How the gecko fights the crocodile

For the past weeks, Indonesian news has revolved around the battle between the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the police. President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has made fighting corruption his flagship issue and thus established the KPK some four years ago. The KPK has thusfar brought several corruption cases to light. Then in May this year, the KPK's good name came under threat as its chairman, Antasari Azhar, was accused of ordering the murder of Indonesian business man Nasruddin Zulkarnaen. Not only was this said to be a crime passionel (supposedly, Antasari had an affair with a 22-year-old golf caddie, who happened to be Nasruddin's third wife), it was also speculated that Nasruddin tried to bribe Antasari to stop pursuing him in a corruption case.

Well, this is only the beginning. The story involves many players and intrigues, which are for the large part hard to keep up with. Most importantly, the two deputy chairmen of the KPK, Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto, were accused of having accepted bribes. A high ranking police officier stated that the KPK and the Police relate to one another like a cicak (gecko) to a buaya (crocodile). It's a useless fight, or so he says.

Three star police general and national chief of detectives Susno Duadji illustrates

This analogy spoke to everyone's imagination and is now widely used. The extraordinary thing about it is that the public has risen to the defense of the KPK. Quiz participants on television wear black bands around their arms in solidarity with the KPK, students camp out in front of the KPK building and some were even on hungerstrike (?), NGO's organize press conferences to express their viewpoints and last week Sunday (at 7 am!) famous Indonesian bands (including the extremely popular rockband SLANK) performed at one of several demonstrations - this one attended by about a thousand people. 

And there's more: most surprisingly even is the online activity. As Indonesians too are active facebookers (membership rose with 800% over the past months, to 9 million), they have set up groups like 'Gerakan 1.000.000 Facebookers Dukung Chandra Hamzah & Bibit Samad Riyanto' which at time of writing already has over 1.2 million members. 

Two weeks ago SBY appointed eight experts (including renowned human rights lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution) to get to the bottom of things. After two rounds of examinations, the team has recommended that charges against the two suspected KPK leaders be dropped. Also, Susno Duadji quit after wiretapes came out, which shows him invoved in a large conspiracy to bring down the KPK. Well, in Dutch we say that a story has a tail if you expect something not be completely over. In this case, involving geckos and crocodiles, there is no doubt about it: there will be a long, long tail.

And it wouldn't be Indonesia, if there wouldn't be a song:

Home Sweet Home

It was my intention to highlight the beauty of the Netherlands, before heading off to distant lands. That didn't exactly work out. So now, while I slowly get used to Jakarta's craziness, I will reminisce about the beauty of my very own country. Even though I have just recently learned to appreciate its varied richness, I have been able to admire it quite a lot in the past months.

 

De Veluwe

Texel 

Veere

Hoorn

Let's take a walk

Some people say that the music of today is nothing compared to the classics. They feel that all popular music was somehow derived from the better original. And yes, to a large extent I agree. But sometimes, there is an artist that does something entirely new or that knows exactly how to revive that 'oldies' feel. Raphael Saadiq is one of them.

His album 'The way I see it' is one extended trip down memory lane for those of us that enjoy Motown classics. Last week, he played Amsterdam's Paradiso and it was a blast. His background singers were pumping with energy, the band played smooth and steady and Raphael was slick in his yellow suit.

Let's take a walk!


Performing my other favorite, Big Easy, live
Here you can find a 38 minute clip of Raphael playing at GoogleTalks.

And now that I'm on the subject of old music going new, I just need to praise Amy Winehouse for helping her goddaugther Dionne Bromfield record an album. Even though the 13-year-old singer still has a lot to learn, her potential sure is visible. Thanks, Amy! Now hope you sort yourself out for once and for all...

Miss Aloha

There is this cliche idea about hula. This I've noticed every time I tell someone I've studied in Hawai'i. Most people just imagine pretty girls shaking their hips and making waves with their hands. Well, that is only the beginning. Hula is a lot more. The choreographies are complex and the dancers are strong. Beside dancing, they also sing and play the drums. One of my favorite events was the big hula festival, which was held yearly. According to experts, in the year I was there, the best Miss Aloha ever won. Guess I was lucky to get a glimpse of that. Enjoy!

Fear is my friend

On this blog I've quoted Tim Ferris before, as he often has smart things to say about fear. As I was on the plane to Jakarta, I realized that we're usually scared before something great is about to happen. We're afraid to fail at what we want to achieve or afraid to loose what we have. As Marilyn Ferguson said: "Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom". And how right she is.

Just a few days before departure, I was reminded of a time in my distant past that I conquered fear before. My sister handed me the VHS tape of my performance in a Dutch quiz show for children. I was twelve and I was so nervous! But, I did well (despite a few lesser moments) and ended up earning 439 guilders! This was one of the first times that I realized that we should befriend fear, embrace it and allow it to push us to higher levels.

First episode, introduction (I don't know what I would like to become if I grow up. In the last round, I tell him I've decided that I wouldn't mind taking his job).

First episode, first round of questions (about music, so this one is easy for me). 

The background noise is from my mom, by the way. Oh and yes, the propellor tail was my primary school trademark, so no jokes please.

Un historia de amor

He looks a bit like Al Pacino. He could walk right into a Tarrantino movie alongside Javier Bardem. But he's not an actor. Diego El Cigala sings. And he sends chills up and down my spine.

On my thirtieth Birthday I had the pleasure to see him perform in Amsterdam's Temple of Pop, Paradiso. Diego apparently started his career singing Flamenco on the street and in bars. He has played for Spain's best dancers until he decided to sing on his own. He has worked together with Cuban artists and gave extra soul to famous songs we mostly know from the Buena Vista Social Club. 

Learning, learning and more learning

Lately I haven't blogged a lot. Why? Well, I've been learning. And that takes time. Apparently. In preparation of my new job, I have been offered an intensive five week training; Culture and Development, Capacity Building (see the trainer's account here) and Teaching Skills have already been finalized. Now it's just a safety training, facilitation and communication on my to-do list for September and October.

Well, I must admit: it hasn't been easy, all that learning. It's been a while since I'd been in school and my last course was in November last year (Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in Nepal with CRSC, which was great!), so it took a while to get back in shape. It made me think about how it is that I learn (a question I have also asked myself lately in the context of speaking French and dancing salsa). What is a good learning environment for me? Which is the right challenge? And for my work, the question is how people in an organization learn and how they can transfer their knowledge.

One thing I encountered while learning was resistance. From within, deep deep within. Not so much a resistance to learning in itself, but resistance to failing. It was pure fear, fear of failure. Because failing is not fun. I want things to be right from the get go. And that never (or hardly ever) happens. You should burn your fingers first a few times. That I also found when I tried out snowboarding for the first time this February. How frustrating to not even be able to get up by myself! But after fifteen minutes of ranting and telling myself: "You can do this!", I was standing on the board and sliding down the slope. For just a few meters, but the beginning was there. And THAT is how we learn. To dare and fail. And to dare again. As Tim Ferris says: "Smash fear, learn anything".