Happy Independence Day.. 17 August is Indonesian Independence Day although like at lot of other countries there is some dispute about if the 17th is actually technically correct. Not that it really matters as like all independence days it is more symbolic than anything else. Symbolic of what??
Perhaps, the hopes and dreams of the common people after years (centuries) and domination of oppression by external and domestic tyrants, the ability to worship in peace, a right to education, freedom from fear, the ability to support and raise a family. A time to look back and see what has been achieved and what has not.
Perhaps time to reflect on the underbelly as well as the surface gloss..
.... THEN AGAIN PERHAPS JUST AN EXCUSE FOR A REST AND A PARTY
Essentially, Indonesia shuts down until after the weekend, with any number of parties and celebrations all heavily laced with a healthy dose (perhaps unhealthy?)Dose of Nationalism.
One of the more interesting features of the day is the traditional granting of remissions to the resident jailbirds around the country.
The year is no exception...SCHAPELLE Corby has been given two months remission on her 20-year sentence which must have made her feel fantastic until she heard, "At least nine Indonesian convicts jailed for relatively minor (?) roles in the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people including 88 Australians, will have four months cut from their jail terms"
Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when they decided the relative merits of those two cases.
Personally I can't see how you can have a "minor role" when 202 people have been slaughtered by rabid and extremely poor excuses for human beings
However, Happy day all, we all do "live in interesting times"
Who knows maybe we can all have a collective rush of blood and the freedoms and rights of ALL will blossom in the year to come.
8 comments:
Re: dispute on the independence. don't you think there will always be a dispute between them asking for independence and them trying to take it away from them?
that's a cheap shot.
Whoa T/s.
I think you may have mis-understood me here. What I was saying was there is some discussion about the actual date of independence or the best date to celebrate it. Be it the signing of the of the declaration, or whent he dutch actually ceded defeat or perhaps the battle of Surabaya or Bandung...or
Was no sneaky undertones meant..
independence should be when Indonesians declare - and thus feel - independent.
LOLOLOLOL, i luuuuuuuve getting on your toes. this time with a sharp spiked red/white umbrella!
T/s
So you reckon August 17TH is the best day..come on time come out of the closet..
stumpy, did u observe on that day how much august 17th meant to Indonesian?? anymore or less than Australia day??
Oh Hi Anon..you are back..
Actually I did notice, in fact Indonesia (and her people)observes the day with far more nationalism and pride that Australia. The Indonesian situation is probably more in line with the American pattern, hand over heart sort of thing.
Australia Day is more just an excuse to take a day off and head down the beach. Unfortunately, Australians tend to have fairly dismal understanding of their own history (not that I am a big believer in the over the top Nationalism, I personally find the American model somewhat repugnant).
The intention was not to disrepect the day, but wish for a more inclusive Indonesia for all its people and not just one day of the year..Parties and songs are one thing, action and security all year round are another.
thanks for that reply. nice to be recognised at "the anon". and i am very happpy to take ur word for the fact that Indonesians were as happy as ever (this year) to celebrate. i guess it depends where u were on that day. IN INdonesia they dont do as many surveys as in Oz or US - they dont need to/seem to monitor the pulse of the nation(hood) as much
thanks again
Always happy to reply to reasonable comment anon or otherwise. Although a name would be better to track lines of thought.
One point, please don't assume or put words or opinions in my mouth, I can get in enough trouble on my own.
I never said " i am very happpy to take ur word for the fact that Indonesians were as happy as ever (this year) to celebrate" it is not for me to judge how happy or unhappy a whole group of people are or I will become like some others who presume to know everything about a whole group of people.
What I said was "observes the day with far more nationalism and pride that Australia. The Indonesian situation is probably more in line with the American pattern"
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