

One theory is that Google is making deals with others (bigger, higher-budgeted companies) for fixed compensation while slowly increasing their take among AdSense publishers, who have little-to-no control over CPC, or even context. If you don't have a very specific deal with Google, they can pretty much do what they want.

Ad blindness and Firefox adoption is hurting you

This is an interesting theory because it is simple and plausible. People are ignoring ads at a higher rate, and this has been evidenced by eye-tracking studies, especially when the ads appear in the places they expect them to appear. But also there are ad-blocking programs available via the Firefox browser (and other browsers) that block ads altogether.

It may be that your visitors just can't see your ads, either by choice or by software.

Google needs a real competitor

Not only does Google run two-thirds of search, but also controls 75% of the search advertising spend. Yahoo gives them a run for their money in display ads, but nobody is even close to knocking the king off the hill.

If you were in that position, what would you do? Would you make it easier for publishers to make money while you made less? When there's no alternative, you can pretty much do what you want.

What we're left with

We're left with what we're always left with: the same as when webmasters lose ranking in the SERPs. If there's a sudden drop in search ranking, businesses are on the line, most often because the business is relying too much on Google. We could theorize all day, but if your entire business model is based on what Google can do for you, then your entire business model has a good chance of being sunk.

All your eggs + one basket = fail.

Technorati Tags: Googel Adsense,PPC Program

A High Quality Broadband Internet Service

2008-02-08T08:58:00.000+07:00

Currently internet becomes a vital need either for home, small business or other wide public sector industries to maximize results and productivities. Internet becomes mean tool in either in for home or workplace intentions. It allows us entering a borderless world wide stocking large of resources on every aspect of life. It also measures every entity’s readiness, either personal or institutional, entering a rapid growth of globalized eras.

Since it widely known that accessibility would determine ones ability to reach maximum gaining in every effort. That is why having a good broadband internet would be a helpful thing. A high speed broadband internet will allow us to do much more in wide network across country, but continent. It will make us interact easily with our long distance partner in other side of this wide world. But wait for while, the problem now on was how to find the best service on broadband internet? Who will serve us with the high quality connection in a good price?

For this best service you could try to contact BT.Com, a high rank company with a wide network of services. They will serve your reliable internet connection either for home, education, or business intentions. As a big corporate group covering wide range service, they will give you better then other provider. And now on, if you subscribe for their service early they will give you a good price, and remember that they will also give you a free hub as a bonus. Its free of charge. Just Hurry up and claim your free hub.

Technorati Tags: High Speed Broadband Internet,BT.Com,Free Hub

Give A Better Caring for Your Beloved Ones

2008-02-08T07:56:00.000+07:00

Today we often face many activities which are sucked us into a tremendous busy, either of our duty from workplace or of another business order. This condition will make us avoiding a frequent gathering with our beloved persons. And it could make us worried about them sometimes. some times we are worried about their health or another fulfilling need, especially the need of loving and caring.

In such condition nursing home would be an alternative for those who are busy and have no enough time to spend together with their beloved family member and worried about the carring. The nursing home often gives a better answer to us on carring our beloved family member, whether it is about carring for our child or our beloved elderly parent.

Currently one of the best good nursing home you need to know further is Bettercaring. They have a long time record and dedication all people would have to certify and believe in. They could prove that living in a nursing home is no means ending of social life since their long tested system reveals their staff totally learned much more from their experiences.

Do not take time too much for thinking while you are sucked into a huge of activities storm you away and have no time to spend with your elder mother or father. Let you ask Bettercaring and follow what they suggest on carring your elder beloved parent. Discuss widely with their pleasure high skilled staff and make yourself believe in what other took for their parent in carrying them to nursing home. Let you find out what they will do trough their usefull site, just find it here.

Technorati Tags: Nursing Home,Better Caring,Beloved Parrents

Adding Shopping Cart to Online Shop

2008-02-06T17:51:00.000+07:00

Let us talk again about how important is using shopping cart software while starting an online business. As I told before here in that I do suggest those who are starting an online selling business to use a shopping cart on their site. I also argue that it will help you building consumers trust. Through which consumer could easily either know how much your product prices and how they could pay for. Truly I say that this is a step building a consumer trust.

Other then, adding ecommerce software to the site you could target a broader consumer across nation. And it will drive much traffic to your online shop through which more people know your credentials in business. Because as known widely that credentiality is everything on building business trust, nevertheless you wouldn’t sell anything.

In short we could say while starting to build an online shop first thing to do is providing a good training for your frontliner staffs through whom the selling hopefully will go better. And the second to do was adding shopping cart software to your site. But, last for not least, play fairness in business. Good Luck !!!

Technorati Tags: Ecommerce Software,Shopping Cart software,Online Business

Starting an Online Business

2008-02-06T17:22:00.001+07:00

Acting as a consultant majoring on management could make me to interact with many people with any kind of activities and business backgrounds. And some of them ask me about how to build a worthy online business with all good record and trust, especially when they are selling their product.

As known before building an online business was always a difficult thing to do. We should promote much about our products that customer often say not real thing. They could access the product but never could touch it. And it could be a big matter on business, especially about building consumers trust.

I suggest them to use shopping cart software on their site through which consumer get their way to know further about the product we are selling. Using ecommerce software on selling product by online will also drive consumer trust. They could think our selling business is a truthful and trustworthy.

Other then, adding a shopping chart on our business site will enlarge our demographic target selling through which people from many countries will review our product. With all good service we give our online business site entering a consumer trust zone step by step.

Technorati Tags: Shopping Cart software,Shopping Cart,Ecommerce Software

Find Your Nice Game

2008-02-05T05:41:00.000+07:00

Like gaming too much and have no idea to play again? Why don’t you try to play at Partybingo. The site not only allows you finding out many gaming and bingo types which will break your bored gaming, they also makes a possibility to get a Jackpot that vary on every type of games. Visiting site you will find many options toward your hobby on gaming. Let you follow the paragraphs bellow. I would like trying to describe what perhaps you get in there.

Partybingo is a site licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar. They also stated that they are tested by an independent gaming tester iTech Labs to ensure that the games are fair and operate correctly. This statement asserts their position as a secure bingo games site which promotes a fairness playing game.

As an online bingo site, Partybingo allows their member to interact each other fulfilling their gaming passion. As a member you have a full access either play or winning the jackpot in every five minutes. You need only three steps; choose the game favors to you, open an account, and let you put your deposit. After then you have access to play your favorite bingo. Let you try finding out your game. Good luck.

Technorati Tags: Games,Nice Bingo

Exploring London

2008-02-05T04:36:00.000+07:00

How many did you visit London and how far do you know about this city and it relates beauty? Or let I ask you about how did you enjoy London while you traveling on to with your special beloved person, friend or your wife and or husband? In some extent many visit London either for their study, diplomatic, or business intentions. But not many of them whose exploring about visiting London for spending their romance moment such like honeymoon, wedding anniversary or any re-building relation romance.

The city is a complete compounding city offers not only the luxury of ancient monarchy traces in modern fashion, it also allow people exploring many of its potential nature. You could enjoy London for your special romance with a special beloved person. You could choose Central London Hotels to stay in for several days allowing you taking around the city. Other then you could also find the luxury of London Victoria Hotels. Simply contact Cheaperthanhotels staff and they will help with all pleasure.

Another good hotel I could recommend was London Piccadilly Hotels which will make you enjoy your trip. With a closed location to the every side of city you could also try find out what London City Hotels can offer you. and remember that Cheaperthanhotels will make you easy to book the hotel which allow you pay when you are arriving. Good luck and enjoy your travel.

Technorati Tags: London Hotels,Cheap Hotels,Beauty of London

A Good Real Estate for Your Business

2008-02-02T11:30:00.000+07:00

A good or bad growing in business sometimes will make people searching any other options to optimize their business gaining. Because of reaching the top gaining is a tough for some location, either because of the place, or because of the limitation of old place which could not again compiling the running of growing business.

Anticipating the growth of business and accommodating the need of including such dynamic running business you maybe think to move your head station of your business. While you were in America you could trying to find out how nationalrelocation could help you with their rich resource and information.

Nationalrelocation is a mover and real estate company which will help you finding a good location to move. They also have much information about real estate zone which compete your need and classification. Perhaps you like to do business in Arizona, you could trying to find a good building in Arizona real estate zone.

Whether you would like to move your business to Austin you could also call them to inform you with Austin real estate. Ask their staff stocking much real estate information in Austin with all your criteria and requirements. Other than you may think to move to Atlanta while you think that Atlanta will give much challenge to do business. Looking a good place in Atlanta you could try finding out Atlanta real estate which served by NationalRelocation.

Technorati Tags: National Relocation,Atlanta Real Estate,Arizona Real Estate

Smorty, A Smart Blogging

2008-02-01T04:01:00.000+07:00

Have you been imagine that many sites will pay you to blog about anything you like. Sure, that is my experience for few months ago. Firstly I am trying to monetize my Blogging post with many Pay Per Click (PPC) program like Google Adsense (GA) and other source of program. But after about more than 5 months configuring these some program I was disappointed since my earning not exceed then 33.00 dollars. It is because of the traffic of my blog was too little. Wish that it will be better for the following next months.

But, how about paid for blogging progam which will allow us to earn money from our post? That the next question I face that time. After browsing here and there, finally I found a good alternate site that will allow you blog for money. This program focus on selling an advertiser request on reviewing of their product. The advertiser will pay us vary in amount for our review, usually from 6 dollars to hundreds.

One of good program allow blogger get paid for blogging was Smorty. They will pay us 6 dollars to hundreds according to our blog rank to their measurement. Smorty will lead us to monetize our blog activity. And indeed it was an alternate nice blog for money, especially for a newbie like me. Interest to try, let you go trough this link and good luck. Happy Blogging.

Technorati Tags: Get Paid for Blogging,Blog for Money,Smorty,Smart Blogging

Top USA Online Casino Review

2008-02-01T03:35:00.000+07:00

If you like playing Casino too much or perhaps you favor this game while you spend a vacant time. Or maybe you play Casino for money, aren’t you? In accordance to your orientation on playing Casino you need much more resources updating your knowledge. Especially on review of every Casino services, their bonus, the rules and so on.

Finding a complete review on Online Casino operators is a hard thing. You should browse here and there in order completing the review of each operator. And this will make you spend much time to do. Don’t waste your time on hunting review information. Let you save it for your casino playing.

Let you visit a Top USA Online Casinos which will serve you all review information about online and gambling casino operators. The site will help you find which strategy will lead you to win. They also will enrich you will all Prominent Casino Player knowledge. Let you find the complete review on USA Online Casino operators. Just click trough this link and you would be there, Top USA Online Casinos review site.

Technorati Tags: Online Casino Review

Enjoy Living in Hawaii

2008-01-31T12:28:00.000+07:00

Feeling bored with your current living home and imagining a move on to an exotic zone like Hawaii? Why not? Perhaps it is a good planning for your future. With all good circumstances, Hawaii real estate is a god choice either for business or homing intentions. Make your finger familiar with huge resources on real estate listing updated time by time provided by Hawaii real estate agents.

Not end with their resources, the site make a selling and buying activities in all pleasurable sense. You will enjoy browse and select which type of home you want to buy, compare the price and also calculate the rate in simple way. Just state your type of home and they will make you know more then allow you find many options affordable to you.

Beside that, the site will also help you finding Hawaii homes for sale. Let you choose your type of home which will make you comfortable. Close to many school locations, the home will make you and your family enjoying many living fashion there. Entering this zone you will find many new experience f enjoying living style then ever. The zone with a prestige and favorable living a one should imagine about. Let you find your favorable home.

Technorati Tags: Home sweet Home,Enjoy Living

Easy Money from the Internet?!

2008-01-28T07:37:00.000+07:00

This morning, after a huge of long not sleeping night, trying to find out any resources relating on domain parking know-how i found a cool nice article wrote by TH0R, one of Indonesia SEO Expert, titled Easy Money From Internet?!. Other then a nice writing logic on the article, within which i also found a nice link to dollar.

Let you read it completely, and follow the nice link to dollar.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process of increasing the traffic quantity and/or quality of some specific website(s) from search engine, through the search result of some specific keyword(s).

Google is the leading player, major player, biggest and most popular search engine, which also affect the success rate of some Online/Internet Marketing (Also known by some people as Easy Money from the Internet). The greater numbers of your websites’ links to be displayed on Google’s result and the more links you’ve got on the 1st page of Google’s Result page(s), can also mean the more money will you get into your very own pocket(s).

There are thousands of topics discussing about the SEO techniques - Which also involved quite a lot of Internet/Online Marketing master(s). Those topics (direct/indirectly) creates some myths regarding to Google and perhaps some other search engine. In this very own book, Jonathan Leger reveals all the truth behind those myths - And reveal some ultimate tricks on how to defeat those myths and makes even more money out of it. These are the myths:

   1. Myth #1 - Google knows all and sees all.
   2. Myth #2 - Google will not rank Duplicate Contents.
   3. Myth #3 - You must get links from related subject sites to rank.
   4. Myth #4 - Your site must focus on one subject to rank.
   5. Myth #5 - High page rank means good rankings.
   6. Myth #6 - To maintain good ranking, you must add new contents.
   7. Myth #7 (Greatest Myth) - Having a very good ranks on Google is HELL DIFFICULT.

Those myths are revealed on Jonathan Leger’s book with all the tricks to makes even more money from Google. The ebook can be downloaded for FREE!

Click here to download the ebook! It’s for free!

There will be no payment and/or charges for downloading the ebook. You guys can even makes money by advertising the ebook - of course you need to download and register there first, before you can earn money out of it.

How to download:

   1. It’s easy - First of all you just need to put your first name and email on the bottom of the page.
   2. A validation email will be sent to your inbox (Please check your bulk mail if you are using free email provider such as hotmail, yahoo and gmail).
   3. Click the link given on the validation mail. You then will then received new email which contain the link to the download section.
   4. There will be promotion page when you click the link to the download section. The page can be abandoned, whatsoever you like, just go to the download section straight away by clicking the link at the bottom of the promotion page.
   5. You can also gain the referal URL there by clicking on ‘Earn $$$’ button.

Personally saying, the book is simply awesome. Have a good time reading, implementing, and earning money out of it. Lawl.

If You do not find the link, try click here.

Technorati Tags: Easy Money Online,SEO Tutorials,Earn Dollar,Nice Link to Dollar,Money,Dollar

Choose Your Best Home Lighting

2008-01-27T07:56:00.000+07:00

Lighting system always be a mirror of our spirits and psychological condition, that the olds often says for a long ago. Because of a shinning home will reflect the spirit of the owner which could sound happiness, openness and also truthfulness. That is why some people put the best lighting to their home. Beside mirroring a spirit conditions, light fixtures will also reflect owner sense of art. The more beautiful the home lighting, the more comfortable people to stay

Getting better in home lighting we could also find out what Farreys will give us. The company has many home lighting and chandeliers which will help you choose the best for your home. They have bathroom light fixtures for your beautiful bathroom lighting and decoration. They also could help you with a set of kitchen light fixtures allow you to make up your kitchen better. Then for your waiting room they will lead you finding a set of ceiling light fixtures make your main room looks beautiful.

With their long record, Farreys will serve you all best for your light fixtures with many models of light and chandeliers. Just try to call them and surely you will get your best choice.

Technorati Tags: Lighting services,Light Fixtures,Home Lighting

Shopwiki for Your Baby

2008-01-27T07:23:00.000+07:00

In some extent caring a baby could make a one confused at much. Moreover when we are as a parent are busy in our working place or office. It could make us worry how to give the best caring without any disturbance to our work. Cause the two, the baby and our working activities, were everything in our life. We couldn’t enjoy life without these two things.

That is not to hard to understand why sometimes people, mostly woman as a mother, sometimes bring their baby into their workplaces. Even it is not always good for preserving our workplace circumstances, friends in work, or our principal there. But really this is the real life we face in this life, with all of joys and sadness. What do you think about…?? Hehem.

Doing so we should know what is baby carrier, bags or toddlers match for our baby. Even it is for car carrier intention or walking one. For the first intention you could trying to use Car Seats, then for the second let you enjoy using Strollers. Other thing you would be in need while caring a baby were Bags and Carriers, Health and Hygiene sets of utilities, and also Toys for the baby. Think that it were not enough let you find out from this cool site. Good luck.

Technorati Tags: Shopwiki,Baby Caring,Strodlers

THE DOLLAR WAY

2008-01-24T09:30:00.000+07:00

For a month ago i was trying optimize on a review program wtih all hope to make money from blogging activities. and the results was not too bad. Can you imagine that me, I myself, which is a newbie in blogging could reach more than 400 dollars from such program.

How did i can reach that all? let me show you how it is possible for a newbie like me. firts of all before i join in a review program i was trying monetize my blogging activities with such program like Google Adsense that is apply pay per click (ppc) etc in their program. and after about two or three months I was disappointed while I check out my account and found that my account not exceed than 30 dollars. It is not easy to monetize blogging activity for a newbie like me.

But, after browsing for much time I found many resources that allow blogger earn money from their blog posts. “But how is it possible to me?” that’s my question for the first time I join. Spending much then two months I let my account empty since I do not know what I could do for earning money. Without any reference truely I couldn’t make anything for money in my Blogging activity. But after finding a such post review about one advertiser, I found my way, I called it “the dollar way” he he, somelike busway…ha?

And after about a month enrolling this program, I check my account. Its amazing since I earn more than 400 dollars in a single month period. Don’t you interest with? He he. Check the cool post, and follow the link to sign up. You could choose many of site that will lead you to THE DOLLAR WAY I mentioned before. Let you try and good luck. For a assistance, let you sign up as my referral, and surely I will make some helps for you here. Thanks.

Technorati Tags: Smart Blogging,Make money Online,Blog Money Making

Indahnya Hidup

2008-01-24T06:38:00.001+07:00

Indah sekali rasanya menjalani hidup dengan menjadi bagian dari sebuah semangat untuk selalu menjadikan bumi yang kita pijak ini lebih baik. tentulah sebuah hal yang mengharukan. bagaimana tidak? saat banyak pihak khawatir dengan nasib bumi yang makin panas dan renta ini, masih ada orang-orang yang dengan penghayatannya sendiri melakukan hal-hal kecil namun berguna untuk tetap menjaga bumi ini menghijau. dan merekalah para petani yang senantiasa mengggantungkan hidup mereka dari suburnya tanah, hijaunya tetanaman, dan tentu terpeliharanya lingkungan.

Apakah mereka pernah gelisah denga "pengrusakan" yang dilakukan oleh begitu banyak corporates yang menjarah negeri ini? sepertinya tidak. mereka tetaplah manusia-manusia berbudi mulia yang tanpa pamrih bekerja untuk tanah dan ladang mereka, dan tentu juga untuk cucu-cucu mereka kelak. mereka ingin wariskan sesuatu yang tentu tetap baik, berguna, dan meskipun itu sederhana.

sebuah penghayatan akan pentingnya menjaga kelstarian alam, tanpa harus peduli apakah hal-hal yang mereka lakukan dicover oleh media laksana para pejabat biasa melakukannya, ataukah melaporakknya pada agency tertentu laksana para "penggiat berbayar" dan yang lainnya. satu motivasi yang tentu harus kita hormati, muliakan dan santuni keberlangsungannya. sungguh indah kiranya jika kita bisa berbagi meskipun itu dengan hal-hal kecil yang kadang terlupa dari haru-biru obrolan politik pagi hari kita, orang-orang yang tinggal di perkotaan. mari mencoba melakukan hal yang baik untuk bumi ini, meskipun itu hal yang kecil. bukankah hal-hal besar berawal dari hal-hal yang kecil....????

BadCreditOffer.com

2008-01-24T06:08:00.000+07:00

In some extent people sucked into bad condition of their payday circulation, and mostly people running a credit appraisal anticipating the condition. Actually getting a credit appraisal for any intentions is not a bad thing. Because of credit will help people accelerate their money circulation, moreover while getting trapped in a gap.

But following the credit growth in marketplace people should be careful to find the best credit affordable for them. This anticipation is always need while we in effort to avoid a bad credit offers. That is will be useful while we know much more resources on credit offers, especially the bad ones.

One of the good resources on credit growing was Badcreditoffer.com. The site circulate many resources on credit offers, know-how on getting credit, and also how to know which credit is bad and will trap you in deep debt condition. Enriched with many resources the site will lead you knowing better about credit and know-how on it.

They will make you aware more about credit, the status, the cycles of credit, and also how its reports stand. Knowing the resources will lead you find the best credit affordable for you, even it is for personal loans, auto loans, or home loans.

Visiting Gran Canaria

2008-01-24T05:42:00.000+07:00

Gran Canaria was a beautiful place for vacation in Spain. It was an Atlantic Ocean part Located at about 210 kilometers from the northwest coast of Africa. Divided in to two, southern and northern, the zones have their specialty. The northern part is a zone which is tended to cooler with lack of rainy season, while a southern part is a sunny and warmer zone with a much rainy season.

With almost two million average visitors this place was the most popular destination for travel, especially among European Tourist. More of them like to visit the southern part of the islands with their cool weather. This side served many bird parks naturally conserved which will make every visitor enjoy the pleasures much more.

Visiting this place you could easy stay at one of Gran Canaria Hotels that will served for you by Cheaperthanhotels Spain. Perhaps you will continue making trip to Tenerife islands you could also stay at the good hotel offered by this company. They will give you one of a good hotel likes favorable from Tenerife Hotels. other then, you could also stay at Playa Del Ingles Hotels or Playa de las Americas Hotels if you like American taste.

Traveling to Gran Canaria will lead you enjoying the best panorama than ever. With 32 natural protected spaces, this zone will make you experiencing a difference taste. You could enjoy the natural Bird Park that offers you much bird genus. These bird will sing natural songs for you all entire the day.

Technorati Tags: Travelocity,Gran Canaria,Spain Travel Routes

A Good Insurance Progam

2008-01-21T16:32:00.000+07:00

What do you think about insurance will affect your psychological aspect, especially for your children? Or what do you see about a home insurance for your family?

Talking about insurance could be tough for some extent. It is about how we think many about our long time family life after we resign from our workplaces. It is also about making sure our children schooling, our home security, or our car.

In many cases, a one took many times thinking about assuring their car, home or family life because of the rate insurance company quotes. Many insurance providers quote amount that very high according to individual standard of salary. And this is the mean problem cause a one often thinking too much about enrolling into insurance program.

Despite of this problem insurance still important for our life, especially in making our life goes securely after resigning from our workplace. That is why getting into life insurance is still a good idea about providing our family assuring. Relating to this problem it will be fine if we also think about car insurance to secure our goods.

One of a good insurance provider is nationalrelocation. They offer many packages of insurance which will allow you to have your own choice. Just call them to help you.

Technorati Tags: Life Insurance Program,Insurance Program

Find a Good Tripods for Your Camera

2008-01-19T12:00:00.000+07:00

What is your hobby, traveling, watching movie, or reading a novels? What do you see about photography? It could be an expensive hobby, what do you think about? You agree with me?

Yups, photography is unique and interesting hobby. This will lead people to not only save many pictures, audio or not, documentation which could make everybody impressed by. Unfortunately this hobby affordable for those with much money, cause means to it are very expensive. You could imagine how much do you will spend for your good cameras, handy cam and other utilities like tripods, gadget to save photographic results, and many and many.

This expense is always meet people curiosity to lead them to the long time history recorded on pictures or video. Pictures will make you remember a long long day you travel to special place, with your special friend, girl or boyfriend. Yeah it is all about recording a nostalgic story in a unique way.

For those with advance skill on photography tripod is a vital mean supporting their work on recording many golden moments. And one of good is gitzo tripods. This will serve your work better. With many variations on the series gitzo tripods allow you to chooce which one affordable and comfortable for your working on photography. Want to know further, just visit their site, http://wize.com/tripods/brand!Gitzo.

Technorati Tags: Gitzo Tripods,Photographic Means

Get Loan for Education?

2008-01-19T10:52:00.000+07:00

You got passed from your high school level education and planning to reach your degree at university level? You want it at all, but you have no enough saving money to get it? Don’t be worry about. You still have many choices for your future. Never think that you will end your education just because you have no money. Education is the most important thing will lead you to get better on your future life. Remember it.

Don’t you ever hear about Student Loan Consolidation, they will help you find certain soft loans for your education accomplishment? Try finding Nextstudent.com, then try to consult to them your problem. Just say what really you need, and their staff will feed you with all good information useful for you. You could also make your Private Student Loans, while you need it.

Getting Student Loan Consolidation will allow you to think further about your education and surely about your better future. This will make your parents happy with which you will help them with a breaktrough in such hard economic condition they face. This will make you and your parent find a path way to your better future. Cause education is means to any of your future planning.

Technorati Tags: Education Loans,Student Loan Consolidation

Taste Nightlife Stay in Spain

2008-01-19T10:09:00.000+07:00

Have you ever visit Madrid and Barcelona for a few years ago? What do you find about these two legendaries cities in Spain? Did you ever see what Catalonia will give you when you are there? A great experience, isn’t it?

Yeah, Madrid, Barcelona and Catalonia are the most visit Spain cities. With all their modernist style buildings, parks, mansions and also enriched with almost old Europe cultural attractions and leisures activities they could impress you more than other city. But what do you see about nightlifes there?

Just find out La Ramblas Hoteles or Ramblas Hotels and you will see many street performers get act there with all flower and pet stalls, or you could get sit relax on your hotel room and mingle with the people of Barcelona passing by. And surely they will impress you more than ever. But how could you get to the place?

Take it easy, Cheaperthanhotels will help you reach the place. With just 15 Kilometers from the Airport you will enjoy panorama early. Other then, they will also helping you to find another Madrid Hoteles while you make a trip to Madrid. Doing so, while you get to Barcelona you could choose one of Barcelona Hoteles. And remember that all those places were very active nightlife compound place. You could enjoy a long night stay up until the sun rise at the morning.

With all those nightlife impressions they offer, will you leave it away without any stay?

Technorati Tags: Nightlife,Barcelona Hotels,Madrid Hotels,La Rambla

Maintaining Your Mailbox

2008-01-15T07:00:00.000+07:00

Handling mailboxes in big scope communication could seizure our energy too much. Without having such experiences we will never do our business well. Many people, in some extent, trifle post office employee which is working on delivering either mails or packages. But knowing how did complex the task would make people stopping their minor views, since the task is a complex way of working.

It is about how to handle delivering package, in any kinds, safely to the destination addressed and also about maintaining how secure are the package will be delivered. Relating to such problem mailboxixchange.com has many experiences for a long record of good working on how could deliver such package safely to the targeted address.

With all their records the company not only offer a delivery services, rather they also offer a security mailboxes service either for residential or office intentions. The service sells a locking mailboxes system which will allow people receive their package on a safe way. Without having confused by security mailbox of your home address you will interface with other in a safe system while company will help you providing a locking mailbox for you. They offer either a single mailbox or multi-mailboxes service which will meet your needs for your home or office. Try call them to help you, and Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Locking Mailboxes,Security Mailboxes

Buy Gold on bullionvault.com

2008-01-15T06:19:00.000+07:00

For some people possessing gold was a symbol of richness which will drive a unique social prestige. Many rich peoples got racing into gold hunting but nations in early colonialism periods. They could spend many of their capitals to do so. What really interesting about gold is in recent times?

Following economic turbulence on the world scope, gold price strains up day by day. And saving a wealthy asset on gold bullion transaction was an amazing stand. You would never need to work hardly managing your asset, rather than buying gold which is safely maintained on a high save in a selection of international vaults in safe cities in many countries including London, New York or Switzerland.

Differs than few years ago, recently Gold has doubled in value over the past 5 years to $800/oz, as the world economy strains under the excessive using of dollars, and other currencies in international trading. That is why inventing a little part of wealthy, for rich persons, on god bullion could be an interesting business with low risk.

Supporting with an online method of selling and buying investing money on buying gold could be the easiest way to double richness scale, without having many things to do after. Riding away on climbing up the gold prices you will never lose your money even a cent. Let you check how the price of gold bullion could talk about much to you. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Gold Bullion,Buying Gold,Safety Gold,Investation

Need a HDTV? try secondact.com

2008-01-14T00:40:00.000+07:00

Bored with your old small TV screen and want the bigger ones? Or maybe you need a set of home audio completing your TV which will meet your family member need to entertain themselves in your house? Don’t you try to find what you want out there in your electronic merchandiser. How do they offer the price? Surely, you must need a lower price for your need of electronics goods. That’s everyone actually whish, don’t you?

Let me show you how you find a suitable price which meets your budget. Just go to SecondAct and their staff will guide you finding what goods you need. They were an authorized dealer of many branded electronics goods like Samsung, Toshiba, Denon, JVC, Hitachi and more. Founded in 2003 they focused on HDTVs supplier.

But why they will give you the lower price than other? Because they focused on sourcing closeouts, overstocks, and even factory refurbished merchandise. That’s why they will always give you a better offer with a complete warranty factory. They guarantee with an in-home warranty.

But how could you reach them? Simply visit their site by this link, and you will find out what you need. Hurry up and you will a Great Deal of the Day, a sale package which run 24 our period and changes every 7 am. Happy hunting and Good luck.

Book Your Airport Hotel

2008-01-12T09:23:00.000+07:00

When you travel to Australia how easy you reach your hotel for staying in there? Don’t you ever try to stay in the airport hotel in Australia while you get into your business activity nearing airport area. This offer worth many for those whose activities were much in many cities in Australia. You can book your Sydney Airport Hotels when you have a little time to do. But who can help you booking this service of hotel? Don’t you try about cheaperthanhotels.com.au which will lead you to the best Airport hotel when you arrived to Sydney.

Other than Sydney, you could also find Melbourne Airport Hotels just a moment you arrived to Melbourne for your business intentions. Booking hotel services early could save your expensive time to do. And it is good for your business. Let you try calling Cheperthanhotels as soon as you plan to travel to Australia. They not only give you the best hotels, but actually they could give you a special discount price.

If you go to Brisbane you also book your hotel from this company. Talk to them which hotel you need. You can also get your room in Brisbane Airport Hotels for special price they could offer to you.

Doing so, when you travel to Auckland for some reasons, you could book your Auckland Airport Hotels early when you decide to travel to. Booking early your hotel services will save either your time and your money. Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Airport Hotels in Ausie,Cheap Hotels,Australia Hotels

Caribbean Vacations

2008-01-08T08:17:00.000+07:00

Did you know who will serve you while you are traveling to the Caribbean Islands? You remember that you have neither family or nor friend there. It makes you confusing and tough nevertheless you are quickly to decide whether you will take your Caribbean vacations or not. Avoiding not to confused you could cancel your plan. But it could be disappoints you too much, since you lose your amazing vacations experience that no amount of money can buy.

It would be better when you find Bahamas vacation rentals then say to them what is your obligation before you go vacations. They will help you with a lot of resources and information about home to stay or resident rental there. Also, they will show you where is the good choose to go in Bahama. Full with their exotic spot your Bahama trip must be amazing in any side. It could be the unforgettable memories that no amount of money can buy.

Beside above mentioned rentals, in Caribbeans islands you could also visit other popular exotic spot with the help of Cayman Islands vacation rentals. They will help you plan your vacations with any happiness and joys. Don’t be confused with things about villas or residential rentals, condo, etc..etc…you just only need to call them, describe your plan, and their staff will take you to the unforgettable memories of vacations.

Technorati Tags: Caribbean Vacation,Bahama,Cayman Islands

Ply Poker Online

2008-01-08T02:55:00.000+07:00

If you enjoy online gaming you must know online poker. One of the favorable games many people like playing an online gaming. Poker is a well-known gaming which many people usually playing it in many circumstances. Whether it is played in online or offline way poker is always favorable for many people. Being play poker in online version could be interesting things, doing so the offline version could also offers many to the players.

Don’t you ever know about a prolific resource to know about online poker? Why don’t you visit this cool resources, named flopturnriver.com.

Within which you could get your Full Tilt referral code that allows you to play FullTilt Bonus with a free of charge, named No Deposit Bonus. This is a Full Tilt referral code which will you get there.

Other that bonus and referrals code, flopturnriver.com could also feed you with a high level strategy of playing. You could choose which one is better for you; either FullTilt Poker strategy, Free-flop Strategy, or maybe you like a Half Stack Buy-in strategy.

As big resource on poker information, this site will also offer you much more information that shall meet your hobby and pleasure. Just try finding out your self, and get your Ultimate Bet bonus code Good luck…!!!

Technorati Tags: Poker Game,Pocker Strategy,Playing Pocker

You Like Playing Poker?

2008-01-05T11:23:00.000+07:00

Poker is a popular game in the world, either in real playing or computer-based game playing. Many know about this game and play it in many condition. Basically in real playing mode poker gathered about 2-4 persons to play. Differ to this real mode playing is the computer-based playing which offered by macpokeronline.com.

This last mode playing not only offers playing game as it is. But they serve many to play. You also may know how poker competition gathers many from entire the world. Mac Poker is the best resource you found. Other then, Mac Poker will also has many. Just to name what Mac Poker could give you where; Pacific Poker, Party Poker and also Fulltilt Poker. Further if you want such kind of bonus they will give you both Poker Bonus and Online Casino Bonus.

Better than other, as nowadays many sites offer about online gaming but unexpectedly much of them were SCAM, this site offer you choice. Let you care and be aware about. Stay tune on your playing not to make it as huge scams to your computer. Just play and you will get what you want there.

Technorati Tags: Poker Game,Online Gaming

Enjoy Paris Arts and Luxuries

2008-01-03T08:51:00.001+07:00

Have you ever visit Paris before? What do you see about this world’s leading city in business and culture center? As one of the world center city, Paris has a unique character mostly in culture. With many legacies of the long periods ago, Paris has many interesting things. Experiencing Paris will make someone to taste the great Europe in last decades. The period of Luxuries of Europe from two to three centuries ago. One could also say that Paris is the heart of Europe that time. And the legacy of this period will amaze everyone visit Paris recent days.

Visiting Paris for a short time could make everyone disappointed, because it is too short period to enjoy the too many Paris impressions. Some say "too beautifull to leave Paris Shortly." Doing so, it could be better when you are visiting Paris and stay for a several days there. You can choose where to stay in. Many Paris Hôtels could serve you with all the best to enjoy this city. Just call hotelsenfrancais.com and they will serve what you need.

This company has cooperated with many hotel and accommodation providers not only in France, but also in entire Europe like Spain, Dutch on other country. Stay in Paris Hotels will allow you to enjoy the impression of entire Paris. From the Paris Hotels Then you could enjoy Paris by walking in the morning, visiting many museums and art galleries, etc..etc.

Technorati Tags: Paris Hotels

Easy Hotel with Cheaperthanhotels

2008-01-02T02:23:00.000+07:00

Do you enjoy your travel to Rome and Italy during the 2007 Season’s Greeting last days ago? Hope it sounds great as a special end year travel to you. How about the hotel and accommodation services, do you enjoy? I do hope so.

But why you didn’t tell me while you applying your travel. I could show you what the hotels provider that could serve you any better than other. You just stay at your chair in your office, and they will make your hotel booked fully for you. Not only that, you could also enjoy their discount in this special season.

The company will also feed you with the best information about several destination there. Where the travelers are usually would stay when they want to stay close to the Vatican City, for some extent, you could choose one of rome hotels. The company will help you with all pleasures. Just say where you would like to stay in Italy. You would like to close to the Famous Monuments there, say it clearly and they will choose one of italy hotels for you.

Or what hotel you need in Rome? Would like to close to The Colosseum, or Trevi Fountain? Even you would like to enjoy The Cathedral of Milan, Leonardo da Vinci Museum, Castello Sforzesco at the Milan City, you only tell them one of milan hotels. And they will make it easy for you. Doing so while you would like enjoy Venice, just choose one of venice hotels and they will make it for you.

Just click this link, and find out what you all need to know further. Enjoy your travel, and Good Luck.

Technorati Tags: Rome,Venice,Milan

Enjoy Travel with Easytobook

2008-01-02T01:37:00.000+07:00

Want to travel to Europe this session? Or want to enjoy the luxury of Venice in Italy, or Barcelona in Spain? Don’t worry, just say your travel schedule and roadmap to Easytobook. They will always be with you to help. Especially things that relates to your accommodation need. Whether it is you travel to Italy, Spain or French. They will make your accommodation in easy way. Stay at your chair on your office, and let them make your accommodation full booked for you.

This company, Easytobook, has many clients around the world. Especially, those with high travel rank either to Europe, America and another continent. Joining with several hotel and accommodation providers, they could make you enjoy your travel without any annoying things about hotels booking, accommodation panic or other.

Where will you go right now? You want the luxury of Prague, just say to them, and choose what hotels you want there. Or maybe you will make an additional travel to Rome, London, or Dublin. Make them busy for you and they will realize with all pleasures. Even you will to travel to New York after these series of travel, they will make it easy for you. Tell them clearly, choose the hotels, and enjoy your travel. That is what you do all.

Technorati Tags: Easytobook Hotels,Prague Hotels,New York Hotels,Dublin Hotels,London Hotels

Self Defense for Your Children

2007-12-31T01:43:00.000+07:00

Recent days our life develop much more quickly, and then the complexity of social problems have already arisen rapidly. This development seemingly reached level and tension without any precedence before in history.

Of which complexity of the growth we ever find troubles challenge us on how cover up our family from that challenges. Some of those challenges were sometimes endanger our children too much. Imagine that children kidnapping will always be the risky things challenge our family while their way out of home even to school or any other public squares.

For those reasons preparing such self defense training for children would be mean matters for them. This training will help them know better about how making a self defense while their way-outing to school or other. Close Combat Training is one of provider of such self defense training which will help you find the better for your children. As a World Leader In Self Defense the company had many modules visible to the children.

Their mission is spreading the truth about martial arts because of many often look this martial art and self defense with a negative view and also to restore the martial arts and self defense industry to its former position of respect in the community. The company was founded with a large of experiences of Captain Chris' Close Combat who dedicated his life to put martial art and self defense in the right view. With his bug of experiences your children will learn much from their teaching systems. Just follow this link to know it better. Good Luck and let’s safe our children with the skills of self defense. God Bless Us.

Technorati Tags: Martial art,Self defense,Close Combat Training

On Securing Family Futures

2007-12-29T12:53:00.000+07:00

How you love your family? What really you prepare for their futures? Their studies, housing, or healthy life. Or maybe you think that you could cover their needs in all your life, even when you are old.

No one that’s not love their family. That is the fact in this life. But what kind of love ever stimulate many debates? What really we think is about how we debate each other about our family carrying and loving measurements. What we will talk about is how we manifest our carrying, loving and also anticipating the futures of our family; the children, their schools etc..etc. Moreover when we are growing aged and retired up from our jobs.

Talking about life is always interesting, so does how we care about. But talking about how we prepare the futures is a tough thing. Nonetheless we should think about these kinds of problems, we can avoid doing that.

Actually, securing future life of our children is not tough ones. Is all about getting the best life insurance services, which will cover our family’s needs on studies, health or other. Either saving our life, insurance allow us to save our revenues. If this is the fact, why don’t you try to Save Money on Insurance. Within which you could enjoy many types of Insurance Quoting Services.

One of the best in insurance was advantagetermlife. They have many of services which helps you choose the visible one to your family. They will show you types of Insurance Quotes, whether it is Online Insurance Policy or other.

The company also will offer you with their Life Family Plan Premium for your Family Insurance. Or maybe you want your employee insurance, why don’t you try Employee Benefit Package that’s will show you what Corporate Insurance Plans for Employers.

With all their experiences they will help you make such planning on securing your family futures. Let you have their contact, just click here.

Technorati Tags: Insurance Quoting Services,Advantage term life

Enjoy Ireland with Cheaperthanhotels.co.uk

2007-12-29T12:14:00.000+07:00

Have you ever experienced with a journey to Ireland? What you imagine about this country? Or you should know The Corrs, a well known band in the world that reached many top chart for their hits and albums. How could you taste a dynamic rhythmic on their music? Its a very dynamic, doesn’t it?

This dynamic rhythm of their music is not detached from their own home country, Ireland. The Corrs sings many of their own spirits and got popular in many neighboring countries. Ireland was known as a dynamic country with any complexity. That’s what The Corrs reveals in their songs and albums. Don’t you ever think to make travel to Ireland and know further how dynamic the country was? Or you would know how Dublin could impress you with their enchantments.

When Stay in Ireland, you can book what Cheaperthanhotels.co.uk with many of Ireland Hotels. They offer many level of hotels with all cheaper than other. And surely they could make your travel be enjoyed. Just, fascinate with their services. You could know what Dublin Hotels will they give to you on their best services and let you enjoy many attractions in Cork Festival. You can stay in Cork Hotels while you you will also find many interesting things there.

After enjoying Dublin you could also make a small trip to Belfast, the second city in Ireland. Choose one of the Belfast Hotels, find out which one better for you, then enjoy making around trip. Let you know how this the fourth city in UK can give you?

Technorati Tags: Ireland,Dublin,Belfast,Cork Festivals

Kepemimpinan untuk Kesejahteraan

2007-12-08T04:24:00.001+07:00

Technorati Tags: Kepemimpinan nasional,kesejahteraan rakyat,Politik,Keyakinan masyarakat

Judul diatas bisa jadi sangat klasik bagi beberapa orang. yah, klasik. karena ia mengingatkan pada cita-cita yang seolah-olah muluk untuk terwujud di negeri ini. atau bagi teman-teman di Yogjakarta judul di atas bisa jadi mengingatkan janji Sinuhun Dalem Sultan Hamengku Buwono yang mengawali Lenggahan Dalem dengan sebuah Pidato "Tahta untuk Rakyat".

Sekali lagi klasik memang, karena memang di negeri ini kita susah sekali memegangi kata-kata para elite baik pemerintaha, parlemen, ataupun partai politik. tidak perlu disebut disini satu persatu bagaimana perkataan itu dideklarasikan, karena pasti akan memenuhi ruang maya ini. namun hampir semua orang dewasa di Republik ini mengalami hal yang relatif sama. susah memegangi janji para elite. baik saat kampanye, maupun saat mereka menjabat dan memiliki kewenangan melakukan banyak hal untuk merubah keadaan.

Persoalannya, apakah segala "klasisme" atau kebosanan tersebut memperbaiki keadaan? atau apakah pasrah dan menunggu nasib akan memperbaiki nasib anak-anak kita di masa depan. tentulah tidak. sebab Tuhanpun telah mendeklarasikan bahwa nasib satu kaum sangat bergantung pada usaha mereka untuk mengubah keadaan. dan itu artinya soal hidup ini, hampir sepenuhnya menjadi kuasa kita. yah, baik ataukah buruk semuanya bergantung pada usaha manusia, yah kalopun tersisa jangan-jangan tak lebih dari 25% yang menjadi hak Tuhan. [btw ini pendapat pribadi, tidak ditujukan untuk kampanye ataupun merubah keyakinan. jadi yang berpendapat sama, lebih baik mencari argumen sendiri, dan satu saat kalo harus mempertanggungjawabkan juga sendiri-sendirikan? he he he]

Kembali ke judul di atas tentang korelasi kepemimpinan dan kesejahteraan bisa jadi kita akan mengernyitkan dahi. "apa ya mungkin, di Republik yang sudah kadung begini rusak ini, perbaikan bisa dilakukan?" Jangan-jangan para pemimpinpun sudah tidak lagi punya asa yang cukup untuk memikirkannya. bisa jadi karena banyaknya persoalan yang harus diselesaikan, atau barangkali juga karena kebingungan harus memilih mana yang mustinya dilakukan terlebih dahulu. maklumlah, dengan 17.000 lebih pulau, luas NKRI ini tentu bukanlah kecil. atau dengan 200 sekian juta rakyat yang harus makan, tentu juga bukan hal kecil untuk dipikirkan, apalagi dilakukan.

Soalnya adalah, masih adakah tersisa keinginan di benak para elite pemimpin negeri ini untuk mengupayakannya? thats the big deal !!! bukan semata kerumitan perdebatan tentang teori negara kesejahteraan (welfare state) yang telah lama dikritik oleh para pesohor kapitalisme yang saat ini berkuasa di banyak rezim dunia, tapi juga soal-soal yang lebih praktikal pasti juga menyulitkan.

Persoalan praktikal? yah....day-to-day politics di negeri ini cenderung menjauh dari apa yang ada dalam denyut nadi hidup masyarakat kita. indikasinya apa? gampang saja. jika anda tinggal di jakarta, atau sempat ke jakarta, mampirlah ke senayan. dan disana anda akan tahu apa yang sedang rame dibicarakan oleh para anggota DPR yang terhormat. jangan di rapat resminya, cobalah nguping saja obrolan-obrolan informal di antara mereka, atau lebih gampangnya tanyalah para wartawan politik yang nongkrong saban hari disana, pasti mereka akan menceritakan banyak hal dai apa yang ada di permukaan.

Atau jika tidak ke senayan, datang sajalah ke balaikota, tempat Gubernur ngantor. apa yang kira-kira menjadi concern keseharian para pejabat gubernuran hari-hari ini? pasti anda akan mendapat gambaran lebih lengkap lagi disana. tidak percaya, coba ajalah datang sendiri. ini sih bukan riset, dan pasti tidak bisa memenuhi standar ilmiah di negeri ini yang memang keilmiahan seringkali diukur dari obyektivitas. ilmiah itu ya berjarak dengan obyek (kenyataan), kira-kira gitu simplenya. [he he gila kali....gimana mungkin mengharapkan lahir teori yang applicable kalo berjarak yah...ada-ada saja memang aturan akademis kita ini. ilmiah kok gk membumi. he he he]

Tapi lepas dari semua kekesalan, keraguan, kebosanan, atau ketidakpercayaan pada para elite itu sebetulnya satu hal yang harus tetap tertanam dalam hati setiap pribadi adalah keyakinan tentang masih adanya masa depan yang lebih baik, asal saja...............[ini garis bawah tebalnya].........kita secara-bersama-sama menginginkannya, kemudian menguasahakannya secara bersama-sama. lewat partai? yah itu soal lain lagilah.....tapi yang penting keyakinan itu tidak boleh mati. sebab jika keyakinan tentang hal itu mati, pasti kondisinya akan lebih parahkan.

bagaimana tidak parah, jika keacuhan tentang hidup sudah menggejala, dan harus berjalin dengan ketidakpatuhan yang umum sudah lama menggejala, apa tidak saling jarah nantinya. ngeri nggak seh........................?????

Short of Funds, G.O.P. Recruits the Rich to Run

2007-12-04T06:13:00.001+07:00

Technorati Tags: american politics,candidates stand

By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Published: November 26, 2007

Alexander Treadwell, left, of New York and Francisco Canseco of Texas have both spent freely on their campaigns for the House.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 — Confronting an enormous fund-raising gap with Democrats, Republican Party officials are aggressively recruiting wealthy candidates who can spend large sums of their own money to finance their Congressional races, party officials say.

At this point, strategists for the National Republican Congressional Committee have enlisted wealthy candidates to run in at least a dozen competitive Congressional districts nationwide, particularly those where Democrats are finishing their first term and are thus considered most vulnerable. They say more are on the way.

These wealthy Republicans have each already invested $100,000 to $1 million of their own money to finance their campaigns, according to campaign finance disclosure reports and interviews with party strategists. Experts say that is a large amount for this early in the cycle.

In New York’s 20th Congressional District, in the Albany area, Alexander Treadwell, an independently wealthy former State Republican Party chairman, has invested more than $320,000 of his money in a race that Republicans predict will cost each candidate at least $3 million.

While Mr. Treadwell, the grandson of a founding executive of General Electric, plans to raise money from donors, he has privately told party officials that he is ready to invest more of his money to unseat Representative Kirsten Gillibrand, a freshman Democrat, Republicans close to him said.

Ken Spain, a spokesman for the House Republicans’ campaign committee, said that the recruiting effort has made the party more competitive heading into the elections.

“We have been very fortunate in our recruiting efforts,” he said. “There will be a number of credible Republican challengers running for Congress next year that happen to have access to personal financial resources. They are in position to run strong, well-financed grass-roots campaigns next year in some of our top targeted districts.”

But Democrats, who have been closely monitoring the Republican millionaires, assert that the recruiting underscores the Republicans’ financial weakness since they lost control of Congress in 2006.

The most recent figures show that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has raised $56.6 million and has $29.2 million at its disposal. By contrast, the National Republican Congressional Committee has raised $40.7 million with a cash balance of $2.5 million.

That is a striking turnabout for the Republicans, who have outraised the Democrats by considerable margins for years. As recently as 2006, the Republican Congressional campaign committee raised $40 million more than its Democratic counterpart, $179.5 million to $139.9 million.

“National Republicans are in disarray, forcing them to recruit inexperienced and unprepared self-funders,” said Doug Thornell, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Self-financed, deep-pocketed Congressional candidates are nothing new for either party, and the Democrats have their own share for 2008. But the Democrats do not have a concerted campaign to find such candidates, they say, while the Republicans describe the recruitment of these candidates as central to their plan for the 2008 elections.

There were 14 Republicans who had already contributed at least $100,000 to their own campaigns, compared with nine at the same point in the 2005-6 election cycle, according to an analysis of campaign finance reports and interviews with strategists. (One of those candidates is an incumbent and one recently dropped out.) Republicans say they are in discussions with other wealthy potential candidates, but declined to say how many. In particular, party leaders are targeting Democrats from districts that President Bush won in 2004.

Party strategists note that a 2002 rule known as the millionaires’ amendment has tended to discourage wealthy candidates from pouring large sums into their own campaigns early on. The rule raises campaign contribution ceilings to candidates whose opponents spend large amounts of their own money.

The Republican recruiting process typically starts with party strategists identifying wealthy contributors, businessmen or individuals who have helped finance their own races in the past. Party officials then try to provide extra help developing strategies and finding consultants and staff.

Earlier this year, Republican strategists seeking a candidate for the Eighth Congressional District in Illinois met with Steve Greenberg, a wealthy businessman who was thinking about running for the United States Senate against Senator Richard J. Durbin, a Democrat.

Over several meetings at the party’s headquarters in Washington, those strategists showed Mr. Greenberg charts and maps of the district’s demographic and voting patterns to make the case that he could unseat the two-term Democratic incumbent, Representative Melissa Bean.

The pitch worked: Mr. Greenberg, who owns Herr’s Pacific, a chain of stores that sell art supplies and craft materials, entered the race, telling party leaders that he was willing to spend his own money to run the campaign, party officials said.

National party strategists have not made any endorsements, because some of the candidates face primary challenges. Other wealthy Republican candidates who have been privately wooed include James D. Oberweis, an Illinois dairy magnate who is seeking to replace Representative J. Dennis Hastert, the former House speaker, who is retiring; Mike Erickson, a business executive seeking to unseat Representative Darlene Hooley, an Oregon Democrat; and Ed Tinsley, the owner of a restaurant franchiser, who is running for an open House seat in New Mexico.

Some senior Republicans, frustrated with what they describe as anemic fund-raising by the party’s House campaign committee, say that luring wealthy candidates is no easy fix, as it does not guarantee victory. “I’ve seen many a rich guy blow cash and still not become a member of Congress,” said one top House Republican, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not want to be seen as criticizing his colleagues.

This Republican and others argued that ready access to large sums of money was no substitute for a candidate with the personal qualities and political assets needed to meet the demands of a modern campaign, from an unflappable manner on the trail to an established network of allies and supporters.

In fact, past elections show that candidates who spend large sums of their own money frequently end up losing. In 2006, for example, only 2 of the 10 candidates who spent the most of their own money on their own races for House seats won the elections, according to an analysis of finance records and election results.

The potential limitations of relying on candidates whose most conspicuous asset is money were on display last week when a millionaire expected to pour his own money into a Congressional bid in the suburbs north of New York City abruptly dropped out of the running.

The candidate, Andrew M. Saul, a vice chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, quit the race after disclosures that he had raised money from real estate executives seeking business from the agency. Democrats say Mr. Saul’s aborted campaign shows the inexperience of the Republicans’ wealthy recruits.

But in a campaign when Democrats are trying to expand their majority, some Republicans argue that candidates able to tap personal fortunes may, at the very least, help put some Democratic incumbents on the defensive and thereby tie up money party leaders might otherwise spend challenging Republican incumbents.

“Democrats have cause for concern,” Mr. Spain said. “Not only are these candidates well-funded. But they are running full-blown campaign operations that are already putting them on the defensive.”

Indeed, in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District, in the San Antonio area, for example, Francisco Canseco, a wealthy businessman known as Quico, has invested more than $700,000 of his own money in his campaign. He has hired a staff, including a pollster, media consultants and fund-raisers, and has already begun running television advertisements, including during the San Antonio Spurs’ N.B.A. playoff and championship games last June.

Democrats, in turn, dispatched the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to Texas to headline a fund-raising event for the district’s first-term Democratic incumbent, Representative Ciro D. Rodriguez, who has $600,000 in his campaign war chest.

Todd Smith, a top adviser to Mr. Canseco, says that the Republican candidate’s willingness to bankroll his campaign allows him to reach out to voters earlier than other candidates, who must instead court donors.

“Quico’s investment has given us an opportunity to put a full-scale campaign operation in place,” he said. “Right now, you have Congressional candidates around the country meeting with donors just to get the funds necessary to run.”

Candidates Offer Different Views on Energy Policy

2007-12-04T06:10:00.001+07:00

Technorati Tags: american politics,energy policy,candidates stand

By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
Published: November 28, 2007

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 — As oil prices flirt with record highs, hovering around $95 a barrel on Tuesday, the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are offering few quick fixes but profoundly different long-term approaches to energy policy.

Over the next decade or two, the differences could have a major effect on billions of dollars in government spending, on the relative prices of gasoline versus renewable fuels and on the efficiency of American cars and trucks.

For Democrats, the goal of energy policy is largely about reducing oil consumption and has become inseparable from the goal of reducing the risk of climate change.

For the Republican candidates, energy policy is primarily about producing more energy at home — more oil and gas drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; more use of American coal to produce liquid fuel; and, as with Democrats, more renewable fuels like ethanol.

By contrast, all of the Democratic candidates would repeal billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil companies, spend billions more each year to develop alternative fuels, and require cars and trucks to be far more fuel-efficient.

Indeed, most of the Democratic rivals are proposing plans that are more aggressive than the bills that Democratic leaders in Congress are hoping to pass before year-end. The disparity raises questions about whether the candidates’ plans are politically realistic. The candidates, however, are quietly acknowledging limits to what they can offer in the way of immediate relief, aside from putting more money into a program that helps low-income people with the cost of heating oil.

“There are no short-term solutions,” said Leo Hindery, the chief economic adviser to John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina who has positioned himself to the populist left of his principal Democratic rivals.

The Republican contenders, maintaining the traditional conservative approach of relying on market forces, are much more reluctant to impose change through restrictions on oil and coal or mandates for alternative fuels.

“The truth is that the answer to high prices is high prices,” said R. Glenn Hubbard, a top economic adviser to Mitt Romney, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts. “This is one area where the public expects more from politicians than politicians can deliver.”

To be sure, the party contrasts are muddled in some areas.

Among the Democrats, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois supports the development of coal-based “clean” liquid fuels — an idea that grates on many environmentalists who see coal as a major contributor to global warming. Senator Obama also is open to government support for nuclear power while Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has said she is agnostic on the issue.

Within the G.O.P. group, Senator John McCain of Arizona has broken with the Republican orthodoxy on increasing energy production. Senator McCain repeatedly opposed oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a top goal for both President Bush and Republican leaders in Congress.

Likewise, Senator McCain and Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, are the only Republican candidates to support mandatory limits on emissions of greenhouse gases. Mr. Huckabee, who has positioned himself as a standard-bearer for social conservatives and Christian evangelicals, recently called action on climate change a “moral issue.”

Manik Roy, a lobbyist for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, said the Republican candidates may be more divided than they appear about controlling greenhouse emissions.

Mr. Romney, for example, said he opposed government restrictions. As governor of Massachusetts, he stayed out of a regional “cap and trade” plan by Northeastern states to impose ceilings on emissions by electric utilities and let companies trade their emission allowances.

But shortly after he made that decision, his state regulators imposed their own restrictions on such emissions.

For consumers, the precise effects are difficult to predict. Democratic mandates to sharply increase the use of renewable fuels could initially lead to higher prices at the gas pump, much as the mandate to blend ethanol into gasoline contributed to higher prices in 2005.

But over time, a large expansion of biofuels could both reduce their own production costs and put downward pressure on oil prices. Much would depend on how fast new technologies, like ellulosic ethanol, become practical on a large scale.

The Republican proposals to expand domestic oil and gas drilling could damp oil prices, though not for at least five years because of the long lead times to discover and develop new reserves. Likewise, Republican support for coal-based liquid diesel fuel could eventually drive down prices for gasoline. But without expensive and still unperfected technology to capture carbon dioxide, such liquids would increase the production of carbon dioxide, which most scientists say would aggravate global warming.

At the same time, Republican proposals to encourage more oil and gas drilling, and the candidates’ reluctance to require lower greenhouse emissions, could boomerang by prolonging what President Bush has called the nation’s addiction to oil.

Though they differ on the details, the Democrats all closely link the goals of “energy independence” and slowing global warming.

Most of them would create a cap-and-trade program, under which the government would set a ceiling on carbon emissions and require companies that burn fossil fuels to bid for carbon permits through an auction. The ceilings would be steadily lowered over the coming decades, with a goal of reducing carbon emissions as much as 80 percent below current volumes.

But for Republicans, energy policy is quite separate from the issue of climate change — and some of the candidates have been skeptical that global warming needs to be addressed.

The Republican candidates have mostly been silent about repealing tax breaks for oil companies. Though all the candidates support investment in biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel (Iowa, after all, dominates the early primary race in both parties), most of the Republicans oppose mandatory restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions that would effectively penalize the use of oil and coal.

In a written response to questions about his energy positions, Mr. Romney said on Friday that “now is not the right time to raise taxes on our oil companies” and expressed doubt about requirements to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

“While it is likely that human activity is contributing to climate change, I am not sure how much, or what we can do to significantly reduce or reverse this effect,” Mr. Romney wrote. Any new mandates for renewable fuels should be “a collaborative effort between industry, scientists, and the agriculture and energy communities.”

By contrast, the leading Democratic presidential candidates have jumped ahead of their own colleagues in Congress — possibly too far ahead to be politically realistic.

In Congress, for example, Democratic leaders have coalesced behind a cap-and-trade proposal under which the government would initially give away about half the carbon-emission allotments to the factories and electric utilities that would need them, granting them a large subsidy to help pay for future investments. But most of the Democratic candidates insist that companies should bid for all the allotments in an auction and pay for them, which would raise much more money for the government.

The Democratic candidates are also running ahead of their counterparts in Congress on fuel economy. The Senate recently passed a bill that would increase the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2017. The current requirement is 27.5 miles per gallon for cars and 21.3 miles per gallon for pickups, sport utility vehicles and minivans.

Most of the Democratic candidates would go much further. Senator Clinton says she would require 40 miles per gallon by 2020 and 55 miles per gallon by 2030. Mr. Edwards favors 40 miles per gallon by 2016, and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico wants to push to achieve 50 miles per gallon by 2020.

But those requirements could be impossible to pass. In the House, Democrats from Michigan and other car-producing states strenuously oppose even the Senate’s comparatively modest plan. After months of stalemate, House and Senate Democrats are close to agreeing on a compromise before Christmas.

Mencoba XLGPRS 200K/Bulan....

2007-11-12T05:48:00.000+07:00

seorang teman memberitahu saya bahwa untuk kebutuhan koneksi tanpa henti; dimanapun, kapanpun, dan selama apapun maka XLGPRS merupakan pilihan paling tepat. bagaimana tidak? XL menyediakan paket 200 ribu perbulan unlimited.

begitu kira-kira provokasi itu saya terima di kebagusan minggu kemarin. dengan dilengkapi sedikit demo produk, sayapun akhirnya tertarik untuk mencoba layanan yang menurut saya "ruar biasa" ini. dan teman tersebut kemudian memberikan XPLOR stater pack yang masih bersegel kepada saya.

sayangnya, kartu tersebut gak bisa langsung aktif layanan GPRSnya tadi, tapi dia sudah langsung kring. jadi meski tertarik sayapun tidak bisa langsung membuktikan kehebatan produk besutan excelcomindo ini. dan terpaksa sayapun melipatnya kembali dan menyimpannya di dalam tas.

setelah beberapa hari melupakannya, saat sabtu sore di rumah saya teringat kembali dengan paket tersebut, dan dengan isengpun saya mencoba koneksi menggunakan kartu xplor saya via PDA, lancar.....mulus....dan setelah saya check tidak mempengaruhi tagihan. "wah sudah active nih gprsnya," begitu pikir saya. sayapun kemudian berpikir bagaimana mensetting PDA saya sebagai modem untuk koneksi ke laptop. tapi alamaaaaaaaaaaaaaak.........................!!!! kok ya gak juga berhasil.

dengan gerutu yang kadang terdengar sayapun kembali mengotak-atik PDA saya, browsing dan macam-macam. sayapun iseng googleing untuk mencari panduan setting koneksi PDA via bluetooth........dan sebentar saja si om pinter ini (google.com) memandu saya ke halaman yang benar-benar saya butuhkan. (btw, terima kasih google yah..............he he he).

so gimana speednya? ehm.....yah sedang dicoba ini......he he he

Questioning theocratic caliphate

2007-08-25T17:26:00.000+07:00

Nurrohman, Bandung

After discussions on political Islam with caliphate activists on and off my campus, I've got the impression that their ideal caliphate system is still the same as that described by EIJ Rosenthal in his book Islam in the Modern National State -- that sovereignty belongs to God and authority is vested in the khalifa as the vicegerent of the prophet, the messenger of Allah.

It is the duty of the caliph to implement sharia to defend the faith against heresy and the faithful against attack, and to ensure their ability to live by the prescriptions of sharia and thus attain happiness in this world and in the hereafter.

If it is translated into a state constitution the formulation will be close to Iran's constitution: All legislation for the administration of society will revolve around the Koran and Sunnah. Accordingly, the exercise of meticulous and earnest supervision by just, pious and committed scholars of Islam is an absolute necessity.

In the caliphate system it is the elites, rather than people, who represent God's absolute power. Therefore, in criticizing this system, Khaled Abou El-Fadl, in his book Rebellion and Violence in Islamic Law, said that while Muslims in general, arguably, are God's viceroys on this earth (khulafa fi al-ard), it is the rulers and jurists who traditionally have enjoyed the power to speak for the divine law.

So if the caliphate will be reestablished in Muslim countries the challenges might come not only from non-Muslims but also from Muslims themselves who believe that a democratic and secular or at least neutral state would be more suitable and better for them.

However, the two traditional duties of the caliphate, harasatu al-din (protecting religion) and siyasatu al-dunya (managing the world) might be still relevant if their application is adjusted to the current demand. Harasatu al-din in the current context should be translated into protecting religion in its broader meaning, not merely the religion of the mainstream, which means that every religion or sect has the right to exist and must be protected.

Meanwhile siyasatu al-dunya should be understood as the effort to establish a world order based on peace, equality, justice and welfare for all.

The caliphate should be based on principles agreed upon by all elements in society, as exemplified by the prophet Muhammad through Madina charter. It should be focused on systems rather than figures.

But considering the spirit of nationalism embedded in the heart of every Muslim in various nations, the idea to establish the caliphate as the sole theocratic political system for Muslims in the world is unrealistic if not utopian.

Since the Koran is polyphonic in nature, and since everyone has the inner power that can illuminate from within no one deserves a monopoly on understanding the Koran. In religious matters, the problem faced by Muslims is how they can respect each other by keeping unity in diversity and by leaving the final decision to God.

The main problem faced by Muslim countries in worldly matters is the low quality of human resources, which in turn produce unemployment, poverty and dependency. Muslims, especially in Indonesia, need concrete answers to their economic difficulties not merely political rhetoric such as dengan khilafah hidup menjadi berkah (by the caliphate the life will be blessed). Muslims as well as well non-Muslims should work together to create a better world order.

In discussion with fellow non-Muslims it is difficult to answer when they ask me to show them an example of a sharia state that has successfully brought welfare and social justice to its people. Speaking frankly, I dare not point to Saudi Arabia, Iran or Pakistan as examples of the good governance mandated by Islamic political ideals.

In a democratic atmosphere, it is the right of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia to promote the caliphate, but it also the right of others to criticizes the content of this concept, particularly that which has no relevance the current situation.

The writer is a lecturer at the Department of Law and Sharia at Bandung State Islamic University. He also manages the Institute for Study and Human Resource Development in Bandung, West Java.

Iraqi bloggers at home and abroad

2007-08-25T16:58:00.000+07:00

Iraqi bloggers at home and abroad

Several of the Iraqi bloggers featured in previous roundups have left the country.Here's a snapshot of some of those still writing from inside Iraq - and some of those who have left.This page contains links to external websites which are not subject to the usual BBC editorial controls.

neurotic-iraqi-wife.blogspot.com

Neurotic Iraqi Wife is an Iraqi-British woman living and working in the Green Zone. Here's her blog on the most important recent event: Iraq's victory over Saudi Arabia in football's Asian Cup.

Monday, 30 July 2007:

As our team scored its goal, we all started jumping up and down. They all got up from their chairs screaming, shouting, dancing, singing. It was amazing. I cried, I cried for it was extremely emotional. One of the US generals also joined the celebrations.

...It was nice to see everyone enjoying the moment. Everyone, without any exceptions.

In a war-torn country filled with rivers of blood and streets of charred flesh, it was as if God was smiling on us again.

How I wish I was in the Red Zone. How I wish I was amidst all this. The Green Zone came alive, and so did the rest of the country.

nabilsblog.blogspot.com

The victory was a rare chance for Iraq's many refugees to forget the violence that drove them out of their country. Nabil is 19. He left Baghdad and arrived in Jordan last month.

Monday, 30 July

You should have seen what happened here in Amman. All the Iraqis went out to the streets in their cars carrying Iraqi flags and singing Iraqi songs, especially the song "Elyoum yomak ya batal", which means "Today is your day, you are a hero".

The feeling we had today will never be forgotten, Iraqis here were all united, there weren't Sunni or Shiite or Kurdish people, they were all Iraqis, just Iraqis.

Saudi people were the best, I really respected them today, they went out in their cars carrying Iraqi flags that said "Iraqi... Iraqi... you deserve it".

It was really a very happy day but the bad thing was the response of the Jordanian authorities.

They started stopping cars and taking Iraqi flags from people. They arrested several people and beat up several guys.

livesstrong.blogspot.com

Sunshine is a 15-year-old girl in Mosul, northern Iraq. For her, the football euphoria wore off too fast.

Friday, 10 August

After we won the game , I hoped that the coming days and months would be peaceful and we would live happily ever after!

The situation now is not good at all... last Thursday, Mama came back from her work, and said three mortars fell on the hospital, there were injured and dead people. It was a horrible day. While she was talking to me about her bad day, her Mom called and said "Aunt Nazly died".

Aunt Nazly's brother came to my grandparents to tell them about his sister. He was shocked and in denial...

They don't have close relatives here, they came from Armenia so many years ago, and both of them are not married.

Grandpa started to call the churches, he didn't find any presbyter, or monk; all of them had been threatened and had left Iraq.

Luckily, Grandma found a 75-year-old female relative. She came after a few hours with a young monk. He took Aunt Nazly alone, to the Armenian cemetery in Baquba.

This fabulous woman who dedicated her life to serving the community and was loved by everyone, didn't have the funeral she deserved. She was a nurse and had saved many souls.

[They find her elderly brother died later that day].

Berg and Nazly were my grandparents' neighbours for more than 40 years, so it was very hard for them to lose them both in one day.

The neighbours who kept cooking and taking care of them before they died were Muslims (Sunnis and Shiites) as well as Christians. What you hear about the fight among the castes is not true, the citizens don't do that (only the politicians as I believe).

PLEASE the last thing I need is someone to argue with me and tell me the war is for our own good, because I live in Iraq and I can tell you, we had a better life...

astarfrommosul.blogspot.com

"Aunt Najma" is also in Mosul. She is 19 and has sailed through her first year university exams. She describes the family holiday to Syria.

Saturday, 4 August 2007:

It was fun there, especially meeting my aunt and uncle's families who have been living in the United Arab Emirates and have come to Syria to see us.

We were six different families. Four stayed in one apartment, and the other two in another.

We saw the celebrations of our triumph in football... The celebrations were very big. People carrying Iraqi flags walked in the streets shouting and singing and kissing the flag. It almost made me cry. It felt like winning would solve it all, we'd finally get to be happy and live like other people, but it wasn't the case of course.

...The thought of coming back to Iraq didn't seem too depressing for me when we were in Aleppo. I had spent two weeks in Syria and missed my laptop, mobile, bed and bathroom really badly.

...The road to Mosul and the first few neighbourhoods were devastated: ruins everywhere, the walls of the houses had way too many bullet holes, there were the remains of bombed-out cars and the street was very damaged. Yet all I wanted was to get home.

last-of-iraqis.blogspot.com

Mohammed is a 25-year-old dentist in Baghdad. His attempt at a summer holiday was less successful; he and his wife were denied entry to Jordan. He describes their 24 hours in Amman's Queen Alia International Airport.

Thursday, 9 August 2007:

... an officer came to us and told us that we weren't going to enter Amman. He spoke in a most humiliating way, and walked off. I tried to talk to him but he closed the door in my face.

I was so angry at the way he treated us. We are locked in a small room now, and my wife is scared of enclosed places.

... After an hour of my wife crying... another humiliating officer talked to us like we were dogs. "Get the hell out of here, and go to that room," he pointed. We saw a dirty corridor with blankets and 3 small rooms. "You will sleep the night here."

He pushed all of us and locked the door. I wanted to kill him for humiliating us.

Why does everyone treat Iraqis like this? We are humans, we aren't aliens, we are not animals to be put in jail for no crime.

twentyfourstepstoliberty.blogspot.com

Sunday, 5 August 2007:

The situation in Iraq has become so violent and out of control that the government is not even trying to cover it up.

Iraqis have become such an unwanted breed around the world that the prime minister himself felt no shame admitting it that he gave the members of the Iraqi National Team diplomatic passport to reward them for winning the Asian Cup.

It is clear evidence and a huge slap in the face for average Iraqis that the PM publicly rewards the "Lions of Mesopotamia" by giving them the freedom to travel.

Did it occur to the Iraqi government that the red passports holders are never coming back to Iraq?

What HT didn't tell us about the Indonesian Conference

2007-08-25T16:23:00.000+07:00

Hizb-ut-Tahrir Strategy and the Caliphate Conference in Indonesia
By: NOMAN HANIF
Published: August 15, 2007

On the 12th of August, 2007, the transnational Islamic movement, Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT), staged in Jakarta, Indonesia, what is undeniably the largest conference ever held on the subject of 'reviving the Caliphate'. The conference was the biggest in a series of events organised on the same subject in many different international locations. An estimated 80,000 people attended the event at the HGelora Bung Karno Stadium, with invited speakers from HT around the world, as well as Indonesian personalities such as television icon Abdullah Gymnastier, former Muhammadiya head, Prof. Amin Rais, Ma'ruf Hussein from Nahdlatul Ulama, including its board chairman, Din Syamsuddin, current leader of Muhammadiyah, Habib Riziq Shihab, General Chairman of the Islam Defending Front, FPI and Zainuddin MZ (Reform Star Party, PBR). On the day however two of the HT speakers, Imran Wahid from the UK and Sheikh Ismail Al Wahwah from Australia were banned entry into Indonesia. Whilst other speakers such as Abu Bakr Bashir, leader of Gemaa Islamiya, who was cleared of the Bali bombings by the Indonesian courts was according to some media reports requested to stay away by the police, citing security concerns. Hence, most of the speakers for varying reasons were unable to attend.

However, despite the inevitable euphoria created by HT, searching questions have arisen as regards the political circumstances surrounding the Indonesian Caliphate conference and the strategy of HT. This is because despite the big bang approach, HT is still a newcomer onto the Indonesian public scene yet on paper represents a clear and present danger to the stability of the Indonesian regime and Western security in the region. Despite this it seems that HT has been given the green light by the Indonesian government, the armed forces, the government sponsored Council of Ulema, co-opted by the Indonesian Islamic movements and allowed free reign without Western pressure. This article endeavours to understand some of the reasons for this perplexing political landscape by situating the conference within the context of contemporary HT strategy.

No Longer Arabian Knights

The conference in Indonesia forms part of a continuum of change in strategy by HT away from the Arab world. This is despite the fact that according to its literature, the Arab world forms the priority location for the establishment of the Caliphate. This position was firmly adhered to under its founder Sheikh Taqiudine-an-Nabhani until his death in 1977. According to Nabhani, the Arab countries were natural and necessary support points because of the historical strength of Islam in the region, the linguistic qualities of the Arabic language (it being the language of Islam and the Koran) and what he defined as the leadership characteristics inherent in the nature of the Arab people. Nabhani recognised the need for some activity outside of the Arab zone, but only from the point of expansion, not establishment. With Jordan as the hub, extensive work was targeted in Syria, Iraq and Egypt amongst others. Military coups were attempted in these countries during the 60's and 70's. Nabhani demonstrated no interest in establishing a presence in the Western world despite the presence of HT members in the West as students and asylum seekers. This position seems to have undergone a radical change under the leadership of his successor Abdul Qadeem Zaloom, who rode the wave of Islamic political revival instigated by the events of Iran in 1979. Under Zaloom, HT unsuccessfully approached Khomeini for support to transform the Iranian sentiment into a Caliphate. Bearing in mind the Iranian Shia doctrine, its Safavid history of hostility towards the Sunni world and its underlying Persian pride, the rejection by Khomeini would have been inevitable. The trend under Zaloom to focus away from the Arab world continued with success and expansion in Central Asia as a result of a vacuum following the collapse of the Soviet Union and with further moves into Pakistan and Bangladesh. The HT presence in the West evolved rapidly with branches in the UK, Australia, Germany, Holland, Russia and Denmark. The UK's co-option of HT for its own policy aims allowed it to develop a base for its global media. Indonesia, being the largest Muslim populated country was naturally warm to HT as an Islamist movement because of its unique history of having responded to the expansion of the historical Islamic Caliphate in allowing conquest through invitation. Yet despite this geographical expansion by HT, the Arab world remains elusive to it with its presence and influence in the core countries of the Middle East next to negligible. With no effort being afforded to focus on the Arab world and instead a monumental push the spotlight onto outside regions, the question arises as to whether there has been an unwritten strategy which has moved away from what was adopted by Nabhani. Indonesia represents the ideal model to evaluate this point. HT in Indonesia does not suffer the hallmarks of repression as in the case of Central Asia and thus inevitably provides a more fertile environment for its activity. Also as the case of Iran and the consistent calls for support amongst the armed forces in Pakistan and elsewhere demonstrate, the seeking of power in the absence of a party presence or leadership of society does not seem to be an obstacle for HT in the post-Nabhani era.

Bandwagoning to Power

In fact the post-Nabhani leadership has moved away from the dogmatic exclusivity of approach and instead embraced a co-operative process in the form of bandwagoning on the influence of other movements. The pre-occupation with the media and with continuous conferences and demonstrations outside of the Arab zone despite its lack of presence in society is indicative of a failure to build a popular base in the Arab countries and a leadership for its movement. Despite HT's failure in what it terms as the stage of interaction within which the leadership for its thoughts and movements is required as a pre-requisite to seizing power, no attempt has been made to scale back its position. Instead, its members insist that it remains in the process of seeking 'nusrah'(support for power) and that the general sentiments of the 'ummah' (Islamic nation) for Islam are sufficient to seize power. By adopting these vague criteria for mass leadership, HT has effectively abandoned the interactive stage of its methodology through which it envisioned exclusive leadership for the thoughts and the movement. In order to bypass building the popular base, HT has been forced to co-opt popular movements for legitimacy and through media spin promote the term of the Caliphate as a populist concern. The Indonesian Conference forms a perfect example to illustrate this point. Unlike in Central Asia, HT does not command a dominant following in Indonesia. The likely pull for the 80,000 or so attendance in Jakarta would have been from the ingrained organisations such as the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiya which alone claim to command more than 30-40 million members. HT has attempted to bandwagon on the backs of these movements based on the least common denominator, the agreement on the term 'Caliphate'. However, beyond concurrence on the term, HT has very little in common with these movements and individuals. This again is a radical shift away from Nabhani who in his book 'The Islamic State' had warned against abandoning the hard graft work of building a real popular base built on deeply held convictions instead of attempting to build an artificial movement towards the Caliphate through conferences etc. For Nabhani the popularisation of terminology and even of HT as an organisation meant nothing without a deeply held conviction in Islam as a political ideology dominant within society. Contemporary members of HT argue as they usually do, that the conference is a means and a style to advance the interaction of its ideas with the population. On this point Nabhani was categoric in his warning towards the dangers of using certain means and styles. Nabhani considered that unless HT was in the last push to seize power, large rallies and conferences would be counter-productive as they would simply release the frustration and anger of the masses, the cumulative effect being the loss in motivation, morale, confidence and even belief in the return of the Caliphate.

"...It therefore follows that holding conferences on the issue of the Khilafah would not of itself lead to the establishment of the Islamic State, nor would a federation of countries ruling Muslim peoples be a legitimate method to establish the Islamic State, nor would congresses of Muslim peoples help in the resumption of the Islamic way of life. None of these, nor anything similar to them, should be considered correct, instead they would merely represent rhetoric aimed at soothing the anger of the Muslims..." (Nabhani, Islamic State, p97)

One of the few times Nabhani did authorise a mass rally was in the 60's in order to ascertain the strength and support of the Party in Jordan for the purposes of evaluating a move into the stage of interaction with society. Hence in the context of the conference in Indonesia, having bandwagoned on the big movements to pull in the crowds, a distorted picture would have emerged as regards understanding the strength of HT in Indonesia, but more importantly in raising the spectre of a Caliphate in such a manner, it has attempted to promote a strength of societal leadership which in turn has raised the expectations not only amongst the masses, but also its membership. Unless, HT is planning something spectacular, how it perceives delivering on its promises through a contemporary strategy of media spin, conferences and band-wagoning on movements with whom it shares no ideological or political affiliation is open to question.

Sleeping with the Enemy

In this regard, it was clear that HT in the context of Indonesia was not concerned whether or not ideological and/or political convergence existed. A good example of this was the inclusion on its website of a statement by an Indonesian government minister promoting the conference upon a non-contextualised position of unity. Thus, in order to gain the support of the crowd and the invited movements and individuals, the emphasis of the speeches in the conferences was an attempt to provide confidence in the Caliphate as an institution. Interestingly, the basis of this confidence was promoted from the perspective of the Caliphate being a representative government, as well as an economic, social and political stabiliser. Why this is interesting is because it represents an attempt to market the Caliphate on a systemic level and not a doctrinal one which Nabhani regarded as the basis upon which the masses should connect and move for the Caliphate. In other words the Caliphate was being packaged on the acceptance that the Western model was lucrative to the masses and they may not necessarily respond to some of the comparative solutions to governance thrown up by HT's conception of the Islamic doctrine with that of the democratic model which HT rejects. This is reflective in its association with the Indonesian movements such as the Muhammadiya and the Nahdlatul Ulama which have a starkly different conception of Islamic governance to that of HT.

Both these movements have acted largely in concert with the Indonesian government for decades even acting as king makers in times of political crisis. This point is aptly demonstrated by the comments of the chairman of Muhammadiyah, who said that any implementation of a caliphate would have to conform to the state ideology of Pancasila, (the philosophy of the Indonesian state modelled on Buddhist conception of ethics), the principles of which are set forth in the preamble of the 1945 Indonesian constitution. The five principles enunciated by former President Sukarno and in the order given in the constitution are: belief in one supreme God; humanitarianism; nationalism expressed in the unity of Indonesia; consultative democracy; and social justice.

This concept of governance was put forward with the sizeable Hindu and animist sectors of the population in mind. Hence, the NU and Muhammadiya conceptualised Islamic governance within this framework. Thus according to Din Syamsuddin, invited Chairman of Muhamadiyya, "Khilafah shouldn't undermine the inclusivism and pluralism of the nation," (Christian Science Monitor 13th August 2007). He added that non-Muslims did not have to be afraid of the discourse on Khilafah as it was part of the democratic process. Furthermore, it was the Nahdlatul Ulama which was the first major organisation to formally make the Pancasila instead of Islam its sole foundation. The clause in the statutes stating that the NU was based on Islam was replaced by 'based on Pancasila'.

The point being that these two co-opted Indonesian movements did not perceive as antagonistic to Pancasila, the manner in which the Caliphate argument had been presented by HT. This is despite the fact that apart from the belief in one supreme God, HT ideology seems to be in direct conflict with all the other principles of Pancasila. Again, this strategy of HT is a rapid departure from that of Nabhani who maintained that in order to preserve the purity of the ideology, the clarity of its message and the political distinctiveness of HT, sharing of platforms with organisations which were deemed to espouse non-islamic concepts such as democracy, social justice and nationalism and/or were linked to governments were to be completely shunned.

In the post-Nabhani era, pragmatism has now become a hallmark of HT throughout its global branches, even extending to the extremes of sleeping with the enemy. This point is more ironic considering that Abdurrahman Wahid former head of NU who became Indonesian president was labelled by HT as a 'freemason' and an 'American agent'. The history of the Indonesian Islamic movements is testament to the fact that it is not their aim to undermine the status of the Indonesian state or its stability. This being the case, it begs the question as to what is the rationale for the NU and Muhammadiya in co-opting HT and allowing it mass exposure on its back.

Unification or Entrapment?

HT's pragmatism towards the movements in Indonesia who are relatively liberal Sin comparison, is similar to its stance in the UK. Just like in the UK, HT in Indonesia is exhibiting a conformist approach towards other movements in order to gain support and legitimacy. Here lies the problem for HT. HT's co-option by the Indonesian movements coincides with the policy brief put forward by the US Rand Corporation entitled 'Building Moderate Networks', which argues that the US has failed to move the Arab world away from radicalism and thus a strategy of mobilising moderate Islamic opinion from weaker countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and even the Western world is the way to effect change in the Arab world. The paper argues that in order to achieve this, the US must co-opt the 'liberal', 'moderate' and 'modernist' movements such as the NU and Muhammadiya in order to prevent and fight Islamic radicalisation based on the model of the Cold War. There already exists a fluid relationship between the US and the Indonesian movements including the NU and Muhammadiya through US-Indonesia forums and democratisation projects sponsored by the US administration through the Asia foundation and Ford Foundation. In fact former Muhammadiya Chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif and Muhammadiyah Youth Central Board Chairman Abdul Mu'ti were key contributors to the RAND policy report. The report outlines the hostility within the liberal sections of these movements to the concept of an Islamic state and promotes them as ideal candidates to further the democratic liberal agenda.

"Network-building efforts in Southeast Asia should incorporate NGO work with the moderate traditionalist Indonesian organization Nahdlatul Ulama, with its 15,000 affiliated pesantren, and with the modernist organization Muhammadiyah and its network of higher education and social welfare institutions. Both Islamist and liberal sectors coexist in Muhammadiyah: Islamist elements can be found in the organization's Religious Council, which is charged with da'wa, while liberals have a home in the Center for the Study of Religion and Democracy, established to promote a liberal agenda within and outside the organization." (Building Moderate Networks, RAND, p139)

This would put HT in direct confrontation not only with US policy but also with the strategy of the NU and Muhammadiya. HT may have bandwagoned on the support base of these movements but beyond the rhetoric of the term 'Khilafah' there exists very little in common. In fact HT fits quite neatly into the pluralist framework developed by the NU and Muhammadiya. If any lessons can be learned from the relationship of the UK government with HT's new strategy of co-option, it is that HT can be manoeuvred to moderate its position and even serve policy goals. (The Future of HT in Britain, icssa.org). It could be argued that HT's inclusion into the pluralistic framework would serve as an entrapment mechanism which would seek to moderate and degrade HT's radicalism. This point is strengthened by the fact that neither the Indonesian nor US governments have intervened or put obstacles in the way of this approach between HT and the movements. This paints a complex picture and a perplexity as to the nature of the relationship between HT, these movements and US policy in the region. Bearing in mind the established position of these movements with US strategy and the Indonesian government, the question is whether HT as a result of its new pragmatism has walked into a US political trap with the acquiescence of the Indonesian government, NU and Muhammadiya.

The Theory of the Phantom Caliphate

There is no doubt that the idea of the Caliphate is becoming a worldwide phenomenon. On paper, HT's call for a Caliphate is the most dangerous one for the current regimes and Western security in the Islamic world. The manner in which HT have constructed the ideology of the Caliphate clearly demonstrates a brutal position towards Western civilisation and its adherents. For this reason US think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation have labelled HT in Central Asia as the "greatest threat to US interests". Bearing this characterisation in mind why would the US and the Indonesian government have allowed the Caliphate conference to have gone ahead in Indonesia. Due to its location, the US has maintained a strong strategic relationship with Indonesia.

The stability of the Indonesian government is of paramount concern for the US and for Australia. For this reason, the US is a major supplier of military hardware to Indonesia as well as the Indonesian army's biggest training provider through the IMET exchange scheme. The US has been engaged with successive Indonesian regimes, maintaining stability and influence through the loyalty of the armed forces. Hence it is ironic that despite the objective of HT to replace regimes in the Islamic world with a Caliphate, no pressure was exerted by the US or the Indonesian military/government to ban the conference. There was no bigger advertisement for the Caliphate and HT than the conference in Indonesia.

Bearing in mind the RAND reports suggestion of US failure to derail political Islam in the Arab world and with the ever critical threat of regime collapse, the theory of the Western powers being forced to install a pliant Phantom Caliphate in order to suck the life out of the Caliphate movement has some resonance and may even explain the events in Indonesia. It is in this regard that the allowance of a major Caliphate Conference by the UK in 1994 and now by the Indonesian government with the acquiescence of the US is suggestive of a possible plan to utilise HT's successful marketing of the 'Caliphate'. This suggestion may seem extremely fanciful and conspiratorial at first, but it does have precedent.

The exact idea was in fact toyed with by Britain in the last stages of the Ottoman Caliphate and detailed in what is known as the MacMohan-Hussein correspondence of that period. The strategy was based on the notion that the Islamic world considered the Caliphate as the only legal form of Islamic government and hence in order to absorb the aftershocks of the breaking up the Ottoman state, an Arab Caliphate pliant to British interests would be established under Sherif Hussein of Mecca. The idea was abandoned because maintaining the idea of a Caliphate was considered too dangerous. The theory of a phantom Caliphate is actually quite well recognised amongst the members of HT. In fact according to internal sources the US may have contemplated using the position of HT in Central Asia to bring about a Caliphate in order to cause enormous problems for Russia and China. However, the members insist that the US shelved this plan because of fears that the Caliphate may ignite an uncontrollable fire in the Islamic tinderbox surrounding Central Asia. What is interesting in this theory is that the members consider HT as being the only group which the US can use to bring about this scenario.

If one was to follow this logic then the hands off approach by the US and the Indonesian authorities towards HT's expansion in Indonesia is indeed a cause for contemplation as is the allowance of HT by the NU and Muhammadiya to bandwagon despite major contradictions between them. Indonesia would no doubt be an attractive location geographically to establish a Phantom Caliphate as it is far away from the crucible of the Islamic world in the Middle East and Central Asia. The idea of leadership over the rest of the Islamic world, especially the Arab world would be another issue of contention. The idea of staging a temporary Phantom caliphate and its fomenting a quick collapse would no doubt cause a major haemorrhage in the Islamic world and set back the movement for the Caliphate for decades.

Whatever the theory of a phantom Caliphate, what is certain is that HT has laid down the gauntlet and raised exponentially the hopes of the faithful regarding the immediacy of the Caliphate's return. The common rhetoric espoused by the speakers of the various HT conferences was the notion that the Islamic world was on the brink of the Caliphate. No doubt injecting motivation and confidence into its own membership to keep on board would have been a key determinant. Indeed, if the Caliphate Conference in Indonesia and the multiple other rallies in different parts of the world were intended as a final push before seizing power then this view may hold. In its absence, HT is walking a fine line with its rhetoric, on the basis of a failure to deliver and more fundamentally by seeking power in the absence of a popular base.

In conclusion, having withdrawn effectively from the key countries of the Arab world, HT has not availed its dominant situation in Central Asia. If power is being sought outside of the Arab world then Central Asia is strategically better located to the rest of the Islamic world than Indonesia. Instead Central Asia remains irrationally suspended in a mindless political struggle producing intolerable suffering for its members as a result of the brutality of the regimes. What exactly are HT objectives for Indonesia is unclear. The conference was no doubt a very loud political statement, but to whom?

There is no unified opinion amongst the membership as to the reasons for the multiple conferences. One predominant view is that it provides confidence to the 'ummah' and acts as a catalyst for the Arab world. This argument is somewhat infertile considering the fact that no popular base exists for HT in the Arab world and that the heat of large conferences are only temporary and are connected more to the location within which they are staged. Another point against this argument is that HT's media activity is obsessed not with the Arab world but a new strategy encompassing non-Arab territories. Whether this is in actuality a clever political ploy to divert Western attention away from the Arab world or it is evidence of desperation remains to be seen.

Noman Hanif is lecturer in radical Islam and International terrorism at Birkbeck, University of London. He is currently researching the Global Politics of Hizb-ut-Tahrir

Kehidupan yang Menjauh dari Tujuan Awalnya

2007-07-25T20:15:00.000+07:00

beberapa waktu terakhir saya seringkali terpekur sendirian. kadang sore hari tatkala kesibukan membuat saya jenuh. tak jarangpun malam saat gelayut imaji mengusik mata yang baru saja terpejam. ya…proses hidup ini serasa semakin menjauh dari dasar hidup itu sendiri. betul itulah yang sedang terjadi kian kemari. dan sialnya hal itu melingkupi hampir segenap segmen masyarakat dari berbagai sektor hidup.

bagaimana tidak, jika anda pernah membaca literatur tentang bagaimana muasal sebuah masyarakat dikonstruksi pada awalnya. maka andapun tahu masyarakat mempertemukan di dalamnya kehendak bersama untuk hidup secara layak, tenteram dan terbebas dari ancaman baik alam maupun kelompok lain. semakin meluas disepakatinya kehendak tersebut maka terbentuklah tata-sosial yang semakin luas jangkauannya. terbentuklah sistem sosial yang secara mendasar dikonstruksikan bagi terjaminnya hak-hak individu dan kolektif manusia. dan singkat kata, maka terbentuklah negara dengan pemerintahan di dalamnya.

literatur klasik dengan singkat menggambarkan tujuan dasar dari pembentukan tatanan negara dan seterusnya pemerintahan adalah untuk menjamin tegaknya harkat kemanusiaan dan selanjutnya terciptanya kesejahteraan bersama. jika yang pertama mengacu pada hal-hal yang bersifat elementer kehidupan manusia, maka yang kedua lebih cenderung bersifat secondary needs. meskipun pada perkembangannya ia menjadi hal yang juga mutlak adanya. yah, keamanan dan kesejahteraan. begitu kira-kira bisa disingkatkan.

dalam terang konstantasi demikian, maka permufakatan masyarakat membentuk pemerintahan pada dasarnya dioreintasikan pada pencapaian dua hal mendasar tersebut. terciptanya keamanan dalam maknanya yang luas, dan terwujudnya kesejahteraan dalam maknanya yang paling mendasar, yakni kehidupan yang layak. bukan kehidupan yang berlebih. sebab memang dua hal itu kebutuhan dasar manusia, merasa aman dan merasa patut menjalani hidup.

persoalnnya, apakah dua hal dasar tersebut telah terwujud di negeri yang makmur ini? anda tentu lebih tahu apa jawabnya. sebab memang ia merujuk pada kondite individual masing-masing pribadi. lalu apa yang akan kita soal di sini? menggugat pemerintah? menggulingkannya? atau bahkan membubarkan republik ini? sepertinya itu terlalu jauh. akan baik jika kita menyasar hal-hal yang sederhana sahaja. sebab hidup sejatinya hal-hal yang sederhana itu. mata rantai hidup dan kehidupan itu sendiri dirangkai bukan oleh hal-hal besar, namun sebaliknya oleh hal-hal kecil yang melekat dalam penyerapan individu-individu yang memufakatkan kepatutan sosial tertentu.

lantas diamana soalnya? tidak rumit sebetulnya. sebab jika kita renungkan maka akan nampak jelas bahwa proses hidup yang menjadi semakin kompleks ini semakin berwatak mekanik. kehidupan manusia berkesadaran pasca terbentuknya pelbagai tatanan sosial dari level yang paling lokal hingga level yang paling global. kian hari kehidupan ini semakin mendekati watak sebuah mesin tak berkesadaran. dan manusiapun kemudian tak ubahnya bagian terkecil dari mesin mekanik maha besar bernama kehidupan.

ya…daur kehidupan yang awalnya bersumber dari permufakatan manusia sebagai subyek berkesadaran, selanjutnya menjadi mekanika superkuat yang bahkan munsubordinasi kesadaran manusia dan mencampakkannya ke altar modernitas. manusia selanjutnya menjadi korban dari sistem besar yang dimufakatkan oleh manusia sendiri. hingga di titik ini silahkan anda merenungkannya….!!!

tengok kiranya bagaimana ekonomi republik ini dikonstruksikan oleh segenap kecanggihan mesin yang bernama monetarisme, disandra oleh exchange comodities yang begitu kompleks secara logis. apa yang mampu ia perbuat bagi masyarakatnya. apa yang anda peroleh dari kehidupan perekonomian kita? pekerjaan yang layakkah, pendapatan yang mencukupi kebutuhankah, ataukah anda memperoleh privillege hidup yang cukup? atau mungkin anda butuh bertanya pada jutaan petani yang tiap hari punggungnya terbakar oleh terik matahari tentang apa yang mereka dapatkan dari pemerintahan yang setiap saat mengatasnamakan kepentingan mereka? atau mungkin anda perlu bertanya kepada jutaan nelayan yang tiap hari harus menyulam senar jalanya yang juga tak pernah menghasilkan ikan yang cukup untuk membiayai sekolah dan pengobatan anaknya?

bagi anda yang hidup dengan kelayakan hidup sebagaimana digariskan oleh para trendsetter bisa jadi renungan-renungan demikian tak lebih dari penghiburan diri dari orang-orang kalah. ia tak lebih dari keluh kesah tak terpelajar dari masayarakat miskin yang secara akademis tidak memenuhi standar dan kategori-kategori ilmiah yang ketat. tapi bagi mereka para petani dan juga nelayan yang rela tetap hidup di pojok-pojok republik yang tak tersentuh dan tak kebagian kue pembangunan hal-hal mendasar itulah yang mereka rindukan. barangkali bagi mereka tak soal siapa yang memimpin republik ini, atau apapun latar belakang ideologi pemimpinnya yang mereka butuhkan tetaplah sama. bagaimana mereka bisa mencukupi kebutuhan makan dan biaya sekolah anaknya. mereka tidak mampu mengimajinasikan libur tahunan layaknya para eksekutif di kota-kota besar.

itulah sebagian sisi-sisi dasar yang semakin ditinggalkan oleh khidupan itu sendiri. sisi dasar dari kehidupan manusia yang terlipat di antara rumitnya perkembangan hidup yang semakin canggih dan kemudian dilupakan oleh kehidupan itu sendiri. mungkin anda punya lebih banyak dari yang bisa saya sampaikan disini. mari silahkan…....

Transisi Tanpa Ujung

2007-07-22T05:37:00.000+07:00

“The transition process will require a lot of patience and a high absorption capacity for frustation on all sides for many years to come. Democracy in Indonesia hast just taken its first small and hesitant steps. The future of democracy in Indonesia remains highly uncertain.”
(Rainer Adam, Consolidating Democratic Gains: The Indonesia Experience.[1])

Kelokan perjalanan transisi memang selalu melelahkan untuk dicermati dengan segenap perhatian ataupun keprihatinan. Di dalamnya saling-silang persoalan bertemu membentuk patahan dan tak jarang gugus persoalan baru muncul menyemaraki ragam persoalan yang tentu menjadi semakin rumit.[2] Dalam kondisi demikian dua kemungkinan setidaknya akan menjadi latar depan dari transisi demokrasi ; pertama, involusi yang dimunculkan oleh antiklimaksnya gagasan restrukturisasi kehidupan kebangsaan dalam segenap bidang. Gejala ini bisa mengemuka dalam kasus tumpulnya berbagai pisau analisis yang digunakan untuk membedah persoalan guna menyiapkan “jalan alternatif” untuk perbaikan tata kehidupan, ataupun menjadi lumpuhnya pranata-pranata demokrasi yang ada untuk menggerakkan satu agregat menyeluruh yang menyertakan segenap elemen bangsa di dalamnya.
Kedua, sebagai konsekuensi ikutan dari yang pertama, munculnya kelelahan yang menghinggapi psiko-politik masyarakat.[3] Kondisi demikian terjadi lebih karena masyarakat tidak memiliki energi yang memadai untuk mengikuti segenap liku penguraian masalah yang begitu menumpuk, dan pada banyak segi berlangsung di wilayah politik yang begitu jauh dari struktur kognitif dan kesadaran politik mereka. Bersamaan dengan itu mereka dihadapkan pada kondisi ekonomi yang belum juga memperlihatkan grafik naiknya. Lesunya kehidupan ekonomi pada beberapa segi juga sepertinya menginspirasikan gerak mundur masyarakat dalam pemupukan kesadaran politik. Sehingga di aras permukaan muncul satu gejala dalam mana masyarakat seperti diajak untuk memilih antara meneruskan langkah perbaikan tata kehidupan politik ataukah mengamankan kehidupan ekonomi mereka yang semakin melesu.
Fenomena demikian dalam beberapa segi barangkali bukanlah monopoli Indonesia karena memang ia lazim terjadi dalam setiap proses transisi.[4] Pengalaman beberapa negara-negara dunia ketiga memberikan contoh yang baik bagi persoalan tersebut[5]. Namun benarkah kita sedang mendorong proses transisi politik, tapi dari kondisi apa menuju apa? Di aras manakah perubahan telah terjadi? Dan bagaimanakah seharusnya perubahan itu kita sikapi? Jikapun harus melanjutkannya siapakah yang seharusnya menjadi aktor penggerak dari transisi tersebut ?
Pertanyaan mendasar di atas akan memandu kita ke halaman-halaman berikutnya. Tulisan ini tidak memaksakan satu pretensi untuk menggeluti segenap persoalan yang melingkupi “proses transisi” yang tengah berlangsung. Sebaliknya, tulisan ini akan mencoba memfokuskan diri pada bagaimana transisi mengalami pemaknaan dalam perjalanan kehidupan kebangsaan kita dan melalui apa ia menyalurkan manifestasinya. Kedua persoalan ini pada tahap tertentu akan sangat berkait dengan bagaimana perubahan konstruks politik terjadi di negeri ini. Selanjutnya kita akan mencoba kembali mengulas “rasio kecukupan modal” yang dibutuhkan untuk melanjutkan proses transisi yang kini tengah berjalan, meski lambat dan tak jarang membuka kembali potensi persoalan-persoalan baru di sana-sini.

Transisi demokrasi

Definisi terbuka dan sangat sederhana menyangkut transisi kita temukan setidaknya dalam hasil kerja Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholar saat mensponsori serangkaian pertemuan bertajuk “Transisi dari Pemerintahan Otoriter: Prospek Demokrasi di Amerika Latin dan Eropa Selatan”.[6] Menurut mereka, transisi merujuk pada interval (selang waktu) antara satu rezim politik dan rezim lainnya.[7] Proses ini dibatasi, pada satu sisi, oleh proses perpecahan sebuah rezim otoritarian, dan di sisi yang lain, oleh pengesahan beberapa bentuk demokrasi, kemba;inya bentuk pemerintahan otoriter, atau kemunculan suatu alternatif revolusioner. Ciri umum dari masa ini setidaknya adalah tidak menentunya aturan main politik yang ada. Bukan semata karena aturan tersebut beroperasi dalam perubahan yang terus-menerus terjadi, namun juga karena ia mengalami kontestasi secara sengit di meja analisis.[8]
Definisi itu menginspirasikan kepada kita bahwa transisi adalah satu momentum perubahan yang distimuli oleh adanya perpecahan dalam tubuh rezim otoriter suatu negara. Perpecahan ini secara keseluruhan menyangkut kredibilitas satu rezim di hadapan konstituensi politik masyarakat dan konfigurasi aktor-aktor yang tergabung di dalamnya. Latar depan dari kondisi ini umumnya mengemuka dalam perubahan performance satu rezim, atas nama apapun, dengan memodifikasi peraturan-peraturan mereka sendiri sebagai bagian dari upaya untuk memobilisasi kembali dukungan dan legitimasi terhadap pilihan dan tindakan politiknya.
Kondisi demikian kiranya mewarnai fase akhir kekuasaan rezim Orde Baru dalam mana Soeharto yang, dari sudut tipologi kekuasaannya, secara bersamaan menyandang beberapa watak dan atribut; pemerintahan otoriter birokratik, pemimpin rezim militer, dan diktator perorangan,[9] telah menunjukkan kemauannya untuk melakukan beberapa perubahan.[10] Pilihan ini secara umum dipicu oleh kondisi perekonomian yang mulai mencemaskan memasuki dekade 80-an. Sebuah kondisi yang diakibatkan oleh turunnya harga minyak paska booming harga minyak di paruh kedua 70-an yang memompa devisa secara luar biasa dan bahkan surplus APBN. Kesulitan ini memang tidak saja menimpa Indonesia namun juga negara-negara berkembang seperti Thailand dan juga Birma (kini Myanmar). Keadaan ini memaksa pemerintah untuk menerapkan pembaruan kebijakan ekonomi, misalnya, penurunan defisit anggaran belanja, pembaruan sistem perpajakan, liberalisasi dunia perbankan, serta tentunya pemberian peluang yang luas kepada pihak swasta untuk mengembangkan usahanya.[11] Hanya saja fakta yang kemudian muncul sebagai episode lanjut dari liberalisasi tersebut tidak terlalu menguntungkan bagi para protagonis demokrasi[12] sampai akhirnya ia dipaksa bertekuk lutut oleh krisis perbankan yang akut dan memantik gelombang protes. Namun di tahap-tahap inilah sebenarnya proses transisi menyemai bibitnya.
Tipologi penguasa Orde Baru memang sulit untuk dikategorikan dalam salah satu dari ketiga corak yang ada. Kesulitan ini muncul akibat dari melekatnya ciri berbagai tipologi yang sekaligus disandang oleh Orde Baru secara bersamaan. Namun begitu untuk segera mengenali “jenis kelamin” dari transisinya, cukup inspiratif kiranya jika kita memulai pembahasan ini melalui tiga model perubahan dari rezim otoriter menuju demokrasi sebagaimana diintrodusir oleh Huntingnton, yang pada beberapa segi memiliki kesamaan tipikal dengan model yang juga diperkenalkan oleh Donald Share dan Scott Mainwaring.[13] Tiga tipe proses transisi itu menurut Huntington adalah; transformasi (transformation), pergantian (replacement), dan transplacement.
Meski dalam perkembangannya teramat sulit menerapkan ketiga kategori transisi tersebut secara ketat terhadap satu negara, termasuk Indonesia, tapi setidaknya kita bisa mengidentifikasi tiga varian interaksi yang menjadi elemen fundamental dalam menggerakan ketiga jenis transisi tersebut; 1. interaksi antara kelompok pemerintah dengan kelompok oposisi; 2. interaksi antara kelompok pembaharu dan kelompok konservatif dalam tubuh koalisi pemerintahan; dan 3. interaksi antara kelompok moderat dan kelompok ekstrimis radikal dalam kelompok oposisi. Ketiga varian interaksi ini secara umum membingkai model artikulasi masing-masing faksi dalam kedua kelompok yang ada (pemerintah dan oposisi) untuk memenangi persaingan. Bobot konflik dan kooperatif yang dimunculkan dari masing-masing potensi aliansi pada akhirnya akan sangat menentukan proses transisi itu secara keseluruhan.[14]
Hanya saja ketiga varian interaksi tersebut sepertinya juga akan tumpul untuk membedah dialektika antar kelompok-kelompok kepentingan di masa transisi ini. Kesulitan muncul ketika harus mengidentifikasi kelompok manakah yang sebenarnya pro-perubahan, dan selanjutnya mungkin melakukan aliansi dengan mereka. Hal ini kiranya disebabkan oleh tidak satupun dari kelompok-kelompok yang ada (dalam pemerintah ataupun penentang) memiliki ideologi sandaran yang jelas. Dalam konteks seperti ini, jika Huntington hanya bisa membayangkan kemungkinan terjadinya aliansi antara kelompok reformis dalam pemerintahan dengan faksi moderat ataupun ekstrim dalam kelompok penentang. Maka kita di Indonesia akan sangat mungkin untuk membayangkan bahwa seorang jenderal yang begitu konservatif sekalipun bisa melakukan dialog (dan mungkin selanjutnya aliansi) dengan faksi ekstrim dalam kelompok penentang. Kemungkinan ini lahir dari fakta kosongnya kepolitikan indonesia dari ideologi sebagaimana disinggung di atas. Sehingga bandul perubahan tidak sama sekali digerakkan oleh sinaran ideologi tertentu melainkan murni pergesekan kepentingan kelompok-kelompok yang sedang berebut kekuasaan.
Dalam kaitan ini kita menemukan beberapa kesulitan untuk membayangkan Indonesia memilih jalan revolusi secara radikal mengingat absennya berbagai prasyarat bagi satu revolusi sosial.[15] Hal ini mengingat bahwa revolusi merupakan pernyataan akhir dari suatu keinginan otonom dan emosi-emosi yang mendalam serta mencakup segenap kapasitas pengorganisasian maupun ideologi protes sosial yang diorganisisasikan secara terpadu. Dengan logika demikian, sebab-sebab revolusi kemudian tidak hanya difahami melalui watak dan karakter yang melekat pada peristiwa-peristiwa temporer ataupun frustasi marjinal dan kegelisahan semata. Ia menyimpulkan pergeseran atau ketimpangan yang sangat fundamental dan perpaduannya dengan kekuatan sosial, maupun konflik golongan yang lebih dalam dengan spektrum cakupan yang luas.[16] Dan dalam perkembangannya gradualisme sepertinya menjadi pilihan paling populer di kalangan kelompok-kelompok pro-demokrasi untuk mengelola transisi menuju demokrasi meski dengan menyertakan banyak sekali catatan kaki, keraguan, dan bahkan cacian.[17]
Jika kita cermati dengan seksama, pilihan terhadap reformasi sebenarnya telah dipostulasikan oleh kondisi umum konstruk kepolitikan Indonesia masa Orde Baru yang tidak sama sekali mengenal konsep oposisi sebagai akibat dari penyeragaman yang terjadi secara besar-besaran.[18] Introduksi rezim terhadap berbagai tabu politik dan perbedaan pada gilirannya memang berhasil mengkonsentrasikan seluruh energi masyarakat untuk mendukung program pembangunan yang kemudian didefinisikan sebagai ekonomi pertumbuhan. Kebijakan tersebut pada satu segi diorientasikan untuk menjawab konstituensi politik masyarakat yang menginginkan perbaikan kondisi perekonomian secara cepat, dan pada segi yang lain memuluskan konsolidasi politik dengan memperkecil partisipasi politik dan melokalisirnya ke dalam saluran-saluran yang telah disubordinasikan terhadap kekuasaan. Dan dalam kondisi demikian faktor terpenting yang harus selalu diperhitungkan oleh kelompok-kelompok penentang adalah kohesivitas rezim yang dimapankan oleh fasilitas ekonomi ataupun promosi politik tertentu.
Membayangkan akan terjadinya perubahan konstruks politik dalam kondisi demikian tentu akan sangat susah. Kuatnya jaringan politik dan mesin kekuasaan Soeharto, pada satu sisi, dan lemahnya jaringan penentang pro perubahan, pada sisi yang lain telah memperhadapkan dua kutub kekuatan yang tidak sama sekali berimbang. Sehingga kalaupun gelombang krisis yang menimpa negara-negara Asia Timur tidak menghampiri Indonesia tentu sulit membayangkan akan terjadi perubahan. Dan bertekuk lututnya Soeharto dalam sergapan krisis seakan menjawab pertanyaan yang semula teramat sulit untuk dicari jawabnya; kapan perubahan akan terjadi?
Ditunjuknya Habibi untuk memimpin jalannya transisi oleh Soeharto memang memberikan harapan tersendiri, meski bukannya tidak menyisakan masalah. Latar belakang politik Habibi yang tidak memiliki akses untuk menguasai dua mesin utama Orde Baru, yaitu Golkar dan Militer, sedikit banyak menepis kemungkinan munculnya Habibi menjadi tiran baru. Performance politik Habibi yang lunak dari awal ditambah berbagai terobosan yang diambilnya untuk membuka katup perubahan –mulai dari pembebasan Tapol/Napol, mengakhiri sentralisme otoritas wadah-wadah tunggal politik, pembebasan pers, hingga keberaniannya untuk mengabaikan keberatan kalangan militer untuk melepaskan Timor-Timur- memang cukup memberikan jaminan akan komitmennya terhadap perubahan. Namun sergapan krisis legitimasi yang dialaminya memunculkan keraguan dalam mengorganisasikan perubahan secara menyeluruh. Dan pemberlakuan tiga RUU Politik terhitung sejak Februari 1999 menampilkan verbalitas jawaban politik Habibi terhadap berbagai keraguan yang dialamatkan kepadanya.
Rencana penyelenggaraan Pemilu pada pertengahan 1999 tersebut sekaligus juga menggeser gerak perubahan yang awalnya digerakkan oleh protes mahasiswa dan dukungan para tokoh serta masyarakat, ke arah perubahan yang digerakkan oleh partai politik yang akan berlaga di Pemilu. Gerak perubahan yang awalnya berdimensi moral bergeser ke dimensi politik yang, atas nama demokrasi, tentu akan juga mengizinkan para petualang lama pro-status quo untuk rame-rame ikut serta dalam Pemilu. Dan untuk kasus Indonesia, menyerahkan mandat perubahan kepada partai bukannya tidak problematik. Sebagaimana pernah ditulis oleh Faisal Basri, partai-partai umumnya menderita kelemahan dalam hal tidak adanya visi jangka panjang, tidak jelasnya ideologi dan program, serta kuatnya tumpuan pada kharisma personal,[19] bukan tidak mungkin pada kondisi-kondisi tertentu, terutama di aras pembuatan kebijakan, akan menjadikan partai sebagai lahan baru menyemaikan calon-calon tiran dan hegemon yang mengerikan.[20]
Konstruks politik yang melandaskan solidaritas internalnya kepada kharisma pada beberapa segi akan mengalami kesulitan untuk mendesain satu agregat kepolitikan yang menyertakan populisme pemilih dalam masyarakat, terutama jika kita harus berbicara tentang program-programnya.[21] Selain itu kondisi demikian, jika berlebihan, akan kembali mengantar kita pada sentralisme otoritas kepada figur-figur personal dan bukannya sistem. Kehidupan kepartaian akhirnya menderita kelemahan tatkala watak kebijakannya menjadi begitu personal, mempribadi, dan menyertakan sentimen-sentimen primordial semisal ikatan kekeluargaan ataupun pertalian patron-klien dan ataupun sentimen kedaerahan.[22] Kondisi demikian pada gilirannya akan menyuburkan alienasi politik yang diakibatkan oleh jarak sosial antara politisi partai dengan masyarakat konstituennya. Ia mengkontradiksikan heterogenitas sosiologis publik pemilih (yang terpecah-pecah dalam berbagai kategori dan unit satuan sosial) dengan homogenitas para elite (yang diikat oleh ikatan kekeluargaan, patron-klien, dan kesamaan status sosial). Jarak sosial ini pula yang akan melahirkan distansi yang begitu lebar antara visi, program, dan kebijakan di tingkat partai dengan struktur kognisi dan wawasan politik masyarakat.
Kampus dan Menara Gading
Di hadapan fakta seperti ini setumpuk agenda transformasi menjadi beban seluruh elemen prodemokrasi, termasuk di dalamnya gerakan mahasiswa, untuk mencari terobosan dan formulasi konseptual bagi upaya menggiring kehidupan politik kebangsaan pada rel-rel dan fatsoen politik yang menitikberatkan upaya penerjemahan konstituensi politik kebangsaan. Dengan kerangka seperti ini proses pembudayaan demokrasi berada dalam bangun investasi politik dan cultural sebagaimana dikerangkakan oleh Ben Agger (1992) sebagai proyek “transforming intellectual life for a social, politic, and cultural investment.”
Dalam logika investment ini terlahir satu keniscayaan untuk memaknai kerja-kerja demokratisasi sebagai sebuah proses pembentukan kultur politik demokratis yang disertai upaya terus menerus untuk membenahi perangkat dan institusi demokrasi. Dengan pemaknaan seperti ini pula proses demokratisasi adalah upaya menyuntikkan ruh dan karakter demokratik ke dalam system dan mekanisme politik yang dimanifestasikan oleh institusi-institusi penyangga kebijakan publik. Sehingga lambat laun upaya pembenahan system berjalan seiring diterimanya perilaku demokratik secara imperatif sebagai bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari kehendak untuk memperbaiki kualitas kehidupan politik dan demokrasi.
Dalam kerangka investment itu pula kiranya kita menempatkan segenap upaya untuk memperbaiki kualitas kehidupan politik dan demokrasi di negeri kepulauan ini. Yakni upaya-upaya yang secara umum ditujukan untuk melakukan edukasi publik tentang arti dan makna demokrasi yang bersendikan pada terjaganya aspirasi dan kehendak masyarakat dalam berbagai kebijakan publik. Peran edukasi publik inilah yang kiranya ingin dihadirkan oleh Agger dalam proyek transformasi kehidupan intelektualnya. Di sinilah posisi dan peran strategis mahasiswa mendapatkan lahan yang subur untuk menyemaikan kultur demokratik bagi pembentukan fatsoen politik yang lebih menampilkan wajahnya yang humanistic, egalitarian, tolerans, dan juga bergerak di wilayah pemberdayaan masyarakat.
Gerakan Mahasiswa; contemporary case
Tapi bagaimana gerakan mahasiswa menempatkan diri dalam konstelasi politik nasional yang semrawut tersebut? Jika kita telaah lebih jauh dan coba membandingkannya dengan model gerakan mahasiswa di berbagai negara, maka akan nampak : pertama, gerakan mahasiswa Indonesia nampak belum mampu menginternalisasikan konstituensi politik masyarakatnya. Fenomena seperti ini nampak begitu telanjang di hadapan fakta kehendak masyarakat untuk menikmati satu kehidupan yang lebih menghargai nilai-nilai kemanusiaan. Gerakan mahasiswa nampak sekali begitu gagap ketika harus menerjemahkan aspirasi dan kehendak masyarakat tersebut di tataran praksis pemihakan kepada rakyat.
Pada aras inilah kegamangan tersebut mewujud dalam sebentuk ketidakmenentuan arah dan orientasi gerakan. Sehingga gerakan mahasiswa lebih sering sporadic, dan kurang menjejaki spectrum kebutuhan yang hidup dalam masyarakat.
Dalam posisi seperti itu gerakan mahasiswa, kedua, seringkali terjebak pada tarikan-tarikan politik yang lebih bersifat taktis dan jarang sekali strategis. Fakta seperti ini terjadi karena gerakan mahasiswa seringkali “a-histories” sebab diusung keluar dari wilayah-wilayah kebutuhan riil masyarakat. Dan tak heran jika gerakan mahasiswa saat ini seringkali kehilangan ruh untuk mendinamisir geraknya sendiri. Dinamika aksi-refleksi-aksi tidak lagi menjadi pijakan bagi pilihan-pilihan gerakan yang mampu mereproduksi wacana pemberdayaan di tingkat publik. Dan tak heran jika kemudian gerakan mahasiswa seringkali involutif dan kehilangan daya dobraknya.
Ketiga, belum adanya fundamental code of culture bagi penciptaan instrumen gerak yang efektif, yang dalam dirinya sendiri terdapat ketahanan, untuk dengan terus-menerus mendesakkan nilai-nilai yang lebih demokratik dan humanistic. Ekses yang terlahir dari fenomena seperti ini adalah terkurasnya energi gerakan mahasiswa karena harus melakukan racing dengan para politisi yang cenderung bertindak dan mengabdikan dirinya untuk semata-mata kepentingan pragmatis kelompok ataupun pribadinya.[23]
Jika hal ini terus terjadi maka gerakan mahasiswa, di satu sisi, akan kehabisan tenaga karena tidak memiliki basis legitimasi dari masyarakatnya, dan di sisi lain, akan sering terjebak pada jarring-jaring kepentingan pragmatic yang akan semakin menjauhkannya dari mandat sosial (social mandatory) masyarakatnya. Dan bisa ditebak jika kemudian gerakan mahasiswa semakin menjauh dari isu-isu yang tumbuh dan ada dalam masyarakat. Di wilayah inilah kemudian pertanyaan tentang apakah aksi-aksi mahasiswa pasca soeharto lebih menyematkan karakter gerakan moral ataukah gerakan politik patut untuk dikemukakan. Tapi bagaimana mengukur muatan-muatan, baik moral ataupun politik, dalam gerakan dan aksi-aksi mahasiswa tersebut ? Apa indicator yang paling mudah untuk mengukurnya ?
Jika penyematannya adalah penyematan politik maka ukuran paling mudah untuk mengukurnya adalah akselerasi gerakan dan aksi tersebut dengan agenda dan gerakan blok-blok politik yang sedang bermain. Pengukuran seperti ini tentu bersifat a-priori, namun setidaknya bisa memberikan arah bagaimana kita mengukur sebuah agregasi dan gerakan mahasiswa diakselerasikan di tataran praksis. Tapi bagaimana jika gerakan tersebut harus kita semati dengan gerakan moral ?
Ukuran untuk gerakan moral juga tak terlampau sulit, meski sekali lagi secara a-priori, yakni pemihakan gerakan mahasiswa terhadap agenda-agenda yang memiliki spectrum legitimasi dan mandat social secara luas. Dengan kata lain aksi mahasiswa akan lebih membawa muatan moralnya ketika berbanding lurus dengan kehendak dan aspirasi yang muncul di sebagian terbesar masyarakat. Di wialayah inilah gerakan mahasiswa melakukan gambling dengan pilihan-pilihannya dan mempertaruhkan independensinya di hadapan beraian kepentingan yang ada dalam konstelasi perpolitikan.
Sampai di sini, pertanyaan mendasar yang harus dikemukakan adalah sejauh mana pemihakan aksi dan gerakan mahasiswa tersebut tetap berada dan berhimpit secara erat dengan kebutuhan dan aspirasi warga masyarakat. Sehingga gerakan moral dalam logika seperti ini adalah bentuk gerakan mahasiswa yang sejauh mungkin diabdikan untuk menerjemahkan konstituensi politik masyarakat. Yakni keinginan untuk menikmati kehidupan yang lebih demokratik, egaliter, dan menghormati nilai-nilai yang humanistic. Dan itulah kiranya makna terdalam dari proyek demokratisasi yang sedang kita gelar bersama. Selain itu agenda yang juga menjadi PR bagi gerakan mahasiswa adalah untuk meneruskan jalan panjang upaya melembagakan resistensi masyarakat baik secara politik maupun secara ekonomis. Resistensi politik berkonotasi pada terciptanya satu kondisi dalam mana masyarakat tak lain individu-individu yang memiliki ruang untuk mengartikulasikan kehendak dan aspirasi politiknya.[24]
Sedangkan resistensi di bidang ekonomi lebih menitikberatkan satu situasi dalam mana masyarakat tidak larut tertarik dalam logika ekonomi pasar. Sebab jika ini terjadi maka akan sangat susah membayangkan posisi masyarakat agraris yang harus tergopoh-gopoh beradaptasi dengan corak masyarakat post-industri. Dan logika dasar yang melandasi proses dan mekanismenya adalah logika profit taking yang melulu bermuatan kepentingan untuk mengambil untung sebasar-besarnya.[25]
PMII, GM, dan Upaya Revitalisasi Demokrasi
Ada fenomena menarik yang ditunjukkan oleh Ignas Kleden menyangkut pemaknaan modernitas bagi masyarakat Indonesia. Menurutnya, modernitas dipahami sebagai estetika (lipstik, bungkus, polesan) dan bukannya etika (sikap hidup, etos kerja, muatan nilai).[26] Perspektif ini sengaja saya tempatkan untuk masuk lebih dalam ke persoalan relasi antara PMII, gerakan mahasiswa (GM), dan upaya revitalisasi demokrasi, yang saat ini tekesan mandeg.
Kemandegan yang ada saat ini secara a priori bisa kita tangkap dalam dictum-diktum “geser funding, geser issue,” ataupun “logika tak jalan tanpa logistik,” dan dictum-diktum prokem lain yang ringan namum mengekspresikan bentuk kegelisahan yang mendalam di tubuh GM. Kegelisahan ini muncul dalam ranah yang kompleks ketika GM mendapati dirinya sebagai ahli waris sejarah perjuangan demokrasi yang mendapat penisbatan ke para bapak pejuang demokrasi, namun dalam prkateknya kurang mendapat ruang yang cukup lebar untuk mengekspresikan gagasan dan idealismenya. Kondisi ini menggiring GM ke arah yang problematic ketika harus berbicara lebih jauh tentang konstruk state, society, public policy, ataupun demokrasi secara umum.
Posisi problematic ini menyambungkan kondisi fragmentatif di tubuh internal GM dengan kompleksitas persoalan yang sedang dihadapi oleh negara bangsa sebagai basis legitimasi eksistensi GM itu sendiri. Di tingkat internal GM menghadapi polaritas wilayah garap yang begitu luas. Ini mengakibatkan tidak dimilikinya kesatuan issu yang disepakati untuk menjadi area of concern bersama berbagai organ GM. Konsekuensi lanjutannya adalah polaritas gerakan yang kadang mengikutkan sentimen-sentimen ideology. Problem internal ini pada sisi lain juga diruyaki oleh problem eksternal berupa tumpukan persoalan yang menjadi PR bagi konsolidasi demokrasi di aras state, luluh lantaknya institusi dan kelembagaan tardisional yang menjadi common denominator gerakan social di aras society, hingga bergesernya pola konflik yang melibatkan di dalamnya otoritas-otoritas politik di tingkat pusat (negara), otoritas local (daerah) hingga interest yang menggumpal di wilayah horizontal masyarakat.
Jejaring persoalan ini seringkali menjadi persoalan karena GM, pada dirinya sendiri, tidak memiliki kompetensi yang memadai untuk menganalisisnya dengan jernih. Keterbatasan perangkat analisis ini mempengaruhi determinasi pilihan issue, area of concern, dan spektrum persoalan yang diusung GM. Dan akibatnya, GM mengalami kesulitan untuk memperluas penerimaan publik (public consent) yang merupakan unsur pokok dari legitimasi eksistensinya. Ilustrasi ini tidak berpretensi untuk mengatakan bahwa GM telah kehabisan legitimasinya, hanya saja dalam perjalanannya problem internal yang tidak kunjung selesai ini pada gilirannya menghalangi GM untuk terlibat lebih jauh, dan matang tentunya, dalam kompleksitas persoalan yang ada. Dus, saat ini GM tidak sedang memperluas resonansi gerakannya di wilayah publik namun justeru sedang menggerus basis legitimasi yang menjadi reason d ’eter keberadaannya.
Namun begitu berbagai literartur mengenai transisi dari pemerintahan otoriter memang melihat porsi yang besar dimainkan oleh partai politik. Mereka mendapati bahwa partai memiliki signifikansi peran untuk mengkonsolidasikan gerak transisi.[27] Proposisi demikian bagi ‘O Donnell dan Schmitter dilahirkan oleh kenyataan bahwa partailah yang kemudian memiliki mandat membangun sistem kompetisi baru untuk jabatan-jabatan politis,[28] dan bukannya kelompok-kelompok seperti mahasiswa, LSM, ataupun intelektual yang dalam pengalaman di banyak negara dalam lintasan “gelombang demokrasi ketiga” Huntington memiliki andil yang sangat besar dalam proses penggulingan rezim otoritarian. Momen ini dalam skematika transisi Gramsci[29] masuk dalam momen politik (tahap kedua) yang secara umum mewakili satu kondisi dalam mana partai-partai kemudian mendapatkan pengesahannya untuk tampil sebagai pelaku utama kompromi-kompromi kepentingan yang melibatkan baik faksi moderat ataupun ekstrim dalam kelompok pro-perubahan, ataupun faksi pembaharu dala rezim tertentu.

Partai dan Konstitusionalisme
Dari uraian tersebut tergambar kepada kita peran sentral yang dimainkan oleh partai politik dalam melanjutkan proses transisi demokrasi. Dan dalam konteks seperti ini masyarakat tidak memiliki instrumen kontrol yang efektif untuk mengevaluasi berbagai pilihan dan langkah partai untuk melanjutkan proses transisi. Karenanya dalam konteks transisi politik dan demokratisasi, pelembagaan sistem kepartaian pada gilirannya menjadi salah satu alat ukur yang cukup prinsipil terhadap kualitas demokrasi di satu negara. Ia menjadi prinsipil bukan semata karena dirinya sendiri melainkan karena implikasi yang akan diakibatkan oleh pelembagaan sistem kepartaian yang tidak memadai.[30] Bagaimana mungkin misalnya, kita membayangkan pergesekan kepentingan antara partai yang tidak dibatasi oleh sistem kompetisi yang tak terlembagakan dengan baik bisa diharapkan untuk menjadi energi positif mendorong proses demokratisasi. Selain itu, pelembagaan sistem kepartaian juga akan berhubungan dengan kuat dan lemahnya satu pemerintahan. Di tingkat ini kita menemui fakta betapa sentralnya peran partai dalam proses konsolidasi demokrasi selanjutnya, dan karenanya dibutuhkan mekanisme pengaturan yang pada satu sisi memberikan instrumen kontrol publik terhadap partai-partai yang ada, dan di sisi yang lain menyediakan rule of the game bagi kompetisi kepentingan di tingkat partai.
Perlunya aturan main dalam pelembagaan sistem kepartaian ini menjadi gagasan kunci perkembangan modern dari paham demokrasi yang mengarahkan kita pada kebutuhan akan paham konstitusionalisme. Filosofi dasar konstitusionalisme secara mendasar adalah prinsip keutamaan hak rakyat. Filosofi itu secara padat digambarkan oleh Francois Hotman dengan “A people can exist without a king......whereas a king without people cannot even be imagined.” Bahwa rakyat dapat hidup tanpa raja, tapi sebaliknya raja tidak akan pernah ada tanpa rakyat.[31]
Dari rumusan dasar tersebut muncul pengertian bahwa konstitusionalisme berkait secara erat dengan perlindungan warga negara, yang juga berarti bukan aturan ketatanegaraan tapi prinsip final tentang hak warga negara. Karenanya doktrin awal konstitusionalisme secara eksplisit memberikan hak perlwanan senjata kepada penguasa otoriter. Baru kemudian konstitusi dipahami sebagai sarana mengatur kehidupan politik secara permanen. Dengan itu kita dibiasakan untuk menjalankan aktivitas politik dan kenegaraan secara prosedural, dan demokrasi dalam konteks ini kemudian harus dipahami sebagai mekanisme prosedural untuk menjamin adanya tertib politik dan kepastian hukum. Dan dari sinilah sebenaranya kredo universal tentang keniscayaan hubungan antara demokrasi, negara hukum dan konstitusionalisme muncul dalam setiap perbincangan demokrasi.
Jelaslah kiranya bahwa konstitusionalisme adalah rumusan historis untuk menyelamatkan hak dan kebebasan individu dari hambatan dan tekanan-tekanan kekuasaan. Rumusan historis karena ia hadir dari sebuah tuntutan historis tentang prasyarat kebebasan dan hak individu, dan bukannya dari pandangan transendental tentang kondisi ideal sebuah kehidupan politik ataupun sebuah tujuan hidup yang sudah final. Dan jika dikaitkan dengan pelembagaan sistem kepartaian, diperlukannya prosedur dan aturan main muncul dari keniscayaan untuk menjamin hak dan kebebasan warga negara.
Satu hal yang harus tetap dihindari dalam konteks berbagai prosedur tersebut adalah keterjebakan kita semata dalam prosedur sehingga mereduksi pemaknaan terhadap demokratisasi yang memang tidak semata soal prosedur. Patut dihindari karena akan menyebabkab kita mengembangkan demokrasi hanya di tingkatan prosedur dan bukannya substansi.

Modal Demokrasi

Modal sosial (social capital) sebenarnya adalah satu unsur dari pemahaman terbaru mengenai demokrasi. Ia merupakan sebuah konsep yang bertitik tekan pada hubungan antar individu dalam masyarakat (the structure of human relationship) yang didasarkan pada norma (norm), relasi social (social relation) dan trust yang membentuk jaringan (network) untuk terwujudnya aksi bersama (collective action). Modal sosial dengan demikian berkembang dari jaringan manusia yang saling bertemu dan berkomunikasi, yang denganya mereka membentuk dan mengubah hubungan-hubungan secara terus menerus.
Pembicaraan mengenai modal sosial dalam konteks transisi menuju demokrasi menjadi penting terutama untuk menginventarisisr kembali modal sosial yang akan sangat dibutuhkan dalam perjalanan transisi. Ini penting terutama mengingat begitu banyaknya konsekuensi negatif yang diwariskan oleh sistem masa lalu. Selain itu, alasan pentingnya pembicaraan tersebut muncul dari kenyataan pembangunan yang selama ini diterapkan lebih berorientasi pada pencapaian pertumbuhan di aras ekonomi dan sedikit sekali memperhatikan faktor-faktor manusia.
Sebelum jauh memasuki pembahasan ini perlu kiranya kita mengenali konsepsi-konsepsi awal tentang modal sosial. Michael W. Foley & Bob Edward[32] dalam artikelnya yang berjudul Is It Time to Disinvest in Social Capital? memberikan komentar kepada pembahasan tentang modal sosial yang dilakukan oleh tiga orang pengkaji awal tentang modal sosial, yaitu Pierre Bourdie, James Coleman dan Robert Putnam. Bourdie mendefinisikan modal sosial sebagai: “the aggregate of actual and potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationship of mutual acquaintance and recognition,” Dengan kata lain menjadi anggota sebuah kelompok yang memiliki kolektifitas dan modal kepercayaan berarti membuat mereka berhak atas kredit dalam (keuntungan). Lebih jauh, modal sosial menurutnya bisa dikategorikan ke dalam salah satu dari tiga bentuk capital (ekonomi, kultur dan sosial) yang secara bersama-sama menjelaskan struktur masyarakat yang dinamis dan berubah-ubah.
Sementara James Colemen mendefinisikannya sebagai,” a variety of entities having two characteristics in common. They all consist of some aspect of a social structure, and they facilitate certain actions of individuals who are within the structure…. Unlike other form of capital, social capital inheres in the structure of relation between person and among persons. It is lodged of social capital neither in individual nor in physical implements of production.” Adapun bentuk turunan dari modal sosial tersebut menurut Coleman terdiri dari; kewajiban dan harapan (obligation and expectation), sumber-sumber informasi (information potential), norma dan sanksi (norm and effective sanction), dan juga hubungan kekuasaan (power relation). Dalam tulisannya ini Coleman menjadi ilmuwan pertama yang berbicara tentang mekanisme penciptaan, pemeliharaan, dan penghancuran modal sosial.[33]
Lebih baru lagi dari keduanya, Robert Putnam mengkaji konsep modal sosial melalui dua karya pentingnya “Making Democracy Work” (1993) dan”Bowling Alone” (1995). Dia mendefinisikan modal sosial sebagai,” Feature of social life – network, norm and trust- that enable participants to act together more effectively to pursue shared objective”. Bagi Putnam kemampuan assosiasi untuk memproduksi: network, trust dan norm of reciprocity akan memungkinkan civic engagement. Menurutnya modal sosial tumbuh ketika para individu dalam masyarakat belajar mempercayai satu sama lain, membuat kesepakatan yang dapat diandalkan, dan terlibat dalam usaha bersama.
Dalam penelitiannya mengenai pemerintahan regional di Italia, ia mendapatkan kesimpulan bahwa lembaga-lembaga administratif serupa yang didirikan dalam konteks sosial, ekonomi, politik dan budaya yang berbeda akan menghasilkan kinerja pemerintahan yang berbeda pula. Beberapa lembaga tersebut berjalan secara efektif, efisien, inovatif, dan dapat dipertanggungjawabkan, sementara yang lainnya tumbuh dengan lamban, inefisien, inefektif, dan korup. Dengan demikian sumbangan penting karya Putnam terletak pada ide bahwa modal sosial dapat berwujud positif ataupun negatif. Dalam bentuknya yang negatif ia memanifest melalui hubungan interpersonal yang eksklusif dengan praktek-praktek diskriminatif.
Deepa Narayan[34] mendefinisikan modal sosial sebagai norma dan relasi sosial yang melekat dalam struktur sosial masyarakat dan memungkinkan anggota-anggotanya untuk mengkoordinir aksi dan mencapai tujuan sebagaimana yang diinginkan secara bersama-sama. Sedangkan Antony J. Bebbington & Thomas F. Caroll[35] menggunakan tipe spesifik dalam struktur modal sosial yaitu organisasi lokal petani di Andean Highland yang dikategorikan dalam bentuk OSG.[36]
Modal sosial dengan demikian berkaitan dengan pranata, relationships, dan norma yang sangat determinan bagi pembentukan pola interaksi sosial kemasyarakatan. Karenanya ia bukan sekedar sejumlah pranata yang menjadi unsur pembentuk masyarakat, tapi merupakan landasan yang menjadi perekat dari itu semua. Sehingga secara sederhana ia bisa dimaknai sebagai a set of horizontal associations between people, consisting of social networks and associated norms that have an effect on community productivity and well-being.
Dalam konteks transisi identifikasi terhadap modal sosial mutlak dilakukan untuk mengetahui sejauh mana sebuah upaya transformasi politik, ekonomi, dan budaya mendapatkan dukungan solidaritas yang memadai. Ini penting karena satu agregat dengan cakupan masalah yang begitu luas meniscayakan dimilikinya kekuatan positif yang memungkinkan pelaksanaannya. Kerja keras dalam mengelola perubahan yang sedang berjalan dengan segala lapisan persoalan yang ada tetap harus dilakukan termasuk di dalamnya menilai kepentingan yang berbeda-beda, membangun konsensus, dan memobilisasi dukungan masyarakat dalam hal belajar dan beradaptasi dengan cara-cara baru dalam melakukan sesuatu.
Tindakan demikian membutuhkan perubahan nilai, keyakinan, dan perilaku. Sebab tanpanya modal sosial tidak akan berfungsi sebagai penggerak dan fasilitator perubahan. Transisi dengan demikian dikonstruksi oleh sebuah bangsa dengan berbagai institusi yang ada untuk menciptakan nilai-nilai baru untuk mengkerangkakan partisipasi politik yang dilandaskan kepada transparansi, akuntabilitas, dan inklusifitas. Ia juga diasumsikan terdapat pada kemampuan setiap kelompok masyarakat untuk mengelola beban historis serta perbedaan yang dimilikinya dengan kelompok lain sehingga dimungkinkan langkah penciptaan koalisi besar bagi kepentingan bersama.[37]
Konsekuensi yang muncul dari asumsi demikian adalah perluasan jaringan-jaringan kolaboratif dan konsultatif lintas kelompok yang dibutuhkan untuk memperoleh gambaran yang memadai menyangkut model penyelesaian konflik kepentingan dan penentuan agenda bersama. Ketika komitmen penciptaan tatanan baru ditetapkan maka hubungan-hubungan otoritas lama sepatutnya ditinggalkan dan hubungan-hubungan baru dengan nilai-nilai sebagaimana disepakati terus dikembangkan. Kondisi demikian diperlukan untuk mendorong terciptanya “sambung rasa” antara para elite dengan warga masyarakat. Sebab kepercayaan publik berkait erat dengan legitimasi dan otoritas para pemimpin yang mengkoordinasikan agregat pencarian definisi-definisi baru tatanan kehidupan kebangsaan.
Sayangnya, hampir seluruh persoalan mendasar yang saat ini dihadapi Indonesia dalam pengelolaan transisi berhubungan dengan luluh lantaknya nilai-nilai dalam masyarakat, rasa saling percaya, serta struktur kekuasaan yang tidak memiliki self-controlnya untuk memperbaiki citranya di depan publik.[38] Saat ini, sementara praktek-praktek lama telah tidak lagi populer dalam masyarakat, nilai-nilai baru belum lagi mapan. Sehingga tidak ada lagi perasaan identitas bersama sebagai bangsa secara keseluruhan. Beberapa pandangan bisa kita berikan dalam menganalisis gagalnya pembentukan sentimen kebangsaan ini.
Pertama, negara ini berdiri di atas fondasi kebangsaan yang begitu rapuh. Problem seperti ini bisa kita lacak dari aborsi Soeharto terhadap proyek “nation building” yang dikampanyekan Soekarno,[39] yang digantikannya dengan pembangunan ekonomi yang dimapankan melalui stabilitas politik dan keamanan. Naiknya Soeharto ke tampuk kekuasaan menandai bergesernya orientasi pembangunan nasional yang awalnya, pada masa Soekarno, ditujukan untuk mengukuhkan karakter dan identitas kebangsaan Indonesia, menjadi seperangkat instrumen pertumbuhan ekonomi yang mengesampingkan pemeliharaan kultur penyangga kohesi sosial. Dalam gagalnya proyeksi pembentukan karakter kebangsaan tersebut kita menemukan fakta bahwa bangsa-bangsa yang terintegrasi ke dalam NKRI belum pernah mengalami fase kebersamaan “menjadi Indonesia.” Yakni satu momentum yang menandai dimulainya kontrak sosial antar bangsa-bangsa yang ada untuk bergabung menjadi bagian dari Indonesia.[40]
Ada jarak geografis dan geo-kultur yang diabaiakan eksistensinya dalam mengkerangkakan bangunan integrasi kebangsaan. Sehingga lapis-lapis perbedaan dan keragaman yang ada tidak pernah dikenali dengan baik. Sebagai contoh dapat disebutkan adalah adopsi nalar kontinental dalam membaca realitas Indonesia yang kepulauan. Seolah-olah Indonesia itu adalah tunggal tanpa ada selat-selat yang memisahkan berbagai entitas yang berkembang di Indonesia. Modernisasi yang terjadi di Indonesia mengakibatkan penyeragaman cara berfikir yang positifistik. Pemerintah melihat bahwa budaya Jawa sama dengan budaya Aceh, misalnya, sehingga kebijakan yang diambil tidak ada bedanya antara satu daerah dengan daerah lain. Adopsi cara pikir positivis yang sebenarnya juga Eurosentris ini tidak mempertimbangkan relevansinya dengan ruang-batin masyarakat Indonesia.
Kedua, aborsi yang disertai penyeragaman oleh Soeharto mengikis berbagai identitas lokal dalam restriksi dan koersi yang hebat sehingga pelembagaan nilai-nilai keindonesiaan juga tidak dimungkinkan karenanya. Dan sebagai implikasinya, ketiga, tidak dimilikinya fundamental code of culture yang menjadi afinitas kolektif masyarakat yang bernama Indonesia. Dalam kondisi demikian tidak bisa kiranya kita membumbui kenekatan para TKI yang telah dideportasi dari Malaysia dengan nasionalisme. Karena memang ia belum pernah terbentuk dengan memadai. Sebab jika kita bertanya kepada mereka; jika mereka dapat meningkatkan taraf ekonomi mereka di Malaysia, maukah mereka meninggalkan kewarganegaraannya, dan berpindah menjadi warga Malaysia ?? sebuah pertanyaan yang tentu bisa “ya,” dan bisa “tidak.”
Kondisi demikian tentu akan menyulitkan kita untuk menginventarisir modal yang kita butuhkan untuk meneruskan proses konsolidasi demokrasi. Komunikasi antara para elite dan masyarakat yang hanya terjadi saat pemilu menjadi kontributor utama bagi rumitnya persoalan ini. Sebab tanpa mekanisme yang begitu jelas menyangkut akuntabilitas politik perwakilan tentu akan sulit menerka masih adakah kepercayaan publik kepada para elite politik yang mewakilinya.

Menerka Masa Depan; Jalan Tanpa Ujung (?)

Meski masih sulit mengira-ngira bayangan masa depan transisi demokrasi di Indonesia, tapi dari proses yang ada kita bisa mengukur panjang jalan yang akan kita lalui untuk melanjutkan konsolidasi demokrasi tersebut. Transisi memulai konsolidasi demokrasi ketika penyelengaraan Pemilihan Umum (pemilu) pertama setelah jatuhnya Rezim otoriter terdahulu secara bebas dan adil dapat dilakukan. Pemilu 1999 yang oleh banyak pengamat disebut sebagai pemilu paling demokratis setelah pemilu 1955 memang memberikan sedikit kepercayaan untuk melangkah maju. Ukuran bagi keberhasilan ini minimal bisa kita tengarai dari terbentuknya sebuah pemerintahan baru dengan legitimasi lebih kuat. Hanya saja benarkah penguasa baru hasil pemilu yang ada berhasil mengkonsolidasikan kehidupan demokrasi dan menjadikannya sebagai the only game in town.
Para pemimpin baru harus terus menerus melakukan negosiasi agar terjadi wacana demokrasi dalam masyarakat. Konsolidasi harus tetap dilakukan karena apa yang telah dicapai itu baru langkah awal bagi suatu proses konsolidasi pasca otoritarianisme. Tantangan serius yang seringkali menggelincirkan pemerintahan demokrasi menurut Huntington banyak berasal dari persoalan-persolana kontekstual seperti terpuruknya perekonomian, konflik etnis, ketimpangan ekonomi-sosial yang menyolok, ataupun hutang luar negeri yang semakin menumpuk. Kegagalan pemerintah baru untuk mengatasi persoalan-persoalan ini akan juga menandai tamatnya demokrasi.
Menghindari kondisi demikian beberapa faktor kiranya perlu diperhatikan bagi keberhasilan konsolidasi demokratis; Pertama, arah pembangunan ekonomi yang mampu mengatasi persoalan-persoalan mendasar di bidang ekonomi. Strategi dan arah pembangunan ini terutama sekali dikerangkakan sebagai landasan kepada kebijakan makro ekonomi. Kebijakan ini secara umum diorientasikan untuk menata iklim kompetisi dan daya saing negara sehingga ekonominya berjalan secara efisien. Selain itu di level mikro pemerintah juga perlu mengambil langkah-langkah yang proaktif. Karena di tingkat inilah sebenarnya kebijakan di wilayah makro mendapatkan medium implementasinya. Di antara kebijakan yang harus menjadi prioritas adalah; reformasi sektor pertanian, pemenuhan kesehatan dasar, stabilisasi harga. Selain itu juga diperlukan perubahan organisasi (organizational change). Kebijakan ini diorientasikan untuk membangun sistem kelembagaan yang diharapkan akan berjalan secara efisien sehingga dapat menopang kinerja bidang ekonomi. Penataan bidang ekonomi yang mampu beradaptasi dengan kompleksitas permasalahan menjadi taruhan keberhasilan di bidang ekonomi.
Kedua, transparansi kebijakan dan pengelolaan anggaran negara dan diakui sepenuhnya partisipasi politik warga. Dalam konteks ini para pemimpin baru dituntut untuk memberikan contoh penyelenggaraan pemerintahan yang transparan kepada masyarakat. Dengan menetapkan aturan hukum yang menjamin hak-hak publik untuk melakukan pengawasan kepada pemerintah. Ketiga, penyelesaian secara tuntas terhadap berbagai kasus yang berkaitan dengan korupsi ekonomi, manipulasi politik dan keadilan hukum. Kegagalan di wilayah ini akan mengakibatkan rendahnya tingkat kepercayaan warga masyarakat kepada pemerintah dan menimbulkan sisi negatif bagi konsolidasi transisi demokrasi.
Dari ketiga faktor tersebut grafik pencapaian transisi dan konsolidasi demokrasi Indonesia nampak belum memperlihatkan peningkatan yang begitu memadai. Di bidang ekonomi misalnya pemerintah terlihat belum sama sekali menemukan arah dan strategi yang tepat untuk mengatasi problem-problem yang ada. Di bidang hukum bahkan nampak semakin memprihatinkan, jika tidak memalukan. Ini tercermin setidaknya dalam lemahnya kinerja peradilan di Indonesia untuk menuntaskan kasus-kasus di bidang hukum. Dibuatnya keputusan-keputusan yang tidak populer di bidang hukum semakin menyiratkan pesimisme kita terhadap keseriusan pemerintah melakukan pembenahan terhadap sistem hukum dan peradilan. Sementara di bidang politik, proses pelembagaan sistem kepartaian belum sama sekali memperlihatkan hasil yang mamadi untuk dijadikan landasan penyaluran hak-hak masyarakat. Secara umum kehidupan politik di negeri ini masih sangat elitis dan lebih menyerupai “kartel elite” yang berkorporasi untuk membohongi masyarakat. Kasus gagalnya pembentukan Pansus Bulog setidaknya bisa kita jadikan salah satu indikator awal dari kondisi ini.
Dalam kondisi demikian, benar kiranya sinyaleman yang mengatakan bahwa gagalnya gerakan pro-demokrasi di Indonesia terletak pada kegagalan untuk mendesakkan satu managemen kekuasaan yang lebih berpihak kepada masyarakat. Kegagalan ini dibuktikan oleh selalu dominannya kekuatan-kekuatan otoriter dalam struktur kunci negara. Dan ini tentu menyiratkan masih banyaknya tugas yang harus kita kerjakan untuk mengawal proses transisi dan konsolidasi di negari ini. Satu proses yang tentu sangat melelahkan dan bagai jalan tanpa ujung.
Kontroversi yang mengitari amandemen UUD 1945 sepertinya mewakili simpul bagi seluruh permasalahan yang kita hadapi sebagai bangsa. Kemelut tersebut secara keseluruhan sepertinya cukup mewakili kondisi faktual proses demokratisasi kita yang berdimensi chaotic, dan menjadi persilangan kepentingan segenap pihak dalam masyarakat; partai, interest groups, dan juga kelompok penekan lainnya. Tak heran jika kemudian proses politik yang seharusnya menjadi media pembelajaran demokrasi pada kelanjutannya telah menjadi medan pertaruhan politik (political expediency) antarkepentingan dan eksotisme (baca : kegenitan) para elite yang semakin menjauh dari upaya penerjemahan konstituensi politik di tingkat akar rumput.
Menguatnya arus seperti ini pada sisi tertentu telah ikut menggerus ruang-ruang kecerdasan yang diharapkan mampu memperluas spektrum pemaknaan demokrasi Indonesia yang sedang mencari jati diri. Karena pada kenyataanya transisi demokrasi semata dimaknai sebagai wahana bongkar pasang struktur kepemimpinan, adu otot antar-faksi, tanpa disertai proses pembudayaan politik, yakni menjadikan politik sebagai milik masyarakat dan bukan semata milik para elite. Di aras inilah kesemestaan proses politik di aras negara terlihat gagal menjadi instrumen bagi edukasi politik dan penerjemahan konstituensi publik.
Kondisi demikian jika kita cermati memang memiliki zona-hubung dengan tingkat pemahaman politik masyarakat yang belum memadai, akibat sekian lama tidak dilibatkan dalam proses-proses politik. Sehingga bisa dimengerti jika kualitas kultur penghayatan demokrasi di negeri ini belumlah memadai untuk menopang berdirinya negara kesatuan yang demokratik. Hal ini terjadi karena demokrasi seringkali menjadi antiklimaks dalam slogan, himbauan, ataupun kampanye, bukannya kultur yang mendiami penghayatan politik seluruh masyarakat.
Layaknya teks yang terbuka, demokrasi dan politik memang selalu menyediakan diri untuk dimaknai. Hanya saja kreasi pemaknaan tersebut menjadi problem ketika fundamental code of culture bagi demokrasi masyarakat Indonesia belum sama sekali dikerangkakan. Dan masyarakat manapun kemudian memiliki hak yang begitu luas untuk melakukan improvisasi politik atas nama demokrasi tanpa batasan-batasan yang jelas. Sehingga demokrasi kemudian dimaknai sebagai momentum untuk memanifestasikan artikulasi politik tanpa harus menyesuaikannya dengan rambu-rambu dan rule of the game tertentu. Jadilah demokrasi menjadi ajang kreasi dan improvisasi politik yang quasi-anarchistic.
Hal lain yang juga memprihatinkan adalah tidak adanya kesepakatan menyangkut tolakan bagi proses demokratisasi, dan karenanya berputar-putar tanpa arah. Kondisi ini tentu menyulitkan upaya untuk mendiagnosa kesalahan yang mungkin saja ada dalam setiap tahapan uji-coba demokrasi yang kita lalui. Dan itu juga berarti menyulitkan usaha memformulasikan format demokrasi dan sistem ketatanegaraan di masa mendatang yang mampu, di satu sisi, berdiri di atas konjungtur lokalitas budaya masyarakat Indonesia yang majemuk dan berspektrum sangat luas. Dan, di sisi yang lain, tidak ketinggalan dalam merespons dinamika global yang memang tak mungkin untuk ditolak.
Mensintesakan kedua hal yang pada beberapa segi kadang bertolak belakang ini memang bukan pekerjaan yang bisa selesai satu generasi. Karena ia adalah kerja sejarah yang tak kenal lelah. Pensintesaan berbagai aspek dalam masyarakat dan kulturnya memang selalu memakan waktu yang panjang dalam pengalaman berbagai negara. Sehingga tak mungkin kita membayangkannya akan segera selesai. Negara-negara “kampiun demokrasi” seperti Amerika, Perancis, Jerman dan lainnya memerlukan waktu yang panjang untuk mencari bentuk demokrasinya yang sekarang.
Keseimbangan perhatian terhadap kedua variable di atas memang senantiasa berat untuk diupayakan. Pada masa Soeharto misalnya, pemerintah ketika itu memiliki apresiasi tinggi terhadap nilai-nilai lokal, namun sayangnya hal itu hanya berhenti di tataran retorika dan simbolisme politik. Sementara pada sisi yang lain, sangat lamban untuk menggauli isu-isu global yang lebih berdimensi populis. Tak pelak penanganan dua sisi yang canggung tersebut mementahkan upaya menjadikan politik sebagai milik komunitas-komunitas warga dengan local geniusnya. Dan bersamaan dengan itu wacana dan kecenderungan baru yang muncul di aras global mendapat restriksi yang hebat di tingkat negara.
Pada tataran inilah kemudian transisi demokrasi seyogyanya tidak dikorbankan untuk mengumbar ambisi politik pribadi ataupun golongan tertentu. Sebaliknya, menjadikannya sebagai momentum bagi semua warga bangsa untuk mengkaji ulang konstruk budaya politik demokrasi. Transisi demokrasi sebagai ruang untuk belajar dari kegagalan percobaan demokrasi baik masa demokrasi liberal, terpimpin, ataupun masa Orba dengan demokrasi Pancasilanya.
Pilihan ini memiliki derajat keniscayaan yang tinggi untuk menyelamatkan kehidupan politik kebangsaan dan mencegahnya dari sekedar menjadi medan konflik kepentingan baik individu ataupun kelompok. Bahwa kemudian nampak berbagai ornamen ketidakpastian, displacement, dan bahkan disorientasi di sana-sini haruslah tetap ditempatkan dalam kerangka memediasi pemaknaan demokrasi itu sendiri. Meskipun pada tahap tertentu, transisi demokrasi juga dituntut untuk segera mendefinisikan arah dan tujuannya untuk meminimalisasi kadar social disorder yang kini menggejala dengan hebat. Tidak itu saja, koridor sempit demokrasi tersebut juga harus dipugar untuk menghindari titik balik kebosanan masyarakat kita terhadap ketidakmenentuan demokrasi yang bisa saja akan segera diiringi oleh menguatnya arus kerinduan kepada otoritarianisme politik yang lebih menjanjikan kepastian dalam berbagai hal.
Pertanyaannya kemudian, mampukah konfiguasi politik, sosial, dan kultural kita menyediakan lahan yang subur bagi tumbuhnya semaian demokrasi dan penghormatan hak-hak komunitas warga-bangsa ? Jawaban dari pertanyaan itulah yang kiranya sedang kita cari dalam perjalanan yang hampir tanpa ujung ini. Wallahu Waaliyu at-Taufiq.
[1] Kalimat ini menjadi penutup ringkasan diskusi yang dibuat oleh Dr. Rainer Adam, melibatkan 6 partai besar Indonesia, di selenggarakan di Jakarta pada tanggal 12 hingga 15 Mei 2000. Lebih jauh lihat dalam Democratic Transitions in Asia, Uwe Johannen & James Gomez, et.all. Singapore : Select Publishing Pte Ltd dan Friederich Naumann Foundation, hal. 276. Menurut Adam secara umum masing-masing peserta diskusi mengalami kebingungan dalam mendiagnosa persoalan yang melingkupi proses transisi demokrasi di Indonesia. Kesulitan ini juga mengakibatkan tidak dicapainya kesepakatan mengenai agenda jangka panjang yang mungkin dilakukan (dan atau dikerjasamakan) oleh masing-masing partai mereka. Adam justeru melihat bahwa masing-masing partai menyibukkan diri pada kontestasi dan perebutan kepentingan mereka semata tanpa membekali diri dengan kapasitas konseptual dan pengalaman yang memadai untuk mengkerangkakan pencarian “alternatif” jalan keluar dari berbagai kemelut yang saat ini ada.
[2] Kesulitan serupa juga diakui oleh Ulf Sundhaussen. Menurutnya perjalanan politik Indonesia senantiasa diwarnai oleh moment-moment yang mengejutkan dan dalam beberapa segi keluar dari kelaziman pola-pola yang berlangsung di banyak negara. Lebih jauh lihat dalam Ulf Sundhaussen, “Sebuah Agenda bagi Demokratisasi di Indonesia”, Majalah Prisma No. 3 Tahun XXV Maret 1996, Jakarta : LP3ES, hal. 3-21.
[3] George Sorensen menyebut kondisi demikian sebagai the frozen democracy (demokrasi beku). Sebuah kondisi dalam mana pertumbuhan demokrasi menjadi layu akibat munculnya berbagai kendala sosial ataupun politik yang mengakibatkan berbagai jalan rintisan tidak lagi efektif untuk menggerakkan pembentukan demokrasi tingat lanjut. Kondisi demikian oleh Geertz disebut sebagai involusi demokrasi. Lebih jauh lihat dalam Heru Nugroho, pengantar dalam John Markoff, Gelombang Demokrasi Dunia, Yogjakarta : Pustaka Pelajar & CCSS, Cet. I, 2002, hal. Xviii – xix.
[4] Penuturan lugas Vaclac Havel, misalnya, tentang lelahnya menata demokrasi di negerinya menjadi “sedikit hiburan” bagi kita bahwa proses melingkar dan melelahkan tersebut bukan saja pengalaman Indonesia dalam mengelola transisi menuju demokrasi.
[5] Guillermo ‘O Donell, Transisi Menuju Demokrasi, Jakarta : LP3ES, Buku I – IV.
[6] Hasil serangkaian pengkajian dan penelitian tersebut kemudian menjadi karya pertama, dalam bahasa manapun, yang menyajikan data komprehensif tentang bentuk dan proses transisi di negara-negara berkembang. Buku tersebut mengambil kasus Amerika Latin dan Eropa Selatan sebagai model kajiannya. Karya lain yang juga penting adalah buku Huntington, Gelombang Demokratisasi Ketiga, yang mengkonsentrasikan pembahasannya pada pengalaman demokrtisasi di banyak negara “gelombang ketiga’ demokrasi.
[7] Guillermo O’Donnell dan Philippe C. Schmitter, Transisi Menuju Demokrasi : Rangkaian Kemungkinan dan Ketidakpastian, Jakarta : LP3ES, Cet. I, 1993, hal. 2 - 3
[8] Refleksi atas kontestasi sengit dan kesulitan mencari kesepakatan terhadap aturan dan asumsi-asumsi dasar penyelenggaraan kehidupan bernegara terekam dalam laporan Dr. Reiner Adam. Lebih jauh lihat dalam Uwe Johannen, et. All, Democratic Transitions in Asia, Loc. Cit, hal. 267-271.
[9] Lihat penjelasan Huntington, Gelombang Demokratisasi Ketiga, Jakarta : Pustaka Utama Grafiti, Cet. II, 1997, terutama bagian III.
[10] Perubahan tersebut dilakukan melalui beberapa paket deregulasi ekonomi yang memberikan celah lebih lebar kepada swasta untuk berperan dalam kegiatan perekonomian. Paket deregulasi tersebut dimulai dengan deregulasi sistem perbankan tahun 1983 yang kemudian didukung banyak paket lainnya; seperti paket deregulasi Oktober 1988 tentang liberalisasi keuangan, paket Nopember 1988 tentang perdagangan barang plastik, angkutan laut, industri dan pertanian, serta paket desember tentang pasar modal dan modal ventura, yang kemudian lebih populer dengan Pakto, Pakno, Pakdes. Uraian panjang lebar tentang hal itu lihat dalam Andrinof A. Chaniago, Gagalnya Pembangunan, Jakarta : LP3ES, Cet. I, 2001, terutama bagian I dan II.
[11] John Williamson menamakan pilihan ini sebagai “Washington Consensus” mengingat paket ini berasal dari IMF yang bermarkas di Washington DC. Dikutip oleh Priyambudi Sulistiyanto dari John Williamson (ed.), The Political Economy of Policy Reform, Washington DC : Institute for International Economics, 1994, hal. 26 – 28. Lebih jauh lihat dalam Priyambudi Sulistiyanto, “Politik, Reformasi Ekonomi, dan Demokratisasi,” dalam Prisma, Jakarta : LP3ES, No. 5 – 1997, hal. 4 – 7. Di Indonesia, kebijakan ini mewujud dalam paket deregulasi ekonomi yang secara umum ditujukan untuk mengubah arah perekonomian yang lebih berorientasi ekspor dan mendongkrak performace ekonomi Indonesia yang lebih kompetitif di mata internasional. Tinjauan lainnya juga dilakukan oleh Mochtar Mas’oed dalam “Resep Itu Bernama “Washington Consensus,” pengantar dalam buku Andrinof, Ibid. Menurutnya, paket-paket deregulasi tersebut menandai momentum semakin terintegrasinya perekonomian Indonesia ke dalam sistem perdagangan, finansial, dan investasi global.
[12] ‘O Donnell dan Schmitter menggarisbawahi bahwa umumnya tujuan utama dari pengenduran kediktatoran melalui beberapa liberalisasi tersebut memang untuk mengupayakan kontrol kembali terhadap berbagai aksi penentangan terhadap rezim serta untuk membentuk saluran-saluran yang aman mengartikulasikan kepentingan mereka. Lebih jauh Lihat dalam Transisi Menuju Demokrasi : Rangkaian Kemungkinan dan Ketidakpastian, Jakarta : LP3ES, Cet. I, 1993, hal. 63.
[13] Donald Share dan Scott Mainwaring, “Transitions Through Transaction : Democratization in Brazil and Spain,” dalam Political Liberalization in Brazil : Dynamics, Dilemmas, and Future Prospects, ed. Wayne A. Selcher, Boulder, Colo : Westview Press. 1986, hal. 177 – 179.
[14] Huntington, Op. Cit., hal. 157 – 158.
[15] Keraguan semacam ini diungkapkan secara eksplisit oleh Sundhaussen menyangkut ketersediaan aktifis revolusioner di negeri ini. Ia memang tidak menafikan adanya kelompok-kelompok yang sangat tidak puas (dan atau dirugikan oleh kebijakan Orde Baru), namun secara bersamaan ia mengaitkannya dengan potensi penghambat persebaran gagasan tersebut bila dikaitkan dengan kondisi umum masyarakat yang masih tradisional, terlebih jika harus membicarakan trauma yang diwariskan percobaan kudeta berdarah 1965. Lebih jauh lihat Sundhaussen dalam Loc. Cit., hal. 5. Dalam kondisi demikian memang kita tidak bisa mengharapkan terjadinya persebaran political leverage yang lebih lebar dalam waktu yang cepat dan konstan.
[16] Elaborasi mengenai situasi-situasi revolusioner lihat dalam S. N. Eisenstadt, Revolusi dan Transformasi Masyarakat, Jakarta : CV. Rajawali, Cet. I, 1986, hal. 3 – 4.
[17] Respons terhadap pilihan reformasi dan bukan revolusi muncul dalam ekspresi ketidakpuasan beberapa kelompok di kalangan mahasiswa, partai, ataupun perorangan yang begitu pesimistik menggantungkan nasib transisi demokratis kepada perubahan secara gradual. Bukan saja karena evolusi semacam itu melelahkan namun juga karena dia tidak sama sekali mampu memberikan jaminan dan signal positif atas keberhasilannya. Melainkan juga karena di dalamnya terkandung potensi yang cukup besar untuk terjadinya blunder yang memungkinkan tampilnya kelompok status quo sebagai pemenang, dengan atau tanpa membonceng militer di belakangnya.
[18] Asingnya kepolitikan Indonesia dengan oposisi ini setidaknya terjadi hingga paruh kedua 80-an, dalam mana tidak satu golonganpun dalam masyarakat yang memerankan fungsi tersebut. Suara-suara kritis terhadap berbagai kebijakan mulai muncul pada akhir dekade tersebut, dan justeru anehnya tidak berasal dari kelompok-kelompok di luar pemerintahan.
[19] Faisal Basri, “Kerancuan Koalisi Permanen,” Berpolitik.com, 13 Maret 2001.
[20] Potensi seperti ini layak untuk diperhatikan lebih karena hampir keseluruhan partai kontestan pemilu 1999, yang lama ataupun baru, mendefinisikan konstruksi solidaritas politiknya di bawah kharisma pemimpinnya. Dan 6 partai pemenang pemilu 1999 menunjukkan kenyataan itu. Barangkali Golkar memiliki beberapa hal untuk dikecualikan dalam kasus ini, berkah dimilikinnya infrastruktur warisan yang sangat mapan memang sedikit membedakannya dari partai-partai lain. Namun dalam faktanya, di beberapa daerah, Golkar pun tidak bisa meninggalkan kehadiran pemimpin kharismatik untuk mendulang suara dan melengkapi “kebulatan tekad” yang dulu diterimanya dari simpul-simpul kekaryaan di lingkungan pegawai negeri sipil dan atau tentara.
[21] Sebuah survey singkat diselenggarakan ISIS mengiringi program Islam dan Oposisi Demokratis beberapa waktu lalu di daerah Banten dan Kalimantan Selatan. Survey ini memfokuskan perhatian pada korelasi antara pilihan artikulasi politik kelompok-kelompok Islam dengan harapan dan kebutuhan masyarakat. Hasil survey menunjukkan bahwa secara umum partai-partai tidak memiliki keprihatinan yang memadai dalam menangani persoalan-persoalan dalam masyarakat. Hampir mayoritas responden dalam survey tersebut (80%) belum pernah memiliki pengalaman keterlibatan dalam program partai yang memang diabdikan bagi pemenuhan kebutuhan masyarakat.
[22] Pengalaman menarik terjadi di semenanjung Balkans mengiringi upaya penataan Yugoslavia yang dilakukan oleh Joseph Broz Tito mengintroduksikan satu model kebangsaan yang multiracial, etnik, dan agama era 60an dan 70an. Tito memang berhasil merintis jalan bagi terbentuknya model pemerintahan yang melandaskan diri pada fakta keragaman masyarakatnya. Sayangnya, keberhasilan tersebut lebih bersifat personal dan kharismatik tanpa diiringi pembentukan sistem yang memadai bagi regulasi social kemasyarakatan.
[23] Ketiga kondisi tersebut pada tahap tertentu mengakibatkan akselerasi gerak GM nampak antisejarah dan antikonsep. Anti sejarah karena ontology agregasi GM dikerangkakan bukan pada aspirasi dan kebutuhan masyarakat yang merupakan ibu kandungnya, melainkan dari berbagai kaca mata yang justeru tidak menyediakan optik yang memadai untuk menjejaki kesemestaan persoalan yang ada. Dan selanjutnya antikonsep karena dalam perkembangannya, GM gagal memformulasikan satu bentuk gerakan pemberdayaan yang padu.
[24] Proposisi ini lahir dari telaah terhadap konstruk demokrasi kita yang lebih memanifest sebagai pelembagaan hak-hak istimewa beberapa kelompok terbatas, daripada sebagai manifestasi upaya penerjemahan konstituensi politik masyarakat. Konstruk demokrasi ini, menurut Carrol H. Weiss gagal menyediakan kerangka normative kebebasan yang menjadi ruh dasar demokrasi itu sendiri, yakni demokrasi sebagai penyedia berbagai pilihan. Lebih jauh lihat Demokrasi Ditinjau Kembali,
[25] Ketimpangan kondisi social politik yang ada sedikit banyak dipengaruhi oleh gagalnya para teoritisi social untuk mendefinisikan ontology social politik-demokrasi kita. Sehingga jenis politik dan demokrasi macam apa yang ingin dikembangkan di Indonesia seakan tidak pernah terkonstruk secara jelas. Dari sini persoalan melebar ke wilayah epistemology yang, sekali lagi, para teorisi social juga gagal mengkerangkakan konstruk epistemology politik demokrasi kita. Kegagalan di aras konseptual ini memicu kebingungan di aras pencarian instrumen gerak yang lebih operatif bagi implementasi teoritis yang ada.
[26] Ignas Kleden, Membangun Tradisi Tanpa Sikap tradisional, dalam Sikap Ilmiah dan Kritik Keebudayaan, Penerbit LP3ES, hal. 214-247. Corak pemaknaan demokrasi sebatas sebagai estetikan ini mirip dengan kecenderungan umum GM yang terjebak pada trend. Akhirnya kritisisme dipahami sebagai trend dan bukan sikap dan pandangan hidup. Seorang mahasiswa disebut kritis ketika ia memakai kaos bergambar kaos Che Guevara, dan seterusnya.
[27] Kajian seperti ini bisa ditemukan misalnya dalam Juan J. Linz dan Alfred Stepan, Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation : Southern Europe, and Post-Communist Europe, Baltimore : John Hopkins University Press, 1996. Juga lihat dalam Guillermo ‘O Donnell dan Philipe C. Schmitter, Loc. Cit. Studi awal untuk peran partai dalam proses transisi di Indonesia saya temukan dalam Paige Johnson, “Partai Politik dan Konsolidasi Demokrasi di Indonesia,” dalam Panduan Parlemen Indonesia, Jakarta : Yayasan API, Cet. I, hal. 117 – 146. Untuk kasus Indonesia Paige Johnson menjadikan tema ini sebagai fokus kajian dalam disertasinya, “The When of Institutionalization : Political Parties and Indonesia’s Transition.”
[28] ‘O Donnel dan Schmitter dalam Loc. Cit, hal. 64 – 65. Keduanya memang mengakui bahwa dalam pengalaman beberapa negara seringkali partai politik bukanlah aktor utama dan penting dalam proses penggulingan rezim otoriter. Sebaliknya, dalam kebanyakan kasus, peran ini dimainkan oleh kelompok-kelompok penganjur HAM dan aliansi-aliansi sektoral lainnya.
[29] Gramsci, sebagaimana dikutip ‘O Donnell, dkk., mengkerangkakan transisi demokrasi ke dalam tiga momentum utama; militer, (partai) politik, dan ekonomi. Momen pertama terjadi ketika pihak-pihak dalam militer mentolerir beberapa bentuk liberalisasi yang tidak begitu merubah konstruk politik secara radikal. Sementara momen politik lebih menunjukkan fase dalam mana partai-partai mulai mengambil peran yang cukup signifikan ketika militer telah mulai mundur dan dan dibutuhkan satu konvensi baru bagi pembentukan pemerintahan yang akan meneruskan transisi. Sementara momen ekonomi lebih berhubungan dengan upaya pembenahan yang harus segera dilakukan setelah konvensi-konvensi politik bagi pemerintahan baru dikerangkakan. Kondisi demikian mutlak dilakukan karena rezim otoriter biasanya mewariskan keterpurukan ekonomi yang sangat. Lebih jauh lihat dalam Loc. Cit., hal. 62 – 75.
[30] Lihat dalam Paige Johnson dalam Op. Cit., hal. 119 – 121.
[31] Dikutip dari Rocky Gerung, “Etika dan Tugas Politik Oposisi,” dalam Panduan Parlemen Indonesia, Jakarta : Yayasan API, Cet. I, 2001, hal. 18 – 21.
[32] Journal of Public Policy, Forth coming 1999
[33] James Coleman, The Foundation of Social Theory, Cambridge : Harvard University Press, 1990, terutama bab 12 yang mengkhususkan pembahasan tentang “Social Capital,” hal. 300 – 321.
[34] Deepa Narayan, “Bond And Bridge: Social Capital & Poverty,” sebuah paper yang disiapkan untuk workshop penelitian yang diselenggarakan oleh World Bank, June 1998, hal. 6
[35] Antony J. Bebbington & Thomas F. Caroll, Induced Social Capital Formation In The Andes: Indegounus Federation And Development A Preliminary draft, prepared for the Social Capital & Poverty Converence held at World Bank, June 22-24, 1999
[36] OSG merupakan akronim Spanyol, Organisacion de Segundo Grado yang berarti organisasi yang memiliki kemampuan untuk mengatur dirinya sendiri (self governing organization).
[37] Tay Keong Tan, “Modal Sosial dan Lembaga-lembaga Legislatif di Indonesia,” dalam Panduan Parlemen Indonesia, Jakarta : Yayasan API, Cet. I, 2001, hal. 66 - 67
[38] Penjelasan apa, misalnya, yang akan memuaskan masyarakat saat mereka bertanya mengapa seorang yang diduga menyelewengkan milyaran uang negara dan telah divonis pengadilan tetap memiliki hak-haknya sebagaimana semula. Sementara seorang yang menggunakan “sandal bolong” untuk sholat dicabut hak-haknya padahal pengadilan belum sama sekali memberikan putusan atasnya. Adakah perbedaan ini muncul akibat perbedaan posisi dan status kedua subyek berperkara yang begitu kontras, yang pertama Ketua DPR dan yang kedua Buruh Pabrik Sepatu ?
[39] Nation building merupakan sebuah peristilahan yang dipopulerkan Soekarno untuk melukiskan perlunya fase integrasi nasional dalam pembentukan negara kesatuan yang begitu majemuk. Fase ini diperlukan lebih untuk menegosiasikan antar-kepentingan yang ada di dalam struktur dalam negara-bangsa itu sendiri. Argumen yang melandasai pilihan soekarno ini, menurut Ignas Kleden, adalah pokok soal yang dihadapi oleh Soekarno adalah menjaga agar berbagai-bagai kelompok etnis, golongan agama, dan perhimpunan politik tetap dalam satu kerangka negara kesatuan. Lebih jelas lihat dalam Ignas Kleden, “Ilmu Sosial di Indonesia; Tindakan dan Refleksi dalam Perspektif Asia Tenggara” dalam Ilmu Sosial di Asia Tenggara; dari Partikularisme ke Universalisme, Nico Schulte Nordholt dan Leontine Visser, et. Al., Jakarta : LP3ES, Cet. I, 1997, hal. 11.
[40] Momentum pengintegrasian melalui Sumpah Pemuda, Kongres bahasa, dan lainnya terjadi di aras politik dan menyisakan pluralitas yang sama sekali belum terjembatani dengan baik. Simbolisasi tentang kebudayaan nasional sebagai puncak-puncak kebudayaan daerah pada kenyataannya tidak menjadi alat efektif melebur perbedaan yang ada. Kebudayaan nasional yang sedianya dipersiapkan untuk untuk mengatasi kemungkinan konflik yang dapat diakibatkan oleh perbedaan yang ada di aras kebudayaan daerah. Usaha ini cukup problematis karena dalam persandingan ragam kebudayaan selalu ada unsur-unsur yang menegaskan diversitas kebudayaan dan bahkan singularitasnya. Dalam problematika seperti inilah pembentukan “kepribadian nasional” selalu menyertakan negosiasi nilai, transaksi ide, dan komunikasai intens yang bisa jadi memang akan sangat melelahkan dan tak akan selesai dalam kurun satu generai. Uraian menarik soal ini bisa dibaca dalam Ignas Kleden, Sikap Ilmiah dan Kritik Kebudayaan, Jakarta : LP3ES, Cet. II, 1988, terutama bab 7, “Kebudayaan : Agenda Buat Daya Cipta.”

Subversi Akademik Atawa Membaca Islam dari Sisi yang Terbalik

2007-07-22T05:20:00.000+07:00

Positioning the problem
Pada kesempatan yang sangat kebetulan Saudara Ishom el Saha meminta saya untuk menulis tentang “nalar Post-Tradisionalisme Islam.” Mengejutkan karena dalam state of mind saya nalar (reason) itu pada dirinya sendiri bersifat universal, paling tidak sebelum kedatangan Immanual Kant yang kemudian menggiring kita untuk meberikan kategori tehadap nalar menjadi nalar murni dan nalar praktis. Hingga sejauh itu kemudian nalar mendapat sematan-sematan afinitas yang secara lebih ataupun kurang berbobot ideologis, politis, ataupun ekonomis. Pada posisi demikian sangat sulit kita bisa berdiri bebas dari berbagai bias yang ada tersebut. Karenanya dalam tulisan ini saya tidak akan meletakkan pretensi yang teramat tinggi untuk bebas dari bias yang ada. Bukankah bias-bias itu pula yang ikut mengkostruksikan kesadaran kita ? Bukankah posisi kedirian seseorang selalu berada dalam lintasan bias-bias afinitas yang begitu kompleks secara sosiologis, historis, ataupun epistemologis, sehingga posisi seseorang senantiasa merepresentasikan posisi politiknya.

Dari titik ini kita akan memasuki pembahasan menyangkut “nalar Post-Tradisionalisme Islam” dari sisi yang sangat mendasar. Dalam mana secara epistemologis, Post-Tradisionalisme Islam diinisiasikan sebagai gerak dekonstruksi dan rekonstruksi sekaligus. Pertama, dekonstruksi dialamatkan kepada bangunan pemikiran atau imajinasi tentang otentisitas ("kemurnian") Islam yang dimunculkan oleh kalangan-kalangan yang menempatkan teks sebagai wujud paling otentik dari penghayatan keberagamaan. Kemurnian ini, sebagaimana sering dikampanyekan dalam tradisi salafiyah, Wahabi, hingga Neo-Modernisme Fazlur Rahman, seringkali diidentikkan dengan sesuatu yang terberi secara selesai (given), diperlakukan secara taken for granted. Yakni ketika seseorang menyematkan afinitas keberagamaan pada dirinya. Padahal, kalau kita mengikuti hasil-hasil penelitian yang dilakukan kalangan peminat cultural studies dan post-colonial studies, mulai dari Edward Said, Spivak, Foucault hingga Stuart Hall, imajinasi tentang kemurnian adalah sebuah konstruk yang berasal dari relasi-relasi kuasa. Satu entitas yang berdiri melingkupi proses produksi dan reproduksi ilmu pengetahuan.
Kemurnian, dengan demikian adalah aparat pendefinisi yang diintroduksi untuk menjadi pengawal dari otentisitas sebuah ajaran oleh kalangan Wahabi, ataupun kelompok-kelompok lain pendukung gerakan pemurnian Islam. Tapi mengapa ia diperlukan ? Jelas, karena kekuatan di luar agama diperlukan untuk memfasilitasi "social order" yang diandaikan hanya bisa ditegakkan di atas fondasi kemurnian ajaran.
Di sisi yang lain, kedua, Post-Tradisionalisme dinisiasikan sebagai gerak rekonstruksi kesadaran yang diorientasikan untuk mengembalikan kesadaran ke titik awal dari mana penghayatan keagamaan bermula. Sebuah kesadaran beragama yang bukan berasal dari orbit eksternal keseharian umat Islam. Melainkan kesadaran yang dikristalisasikan melalui pengalaman yang sangat empiris. Gerak demikian dibutuhkan terutama untuk menghindari semakin diasingkannya agama (Islam) dari cerapan pemahaman ummatnya.
Banyak sudah para ilmuwan dan penulis mempersembahkan karyanya untuk mempermudah bagaimana membaca Islam Indonesia dari segi aliran, asal penyebaran, hingga tipologi keislaman yang berkembang di Indonesia. Azyumardi Azra barangkali coba meneruskan apa yang dilakukan Mona Abaza untuk menyingkap jaringan kecendekiaan (ulama) yang membentangkan jarak tempuh geografis penyebaran Islam ke Indonesia. Sebuah upaya rintisan yang pasti sangat berharga. Sementara yang lain mencoba menampilkan wajah ragam keislaman dan pengaruhnya dalam konstelasi kepolitikan Indonesia mutakhir. Terlalu banyak memang untuk dihitung ataupun disebutkan satu-satu di sini, terlebih jika melihat gegap gempitanya perbincangan menyangkut wacana keislaman pasca 80an di tanah air. Satu fase yang menandai bergesernya komunikasi politik Orde Baru (Soeharto) dengan kalangan Islam.
Pertanyaannya, setelah banyak karya yang ada masih perlukah kiranya kita melanjutkan perdebatan menyangkut otentisitas Islam, ataupun pernik-pernik islamic studies lainnya. Dari mana kita harus menimba relevansi ataupun urgensinya. Pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang lebih berbau epistemologis yang bisa jadi senantiasa menyisakan ruang perdebatan, pro dan kontra, ataupun kesalahpahaman. Tapi terlepas dari keributan yang ditimbulkan berbagai pertanyaan tersebut perlu kiranya penulis menyampaikan argument etis pembuatan tulisan ini. Pertama, tulisan ini dibuat dalam alur yang mengalir, ringan dan tanpa membebani diri dengan prasayarat-prasyarat akademis yang seringkali rumit dan membuat kita mati kutu dalam berkarya. Dalam konteksnya yang khusus tulisan ini memang dibuat untuk memprovokasikan semacam “pemberontakan akademis” ataupun gerak subversi yang mewartakan tentang perlunya upaya memperlebar daya jangkau optic pembacaan kita terhadap satuan wacana yang kemudian kita sebut sebagai islamic studies tersebut.
Kedua, sebagai sebuah provokasi, bisa jadi tulisan ini akan menyerempet wilayah-wilayah sensitif yang digawangi oleh kelompok-kelompok tertentu. Ini diperlukan karena berbagai kegiatan pewacanaan islamic studies hingga saat ini cenderung menggiring Islam ke wilayah yang sama sekali asing dari apa yang ada dalam penghayatan kebanyakan ummatnya. Yakni sebentuk keislaman yang justru lahir bukan dari kubangan penghayatan pemeluknya melainkan bentukan dari proses diskursif yang difasilitasi oleh kecanggihan teknologi. Adonan wacana dalam mesin teknologi komunikasi itulah yang kemudian menghasilkan “rasionalitas teknologis” berwajah Islam[1].

Studi agama,
dan... rekayasa sosial
Sebuah studi dalam dirinya sendiri tentu diberangkatkan dari asumsi dasar tertentu, begitupun studi agama. Persoalan asumsi menjadi penting karena sebuah studi tidak akan mungkin dilakukan tanpa membekali diri dengan asumsi tertentu. Persoalan muncul ketika asumsi dalam dirinya sendiri selalu berjarak dengan obyek sebab asumsi adalah pantulan proyeksi seseorang yang dihasilkan dari pengamatan terhadap obyek tertentu. Dan hampir dapat dipastikan bahwa asumsi dan obyek adalah dua hal yang berdiri secara terpisah satu sama lain. Mereka bertemu hanya dalam kegiatan pengamatan seseorang terhadap obyek tertentu, dan manakala asumsi ditetapkan maka ia telah menjadi berdiri sendiri. Asumsi kemudian berdiri sebagai realitas kedua yang merupakan bentukan proyeksi pengamatan seseorang yang berjarak dengan obyek aslinya. Jadi obyek adalah realitas pertama sedangkan asumsi adalah realitas kedua yang dikonstruksikan.
Sebagai sebuah hasil konstruksi maka wajar bila hasil kajian kemudian tidak mungkin dibayangkan berdiri secara netral dihadapan obyek. Ia senantiasa bias pengamat dan memantulkan pandangan seseorang. Dalam posisi demikian studi agama menjadi medan kontestasi ide dan gagasan yang mengharmonikan di dalamnya segenap persepsi, sudut pandang dan tentu berbagai kepentingan. Sehingga teramat sulit bagi saya melukiskan satu model studi agama yang bebas kepentingan. Dalam dirinya sendiri studi agama akan selalu mewakili kepentingan untuk melakukan penelaahan terhadap ekspresi keberagamaan dan manifestasinya dalam kehidupan sosial.
Kondisi seperti itulah yang kemudian memungkinkan kita untuk membuat zona-hubung yang menyambungkan kegiatan studi (pembacaan) dengan rekayasa sosial. Ini terjadi lebih karena sebuah studi tidak mungkin memisahkan diri dari konteks dan dinamika sosial yang melingkupinya. Itulah kira-kira hukum besi yang akan terus memenjarakan setiap kegiatan penalaran. Dalam hukum besi demikian pertanyaan yang kemudian bisa kita ajukan adalah dimanakah sebenarnya energi gerak dari setiap kegiatan pembacaan, termasuk di dalamnya studi agama ? pertanyaan demikian menurut saya lebih relevan diajukan ketimbang kita harus bertanya mazhab atau aliran apa yang sedang menjadi mainstream dalam studi agama.
Alasan paling mudah bagi munculnya pertanyaan itu adalah karena studi agama berjalin kelindan dengan proses rekayasa sosial maka studi agama berjalan seiring dengan proses tersebut. Atau bahkan lebih ekstrim bisa dikatakan bahwa studi agama berada dalam posisi in line, dan tak jarang, in search of social order that is the main goal of soscial engineering. Karenanya, studi agama kemudian muncul sebagai salah satu kereta luncur bagi agenda-agenda rekayasa sosial yang sedang dioperasikan di wilayah tertentu.
Di situlah kemudian jawaban dari pertanyaan menyangkut energi gerak studi agama menurut saya bisa kita temukan secara jelas. Bahwa studi agama sebagaimana layaknya kegiatan pembacaan dalam tradisi ilmu-ilmu sosial lainnya menimba energi geraknya dari proses rekayasa sosial. Yang juga bisa dikatakan bahwa trend yang berkembang dalam studi agama sangat berhubungan dengan –atau bahkan tergantung pada- trend yang muncul dalam proses rekayasa sosial. Pada titik inilah mengapa pertanyaan menyangkut aliran mainstream dalam studi agama, menurut saya, tidak menyentuh wilayah inti dari kegiatan pembacaan terhadap Islam.
Studi agama dalam posisi demikian lebih banyak berurusan dengan bagaimana membuat trend yang mengkonsultasikan relevansinya di hadapan agenda rekayasa sosial. Tak heran jika trend yang muncul dalam studi agama seringkali berubah seiring perubahan yang terjadi dalam skenario rekayasa sosial. Itulah mengapa kita senantiasa menemukan “jenis baru islam” pada setiap tahap perkembangan studi agama, dan hampir jarang sekali kita menemukan ‘jenis baru pemikiran” yang memang agak minim dalam islamic studies. Taksonomi atas berbagai aliran dan pemikiran Islam senantiasa mencatat “jenis baru” seperti perkembangan di dunia mode dan fashion. Teramat disayangkan jika perkembangan tersebut hanya terjadi dalam sapuan-sapuan singkat yang hampir sama sekali tidak menyisakan perubahan berarti apalagi kemajuan. Tren yang ada datang dan pergi silih berganti seperti model pakaian ataupun consumer goods lainnya. Sayang ia hanya selintas, sebentar, dan akhirnya hanya semburat.
Trend studi agama kemudian hanya mencatatkan munculnya peristilahan baru dan logosentrisme yang semakin berlebihan. Rasionalisme, Neo-Modernisme, ataupun Revivalisme, dan masih banyak lagi peristilahan yang akan terlalu panjang untuk disebut di sini. Tapi satu yang sepertinya tidak berubah dari semua itu, yakni penghayatan terhadap Islam. Sesuatu yang sepertinya semakin ditinggalkan oleh para pengkaji dan peminat studi agama. Dalam kondisi itu Islam seperti berjenis kelamin ganda; pertama, islam yang lantang digemborkan para pendakwah, peminat studi agama, ataupun difatwakan MUI untuk satu urusan tertentu, termasuk di dalamnya islam yang dibirokrasikan melalui berbagai aturan semisal Renstra Cianjur Mukti Tur Islami, ataupun Surat Edaran Bupati Tasikmalaya yang memprasaratkan kemampuan baca al-Qur’an bagi calon siswa SD beragama Islam. Di situlah trend muncul dan menjadi hingar binar yang begitu wah serta memukau.
Sementara, kedua, islam jenis lain yang hidup dalam penghayatan para pemeluk Islam Sasak, Islam Wetu Telu (sebagaimana sering dituturkan oleh Ahmad Baso), ataupun Islam Jawa yang sangat kental membawa nuansa kejawen. Sebentuk penghayatan akan kepercayaan yang sepertinya tak pernah berubah. Satu penghayatan yang mengkristalisasikan di dalamnya cerapan pengalaman spiritual, pengalaman kehidupan, dan olah batin yang terlalu dalam untuk dijejaki oleh teorema produk modernisme. Ruang yang terlalu sepi untuk bisa dikunjungi para peneliti pelancong pemuja modernisme yang memperlakukan tradisi dan khazanah sebagai barang museum yang hanya pantas dipajang di etelase modernisme.
Pertanyaannya adalah jenis islam manakah yang akan menjadi “subyek” pembicara dalam kajian kita. Jika jenis yang pertama, maka di situlah para trend-setter berada, dari situ pula para pendongeng biasa bertutur tentang islam yang semarak, syi’ar islam yang maju, dan gairah keberagamaan yang meledak-ledak lewat tabligh akbar kelas parkir Timur Senayan hingga ke pengajian kelas RT-RW di kampung-kampung.
Islam jenis pertama adalah realitas kedua bentukan teknologi diskursif yang dikokohkan oleh kecanggihan mesin modernisme. Jenis keislaman yang dikonstruksikan untuk kampanye penyesuaian agama dengan agenda pembangunan. Sementara islam jenis kedua adalah realitas pertama yang digawangi kyai-kyai kampung, guru ngaji di mushalla-mushalla yang alergi menjadi orang populer.
Jenis pertama berjalin langsung dengan trend rekayasa sosial sementara jenis kedua berkait dengan penghayatan tentang islam. Sejenis keislaman yang diberangkatkan dari pertanyaan “bagaimana seseorang menghayati Islam” dan bukan “bagaimana Islam diteorisasi, dan dikonstruksikan oleh satu pola pemahaman tertentu yang rumit.” Sebuah bentuk keberagamaan yang terbuka untuk dihayati oleh segenap orang tanpa harus meributkan background akademik, ekonomi, status sosial, ataupun lebel-lebel lainnya.
Dari sini mungkin kita bisa mengambil kesimpulan sementara bahwa energi gerak studi agama (islamic studies) lebih banyak berasal dari orbit eksternal yang mewartakan keperluan diakomodasinya agenda-agenda rekayasa sosial dalam pewacanaan agama. Energi gerak yang sama sekali tidak memiliki titik sambung dengan agama itu sendiri. Tapi mengapa terjadi demikian ? Sepertinya kita harus bergerak ke wilayah teks yang menjadi pusat sitem dalam studi-agama. Pergerakan kajian ke wilayah teks tidak saja berkaitan dengan isi dan kandungan makna tapi sebaliknya lebih berhubungan dengan bagaimana teks dikodifikasikan, mengalami administering, dan kemudian diresmikan.

Asalnya, Jelas Teks;
Teks Memberangus Keragaman
Al-Qur’an awalnya adalah teks terbuka, namun menjadi Tertutup ketika sepeninggal Muhammad para sahabat melakukan kontestasi gagasan melalui kodifikasi. Dalam proses itulah terjadi pemilahan, pemilihan, dan ataupun pemarginalan mushaf-mushaf di luar mainstream atas nama “bisa diterima kebenaran akal dan interpretasi segolongan sahabat.” Teks yang awalnya terbuka kemudian menjadi tertutup karena menjadi monopoli segelintir elite sahabat Nabi yang merasa perlu (baca: berambisi) menegakkan klaim-klaim kebenaran melalui tafsir yang telah mereka sepakati kebenarannya, dan bersamaan dengan itu melakukan tindak “vigilantisme tafsir” (tack the exegesis to their back ?).
Pemahaman agama yang semula menjadi medan terbuka bagi penghayatan manusia atas ajaran Tuhan melalui Muhammad berubah menjadi ajang dominasi klaim-klaim kebenaran atas nama segelintir orang. Medan penghayatan yang semula adalah ruang bebas kreasi penghayatan bagi individu-individu menjadi medan pertarungan pengaruh antar kelompok. Dan yang kemudian tercipta adalah pemahaman agama yang bergerak di orbit benar-salah, mainstream-non-mainstream, mu’tabar-ghair mu’tabar. Sebuah persoalan yang hanya merepresentasikan kepentingan elite sahabat tertentu tapi tidak menjadi denyut nadi kebutuhan umat. Bukankah ummat hanya membutuhkan tuntunan yang mengantarkan mereka kepada pengenalan yang lebih baik tentang inti ajaran Tuhan ?
Dalam proses penafsiran juga terjadi proses menyatukan keragaman fakta sosial ke dalam bahasa teologi yang tunggal. Pembahasa-teologian ini menjadikan realitas umat yang begitu ragam kebutuhan, kondisi, dan karakter budayanya tertutup oleh tunggalnya teks yang dinarasikan sebagai satu-satunya kebenaran. Realitas pemahaman umat tentang Tuhan sebagai entitas adikodrati yang di kalangan umat begitu beragam disatukan oleh kehendak untuk membuatnya seragam. Tuhan dalam teks suci adalah wajah Tuhan yang satu, padahal wajah Tuhan dalam dimensi sosiologis penghayatan umat begitu beragam. Di titik inilah penafsiran pertama kali melahirkan ketegangan antara ambisi untuk menyatukan model kebenaran pemahaman tentang Tuhan dan ajarannya dengan ragam variasi pemahaman umat tentang eksistensi Tuhan.
Dari kondisi demikian muncul persoalan setidaknya pada dua hal; pertama, pada tingkat bahasa teologis yang merupakan penerjemahan dari kata-kata Tuhan yang kemudian menjadi teks standar. Pertanyaannya apa memang maknan yang dipikirkan Tuhan mampu dikandung secara utuh oleh teks teologis tersebut ? Kedua, persoalan di tingkat konstruksi teks teologis tersebut. Dalam mana tradisi agama wahyu senantiasa tidak menjadikan Nabi sebagai pembuat teks. Teks dikodifikasikan selalu sesudah sepeninggal Nabi. Itu berarti proses pembahasan dilakukan oleh sahabat tanpa dengan supervisi dari Muhammad. Dari mana jaminan kebenaran pembahasaan diperoleh ketika Sang Nabi sebagai satu-satunya figur penerima pesan Tuhan telah berada di luar proses kodifikasi yang juga berarti tidak lagi memiliki kontrol langsung terhadap proses pembahasaan tersebut. Bukankah dalam proses demikian terbantang jarak epistemologis yang lebar antara pemahaman Muhammad atas pesan Tuhan dengan pemahaman Abu Bakar, misalnya, tentang pesan yang sama. Jarak epistemologis inilah yang tidak bisa dihindari oleh proses kodifikasi teks. Dari sini persoalan berlanjut ke wilayah apakah yang kita baca saat ini sebagai kitab suci itu jejak Muhammad ataukah jejak sang penulis Teks ? Dan bagaimana dengan tafsir ?

Menggugat Tafsir,
Menggugat Dominasi;
Penafsiran bisa jadi bagi beberapa kalangan tidak sama sekali merepresentasikan apa-apa selain proses transliterasi bahasa. Karena memang sekilas penafsiran lebih berbobot linguistik dari pada hermeneutik. Asumsi ini pasti akan segera berbalik ketika struktur internal penafsiran ditelaah lebih lanjut dan kemudian unsur-unsur formatifnya disajikan sebagai seperangkat unit yang masing-masing memiliki otonomi relatif satu sama lain. Sajian ini pula yang akan tampak ketika penafsiran dihadirkan sebagai rangkaian proses dialektika antar-unsur yang melibatkan di dalamnya tidak saja aspek kebahasaan, melainkan juga kebudayaan, sistem makna dari satuan kebudayaan, worldview, state of minds, dan juga psikologi penafsir yang merupakan aparat dominan dalam proses penafsiran. Ringkasnya penafsiran berdiri sebagai titik hubung antara logika bahasa, logika budaya, dan juga logika nilai serta aspek psikologi penafsir. Di titik inilah gugusan makna bernegosiasi satu sama lain dalam dialektika yang ketat dan tak jarang merepresentasikan relasi dominasi dan subordinasi.
Dalam jejaring rumit berbagai unsur tersebut psikologi penafsir bisa jadi memiliki energi figurative yang relatif dominan bila dibanding dengan unsur lainnya. Ini muncul sebagai konsekuensi lanjutan berdirinya penafsir dengan perangkat nilai, pandangan, konsepsi teoritis, dan juga state of minds di hadapan objek kajiannya. Dari sini kemudian muncul proposisi yang secara umum menggambarkan posisi objek kajian yang bagaikan pasien koma di hadapan seorang dokter; tak berdaya menolak definisi diagnosa yang dituliskan sang dokter. Proposisi semacam ini secara inheren mengususng probabilitas yang begitu kental tentang terjadinya dominasi berlebihan dari arah penafsir, sebagai satu-satunya unsur berkesadaran dalam dialektika internal perangkat penafsiran.
Kenyataan seperti itulah yang secara historis melatarbelakangi perdebatan panjang apakah ilmu bebas nilai ataukah tidak, adakah ilmu memiliki relasi yang intens dengan berbagai logika dan mekanisme di luar diri pengarang, peneliti dan seterusnya. Pertanyaannya kemudian, dimanakah Post-Tradisionalisme Islam menempatkan posisi pijaknya ?

Post-Tradisionalisme Islam,
dan...Subversi Akademik

Dari latar belakang seperti itu definisi “nalar Post-Tradisionalisme” mulai tergambar lebih jelas dalam sketsa konseptual. Secara semiotis Post-Tradisionalisme merupakan peristilahan yang memantik perdebatan akademik cukup panjang dan bahkan terkesan mauquf hingga kini. Konsekuensi ini terlahir terutama karena Post-Tradisionalisme tidak mengkonsultasikan legitimasi akademisnya secara ketat. Bukan saja karena peristilahan tersebut tidak ditemukan dalam geografi kamus ilmu-ilmu sosial, janggal bagi sementara akademisi dan kalangan tertentu, melainkan juga karena ia melakukan “subversi” terhadap berbagai kemapanan tradisi akademik yang selalu memprasyaratkan ketundukan terhadap berbagai kaidah dan pakem tertentu.
Post-Tradisionalisme Islam dalam kenyataannya memang mendulang definisi etimologisnya secara berbeda dengan Tradisionalisme konvensional, Modernisme, Postmodernisme, ataupun Poststrukturalisme, dan juga belakangan Poskolonialisme. Perbedaan dan demarkasi epistemologis juga dimunculkan ketika berhadapan dengan Neo-Modernisme, terlebih Neo-Tradisonalisme. Subversi akademis tersebut muncul di bawah terang kesadaran bahwa berbagai peristilahan yang ada tersebut tidak mampu memfasilitasi adanya ruang yang memadai bagi pertemuan pelbagai pemikiran dan tradisi dari ragam peradaban yang ingin diusung oleh Post-Tradisionalisme. Konstruksi yang ditawarkan oleh masing-masing masih menyimpan nalar modernitas yang, tidak saja patologis, namun juga dominatif dan hegemonik.
Energi dialog antar-tradisi yang ada pada kelanjutannya tidak mungkin untuk dibiarkan tunduk dibawah subordinasi kaidah-kaidah akademis yang memang seringkali kaku, formalistik, bipolar, serta reduksionis. Tapi sebaliknya, harus dicarikan ruang-ruang yang memadai untuk memediasikan penerjemahan gagasan dan ide kreatifnya. Logika seperti ini dipostulatkan oleh kesadaran bahwa masing-masing pihak, dari posisi masing-masing, memiliki hak yang diterimanya dari Tuhan untuk mengartikulasikan ide dan gagasan secara bebas dan juga berhak atas respeksi dan apresiasinya masing-masing. Kesadaran seperti inilah yang kemudian dinilai asing dan subversif dalam tradisi akademis yang bias modernitas dan reduksionis pada banyak segi tersebut.
Dengan demikian, Post-Tradisionalisme secara filosofis dikerangkakan dari hibriditas ide dan gagasan yang meski eklektik, comot sana-sini, dan menyerupai cultural hodgepodge tetap memiliki akar tunjangnya dari ranah tradisi. Yakni tradisi sosiokultural dan politik yang diampu oleh satuan geografis masyarakat yang bernama Indonesia ini. Dengan konstruksi filosofis demikian, di aras ontologis, Post-Tradisionalisme mendefinisikan dirinya sebagai tidak saja muara tapi sekaligus pusaran dari persilangan ide dan gagasan yang berasal dari ragam mata air tradisi dan pemikiran. Muara dalam konteks ini selanjutnya menghadirkan diri sebagai ruang transaksi ide dan gagasan menyangkut politik, demokrasi dan Islam secara bersamaan, dan selanjutnya pusaran yang mengartikulasikan energi gerak dialogis antar-tradisi yang ada.
Dalam muara pertemuan ide, gagasan dan pemikiran berbagai tradisi ini, Post-Tradisionalisme meretas jalan bagi definisi epistemologisnya. Konstruksi epistemologis Post-Tradisionalisme dengan demikian dirajut dari jalinan rasio komunikasi Habermas yang memfasilitasi transasksi ide, gagasan, dan nilai antar tradisi dalam spirit pencarian keluar dari rasio aufklarung Cartesian yang instrumentalis, bipolar, berbangun center-periferi, reduksionis dan tidak memberikan apresiasi yang memadai kepada tradisi dan lokalitas. Bangun pusat-pinggir yang masih diwarisi oleh epistemologi Habermas yang modernbias selanjutnya harus dipugar dengan pisau analisa kultural Gramscian yang menghendaki terjadinya persebaran pusat-pusat definisi kebudayaan. Persebaran pusat-pusat produksi makna dalam berbagai tradisi Islam yang bersetting dominasi dan hegemoni pada kelanjutannya harus diklarifikasi dengan kerangka epistemologi yang disumbangkan oleh pemikir-pemikir Muslim seperti Abu Zayd, Abed al-Jabiri, Mohammad Arkoun, Bassam Tibi yang terlebih dahulu memberikan konribusi teoritiknya dengan memanfaatkan piranti analisis Nieztsche, Foucoult, Levi Strauss, dan pemikir lainnya. Konstruk kritik wacana agama yang akrab dengan genalogi tradisi, dekonstruksi dan rekonstruksi post-hegelian dengan begitu menyediakan piranti analisis yang memadai untuk memugar, mengklarifikasi, dan mendudukkan berbagai ketegangan epistemologis yang tersimpan dalam memori masing-masing tradisi untuk kemudian mendudukkannya di meja negosiasi kultural yang lebih berimbang disemangati rasio komunikatif Habermas.
Retasan dialog berbagai tradisi dari ragam ranah peradaban tersebut diperlukan untuk mencari jalan pemecahan atas kebekuan yang menyelimuti konstruksi pemikiran umat Islam dan secara bersamaan memberikan jawaban terhadap berbagai patologi yang dikandung oleh modernitas Barat yang terlalu alergi untuk menggelar dialog terbuka antar-tradisi. Dalam skema seperti ini sumbangan Hassan Hanafi, Edward Said, serta Ali Asghar Enginer dari posisi setting konseptualnya masing-masing patut juga untuk diberi apresiasi secara proporsional.
Banyaknya kebutuhan yang harus ditambalkan dalam kekurangan piranti akademis itulah yang menjadi concern dari Post-Tradisionalisme Islam. Sebuah subversi yang memang tidak pernah dikenal dalam tradisi akademik kita. Subversi yang diprovokasikan untuk meretas pemahaman demi menghindari misreading, salah alamat, salah paham, dan apalagi “paham yang salah.” Wallahu A’lam.

Bahan Bacaan
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Hidayat, Komaruddin., Memahami Bahasa Agama; Sebuah Kajian Hermeneutik, Jakarta : Paramadina, 1996.
Kleden, Ignas., Sikap Ilmiah dan Kritik Kebudayaan, Jakarta : LP3ES, Cet. I, 1987
Masdar, Umaruddin., Agama Kolonial; Colonial Mindset dalam Pemikiran Islam Liberal, Yogjakarta : KLIK.R, Cet. I, 2003.
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[1] Rasionalitas teknologis diperkenalkan oleh Jurgen Habermas untuk menunjuk hal-hal yang pada mulanya tidak “rasional” dan diterima publik tetapi karena dikampanyekan secara terus menerus dengan fasilitasi media dan teknologi, ia bermetamorfosa menjadi sesuatu yang rasional dan dibutuhkan.

memaknai hidup sebagai ruang ekspresi

2007-07-04T06:06:00.000+07:00

hidup pada dasarnya ruang yang dianugerahkan tuhan agar segenap makhluk yang yang diciptakannya memeiliki ruang ekspresi guna pertanggungjawabkan pemberian anugerah tersebut. dalam makna demikian hidup adalah kreasi. hidup adalah berkarya dan mencipta.

tapi untuk siapa kreasi, karya atau penciptaan tersebut? disinilah keagungan tuhan dengan sangat jelas terlukiskan. bahwa setelah fase penciptaan makhluk, tuhan menyerahkan ruang hidup tersebut kepada makhluknya untuk dikelola. diserahkan? ya....sepenuhnya untuk dikelola. apa itu artinya tuhan istirahat? tentu tidak.

sebab tuhan adalah dzat yang tak pernah lelah. namun dengan kecerdasan agungnya, tuhan menyerahkan pengelolaan alam ini kepada manusia sebagai makhluk termulianya. dengan memberi batas-batas kewenangan yang kemudian disebut sebagai hukum alam. hukum inilah hukum besi yang jika dilanggar, maka kerusakan automatically akan terjadi. sebab pelanggaran terhadap hukum alam berkonsekuensi pada dilanggarnya batas-batas hukum alam yang telah ditentukan oleh tuhan dengan derajat presisi yang sempurna secara matematis, logis, dan manageable.
dalam konotasi demikian pula hidup harus dimaknai sebagai ruang untuk mengkreasikan yang terbaik yang kita mampu, yang terbaik yang kita bisa, yang terjauh yang bisa kita gapai. sebab sejauh apapun yang kita kreasikan, hal itupun tak akan pernah mampu mengurangi kekuasaan tuhan. sepintar apapun manusia berpikir, itupun tak akan mampu mengurangi kecerdasan tuhan. karenanya, kepada manusia sebagai makhluk termulia tuhan telah menyerahkan hidup ini sebagai ruang ekpresi kita. dan yakinlah bahwa sejauh apapun kreasi kita lakukan, maka hal itu tak akan mencederai kehormatan, kekuasaan dan kecerdasan tuhan. seban tuhan adalah dzat sempurna dalam dirinya sendiri. tuhan adalah dzat yang eksistensinya tidak tergantung pada apapun, termasuk apakah manusia menyembahnya ataupun tidak. jadi, jangan pernah Ge eR dan membusungkan diri untuk membela tuhan. sebab tuhan tidak butuh pembelaan dari siapapun.