MENTENG MYSTERIES

Jakarta's paradise for marmalade moggies

Our normal pied-a-trottoir in Jakarta is an alleged three-star hotel off Jalan Raden Saleh. It’s favored by Arabs disinterested in anything other than the local ladies.

The accommodation is cheap and clean and the extra curricular activities add spice lacking in grander hostelries. The short-stay visitors don’t speak Indonesian and their friends don’t know Arabic but as the poets say, love conquers all. The riyals also help.

This time we’re in Menteng and the difference is like moving from the steaming swamps of Jayapura to the cool heights of Mt Bromo.

I’d like to report this as an exercise in finding out how the other half lives, but in reality it’s discovering how half of 0.01 per cent of the population thrives in colonial grandeur.

Cliché recyclers usually describe Menteng as a ‘leafy suburb’, but the evergreen menteng, also known as Burmese grapes, are now rarely found.

There are plenty of other trees, but the real attraction is the solid Dutch architecture that has so far resisted the Philistines who see little of merit in the steep tiled roofs, shuttered windows and whitewashed walls of a Euro-centric past.

To live in Menteng is to jump back in time. Soekarno told the Dutch to go to hell, but it seems they just hibernated in Menteng, waiting for the political climate to change.

Actually there are more Javanese in our villa than wrinkled ex-imperialists. But the latter control the soundscape, shouting greetings as though they’re the far side of a canal and not in the same narrow corridor of hard ceramic where consonants ricochet and vowels skate off the polished tiles.

The locals have learned how to shuffle, to be spare in manners and movements, to keep the pace slow. Menteng is a fine place to refine the Indonesian art of energy conservation.

Traffic is so calm it’s even safe to cross the streets without first getting three insurance quotes. The Hondas are muffled by a sense of reverence for the place and its up-market residents. Even the mosques use quietspeakers.

The Australian ambassador lives nearby close to the Vietnamese; across the road are the Saudis and Iraqis. If they used their lovely surrounds for a street party maybe the Middle East protests and the asylum seeker issues could be sorted out under the soothing perfume of the frangipani.

There’s certainly good reason to celebrate. A century ago this year architect PAJ Moojen designed Menteng as Jakarta’s first garden city.

Sadly, in keeping with the new AD (Age of Distrust) recent residents have done their bit to destroy the planner’s inclusive vision by excluding outsiders with high walls and steel screens.

Fortunately casual servants leave gates ajar as they gather around roadside snack vendors after saluting their bosses farewell. And the slow sliding gates that release black Mercedes leave time to gape.

The police, bored brainless, are happy to chat, treating twilight strollers like human beings with no agenda other than to enjoy the environment.

This includes marmalade cats, pixie-faced beauties, confident they’re in a moggy’s paradise. Westerners fear the cruising full-helmet motorcyclists but they love their prowling pets.

These lynx-like lovelies are several species removed from their kinky-tailed cousins that hang around kampongs quivering with fear, for there’s little kindness towards cats elsewhere.

Menteng’s cats are regal, as befits creatures that patrol this Alice in Wonderland world, with its mysterious little openings in the rusting fences and crumbling concrete, creeper-festooned gateways to dank and curious places.

The embassy courtyards are swept by movement sensors, monitored by cameras, but high tech cannot reach the musty nooks and crannies where the pussies prowl, knowing the secrets.

Outside the Australian fortress squatted a thin man carefully smoothing out yesterday’s papers for resale. Does the ambassador ever offer a cheery wave, as befits a neighbor when he comes and goes?

Stupid question. Bemused response. Poor fellow – he might get recognised if, like Dick Whittington, he befriended a cat, preferably marmalade. Even then I doubt he’ll ever make Lord Mayor.

Menteng is many things, but it’s not egalitarian.

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SOEGITO HARDJODIKORO

Teen’s bedroom sells sameness Duncan Graham Before we became distrustful of one another and developed machines to scan, sniff and probe for threats, embassies were show-off buildings. They displayed their nation’s wealth, culture and standing through good design, size and presentation. Now many, like the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, look more like a fortress built to house a Middle East leader. Anyone wanting to enter this hostile place is obviously a risk just by seeking entrance. Spending time in a Jakarta traffic jam with a failed air conditioner would be more fun. If Indonesia had followed the trend its embassy in Canberra would be offering a similarly warped welcome. Instead it has adopted a relaxed and friendly approach to help change perceptions of Indonesia. On a widely used visitors’ map of the capital of Australia is a list of 19 free major attractions, such as the Commonwealth Parliament, the National Gallery, and the Australian War Memorial. Only one Embassy of Canberra’s 93 overseas missions is on the list. It’s Indonesia. Great initiative – but it almost collapsed some years ago. Insensitive people wrote abusive comments in the visitor’s book about army brutality during the East Timor referendum. Then a succession of bombings targeting Westerners in Jakarta (including an attack on the Australian Embassy in 2004 killing 11) dampened enthusiasm. The openness would also have failed if the welcome job hadn’t been given to the right person, proud of his homeland without being jingoistic, informed but not a smug dispenser of boring facts, and – most important – able to relate to Australians who prefer mateship to protocol. Soegito Hardjodikoro isn’t a pinstripe diplomat unprepared to comment on the weather without getting an official clearance. Nor has he studied international relations at a prestigious overseas institution. “My campus was the kampong,” said the 71-year old education officer who meets and greets visitors to the embassy’s cultural center. “I became a musician and composer when my father, a businessman in Solo, and the lurah (local community leader) put together a gamelan and I learned to play. “That led me to teaching the various instruments. Then I married Ilse. She was Dutch but had been born in Java. She migrated to Australia at the end of the war and became a citizen. “I moved to Canberra, learned English and started teaching the gamelan in Australian university music departments. In 1985 I joined the Embassy and I’ve been doing this job since.” The job includes being the second or third greeter after the laid-back Batak security guard who happily airs his ethnic group’s robust disdain for Javanese, and Yulianti Tantina (Tina), another local staffer who moved Down Under to study and now helps Soegito organize school visits. Soegito and Tina’s positions don’t record a blip in the shoals of First Secretaries, Counsellors and Political Attaches that glide through Canberra’s diplomatic pond. As ‘outside staff’ they’re among the bottom feeders, but their jobs have the potential to generate ripples of positive change. For although official relationships between over-populated Indonesia and the great empty land below the archipelago are currently in good shape, the same can’t be said about attitudes among ordinary folk. The respected Lowy Institute polled 1,000 Australians in 2010 and found one-third distrusted Indonesia – a ranking that hasn’t changed much over the years. A separate poll run by a New Zealand research company claimed Indonesia was the least liked overseas country among Australians, closely followed by Israel and India. So helping improve Australians’ attitudes towards their northern neighbor has to be worthwhile in any language. Neither country is going to shift its geographical position anytime soon. “I know the figures show the number of Australian students studying Indonesian is falling, but that hasn’t been my experience when it comes to learning the gamelan,” Soegito said. “All my students are Australians. Although I travel outside Canberra the weekly classes are in the Balai Wisata Budaya (Visitor’s Cultural Center) attached to the Embassy.” One of his compositions that accompanied a wayang kulit (shadow puppet) performance drew this comment from a local critic: ‘One might wish for more beautiful harmony of arts and culture in Australian politics.’ In the cultural center the musicians learn how to keep their backs straight while sitting or kneeling on the floor while they try to understand the complex rhythms and beats of a musical form more than 1,000 years old. Soegito shows his dexterity by hammering out a gamelan version of Waltzing Matilda, an old song about a sheep thief who suicides rather than get caught, and often regarded as Australia’s unofficial national anthem. When students take a break they have plenty to stimulate their interest. To get to the center they have to run a gauntlet of stone figures from the great Sanskrit epics of the Ramayana and Mahabharata before passing through a Javanese candi bentar (split gate). Inside, apart from the expected maps and photographs is a kaki lima (itinerant food vendors cart), well equipped though minus the ingrained grease and cracked plates that seems to be the source for the diarrhoea attacks that follow when foreigners sample the delights. There’s also a splendid becak (pedicab) in such excellent condition it could be safe to ride. The seat is unripped, the canopy intact and its not plastered with advertisements for Megawati. Otherwise it looks the real thing. In the library is a copy of the Australian film The Year of Living Dangerously, strictly banned in the Republic for decades, and 1945 photos showing Australian troops liberating Javanese women imprisoned by the Japanese. But the star attraction is a mock-up of a typical Indonesian middle-class teenager’s bedroom, complete with a clunky computer and tiny TV with rabbit’s ears. A school uniform lies on the bed, a Harry Potter translation on the dressing table and a Peterpan poster on the wall – so heaven knows what videos are on the handphone. “We want to show Australian students that their counterparts in Indonesia live much like they do,” said Soegito. “The bedroom is obviously more cramped – there’s far less space in Indonesia, but we’ve tried to make it authentic. “We also offer one-day excursions for schools, an initiative between the Embassy, the National Zoo and Aquarium showing Indonesian animals and birds. Lunch is Indonesian food at a picnic. “The kids then come to the Balai Wisata Budaya for Indonesian games and musical workshops. “I just want to help people understand Indonesia. I’ll only retire when my knees give way and I can’t squat or kneel down to play the gamelan.” (First published in The Jakarta Post 12 April 2011) ##

ANIES BASWEDAN

Looking on the bright side

According to the political pundits Anies Baswedan has got The Right Stuff to be a future President. He comes from a famous family with a creditable past – his grandfather A R Baswedan was an independence activist.

He was raised in Yogyakarta, the cultural centre of Java, the son of academics. His wife Fery Farhati is a psychologist. He’s overseas educated, unafraid of criticising the government and isn’t squeamish about attacking Islamic hardline violence.

Dr Baswedan is young (41), personable and ably articulates a future Indonesia where its well-educated citizens stand tall and proud, achievers yielding to none. His speciality is lambasting the merchants of gloom.

“Let’s stop saying Indonesia is a poor country,” said the rector of the Islamic Paramadina University with some passion. “We must stop asking the government for help. Why do we feel so inferior? In 1945 we didn’t sit around and ask the Ministry of Defence to kick out the Dutch – we all worked together to do it ourselves.

“We’ve become a nation of complainers, sitting down in five star hotels that didn’t exist a few years ago, worried about a nation that in 1945 had 95 per cent illiteracy – now almost all can read and write.

“ Be grateful. Don’t curse the darkness, light a candle. The question is: How do we facilitate the principles of Pancasila.” (The State philosophy designed by first president Soekarno.)

Before he can put himself forward as a candidate for the Republic’s top job, the upbeat US educated Dr Baswedan has a few chasms to cross and bonds to tie. He needs powerful friends with deep pockets and the right connections.

In New Zealand at the invitation of the government to cement ties with the Victoria University of Wellington he was introduced as a ‘prominent political analyst … not affiliated with any political party or group.’

However in Indonesia he’s been associated with the ambitious media mogul and former Golkar heavyweight Surya Paloh who formed the National Democrats (Nasdem) last year. The academic often appears on Paloh’s Metro TV.

“I’m not in anyone’s pocket,” he said “I’m just one of the 45 who signed the (Nasdem) manifesto. (This rejects a vision of democracy lacking proper concern for the people’s welfare).

“Democracy is not incompatible with Islam, and it’s not a Western import. In fact in its early period Islam was a pioneer in democracy holding elections in Medina. But after 39 years the Sultanate system took over – and that was a mistake.

“We do have traditional democracy and we want to get it back. Democracy is not just about free elections and the media, it’s also about input and output.

“I’m worried that the failure to reform the legal system and bureaucracy means the government has failed to reach the objectives that democracy promised. We’re now in the third five-year period where the government must deliver. Foremost is education.”

The other factor is violence against religious minorities. “This is challenging the very foundations of our society,” he said. “I am truly worried. If my home is attacked the police will come. If the thugs use religious names the police won’t intervene.

“There must be zero tolerance and the police must be given political protection to uphold the law.”

When he became the youngest rector in the Republic back in 2005 aged 36 he inherited the position formerly held by the late Nurcholish Madjid. Also known as Cak Nur the liberal scholar became famous for his statement ‘Islam, yes – Islamic parties, no.’
Dr Baswedan has become best known for his TV commentaries and adjudications, and his ‘education should be an escalator’ campaign to get major changes in the Indonesian education system.

He wants higher quality well paid teachers keen to enter a profession with status, working in the regions and then being able to use their experience in other jobs. He urged Indonesia’s 60,000 overseas students to return to their homeland, but not apply for government jobs. Instead they should approach private enterprise with entrepreneurial ideas.

The New Order government flooded schools with thousands of unqualified teachers. Many are still employed and can’t be sacked. Dr Baswedan said that the government’s intentions were best illustrated by the reality of the statistics – 144,000 primary schools, but only 26,000 secondary schools.

His proposal involves major companies helping the best and brightest, especially those who are poor, denied the opportunities the rich can buy, whatever their abilities.

This raises the question of why Indonesia’s taxation system isn’t functioning efficiently to capture and redistribute wealth. To this he argues that the system is getting better, but in the meantime nationalistic philanthropy should plug the gap.

Before he gets to become a candidate with a chance, Dr Baswedan has to have the military on side. He doesn’t see this as a problem, arguing that Indonesia still needs the presence of a strong institution to combat fears of internal armed insurrection.

He said the Western idea that the army should be kept in barracks and used only for external threats doesn’t apply in a nation where mass uprisings could be too big for the police to contain. “Democracy allows for peaceful protests but not violence.”

Even if Indonesians buy Dr Baswedan’s line that democracy is an Islamic ideal he still has to deal with the slur of being a brainwashed US-educated neo-liberal infecting Indonesia with Western values.

His defences have been well polished.

“Most Indonesians who go to the US end up being critics of the country,” he said. “Democracy doesn’t require secularism. The separation of church and state is not universal in the West. In Britain the Queen is the head of the Church of England.

“France which is supposed to allow religious freedoms has banned Islamic headscarves in State institutions. Several European countries have government departments of religious affairs.

“You talk about a united Europe arising from the ashes of the Second World War and comparing this with the progress in Indonesia – but Europe has no common language as we do. That’s a remarkable achievement.

“Indonesians are becoming more pious – but that doesn’t translate into votes for Islamic parties.”

So will he seek the nation’s top job? Like any able politician Dr Baswedan frequently sidesteps direct questions, substitutes his own, then answers. But he did rule out standing in the 2014 election - because he’s too young.

(First published in The Jakarta Post 19 March 2011)

COMMENT ON EUREKA STREET ARTICLE

Response to Ruby Murray's article 'Invisible Indonesia'
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=25441

The fault is not wholly ours. Indonesians have much work to do before their country becomes a safe destination. Most people are friendly and welcoming though rip offs are prevalent. The rule of law doesn't operate. Nationalism is growing and it's hostile to outsiders. Corruption rules everywhere, city pollution is a serious threat to health, poverty is gross - particularly outside the cities. Education standards are the lowest in Southeast Asia. As the travel warnings say - Indonesia is not always a safe destination. Far from struggling daily with asylum seekers the evidence shows Indonesian officials have been actively helping these people take the dangerous journey to Australia. Careful visitors who are well prepared can have rewarding experiences in the archipelago, but the hazards are real. Let's be frank about Indonesia - it's our resource-rich neighbour and critically important in defence and trade. It could become a major and stable player in world affairs, but it's also on the cusp of collapse if the government doesn't deliver the promises of democracy. That includes ensuring safety for visitors and locals - particularly those in minority religions.

Posted 19 March 2011

There’s a disquieting Pollyanna tone in many comments that do a disservice to Indonesia – and the original story. The debate needs to be lifted above ‘lovely people’ and ‘developing nation’ responses from people who’ve had only superficial contact with the archipelago, - some hiding their identity and further devaluing the credibility of their observations.

Indonesia was born in the ashes of World War 11 along with modern Japan and the European Community, and had the potential to equal them. Instead the great natural wealth and talent has been squandered by decades of corruption, oppression and mismanagement, a tragedy for the people whose health, education and lives have been blighted by evil administrators.

Now the lawmakers are allowing thugs to commit serious crimes in the name of religion and abuse the Constitution. This is creating widespread concern about future directions – and warping the nation’s image.

Australia can and should help by providing thousands more scholarships so young Indonesians can build their skills and see for themselves that Western democracy is not a nest of godless vipers. At the same time more Indonesians (particularly Javanese Muslims) in Australia should help lift local ignorance, provided they’re made welcome.

Posted 20 March 2011

AID DOLLARS BEING SPENT UNWISELY

Better ways to help Indonesian kids.

In February Opposition Leader Tony Abbott proposed cutting Australia’s overseas aid budget to pay for the Queensland floods, rather than impose a levy on taxpayers.

Specifically highlighted was the $AUD 400 million allocation to build schools for Indonesian kids. Many commentators found this abhorrent, stressing that education is critical to lift standards in Indonesia. However the benefits are more imagined than real – there are no figures available showing how many children are going to school who would otherwise have stayed home as a result of the aid programme.

Nor is there any information on the curricula being used in these schools – that’s something that Australia cannot control.

Of course education is important, and as an advanced nation Australia has a duty to help its neighbours. But building schools is a totally flawed policy.

It’s the Indonesian government’s job to care for its citizens; the responsibility is in the Constitution. That means providing the teachers, buildings and equipment.

If Australia does the job that releases local administrations to divert funds to other less worthy causes. These tend to be opulent government complexes, officials’ mansions and lavish places of worship.

There’s no way Australian agencies can control cash used for capital works which require suppliers, manufacturers and builders. The opportunities for graft are limitless, meaning Australian taxpayers’ money will fuel corruption.

The idea that the locals will recognise Australian generosity and change their attitudes is naïve. It assumes people will notice a plaque acknowledging AusAID and consequently stop despising unbelievers. On the contrary – the fundamentalists will use these programmes as proof that the West is trying to ‘Christianise’ Indonesians.

Far better to use the money so teachers can study in Australia, boost their skills and expand their horizons. There are some scholarships – but too few. When the teachers return they can push their governments to build better classrooms and equip these with modern technology. They can also tell their students that the West is not peopled by the devils conjured up by the narrow-minded ill-educated people who often run pesantren.

(First published in East Asia Forum 26 February 2011)

FPI SECRETS RELEASED

Scoop: Inside the FPI

Thanks to WikiLeaks we can now reveal the inner workings of the FPI otherwise known as the Friendly People’s Institution. A foreign embassy has bugged the organization and transcribed its meetings.

Many of the classified cables deal with the minutia of life in the FPI bunker, such as how to ensure only virgins wash the men’s’ jubah using halal soap so we’ve selected the most appropriate.

To protect individuals’ privacy we are calling the members Muhammad 1, Muhammad 2 and so on.

M1: Order, order, this meeting is about to start …

M7: Objection! You cannot use the word ‘order’. Our policy is ‘disorder’.

M1: Yes, yes, but to create disorder we need a plan. That means being united …

M2: Point of order! ‘United’ is haram. It stinks of the Great Satan.

M7: We cannot have order. I’ve said so already. Order is chaos.

M1: Move on – first the report from our Pornography Division. I call on the convenor:

M6 It’s been a busy month. We’ve had to view more than 20 films. In six we saw skirts above naked ankles and in four scenes certain chest organs were obvious despite many layers of clothing. (Gasps.) We had to return to the cinema five times to confirm these vile images, which is why our expenses are so high.

M1: So I see. Was that necessary?

M6: Absolutely, brother. It’s an onerous but sacred task we’ve undertaken. First we have to wear the despicable western clothes and dark glasses so we’re not recognised.

Next we must bring our comrades to see the odorous and sinful scenes for themselves so they know the depths of Western decadence.

MI: Quite so, but 500 tickets?

M6: Education isn’t cheap, brother.

M1: That means we’ll have to double the protection fees for Blok M bars so they can serve alcohol. By the way, I’d better take a look at these disgusting films myself to make sure your report is correct. Send me a ticket. Make that five. For my cousins. Now onto the Hearts and Minds project – but M3, your hand is bandaged.

M3: Correct, it is grievously hurt, sir. I tried to cut it off!

M1: But why?

M3: While looking for unauthorised places of worship I encountered a Christian leader. (Shouts of horror) Before I knew what was happening this person wished me Merry Christmas (screams) and shook my hand. You can imagine I felt doubly defiled, because the priest was a woman! I rushed to the nearest mosque and washed seven times, but the stain could not be eradicated. (Gasps). So I then tried to cut it off.

M1: Allah be praised – a true martyr. But you did not succeed?

M3: In the midst of my agony I heard a voice from heaven cry out: ‘If you have no hands, how can you strike the infidel?’ So I desisted.

M1: Did you get medical help?

M3: Indeed, sir. God directed me to the best hospital available, St Vincent de Paul. As a result I expect to be fully healed and can return to my duties of flushing out evil. (Much shouting of Allah Akbar – God is Great!)

M4: I move we suspend the meeting for lunch. We get a discount from McDonald’s.

M5: Foreign capitalists! We should be supporting our brothers, local traders.

M1: We can’t. We’ve smashed all their foodstalls because women and gamblers use them. Only McDonald’s is left.

M5: Alright, alright. In any case we need to understand the evil foods they serve to identify them on our next Sweeping. I’ll have a Big Mac with coleslaw.

M8: A Double Cheeseburger with fries for me. So when’s the next Sweeping? I love watching tourists flee.

M1: Here’s the problem. The government has asked us to tone down a bit. No problems with torching churches and Ahmadiyah mosques (noise of people gagging), but hotel occupation rates are dropping and damaging TNI’s income.

M6: OK. I move we concentrate on homosexuals. I’m sure I can find some if I pay a few local government officials to identify them. My order? Sure, a hamburger thanks. Make sure the server wears a jilbab.

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KOMARUDDIN HIDAYAT

Live and let live

If he wasn’t an academic sparring with language, Professor Komaruddin Hidayat would make a fine boxer.

Not because the Rector of the State Islamic University (UIN) in Jakarta would be landing knockout blows. Instead he’d be deflecting punches, sidestepping wild swings and never letting his opponents get close enough for an upper cut.

Example: He supports pluralism. So how does his position fit with the fatwa (prohibition) on pluralism issued by the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI – Council of Indonesian Islamic Scholars)?

“The MUI has a different understanding of pluralism. I look at it in terms of sociology and anthropology. Maybe they consider it theologically.”

Try again: What’s the solution to the problem of Ahmadiyah (the sect under attack for claiming to be Islamic)?

“The government should take action. The police should give them protection.”

Try yet again: At a formal seminar he didn’t use the traditional assalam alaikum (peace be unto you) to address an audience dominated by Muslims.

“Assalam alaikum is just a cultural greeting. You can spread peace through behavior, such as smiling and being friendly.”

So would it be right to label him a liberal Muslim, along with people like prominent activist Ulil Abshar Abdalla from the Liberal Islamic Network (JIL).

“You can call me a rational Muslim.”

Does this mean he’s opposed to JIL?

“It’s just a group, and so small. I appreciate that it’s good for intellectual exercises, but nothing else. It has so few followers. It’s difficult to be successful without government support.”

State-funding backs Dr Komaruddin’s university of 22,000 students. He reckons UIN is the finest tertiary institution of its kind in the Republic, and well positioned to create bonds with its counterparts elsewhere.

“We want to conduct research with Western campuses so staff and students can better understand Southeast Asian Islam, as opposed to Islam from the Middle East,” he said.

“We want to build ties based on education, business and good neighbourliness’, explaining Islam as a sociological and historical phenomenon.”

This was one of the reasons Mas Komar (as he’s known) has been in New Zealand with two colleagues. They’ve been presenting the rational face of Islam and hopefully to eclipse the image of tiger-eyed fundamentalists tugging their wispy beards as they demonise everything that’s not Muslim.

On the surface it’s a grand idea, but in discussions with Professor Paul Morris, head of Inter-Religious Understanding at Wellington’s Victoria University it became clear there’s a major obstacle to overcome.

Universities in NZ and many other Western countries teach religious studies, but not specific religions. Graduates do not have the qualifications to get leadership roles in mosques, churches or temples. A taxpayer-funded university like UIN could not exist in NZ.

The separation of religion and State would not have surprised Mas Komar because he’s filled his passport with inky stamps from more than 40 countries.

While many have been nations with Muslim majorities, others have been Western democracies where religion if of little importance.

Globetrotting as an ambassador-at-large for tolerant Islam would have seemed an unlikely career for the third of eight children born in Magelang, Central Java, 57 years ago.

His dad was a soldier, but that was a career the bright lad didn’t favor, and his parents didn’t push.

“My father was quite liberal, a good man,” Mas Komar said. “It was serendipity that put me into the academic life.

“I was sent to the cheapest and closest village pesantren (Islamic boarding school) where I was influenced by a very wonderful teacher. He told us that we had the right to enjoy life, and the good life is Islam. We should be vice-generals of God.

“He taught us about the dignity of human beings, the need for life-long learning and to live decently. God has given us heads to think, hearts to feel and hands to do good things.

“It’s death that creates religion, that makes life meaningful. If you don’t believe in an afterlife then there’s no incentive to do good.

“Everyone wants truth, beauty, peace and goodness. These are values implanted in us by God.”

After doing well at school the inspired student moved to Jakarta and the institution he now heads. Here he gained his first degree (in Islamic education) and then applied for an overseas scholarship.

He was successful (“by accident”) and headed to Turkey where he completed a doctorate in Western philosophy. Back home he returned to the UIN and in 1990 became a professor. Four years ago he was elected rector.

Apart from teaching and touring the world, Mas Komar is an occasional commentator in the mass media promoting his friendly and benign brand of Islam.

“”It’s no longer relevant to talk about conflict between Christianity and Islam,” he said. “Good religion means being a good citizen.

“We don’t like the aggression of global capitalism, but democracy and Islam are compatible. Marginalized Muslims get the benefit of democracy because they can get close to local decision makers.

“The problems we’ve had in Indonesia have not been created by democracy, but by the poor quality of politicians and failure of the political process.

“I’m an optimist. The people (voters) are getting wiser and more selective in evaluating candidates. A lot of lessons have been learned, but I think it will take three more elections to grow the maturity to evaluate politicians.

“The issue is this: How do we articulate the way to behave in a modern state, and how do we manage?

“Don’t make religion part of the problem, but the solution. Religion can solve the problems of society, and Indonesia could be a model, a world leader.

“My philosophy is live and let live. Life is a game. We can live together in a pluralist society.”

(First published in The Jakarta Post 25 November 2010)

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