Jakarta Tales Vol 10: The End

"We have left you,
The calm lagoon without a ripple,
Sheltered by a leafy mountain
From wind and storm,
For once we have woken up from a pleasant dream."

'To Sea, The New Generation' by Soetan Takdir Alisjahbana

The most unforgettable year of my life came full circle on 23rd March 2007 when I left Jakarta for a journey back home. Not that I won't be going back to Indonesia. I will. Very soon. In fact, I will be returning to the sun-kissed shores of Indonesia early May this year to resume my responsibilities at The Bakery. For how long? God knows. Forever? Certainly not.

A new beginning requires a new repertoire, of course. But for the hell of a year that it's been, it is only befitting that I break the nib for Jakarta Tales... today. And at this juncture, all I'd like to do is express my gratitude.

To each individual who I met physically or virtually - even if for a brief, split second - over the past one year, I'd like to offer a round of thanks straight from my heart. That's all I have left in me. For if it wasn't for each of those magnanimous souls, the last 52 weeks would have been worthless. They made it indelible. They made it so difficult to let go. They made it worth risking everything to do it all over again. They made me realize how beautiful life can be. They made me fall in unconditional love with the human race (women, especially ;) ).

They made it one year.

The unfortunate pauper that I am, I have nothing to offer them that would even remotely resemble the contributions they have made - knowingly and unknowingly - to my life. I pray that my few genuine words of "gracias" will suffice... as gruel. And yes, I faintly hope that I made a difference - even if petty - to their lives just as they so grandly did to mine. I don't know if they are reading this, but all I can say to them is, "Thank you."

I feel like Kevin Spacey in American Beauty, "Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember... to relax and not try to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. Don't worry... you will someday."

And hey, don't close this window or wipe your tears away just yet. The last edition of "Jakarta Tales" you'll ever see in your inbox would be incomplete without a huge round of applause (albeit only from me), a long bow (from me, again) and a deep-seated sincere cry of "Thank you" (from me, me, me) for you. Yes. You are arguably the most honourable attendee on the list of people I've mentioned above. Go ahead, pat yourself on the back for you've finally done something worthwhile for humanity :) And for once, I have no qualms in admitting that... you deserve it. Without a doubt.

Thanks for being such patient and loving readers. Thanks for bearing through my never-ending rants - including this one. Thanks for the criticism and appreciation. Thanks for making the last one year truly blessed. Thanks for being the inspiration for Jakarta Tales. In fact, thanks for being Jakarta Tales.

But don't let out all your sighs. For I'll be back. In another avatar. Or maybe the same one. But with a different song to sing and a new story to tell. Untill then...


Sampai jumpa
From your favourite Indian in Jakarta
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 9: All in a day's work

Hi,

Ready with the coffee mug? Good. Legs crossed on the chair? Perfect. Cushion behind head? Superb! Is it raining outside? No? That’s okay.

I’m sure it’s a beautiful day nevertheless – blue skies scattered with fluffy white cauliflower clouds playing hide and seek, birds chirping (interrupted by noisy crows), faint sound of cars swishing by, chatting with old friends on MSN, remembering your best school trip or that wild night out, soft music playing on your mp3 player and grinning to yourself as you type “lolz”.

Mmmm, life and its little pleasures.

Why am I sounding so mellow? It will be a year in a few weeks’ time, that’s why. And it seems like it all began yesterday.

Now scroll down.

Since November, I've been to beautiful-but-boring Singapore twice (once for a beach rave called Zoukout! 9000 women in bikinis, do I need to say more? Umm, well, world-class DJs, music of a lifetime but nah, 9000 sexy girls!), made a genuine friend there in Made, went to Bali twice too but for religious and professional reasons more than a holiday, once more to Malang for Eid (my boss's family crosssed all limits of hospitality, I am so indebted to them) and onwards to Mt Bromo - Indonesia's answer to locales seen in Lord of the Rings and – arguably the most beautiful mountainous landscape I've ever seen, on a sailing trip to Sepa and an uninhabited island in the Java Sea, to Taman Safari - an open zoo and the world's first of it's kind drive in safari and... umm, I guess that's it.

I've run out of money so can't do more but am still keen on visiting Yogyakarta, the Borobudur Temples, Bunaken in Sulawesi (described by Travel and Living as one of the 3 best snorkel and dive sites in the world), Komodo island (the world's only natural habitat for komodo dragons), Flores (the island with Mt Kelimutu - the mountain with 3 lakes that change colour during the day!), Sumatra (for authentic Padang cuisine and visiting Lake Toba - which has an island the size of Singapore right in the middle of the lake) and... phew, the list will go on I guess.

Indonesia is such a beautiful country with so much potential. Can't help it. But Indonesians aren't that clever. That's for sure. The education levels, political and corporate setup and corruption prove sit. All the "comfort" is superficial and not for the masses.

More importantly, they haven't been able to market their country (arguably the most naturally endowed in SE Asia) to the rest of the world. In fact, let me ask you, how many of you had heard of the places above untill I told you? I guess none. Neither did I, until I got here myself. Worse, most Indonesian themselves, grappled with superstitions and fears after the tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and the erstwhile narrow-minded rule of Soeharto haven't ventured beyond Java or to visit the country's numerous natural bounties.

From the work perspective, we successfully setup a media-neutral, new media focused advertising agency called The Bakery. With God's grace and our efforts, we are doing considerably well having won 3 new accounts within a matter of weeks, lost many more but are turning into a happy family. Exigo is now focusing solely on brand activation and is also doing well with two new accounts under its belt. We are in the process of setting up a special retail management and channel activation unit called Barcode. It hasn't kickstarted the way we wanted it to but we are optimistic it will stand up on its feet given time, patience, hardwork and of course, money.

All of this is now being clubbed under one group - Marketing Kommunikasi Indonesia (MKI). The name is self-explanatory. We've grown from 5-15 people, but with a lot of chop and churn, new faces and revised responsibilities.

The Bakery comprises of Arya - an 8-year old veteran in the Indonesian ad industry having worked with agencies like DDB, TBWA, Leo Burnett - who now heads the brand team as Brand Director. Bobon - a master of the arts in the business with 13 years of wisdom from Lowe, Leo Burnett, Chuo Sen Ko - is our Creative Director, Fenny - this cute girl I have a crush on but she has a boyfriend - is our art director and her inseparable better half, Irvine (she's a girl) is our copywriter. Both were at Leo Burnett before but a passion for doing more and building an agency drew them to us.

Lino, my favourite Chinese friend (with friends like him, who needs enemies) and former art director has left us for taking up family business responsibilities. So has Rio, my support system, friend, enemy, airport pick-up specialist, DJ and bundle of insanity undefined. I miss his house music collection.

My boss's brother and events specialist, Deta is overall responsible for Exigo now. We have a new Account Manager - Adi (over 5 years into the BTL marketing business), a creative programmer - Shiela (from Unilever to Kraft, she is renowned for her expertise with execution), our very own 3-d designer - Daniel (former teacher at LaSalle College of Design Jakarta). Only one of the old boys, Andra, has remained in the core business. The admin team is unchanged.

I, for all that's worth mentioning, am now a Strategic Planner focusing on the specialised area of brand planning for all clients across the Group. Officially, I work for The Bakery but lend a helping hand to brands for Exigo and Barcode if they require some bullshit disguised as smart thinking thrown in. God knows why people think I'd be fit for the job. Maybe because they think I'm crazy.

On hindsight, I'm sure that's the only reason. I walk in late, talk a lot, ask too many questions, get lost while thinking, mumble to myself when making plans and blurt my heart out when presenting to a client - what else could be abnormal. I like it though. I've realised I was made for this. In fact, all my years at Bates and even after getting here, I was wearing two hats without realizing it. I worked as a "suit" or account management person but apart from managing the brands, I was also planning for them. And I didn't know that's what planners do. Aduh! (Damn!) What a late but satisfying realization :)

The most rewarding part of this new setup is when I look back at it and discuss it with my boss, at times. How did we start? We didn't have an organization structure the day I came in. And wow, where are we now? Been a long, tough, winding, satisfying way, hasn't it? For you too, hasn't it... reading all my outpourings since April 2006?

Anyways, I've been learning Chinese (Mandarin) since a few months now (explains why I know how to say Happy New Year). Christmas and New Year was in Jakarta and was fun (but should have been in Bali and Lombok had it not been for an unprecedented and unnecessary piece of esoteric thinking from a colleague! Aaarrgghh!).

Martin - my landlord - moved into a bigger house before 2007 dawned and I tagged along. Was a challenging experience too what with all the new stuff and adapting to do. Rushaid, my friend from Kolkata, arrived in Dec 2006 to start working for Allianz Indonesia. He and I've had our share of fun (oh, I forgot to mention earlier, on Christmas day he and I had a whale of a time at Ancol - the Jakarta Bay and at Dunia Fantasi - the theme park. Folks, try the rides, they are fucking wild!).

What else... ummm... yeah, my birthday. Nothing special. Lunch with colleagues, my face and clothes were drowned with cakes, eggs, coffee and everything edible, dinner party at home with friends, out partying to a new club - Public. Ah yes, that brings me to partying... have been doing that on and off, especially to my favourite club - Blowfish. Try it if you're here. You'll be back more than once, for sure.

Jakarta was flooded with 300 mm of water a few weeks ago. I'm sure you know about it. The Annual Calendar of Natural Disasters continues for this unlucky country. But it still got through it. I wonder how many would. Maybe all, maybe few, maybe none. Says something about the people though - no money but resilience. Maybe that will pay off some day. Anyways, we got through the floods without any water in the new house but our office couldn't escape the barrage of the overflowing river Ciliwang. So a Sunday went in cleaning the office. Was fun but the pest control and dengue scare that plagued the city’s Western areas psyched me out.

Ah yes, I attended this design seminar called Massive Territory here. Was fantastic. More so because I met and interacted with two people from my dream agency - Wieden and Kennedy. Eric and Gino - two delightful, brutally smart and incredibly interesting people from W+K Tokyo's office conducted one session at the seminar.

And we, at The Bakery, possibly lived a part of our dream by taking them out for dinner and getting to know them better. One of the most thought-provoking, introspective days of my experience here. In fact, for all of us it was an opportunity to stop time and ask ourselves where we were headed.

Maybe Eric didn't realise it (Gino, unfortunately couldn't spend much time with us due to an early flight) but his influence lingers on, will stay on. And it strengthened my resolve to make sure that I work with the W+K network at least once in my career. Have to, or else this life is a waste. Am serious about that. For those of you who don't know about W+K, I'm sorry but I don't want to explain. Firstly, it will be difficult for you to understand (no offense... actually, it's the truth) and secondly, if I start, I won't stop.

And yeah, Chinese New Year celebrations were fun. Jakarta's become less familiar though. Time spent has increased, time cherished hasn't. I’ve made lifelong friends in Darren (unbelievably nice bloke from Australia), Mirka (non-German sweetheart from Germany) and Willy (the most enthusiastic person and the first Bosnian I’ve ever met) but Dorien, Sebastian, Charlene, Luca... almost everyone I could call a dear friend has gone back to carry on with their lives. Was quite an emotionally provocative experience that, bidding farewell to everyone. I realised it could have been better had I not been under the illusion that this fairy tale is going to last forever.

And indeed, so isn't Jakarta Tales. Have been trying to get myself to write this line for the past few paragraphs. Just couldn't muster enough courage. Sorry for dragging the rant this time. Maybe the fact that this is the penultimate time you’ll see a subject starting with “Jakarta Tales…” in your inbox could appease you.

Yups, am bidding adieu to Indonesia and this experience in a few weeks’ time. What am I gonna do after this? Don’t’ know. Haven’t thought about it yet. Don’t want to. Just want to spend some time with family and friends back home. It’s been a while since I saw them. And yes, spend some time with myself.

I’ll write the final volume some time before I leave. Don’t know what else to say. My eyes are already getting wet. I started discovering myself during this past one year. Would have happened sooner or later but thank God it started 50 weeks ago. Thank God it happened in this blessed land. Thank God it happened along with some people worth remembering.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed your coffee.


Cheers
From your favourite Indian in Jakarta
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 8 (contd): PSFK Conference!! Golden Opportunity

Friends, countrymen, marketers...

Lend your ears, eyes, minds and presence to the fantastic seminar PSFK is having in New York. Brilliant opportunity to get a look into the knowhow of marketing, advertising et al.

For more information, kindly log on to http://psfk.eventbrite.com

Cheers

Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 8 (contd): The Krakatao saga continues...

I told you I'd be back today, didn't I?

Anyways, without further ado, on with the unfriendliness of Mt Krakatao. Quoting from the book Krakatao by Simon Winchester, here goes, "In August 1883, one of the most cataclysmic events of modern history took place: the volcanic eruption of Mt Krakatoa. It resulted in the deaths of 36,000 people and sent shock-waves around the world. But what at the time was a mysterious, almost supernatural phenomenon has become, under the precepts of the contemporary science of plate tectonics, explicable if no less tragic."

"Eyewitness accounts by survivors and the limited scientific measurements of the time indicate, if not confirm, that the event is still the most violent explosion ever recorded and experienced by modern man. Six cubic miles of rock had been blasted out of existence, had been turned into pumice and ash and uncountable billions of particles of dust. Ash rained from the sky for three days."

"Yet words and numbers can barely hint at the scale of the calamity, which resulted in tsunamis that washed whole villages into the ocean and forever changed the very topography of the area. The effects were so extreme that they were heard and felt over ten per cent of the earth's surface."

If you're about to say "whoa", not yet. The epic tale continues. In 1927, a massive earthquake took place as a 250 metre volcano emerged from under the sea, a few hundred metres from the original Krakatao! Today, it is known as "Anak Krakatao" or "Baby Krakatao" and is one of the 3 most dangerous and active volcanoes in the world. In fact, that's the one you visit when you get to the area.

Today, when you visit Krakatao, the sight that greets you is the "mother" which is now just another dormant mountain, the "baby" which is all rock and ash, two small islands which were parts of the original mountain and a few pieces of rock strewn here and there in the middle of the sea. Do you now know why you don't feel welcome when you go to pay your respects to this mysterious artefact of nature?

Anyways, overawed by a version of this story from our guide, we pulled ashore in an hour's time. The place was deserted. No tourists except us. Nevertheless, we spoke to the rangers about climbing up to the crater and God answered our prayers. They said it was safe today as there had been no unusual movements on the seismograph installed near the crater. However, since the area is a protected national reserve and open only for researchers, we needed a letter of permission from the Ministry of Tourism. But this is Indonesia, friends. This is Asia. Every letter can be fabricated, right? Our guide had one. He had many, in fact. Photocopies of a letter used by a tourist group a year ago. All we needed to do was bribe the rangers.

Were we willing to do that? The ten of us discussed it. Some suggested we should try and make them understand we are tourists and refuse to pay. If they were scared we would return as disappointed foreigners, they would let us climb. The other suggested that considering the distance we'd travelled, they knew we were the ones desperate to climb and would not be willing to let go of the money. Moreover, they could report us for stepping onto a protected site without prior permission. We gave in. I don't know if we should have (I personally voted we pay because I was dying to get to the top after having got that close) but we did. A small amount but a bribe nevertheless.

We encountered a snake on the lower slopes, stopped for water-photograph-bathroom breaks due to the overhead sun shining with all its might and the "double length" we had to climb. Double? Simply because the mountain is all ash and loose rock so every step you take, you slip halfway down. Some of us couldn't make it all the way to the top due to fatigue, lack of breath and vertigo because the higher you go, the angle of elevation gets steeper!

But what a memorable moment and view it is when you get to the top! It's beautiful. It's surreal. When you're on a mountain or close to one, usually your comfort factor is the land around. But what do you do when all around you is the sea, all the way to the horizon in every direction you look?! And you know you're standing atop the crater that spills nothing but havoc when it does. That feeling gives you goosebumps as well as a sense of conquest and pride. When you look down, even the calmest of people could get vertigo because you see blue!

The climb down was worse, at least for me and a few other inexperienced climbers because you slip through the rock and ash. But that's the only way to do it. Bury your shoes into the gravel to ensure you don't fall off and gradually let your feet slide. Don't even dare look away from the mountain - the sea will psyche you out.

When we got back to sea level, all of us were starving, not just for food but for words. We were numbed or speechless, bedazzled by one of nature's most inexplicable yet luring marvels. We went swimming and snorkelling at one of the islands thereafter and in no time, were on the way back to Carita. Nature only got generous. The sea was at its calmest and we were greeted by two dolphins on the way! Wow, what a delightful experience it was to see these friendly creatures in the wild. One of them swam right under our boat and our guide/captain said, "It's a sign of good luck. They are wishing you 'Selamat jalan' or happy journey".

On that note, Selamat Jalan for now, wherever you are going. Will see you in a week's time. And that one is going to be quite an important one. Trust me on that. I can't tell you what it's going to talk about but you'll miss out on a key juncture in Jakarta Tales if you ignore that one. Btw, if you like what you saw above and in the volume below and want more, kindly go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakartatales

Untill then,
Adios amigo (Little Elias says that to me everyday when I'm leaving for office)
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 8: Time or memories?

It’s been a long time coming. But here it is. A less longer – note, I didn’t say short – volume of Jakarta Tales. Number 8, right? Whoa, has it really been that long or is my memory giving me a hard time?

Anyways, lots has happened and hasn’t since I wrote Vol 6 and 7. I guess I covered my Surabaya trip there. And since there’s just too much to cover and I don’t want to be browbeaten by you, I’ll encapsulate all as briefly as I can.

Malang was great. It’s my favourite city in Indonesia. Green, clean, hilly, chilly, colonial leftovers, fresh, populated and polluted less (I was just trying to rhyme). I stayed at my boss’s house (he is plain and simple rich, I don’t think filthy or stinking does enough justice) and his family and dogs were really warm and friendly. In fact, I can almost say the only straw missing on this Indonesian saga of mine was a family I could call my own and I found it in my boss’s kin in Malang.

To top it all, the AIESEC in Univeristas Brawijaya reception was beyond my wildest expectations. I can now officially challenge Prince William for the throne considering the royal treatment I received from the AIESEC members. And that’s when the most important fact about AIESEC and life in general dawned on me – don’t give people just your time, but memories. It also made me question if I did justice to my stint in AIESEC. For how many trainees did I personally ensure a memorable experience, a life changing one?

I don’t want you to peek in there. If I start, I won’t stop. So let’s move on.

One of the most surreal and beautiful experiences of my life was my trip to Carita and Mt Krakatao. 10 of us from 6 different countries, loads of fun, unimaginable miracles of nature, one lifetime experience. Carita is a lovely little beach on the west coast of Java. We stayed over on the beach for a day and night there but only to embark on our quest to see and climb the legendary Mount Krakatao (Krakatoa in many books).

At 4am, we set out in a speedboat towards the iconic volcano. Why a speedboat? Because it’s right in the middle of the bloody Sunda Sea! Yes! That’s what’s insane yet charming about it. Our hopes of singing “In the moooorning, in the moooorning, in the mooorning by the sea” vanished as soon as they came when we realized it was going to be one bumpy ride considering the early morning tide. Trust me, those life jackets we wore and the supports we clung on to during the 4-hour journey was our lives we were hanging on to. We almost met St Peter when 2-hours into the trip, one of the dual engines ran out of gas and we had to stop in the middle of nowhere to refuel. Nothing to panic, it’s normal. But not when the boat is tossing 130 degrees from side to side!

The sun rose sometime later and the ensuing splash of orange formed a partially spectacular sky, thanks to the clouds who were more than happy playing spoilsport.

Honestly, it wasn’t a journey we were enjoying. It was evident. We’d been at sea for 3 hours, we hadn’t even seen a glimpse of the mountain, the sea was at its furious best, and you don’t really feel welcome about going to Krakatao if you know the stories surrounding it.

First, it’s one of the 3 most dangerous and active volcanoes on this planet along with Mt Fiji and Mt Vesuvius. Secondly, the 1883 episode gives you the goosebumps like The Ring. Why? All of it and the rest of the Krakatao saga in my next post – Vol 8 (continued) -- which is going to come tomorrow. That's a promise. No more waiting.

And btw, for all those who I haven’t spoken to since last year, happy new year. Considering it’s less than a week to go for Chinese New Year – Xin nian kai le! How did I know this? More on that too, in my next volume.


Cheers
From your favourite Indian volcano explorer in Indonesia
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 7: Coffee Mornings!!

Good morning Jakarta! Selamat Pagi!

It's that time of day we are not very happy with in this part of the world. But from now on, there's gonna be something to bring a smile to all your faces: frappuccinos, macchiatos, talls, smalls and everything that your imagination is stirring up right now.

It's coffee mornings Jakarta! What in God's name is that? It's exactly what it sounds like, no rocket science: you come, we come, you talk, we talk, you drink coffee, we drink coffee, you pay, we don't! Nah, just kidding about the last bit. It's simply a get-together of like-minded people who have something to say about anything. To get us wide awake, we rely on caffeine.

Where and when? Starbucks, SetiaBudiOne, Friday the 16th (obviously Feb), 9am onwards.

What do you need to get? Just yourself and some thoughts... on hindsight, the latter's unnecessary too :)

Why do you need to be there? If you like people and coffee, you'll love to be there.

Your hosts for this wonderful morning are going to be Arya and me. Please call or email us for any clarifications or log onto our respective blogs.


Cya there
Let the frappuccinos flow
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 6 (contd)

THE GREAT DICK... TATOR!

Whose fault is it? The 32 years of dictatorship by that bastard Soeharto who, under the garb of growing this country, grew only his personal wealth, centralized all control in Jakarta and left the country in tatters during the Asian economic crisis in 1998, all this thanks once again to the perpetually unwelcome but relentless support of our very own brothers of mankind – USA.

In fact, while I’m in this “kutte… kameene…” mood, here’s some startling information about Soeharto’s regime and the 1998 crisis (Wow, for once my blog is talking about some sensible stuff beneficial for humanity).

If you’re in Indonesia, you’ll often come across two eras in conversation – “those days” and today. “Those days” obviously refer to the pre-1998 days or the fairytale period when Indonesia and Malaysia were growing like Honey I Grew the Kids. Singapore was booming too like never before and all was merry in this part of the world. And then, the evil witch came and whacked everyone with her broom of economic crisis.

But lo, howcome Malaysia and Singapore escaped only with a few bruises while their Cinderella sister Indonesia lost her magic touch in minutes? The potion is called “sustainable development”. True, all three were growing like crazy but Malaysia and Singapore were “actually growing”, Indonesia was only pretending, or at least, those who were running Indonesia were. In Malaysia and Singapore, the purchasing power rested with the people, cash flow was well percolated and affluence wasn’t restricted to a privileged few. Transparency in decision making and “national development”, not “personal development” was at the forefront. It was an enjoy, let enjoy scenario.

But in our good ol’ Indonesia, it was “I’m enjoying, you can watch” kinda approach. I guess you see where the problem lay. Soeharto had banned all forms of protests, his was the final word and although things never got as bad as Saddam’s tyrannical ways, they were hardly better. The govt never revealed any reasoning behind policy. All major public service projects went to relatives, family and close friends. Freedom of press was curbed. The judicial system was bribed from top to bottom (something that’s disastrous for any country). Anyone who raised his/her voice was shown the way to the Pearl Gates.

The Chinese were almost driven out of the country because they were the only ones who made a little bit of noise. Those who didn’t or didn’t want to, converted to Islam and adopted Muslim names to get close to Soeharto and gain the fucking Lord’s blessings. Soeharto was such a despot he banned the teaching of Chinese as a language and spreading of Chinese culture. He blamed them for all of Indonesia’s troubles and sold this as opium to the vast majority of Muslims. The propaganda worked: love turned into hatred, brotherhood into enmity. The state’s coffers continued to be filled as generous infrastructure support poured in from Uncle Sam and cousins.

True, Jakarta grew during Soeharto’s tenure like never before. There was food on the table for everyone, the struggle for basic existence was minimal, he was instrumental in putting the city and country on the world map right in the line of competition with neighbouring KL and Singapore, he drove investment into the city and his pockets but the problem was, he treated the country like his family business.

So, when the disaster struck in 1997, people across Asia suffered, but it was the Indonesians who were devastated. Reality dawned on them – they bhad nothing to live with. Empty pockets, dry stoves, hungry stomachs. The youth had had enough. Bandung’s university students rose up in flames asking for Soeharto to step down. Other cities followed. The state’s corrupt ways and means were thrown out in the open. It was over.

But not yet. As poverty and hunger struck the once smiling and prosperous nation, suicides grew by the minute. Unemployment rose and the frustrated population took to the streets. The victim of their ire – the city where a despot promised streets of gold and money raining from the sky – Jakarta. Buildings were razed to ashes, houses were destroyed, businesses fled, people died, children cried and the riots continued in this vast capital for 3 days.

And worse, communalism had succeeded. Desperate, the vast majority of the Muslim population resorted to what Soeharto had preached for years – blame the Chinese. Most Chinese families in Jakarta and a few other parts of Indonesia lost their livelihoods, their families, their lives. In short, all that they had.

If you’ve read anything about communal violence, you’ll know that any such riot is impossible without state collusion anywhere in the world. It was no different here. The police were given orders not to stop any looting or killing for 3 days. On the third day, as Soeharto finally gave in with protests now going beyond control outside his luxurious presidential palace, the decree changed. TV stations were called to show how police were now controlling the violence and yes, shoot at sight incidents were captured “live” and telecast all over the country. The usually docile millions shuddered at the prospect of having to face the bullets. The violence came under full control within a week. Sanity prevailed.

When I was leaving my previous employers in India, some of my colleagues told me, "Indonesia is a fine country. The only problem is they are too volatile a populace." To everyone who agrees with this aforementioned statement and is reading this... YOU ARE SO WRONG! Indonesians are one of the most polite, calm, humble, warm and friendly people on this planet. But of course, watching what happened in 1998 and thereafter in the bomb blasts of 2002 and 2005 at Bali, who would believe it. Honestly, untill I came here, even I didn't.

Anyways, post 1998 restructuring efforts began soon and Indonesia is now back in action. Not as much as before but slowly getting there. And to everyone’s relief, most importantly, people from all religions have had complete freedom since then to practice and preach and the re-integration of Chinese culture in Indonesia has been in full swing. How do I know all this? General conversation and intrigue about what happened during those black, fateful days in 1998 and articles on the Internet.

In fact, there was this one article from the United Nations and World Bank that described the Indonesian crisis in 1998 as the “worst economic disaster in the history of mankind, next only to the Great Depression of 1929”.

Imagine, the Indonesian Rupiah fell from Rp 1300 to a dollar to Rp 13,000, nearly 25 million people lost their jobs in a week, several thousands were left homeless, the country’s GDP was behaving like the Bermuda Triangle when theoretically it went into negative figures, money had to be sold on streets, there was no national leader and the population below the poverty line slumped from 20% to 65% in a month’s time! Thank god an earthquake didn’t strike that very moment or it would have been “Ram naam satya hai” for the world’s largest archipelago.

But don’t get emotional yaar… things got better. In fact, that very article goes on to describe Indonesia’s recovery from 1998-2005 as “one of the fastest the world has ever seen!”

Yups, it’s true. Today, Indonesia is one of the world’s ten fastest growing countries with a GDP growth rate of 5-6% every year, it experienced the highest growth in GNI per capita income along with China from 1999-2003 and the population below the poverty line has gone down to 16%! Moreover, control has been gradually de-centralised and the entire country is now being injected with equal attention for progress. In fact, this year, for the first time since the 1960s, the number of migrant workers coming into Jakarta fell by more than 10%. Phenomenal, isn’t it!?! Let’s call it human spirit.

Of course, the country has its problems – some of them remnants of the dark days, some newly created. The populace and the authorities are battling hard against corruption, lack of education systems and unemployment and efforts to liberate and cleanse the infected judicial system from the government are continuously on. To make matters worse, of late nature hasn’t been too kind to the world’s fourth most-populated country. You all know why.

But it’s a start, nonetheless and a positive one. And which country doesn’t have its problems. We all do. Simply because we all have the will to find solutions.

The sad part is Indonesia has been thrown 8 years behind its neighbours and fierce tourism and economic rivals, Singapore and Malaysia. The government’s priorities don’t allow it to focus on building tourism. I don’t see how but that’s what the newspapers say out here. The good part is it’s not too far behind because for the first time in the last eight years, 2006 witnessed Indonesia’s GDP and tourism numbers in Bali growing more than Malaysia’s. Nothing personal with KL guys, just stating facts :)

Hmmm, so while I get on with writing another volume (I’ve made this one too long already), keep your eyes open to see how this grand oriental battle unfolds in this part of the magic continent – Asia.


Cheers
From ur favourite Indian political correspondent
Yousuf