Turn on the TV or go to the cinema and there's bound to be a comedian plying her craft. Break open a pack of cards, and out falls the fool, the joker, the jester.
Nearly every society since prehistoric times seems to have employed jesters. They entertain, but more importantly, they criticize. They criticize their society, the rulers and, yes - the King himself.
Wise kings and rulers throughout history have prized the biting humor because it was a much-needed counterweight to the fawning, sycophantic Yes-men that surrounded them.
The jester's criticism allowed them to see things they might otherwise miss. To consider other ways of looking at things that could make them stronger. Ultimately, it helped them rule better and longer.
Fast forward to today.
Wise leaders allow -- and even encourage -- the blogger, the journalist and myriad other critics to hold a light to their folly.
There's an old saying about those who know they don't know and those who don't know that they don't know. And of course, there's no hope for those who don't even realize they are ignorant.
Such is the case with the so called "leaders" of Indonesia.
Why?
Well, today I ran into a roadblock while trying to work. A roadblock erected by said "leaders" that shows crystal-clear why Indonesia is no democracy.
What happened?
So, today I'm looking at a number of different service options I need for my work.
One of them has a demo video I want to look at.
It's blocked!
Even with a proxy, I access it.
Now, for those who don't live on this set of islands, a while back a certain minister of the government got angry at videos people had put up on Vimeo, so he had the censors block all access to Vimeo. Now nobody here can access Vimeo!
These videos showed the party this minister belongs to on the campaign trail.
So where's the problem - right?
Well, it just so happens Indonesia is a place where religious campaigning goes over well. And this party is a very pharisaical about "morality". They constantly harp about what people should and shouldn't do, Soooo, when they were caught out on the campaign trail doing some, well...let's just call it, not so white, not so moral acts, people rightfully took videos and posted them.
This is what's supposed to happen in a democracy. There are watchdogs to scrutinize the government. After all, governments for the most part are incapable of policing themselves.
What does all this have to do with me and today?
Well, see, said unnamed government minister (oh, it's not hard to figure out who I'm referring to. He's also the one that said in answer to a question about increasing the speed of the internet in Indonesia in essence: 'What do you need fast internet for'? Yep. That's the same person.
I bet if we probed further, he'd ask why we even need internet to begin with..?? And this is the guy Indonesians allow to be their minister of technology. Haaa!)
This is the individual who shut down Vimeo.
Seriously.
Does he really think he can control the internet and thereby do whatever the hell he wants?
Does he really think he can use such tactics to silence his critics?
Yep! And he can. Because the people of Indonesia don't have the balls to throw the bum out; don't have the cajones to take to the streets or do anything more than make lame jokes.
To put it another way, the fact that he ever reached that office in the first place, and worse yet, that he's still in power is proof positive this country is no democracy.
If this were real a democracy, the bum would be on the street looking for another job and productive people could get on with their work.
And it is because of this institutional backwardness at the highest levels that Indonesia will continue to function primarily as a source of raw materials (that intelligent foreigners then process and sell to the world), maids and factory workers.
An embarrassing Example? Even though Indonesia exports some really great coffees, the only place in Indonesia I can find really good coffee (beans) - is Starbucks. And one of Starbucks' more popular blends - is Sumatra (from Indonesia).
Sidebar.............
Unfortunately, most coffee sold in Indonesia is either three-in-one instant or full of fillers such as corn. To put this into perspective, imagine that Starbucks were the only place in Bogota, Columbia where you could get a decent cup of java. Heck, even our slang for coffee - java - comes from Indonesia. It's the name of the main island. But I digress...
Sidebar..............
When Indonesia finally wakes up to these facts and demands better, their potential will be.... well ... the sky will be the limit. Until then, they will continue to live and work well below their potential... continue to be hobbled because of their tolerance of fools like this!
Epilogue: 24 hours has passed since writing and posting this. I just ran into another blocked site. This time a foreign business site. At least I was able to get around it with a proxy this time. Nevertheless, it might be time to invest in a more robust solution.
