Bakpiapia

Aku tidak tahu begitu banyak tentang makanan, apalagi masalah memasak. Telur dadar pun masih robek ketika kubolak-balik dengan spatula.

Spatula? Sutil? Serok? Apapun itu namanya lah.

Mie instan kadang terlalu lama digodok, jadinya lembek sekali. Jadi sebisa mungkin aku menjauhkan diri dari dapur, apalagi kalau harus memasakkan sesuatu ke orang lain.

Tetapi tetap saja, makanadalah satu dari banyak hal yang paling membahagiakan. Makan tidak hanya mengisi perut. Selera yang kita miliki terhadap makanan dibentuk juga oleh apa kualitas makanan yang masuk ke mulut kita. Rasa mungkin yang paling berpengaruh, juga tekstur dan segala kualitas makanan yang mungkin tidak aku ketahui.

Yang aku tahu pasti, manusia terus menuntut sesuatu yang lebih baik dari sebelumnya. Itulah yang kita lihat di masa kini. Semuanya sekarang jadi lebih mudah karena teknologi berkembang. Yang tadinya tradisional juga kemudian berubah menjadi modern. Dulu Sultan keliling kota Yogyakarta naik delman. Siapa tau kini beliau secara undercover keliling naik scooter matic supaya bisa lebih cepat.

Ya, semunya berubah. Bakpia juga berubah. Bakpiapia salah satu manifestasinya.

Bakpia adalah salah satu makanan ringan tradisional yang berasal dari kota tercinta, Yogyakarta. Mungkin resep bakpia – yang mendapat pengaruh oriental dari Cina – itu sendiri sudah dikenal secara umum dan secara turun temurun. Makanya, kita bisa meilihat beberapa jalan tertentu di Yogyakarta, di mana terdapat toko Bakpia di seluruh sisi dan sudut. Bakpia secara tradisional lebarnya mungkin sekitar lingkaran yang dibentuk ibu jari dan telunjuk kita. Teksturnya cenderung keras dan renyah. Isinya pun bermacam-macam, mulai dari kumbu kacang hitam, coklat, keju, kacang hijau, dan lain-lain.

Seiring dengan perubahan waktu, ternyata Bakpiapia hadir dan memberikan citra yang baru terhadap industri bakpia di Yogyakarta. Inovasi, itulah yang ditawarkan bakpiapia. Dibungkus dengan kotak kecil yang apik dan mudah dibawa, Bakpiapia memperkenalkan kepada kita konsep baru: bakpia coklat dan bakpia blasteran. Dengan adonan yang sedikit lebih kecil dan kepadatan yang tepat, Bakpiapia coklat memberikan rasa yang berbeda, entah apapun itu aku, tidak bisa diungkapkan dengan kata-kata. Pokoknya enak, sebuah pengalaman tradisional sekaligus modern. Di sisi yang lain, Bakpiapia blasteran, mungkin sesuai namanya, membawakan cita rasa asing dalam bakpia yang tradisional itu. Pada gigitan pertama, nikmatnya menggugah rasa ingin tau yang mendalam dan menyiksa jika tidak dijawab: Oh Tuhan, rasa apakah bakpia blasteran ini? Tiramisu? Blackforest? Cappuccino? Bumbu pecel? Entahlah! Mungkin hanya para pembuat Bakpiapia yang tahu. Sebuah gabungan konsep dua daerah. Sebuah inovasi yang menggugah selera.

Sebenarnya aku tidak suka bicara tentang makanan. Despite all the nonsense above, intinya Bakpiapia itu enak.

Untuk Ketua KOMAHI yang baru

Untuk Ketua KOMAHI yang baru,

I’d like to congratulate you for going through all the phases of the succession with high spirit and enthusiasm and I see that you, whichever you are, have been faithful in holding on the values you’re adhering to. You’ve offered us something we have not seen in the past year.

First of all, I’d like to offer my apology for neither being dedicated nor consistent enough that you want to prove that someone can be much more dedicated and bring changes to this KOMAHI of ours. I deeply regret that I was not able to listen to all the voices for KOMAHI that you both want to renew the commitment of delivering programs favored by the members. I’m sorry because I was not able to represent what people want. I can assure you that I did try my best, but to no avail, I guess. Having said that, I want you to know that you, whichever you are, have my full support. Let’s make peace and get over all the criticism I wrote previously. Maybe it was just because I resent that you could spot where I did wrong and even offer betterment. I may be just an envious person. I may just be afraid that you can do better than me and people will start comparing me and you, concluding that you bring much improvement. I assume it is quite normal and acceptable as a normal human being to feel that way. I’m sorry.

You might have hoped for the worst before the disclosure of the result, but believe me, the worst part is to win the election. However, this is a position not everyone can be responsible of, and now you can find yourself in it, meaning you fit the best for the job.

Having said all that, let me leave you with some advice that I hope can help you go through your service next year.

First, set yourself free from any kind of anxiety. You have everything any ketua KOMAHI ever wished for: enthusiastic freshman students, a team of more supportive and caring lecturers, loyal friends, healthy financial condition of KOMAHI, and of course funds to fix the secretariat. You have everything so better get the best out of these. I myself believe that next year will be bright for you and KOMAHI that you serve. Maintain and improve relations with everyone and you’ll be happy to find yourself in no pressure, especially the financial one. So, take your time with your team to plan everything perfectly.

Secondly, leadership is a crucial aspect and you are, from this moment, a role model. Of course we may still lack the experience that we also need our own role model. Don’t bar yourself from ‘copying’ the style of your favourite politicians, be it Jokowi, Obama, Sadiq Khan, Jeremy Corbyn, Justin Trudeau, or even Trump and Farage if you like. But always keep in mind that you have to look no further than Him. Any leader can show you charisma, tact, intelligence, wisdom, or any other values. But no one can show better compassion and love. No one else but Him. Don’t let yourself away from Him, but be close to Him. No leader can be better in showing selflessness and willingness to sacrifice than Him. Today, you have to know that the year 2017, you will not fully own your life. You will live for others, for the betterment of all members of this beloved organization. Accept it as a part of your life and love it. Cherish every moment and give your all, as He gave His all to us. You can admire any leader, but above all, be like Him.

Thirdly, don’t be like me. I concede to the fact that I made neither a good leader nor example. I was overconfident and now I let myself down. I am one person who is never good enough in anything, who never lives life to the fullest, who always fail to give the best effort. So don’t be like me.

You will need to surround yourself with the best friends and make sure that you have mutual trust with each of them. By friends, in this context and particularly for you, I mean the closest persons you’ll be working with: BPH. Be someone to whom people can pay respect. Be a friend who can listen, who is acceptable to each of them. Be someone who knows little details about them. Be someone who knows their taste of humor. Be someone who knows the right thing to do in the right time. Be someone who deserves to be treated fairly.

I have always blamed others for the situations I am in. I chose the ones I can trust, the ones I always regard friends. However, I thought that I got snubbed, ignored, and treated unfairly by some of these friends. During your the debate, I was actually quite offended when both of you said I was not dedicated enough and I was not able to work professionally by putting aside personal problems for the sake of the KOMAHI's programs. At that time, I thought to myself that I have always loved this organization with all my heart and soul, which I thought was manifest enough in my availability. I thought I was a person who does not mind tackling little details directly. I also thought to myself that I have always tried hard to put up with friends who snub me, who reject me, who ignore me without telling why. Can you just imagine getting ignored and rejected while you yourself don't know whether you do anything wrong? Can you feel how it feels when being told “nothing, I just don’t want to see you” when you try to solve the problems? Can you imagine how it feels when you were just trying to have fun with one of your perceived close friends but they end up being angry, and when someone else do the same thing to them, they choose not to get angry? I have humiliated and beat the shit out of these persons more than 100x, but only in my mind because I was also angry. I just hold myself back from showing it. I wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t for the sake of KOMAHI’s programs. I have always put up with such things and you said I was not professional enough.

But after days of thinking, I conclude that the problem is me. I’d like to think I’m dedicated enough, but I did not manage to attend and give attention to every departments of KOMAHI. I even ignored one of them, (I’d be honest here) Sosmas. I was not present in every department’s meeting, I was just not really there when they need me. I may think I love this organization, but it was never enough.

I conclude the problem is me, not them. I did not know their details, I got reminded by facebook about their birthdays, I did not really understand their taste of jokes, and I am simply a person who does not deserve being respected. I don’t know what to do or say in different situations. I did not do enough effort to bond with them. I tried, once or twice but it is by no means enough. I give up too early when initially I was being overconfident and narcissistic. I may not seem to have enough ability or the right character to lead. But above all, I am not a good friend to them. I have no one to blame but myself.

Don’t be like me. Be there, be physically there especially when they need you the most. Be a good friend, know your friends by heart, make them your new family. Don’t fail like I did, don’t let yourself down.

Fourth, as I said earlier, it’s a service in which you have to give your all and you will live for others. Do it with heart and be strong. At times you will feel that you’re alone. It’s normal because it’s your duty to support, push, and care for them. That is why it is important to surround yourself with friends, but above all, be a good friend. I myself have surrounded myself with good friends, but I was never a good friend for them.

I think that is all. Be worry-free, be like Him, don’t be like me, and be strong. Live your life as the new Ketua KOMAHI to the fullest. Don’t let anyone down, don’t let yourself down. Be a ketua KOMAHI who will regret nothing at the end of your service. Be a ketua KOMAHI that will never say “could have” and “should have”. You are the best that we have and we leave our hopes on you. It’s hard, but be a good person so you won’t feel alone.

Beside all that I said above, I will be glad if you can do me a favour.

If we want a KOMAHI that works for everyone, that is present for everyone, it will be a blunder to leave all the hard work to KOMAHI to elicit our loyalty and attention. Things should be mutual and reciprocal because it's simply the righ thing. I may not have done enough effort during my service. But nothing would change if everyone ignores KOMAHI. We, IR students, members of KOMAHI, should start pay attention to KOMAHI. We all need to acknowledge that it is present and inherent in our life as IR students. Look at your korsa and there’s the badge of KOMAHI. It’s symbolical, I know. But KOMAHI is in my vein. It’s in yours too. It's there for us, for good. Nothing will change unless we start changing our mindset on KOMAHI.

Please do me a favour by telling all KOMAHI members, all IR students, that we should treat KOMAHI better. Let’s be mutual for the betterment of all. You, the new ketua KOMAHI, need to make us understand that nothing will change unless we work together, unless we pay attention to each other.

I’d like to wish you all the best of luck. I’ll have you know that I’ll be there if you need anything. This will not be easy, but you have the capacity. Be good, be loving. Don’t let yourself down.

Ini KOMAHI kita.

Lukas atau Je? (Fase Kampanye, 2 lanjutan dari 1)

Aku harap tulisanku yang pertama tadi nggak sampah-sampah banget sehingga kalian masih ada sedikit hasrat untuk baca tulisanku yang kedua, tentang performa kampanye Je sebagai calon nomor urut 2.

Sebelumnya, aku harus mengakui kalau aku nggak datang di beberapa dialog yang diadakan Je dan 

tim kampanyenya. Tetapi untungnya, apresiasi buat tim kampanye Je, aktivitas mereka di medsos mendukung banget supaya publik KOMAHI mengerti apa sih isi dari change yang mau dibuat oleh Je. Beberapa hal yang sangat inovatif seperti vlog menurutku sangat berhasil buat mendekatkan publik dengan Je. Banyaknya materi kampanye juga mengizinkan orang untuk mengenal dan mengkritisinya dari berbagai aspek.

#2

Siapa sih yang tidak kenal Janitra? Maafkan aku sebelumnya. Seandainya kita disuruh memilih antara Lukas dan Je tanpa disajikan masa kampanye sama sekali, massa yang bisa dibilang ‘awam’ tentunya tidak akan kesulitan memilih. Sudah kita ketahui bersama, Je adalah sosok yang cederung populer dengan banyak sekali fans dari angkatan 2015. Naomi pernah cerita ke aku kalau Je beberapa kali mendapatkan semacam surat dari penggemarnya, acknowledging him as tutor idaman or whatever that is (hahaha). Ada juga yang pernah bilang kalau salah satu wanita penggemar Je dari angkatan 2016 ‘kehilangan akal sehatnya’ saat instagramnya di-follow back oleh Je. Kualitasnya sebagai seorang Je pun tidak perlu diragukan: cerdas, kritis, supel, karismatik, you name it.

Berbeda dengan Lukas, Je sudah memiliki konsep besar yang dapat ia tawarkan, yaitu perubahan. Dengan adanya konsep ini, sudah selayaknya kita juga menilai Je dari konsepnya dan berbagai proker yang ia tawarkan, untuk ‘menyeimbangkan’ pandangan kita yang sudah sangat positif terhadap kualitas individual dan personalnya.

Je menawarkan sebuah perubahan yang sifatnya populis. Aku mengasumsikan ia ingin “mengembalikan” KOMAHI kepada masyarakatnya. Aku sendiri sudah berusaha melakukannya, tapi mungkin masih belum menuai sukses. Jadi aku sangat setuju dengan ide ini: melibatkan publik KOMAHI secara aktif.

Namun, kita sebaiknya mulai dari awal.

Let us not talk much on the matters of kekeluargaan dan profesionalisme. Sama seperti Lukas, Je kembali menegaskan dua komponen yang memang penting ini, dan aku rasa ini adalah respon dari kritikku terhadap konsep awalnya yang lebih mengutamakan profesionalisme. Analisis Je tentang dilema kekelurgaan adalah sesuatu yang bagus. Tentunya mudah dikatakan, tidak mudah diatasi. Butuh keberanian besar untuk dapat mengatakan “hey you are supposed to do this but you don’t, go fix it.” Sama seperti konsep dedikasi Lukas, mempercayai bahwa orang lain akan menjaga profesionalisme dengan teguh adalah suatu kesalahan dan sangat tidak strategis. Setelah merasakan sendiri, banyak sekali hal yang aku pikir mudah dilakukan saat kampanye, tetapi nyatanya sangat susah saat sudah menjabat. Mungkin dengan berbekal kharismanya, Je dapat mengatasi dilema itu.

Aku juga harus menyinggung tentang atmosfer kerja yang mendukung, yaitu yang disebutnya ProFUNssional. Ini sangat menarik dan akan sangat baik apabila benar dapat diciptakan. Namun, ada tantangan besar yang harus dihadapi Je. Yang pertama adalah kultur tiap departemen yang berbeda-beda misalnya DEPOR yang selo, INKOM yang profesional, dan lain-lain. Kedua, DPSDM tidak memiliki kewenangan untuk memberikan reward kepada departemen/BSO yang kerjanya baik, dikarenakan DPSDM adalah departemen juga dan tiap departemen/BSO memiliki proker yang tidak dapat di-ekuivalen-kan beban kerjanya. Oleh karena itu, Je harus dapat bersinergi dengan MPMHI sebagai badan yang tugasnya melakukan observasi kepada KOMAHI. Yang ketiga, dituliskan bahwa setiap pengurus ‘harus’ memiliki work ethic yang mengutamakan proker KOMAHI. Tantangannya adalah jumlah pengurus KOMAHI yang banyak. Mengharuskan setiap orang untuk memiliki work ethic yang dimaksud Je cukup sulit karena KOMAHI tidak punya mekanisme pengaderan. Oleh karena itu, cara lain seperti pendekatan personal dan memberi contoh dapat menjadi suatu cara. Butuh kerja keras, bukan hanya cerdas.

Aspek kekeluargaan maupun profesionalisme tadi akan selalu ada di KOMAHI, tidak akan banyak berubah. Mari kita lihat apa yang dianggap Je sebagai sebuah perubahan yang melibatkan anggota dan pengurus KOMAHI.

Yang pertama adalah pengerjaan proker secara integratif. Mengenai aspek ini, aku mengasumsikan bahwa Je menginginkan adanya proker yang dilaksanakan secara bersama-sama oleh beberapa departemen dan BSO. Hal ini selalu diangkat dari tahun ke tahun oleh calon-calon sebelumnya. Tujuannya adalah untuk meningkatkan kekompakan internal KOMAHI. Aku pun menginginkan hal ini saat masa kampanye. Tetapi setelah menjalankan KOMAHI, ternyata sangat, sangat sulit melakukannya. Setiap departemen dan BSO KOMAHI sudah punya program-program yang mapan dan tinggal dilanjutkan. Padatnya berbagai program KOMAHI yang jumlahnya mencapai 50 lebih membuat usaha ini sangat sulit dilakukan. Tetapi, kita sebenarnya punya beberapa yang sudah berjalan, seperti buddy system dan social work antara DPSDM dan SOSMAS, TDKV dengan berbagai proker KOMAHI, dan juga marketing and communication INKOM dalam mempublikasikan berbagai proker KOMAHI. It should be taken into account. Bukan barang baru, tetapi akan sangat baik apabila Je akhirnya bisa membuat inovasi dalam aspek ini dan kemudian berhasil memunculkan satu program yang dilaksanakan bersama.

Yang kedua adalah revitalisasi hubungan eksternal. Dalam salah satu vlog nya, Je menjawab pertanyaan mengenai hubungan eksternal KOMAHI di FISIPOL. Je mengatakan bahwa sebenarnya berbagai HMD di FISIPOL menginginkan hubungan yang baik dengan KOMAHI dan bahkan bekerjasama. Je juga mengkritik bahwa KOMAHI terkesan eksklusif dan sudah ‘di atas angin,’ mapan dengan segala program kerja internal KOMAHI. Aku percaya tujuan Je sangat baik, akan tetapi sayangnya hal ini sudah berjalan dan bahkan KOMAHI tidak seeksklusif yang Je bayangkan. Di kepengurusan tahun ini, KOMAHI berhasil bekerjasama dengan beberapa HMD atau UKM di FISIPOL: IRCCT dengan Tema Kereta Cepat mengundang Obed Kresna yang tahun ini juga menjabat Presiden KOMAP; Movie Week mengundang CEARS untuk memberi insight mengenai film Letters from Iwo Jima; beberapa screening HI CINE dilaksanakan dalam kerjasama dengan KOMAKO; pelatihan film HI CINE mengundang FIAGRA dari Fakultas Teknik; Studi Banding INKOM dilaksanakan di antaranya bersama KOMAP dan GAMAPI; dan yang terakhir INKA mencoba bekerjasama dengan KOMAP untuk membentuk suatu proker yang sayangnya kemudian gagal. Intinya, ide ini tidaklah baru dan daripada merevitalisasi, seharusnya Je mengusulkan keberlanjutan. Hal yang aku sayangkan. Sebagai calon ketua KOMAHI seharusnya dia mengetahui hal ini dan mengkritik pelaksanaannya. Jadi, sebenarnya kita tidak begitu ‘di atas angin,’ melainkan sudah berpijak di tanah.

Ketiga, Je mengangkat aspek Partisipasi Anggota KOMAHI. Dia menegaskan bahwa program KOMAHI seharusnya disesuaikan dengan demand anggota KOMAHI sebagai konstituennya sehingga partisipasi anggota bisa meningkat. Dalam salah satu videonya yang bertajuk “Mengapa KOMAHI tidak berpengaruh padaku sebagai Mahasiswa HI,” Je menegaskan hal ini. Baginya, hal ini terjai karena KOMAHI belum dapat menyesuaikan programnya dengan demand anggotanya. Dalam video itu, dia memberi contoh (‘misalnya’) IRCCT. Bagi Je, sebelum melaksanakan diskusi IRCCT seharusnya KOMAHI atau INKA melakukan survey terlebih dahulu topik apa yang mau dibahas oleh anggota KOMAHI. Dengan demikian, jika KOMAHI dapat menuruti demand tersebut, partisipasi anggota akan meningkat. Nah, bagi kalian terutama angkatan 2016, contoh ini, sekalipun contoh, bisa dibilang sah-sah saja. Bagiku, ini sebuah blunder: mengapa harus IRCCT yang dijadikan contoh? IRCCT adalah salah satu proker yang program officer –nya paling rajin membuat survey terutama saat tidak ada isu hangat di suatu periode. Nah, kebiasaan membuat survey ini sudah dilaksanakan sejak dua atau tiga tahun lalu. Departemen lain pun mengikuti, misalnya DEPOR yang waktu itu hendak mengadakan Systema (dibatalkan karena peminat sedikit), kemudian INKOM mengenai tujuan HI Visit. Sekali lagi aku menyayangkan ketidaktahuan tim kampanye Je pada aktvitas KOMAHI selama ini. Padahal banyak dari mereka yang cukup aktif di departemen yang mengadakan program-program tersebut. Ya, seharusnya Je dan tim kampanyenya tahu.

Pada titik ini, aku menilai bahwa materi kampanye Je sebenarnya jauh lebih komprehensif dan kompleks daripada Lukas. Sangat banyak tantangan yang harus dihadapi Je untuk membawa apa yang ia sebut perubahan. Tapi perubahan yang seperti apa? Perubahan yang bagaimana? Konsep-konsep dasar yang ia usulkan memang baik, tapi beberapa hal yang sifatnya lebih practical hanya berlaku buat mereka yang belum tahu apa yang sudah dilakukan KOMAHI. Nyatanya apa yang Je sebut sebagai change sudah pernah dilakukan KOMAHI sebelumnya.

Yang dikatakan Eghi di video kampanye Je memang benar.

Karena cinta aja nggak cukup. To make a change, you have to know what needs to change.

Jadi, PR Je yang terbesar adalah mengidentifikasikan perubahan apa yang sebenarnya ia inginkan. Apa yang dia sebut perubahan sayangnya buat aku malah tampak sebagai ketidaktahuannya. Ini juga menjadi tugas Bima, Eghi, Arum, dan segenap tim kampanyenya yang sudah berkecmpung di KOMAHI juga.

Tambahan PR untuk Bima sebagai ketua angkatan. Tidak salah tentunya menjadi bagian dari tim kampanye Je. Secara kebiasaan, ketua angkatan biasanya mengambil posisi netral selama kampanye. Setidaknya sejak angkatan 2013. Oleh karena itu, setelah hasil pemilihan keluar, Bima harus dapat memastikan angkatannya dapat menerima hasil tersebut dengan lapang dada. Sungguh, tidak apa-apa memihak Je. Tetapi Bima harus mengetahui tugas moralnya sebagai ketua angkatan. Butuh kedewasaan juga dari kedua tim sukses untuk menerima hasil suksesi nantinya.

Hal yang sama berlaku buat Fakhri sebagai ketua angkatan 2016. Dia harus dapat memastkan apapun hasilnya, kontribusi angkatan 2016 ke KOMAHI tidak berkurang. Begitu juga untuk tahun 2018 saat angkatannya harus menjadi pengurus inti KOMAHI, kecuali Coory mau mencalonkan diri.

Kontribusi

Isu selanjutnya yang penting adalah kontribusi Je dan Lukas. Je aktif di beberapa proker KOMAHI. Baru-baru ini di paruh kedua kepengurusan tahun ini dia mengikuti kegiatan diplomatic affairs KOMAHI baik di rapat kordinasi wilayah IV daerah Jateng dan DIY, kemudian dia terlibat dalam Journalistic Team INKA untuk majalah Airport, HIKustik sebagai pemusik, dan lain-lain. Sebagai anggota, Je juga berhasil memimpin makrab yang sedemikian rupa sehingga dapat mendekatkan angkatan 2016 dengan 2015. Kontribusi ini sangat baik dan harus diperhitungkan. Je sendiri berhasil mengikuti berbagai proker dari departemen/BSO yang berbeda. Dia juga terlibat dalam GAMA DC, di European Parliament. Jadi, Je sebenarnya sudah berkontribusi dalam proker-proker KOMAHI. Hal yang membedakannya dengan Lukas adalah tingkat engagement-nya di departemennya (INKOM, Diplomatic Affairs) yang mungkin tidak sedalam Lukas di INKA maupun HI-CINE. But of course it does not make Je less than Lukas. Hanya saja, terdapat dampak yang paling jelas: Je sebenarnya masih belum begitu familiar dengan proker-proker KOMAHI karena kesempatannya di INKOM yang terbilang recent. Namun, Lukas gagal mengambil keuntungan dari keadaan ini. Branding Lukas malah tidak memaparkan pengertiannya mengenai proker KOMAHI. Nah, keadaan ini malah membuat aku ragu, apakah Lukas yang tinggi engagement-nya di INKA dan HI CINE sudah benar-benar mengerti tentang proker KOMAHI? Mungkin tidak, mungkin iya.

Satu lagi hal yang sejak awal gagal diidentifikasi oleh kedua calon. Proker KOMAHI yang cenderung sepi mungkin bukan karena kurang selarasnya demand anggota dengan proker KOMAHI, tapi karena simply KOMAHI tidak mendapatkan perhatian dari para anggotanya. Wajar memang karena tiap orang punya kesibukan masing-masing.  Tapi ada sesuatu yang membuat KOMAHI tidak diperhatikan oleh anggotanya sendiri, entah apa itu. Oleh karena itu, kalau tahun ini angkatan 2016 terlihat lebih antusias (magang diikuti lebih dari 80 orang, pendaftar lebih dar 75 orang), aku rasa Lukas atau Je, siapapun yang terpilih, boleh berterima kasih terhadap pelaksana program Rumah HI, 26 Agustusan, dan juga, yang paling penting, para dosen dari Departemen Ilmu HI yang dengan tanggap langsung turun ke lapangan mendekatkan diri dengan mahasiswa baru, making them feel at home. Ini menjadi modal yang baik buat KOMAHI ke depan, and they need to make the best out of it.

Oke, kalian boleh menilai mungkin kritikku terhadap Je lebih berat daripada Lukas, atau bahkan kalian juga menilai aku condong ke salah satu calon. Tapi ya sudah wajar kan kalau kritikku lebih berat sebelah? Aku nggak akan bisa memberikan review 1000 kata dari bacaan yang cuma 1 paragraf kecuali aku mahasiswa sastra atau seni.

Aku harap tulisan ini bisa membantu kalian sedikit banyak untuk memahami kedua calon, mengevaluasi mereka, dan akhirnya menentukan siapa yang pantas menjadi ketua KOMAHI. Untuk kedua calon, aku harap ini bisa menjadi evaluasi bagi kalian untuk menanggapi massa yang tidak datang ke kampanye langsung dan dialog-dialog kalian. Aku sendiri masih harus menunggu debat. Kalau kalian sudah menentukan pilihan, ujilah pilihan kalian di debat. Kalau kalian belum memilih, pastikan kalian datang ke debat untuk menghakimi mereka dan menentukan pilihan. Kalau belum, cobalah sholat istiqarah atau doa Rosario atau meditasi.

Masih ada waktu sampai tanggal 24 November. Kalau belum juga…. kancing baju masih bisa membantu.

Enggak deng. Tegaslah pada diri sendiri, tentukan pilihanmu!

Bukan KOMAHInya Je, bukan KOMAHInya Lukas.

Ini KOMAHI kita.

Lukas atau Je? (Fase Kampanye fisik dan medsos. 1, bersambung ke 2)

Kali ini bahasa Indonesia aja , gegara Farras Khalida Masardhi bilang dia males baca kalau bahasa Inggris. Aku harap tulisan ini nantinya bisa membantu kalian dalam memilih ketua KOMAHI yang memang pantas. Kalau menurut kalian nggak ada yang pantas, bawa aja foto kalian sendiri, tempel di kertas suara, terus coblos. Enak.

Judul ini akan aku bagi menjadi dua bagian sesuai nomor urut calon. Di tulisan ini, aku mau membagikan opiniku tentang Lukas sebagai calon nomor urut 1. Opini tentang Je akan aku tulis setelah ini. Kenapa? Simply biar gak kepanjangan dan biar menumbuhkan kesan misterius kayak thread kaskus.

Nggak terasa fase kampanye ketua KOMAHI sudah berakhir dan kita sedang menunggu acara yang paling ditunggu-tunggu: debat calon ketua KOMAHI yang digelar oleh MPMHI besok tanggal 18 November 2016. Di sana, kalian akan bisa menanyakan langsung, dan bahkan nge-judge kedua calon, which one of them fits the position. Nah, dalam tulisan ini, aku membentuk opiniku dari apa yang aku lihat di media sosial dan poster/flyer di sekitar kampus karena kesibukan di bulan November menghalangiku datang ke acara-acara dialog kedua calon. Jadi, pasti ada satu dua hal yang sebenarnya bagus tetapi tidak sempat kusebut. I’m sorry for the two candidates if that happens. Tapi sedikit banyak kita dapat menilai bagaimana kampanye membentuk citra kedua calon. Aku percaya banyak hal yang bisa ditonjolkan kedua calon (termasuk memanfaatkan ketidaktahuan pemilih), dan kita bisa menunggunya di debat.

#1

Kita mulai dengan Lukas. Kampanye di media sosial sejauh ini, menurutku secara pribadi, nggak begitu marak. Tim kampanye Lukas berusaha memperlihatkan sisi baik dari Lukas, mem-branding Lukas sebagai sosok yang punya kualitas sebagai orang baik dan pekerja keras, serta tentunya berdedikasi, seperti tag line utamanya. Sebagai orang yang sudah bekerja dengan Lukas di IRCCT dan berbagai proyek HI CINE, aku tidak perlu mempertanyakan kualitas-kualitas yang Lukas miliki dalam bekerja di KOMAHI.

Sayangnya, kampanye Lukas belum cukup strategis untuk meyakinkan orang lain untuk menjadi ketua KOMAHI. Banyak orang yang supel, ramah, mudah bergaul, enak diajak kerjasama, ringan tangan, dan pekerja keras. Salah satunya Lukas. Tetapi belum tentu mereka dapat menjadi ketua KOMAHI. Lukas tentunya tidak perlu memiliki kualitas sebagai seorang orator layaknya para punggawa DEMA. Tetapi seharusnya dia punya sesuatu yang dapat ditawarkan kepada publik, punya konsep yang lebih luas untuk dapat diterapkan dalam sistematika KOMAHI.

Dedikasi memang penting dan itu salah satu kualitas yang paling krusial. Tetapi aku bisa bilang itu sama dengan komitmenku untuk KOMAHI tahun ini, yaitu leading by example, yang sayangnya hanya dapat diterapkan pada diri sendiri tapi susah ditularkan ke orang lain. Dedikasi itu etos kerja, bukan suatu cara untuk mengatur orang lain. Bagaimana kamu bisa percaya bahwa orang lain akan memiliki dedikasi yang sama besarnya dengan kamu? Tanpa konsep yang lebih besar untuk level organisasi (terlepas dari visi misi seperti membuat komahi menjadi wadah a dan b dan seterusnya), akan sangat susah bagi Lukas untuk meyakinkan publik KOMAHI. Hal ini juga yang terjadi padaku tahun ini: taking for granted that everyone in KOMAHI will put this beloved organization above all others, turns out a wishful thinking and I ended up disappointed before I could accept the fact. Intinya, konsep dedikasi Lukas lebih menunjukkan kualitas dan etos kerja pribadinya nanti saat menjadi ketua, tetapi belum menunjukkan secara komprehensif bagaimana KOMAHI versi Lukas berfungsi. Perlu dicatat Lukas juga menegaskan konsep kekeluargaan dan profesionalisme sebagai nilai dan etos. Tapi sudahlah, semua orang juga tahu apa maksudnya. Je pun juga mengangkatnya. Jadi, kekeluargaan dan profesionalisme biarlah di sana, tidak usah diperdebatkan lagi.

Oke, aku sendiri mengakui kalau opiniku tentang Lukas di atas agak terkesan lunak meskipun aku harus ‘mengecam’ konsep utamanya. Bahkan beberapa orang dari ‘tim sebelah’ mengira aku berada di sisi Lukas.

Well, you can see for yourself, how am I supposed to be critical when there is virtually nothing to criticize?

Untuk mempersiapkan debat, Lukas harus (se-harus-harus-nya) menyiapkan konsep besar yang dapat meyakinkan publik KOMAHI bahwa dia punya konsep untuk menjalankan KOMAHI ini. Tanpa konsep itu, aku sendiri juga berpendapat kampanye Lukas ini jadi agak ga jelas.

KOMAHI apa yang dia mau?

KOMAHI harus ngapain buat berkembang?

KOMAHI harus bagaimana menyikapi apatisme?

KOMAHI harus bagaimana di lingkungan luar?

Proker apa yang harus dikembangkan atau dihentikan atau diapakan?

Apakah anggota KOMAHI harus dibatasi?

Apakah IREC, GAMA DC, dan HIPFEST perlu dilanjutkan lagi?

Inovasi apa yang dia mau?

No, he did not mention any of these, not even the organizational concept. Dan inilah yang membuatku susah mengkritik, karena memang belum ada sesuatu yang harus dikritisi.

Well, there is: Performa tim kampanye.

Berdasarkan cerita dari beberapa teman yang mendengarkan secara langsung kampanye salah satu anggota tim kampanye Lukas, performa tim kampanye Lukas boleh dibilang kurang tepat sasaran,strategis. Selama ini, kampanye tentang Lukas lebih mengusung kualitasnya sebagai individu yang sudah berpengalaman di KOMAHI. Tetapi, instead of telling what programs Lukas can offer to us, tim kampanye Lukas membanding-bandingkan Lukas dengan Je sebagai calon tandingan. Tentu tidak ada yang salah dari praktik ini karena cara memimpin juga penting (misal: demokratis, tangan besi, tegas, tidak tegas, dan lain-lain). Tetapi dalam kampanye, buat apa kita sibuk menonjolkan kualitas-kualitas individual satu dengan lainnya? Kenapa nggak langsung ke proker yang sifatnya lebih konkret saja? KOMAHI itu juga butuh proker, bukan hanya kualitas individual ketua. Ini menurutku sebuah blunder. Apalagi, beberapa teman yang mendengarkan kampanyenya bahkan mengatakan bahwa usaha membanding-bandingkan Lukas dengan Je ini dikaitkan dengan ‘nepotisme’ yang dilakukan dalam kepanitiaan makrab (whether it did happen or not, it is none of my interests).

No, this is not good at all. Menurut analisisku sendiri, materi ini hanya cocok diberikan kepada angkatan selain angkatan 2016 yang tidak tergabung dalam kegiatan makrab. Sedangkan, materi ini tidak akan ampuh untuk angkatan 2016 karena kita bisa lihat sendiri how much they are amazed by Je. Kembali lagi, strategi ini kurang matang karena tim kampanye Lukas tidak memperkirakan apa yang akan dipikirkan target kampanye mereka, dan sayangnya malah citra yang cenderung negatif yang muncul.

To sum up, aku rasa cukup jujur dan adil bagiku untuk mengatakan Lukas punya kualitas individual yang baik dan berdedikasi. Tapi konsep ini tidak akan cukup untuk memimpin KOMAHI karena adalah suatu kesalahan besar untuk memercayai bahwa orang lain memiliki dedikasi yang sama besarnya dengan diri kita sendiri. Lukas punya PR yang berat, yaitu untuk mengelaborasikan konsep besarnya mengenai KOMAHI yang ia inginkan dan KOMAHI yang baik untuk pengurus dan anggotanya. Ketiadaan konsep organisasi yang jelas ini sayangnya tidak disempurnakan oleh performa satu atau dua orang dari tim kampanyenya yang malah sibuk membanding-bandingkan Lukas dengan Je, serta beberapa materi kampanye yang semestinya tidak digunakan.

Opiniku tentang Je bisa kalian lihat di tulisan selanjutnya (saat tulisan ini di-post, aku baru mau mulai menulis hehe).

Lukas #1 or Je #2 for KOMAHI? I’d go for the white space between two pictures (oration stage part 2)

Secondly, I’d like to comment on how they perform. Let’s start with Lukas and then we'll take a look at Je. Before that, it’s worth keeping in mind that when you’re a candidate, you need to make us give you our sympathy. You need to show the best side of you, your best qualities. I know it’s too early to judge, but if both do not take this into account, they could get none of us from class of 2014 vote for them. When there is this gap of angkatan, you must take it into account regardless of you, who is one year our junior, having the same age as ours. Yes we are equal. Some of s may know you well, but this gap inhibits us to know each other well.

Unfortunately, Lukas did not start off well. He addressed us as “temen-temen anak angkatan 14.” It doesn’t sound really sound good to us. Then Lukas goes on by saying “I’ll make this fast as our time is limited. Aku juga laper dan mau istirahat”. This does not sound good. Not at all. He’s the one who need our sympathy, so he’s the one who has to evoke it. Do not think that we can give it to you freely. This is by no means a good first-show. The other thing that came to my mind is that Lukas was nervous and he talked very fast, exactly like how I did last year. This is of course normal for us first-timers. He simply needs to calm down and practice delivering his thoughts. This is what I learned from Anwip who kindly evaluate my performance. Buka-Isi-Tutup. Here, he had a hard time eliciting our sympathy because of the words he chose to use. As for the tagline (Dedikasi untuk KOMAHI and# LukasForKOMAHI1), I think he and his team did just well and they have to build on it. Lukas did not explain what he means and how he would do things with Dedikasi. So he still needs to convince us by elaborating his concept.

As for Je, he started much better with the more preferable way in addressing us (“kakak-kakak angkatan 2014”). He then continued by saying that he looks to develop on the KOMAHI that we left him and he’s sure that professionalism is key. It was all fine, before we lost interest in him because of the way he said a slight thing. The class got a bit noisy and he said firmly (instead of humbly and politely) in the middle of his speech: “Can I have your attention please?” It’s actually okay to say that. He chose the right question. But not the right manner. No doubt that he’s been influential among his friends and to class of 2016. Unfortunately, we have not been implied by his influence as much as the groups that I mentioned. In a way, it appears to us as arrogance. So he cannot just tell us to give him our attention. Just like Lukas, Je did not succeed in eliciting our sympathy, not because of the words, but the manner. It may seem the slightest thing of all and not meaningful, but that’s exactly the impression it had created. However, Je delivered in some ways. He’s used to public speaking so I saw his charisma and confidence, and of course the fact that he’s professional.

Unfortunately for Je, I have to say I disagree with the concept he’s offering. Once again we’re trapped in the debate of professionalism versus family, just like how Asa and I were last year.

Sorry, but I need to relate this with a concept. Let’s say KOMAHI is a society. We, IR students and KOMAHI members, are individualist going for our own interests. KOMAHI as an organization can be viewed with Emile Durkheim’s conception of Division of Labour. KOMAHI is built upon the base of organic society, a society in which every individual is aware of what they have to do, of what duties are assigned to him. I can say that we are all professional. This is proven by the fact that KOMAHI does not have to change or erase any program. So the new administration can start working with the already established set of programs. They only need to build on these programs and ameliorate them so that people can benefit from it. We are also ruled by a law called AD/ART although it does not regulate firmly some things. In short, the staff members that run KOMAHI from year to year know very well what to do and how to do things in each division, departments and BSO to be exact. I cannot agree more with Je that program kerja is the core of KOMAHI, which gets this organization working. But, it has to be taken into account that this organization is also built upon voluntarism. None of us are getting paid for doing stuff. We even pay in order to have successful programs. Je explicitly stated that regardless of which state of personal relations we are in, we have to uphold professionalism and do things or get things done. Despite of the campaign posts that mentioned ‘make everyone feel at home,’ the things mentioned earlier were what was said in the campaign. If it were to be real, we’d have a KOMAHI of robots, not getting paid but told to put aside their emotions in order to have successful programs.

In such an organic society with such situation, we need to get the features of mechanical society, which is a sense of belonging, sense of being part of the family. The challenging part is that it is not given. it has to be garnerd throughout the one's service. In exchange of not paying the staff, the most important thing to do as the head of KOMAHI is to make people happy. This is not done solely by telling them what to do. This is very much about considering how they feel about doing things they need to do. The head of KOMAHI needs to ensure that everyone feels they are cared for, they are not left behind. They need to be sure that what they are doing is for the sake of the people the organization serves. It’s actually no simple task to be the Head of KOMAHI. Afterall, it’s not about being at the top of the pyramid. It’s about being at the very bottom of it: at the service of everyone. To be the head of KOMAHI is to serve, to get involved. Comparing KOMAHI with such a professional body is simply wrong, just like how I did last year.

It’s so last year, literally.

It’s not only Je and his team as the creator of their concept who needs to take this into account. At the same time, Lukas did not state clearly on how he would do stuff in his service (more precise word rather than ‘administration’). He only stated he is committed to this and that but did not elaborate further. The two camps don’t need to take this into account if they don’t want to. But if any one of them can get a new debate going other than professionalism versus family, it would show that this particular candidate knows KOMAHI better than anyone else in FISIPOL.

I know I have not done well during my service. I have not succeeded. I may talk of concepts but you may have yet to feel the impact. But the point of succession is to have development, to have bigger things delivered to the public of KOMAHI UGM. There is still a long way to go. So Lukas and Je had better work hard to convince us.

#KOMAHIkita

#Kita

Lukas or Je? I’d go for the white space between two pictures (oration stage, part 1)

Alors, c’est parti! Just around 09.40 yesterday we saw the ‘presidential’ campaign for KOMAHI kickstarted with speeches by the two candidates, Lukas (#1) and Je (#2), both from class 2015. It was in the class of Teori Hubungan Internasional, in which most are 2014 students. They will continue to other classes some time later on, and I assume the speeches will be similar.

To begin with, I’d like to say there is really not much to politicize in this process. Rather, we need to see the candidates’ merit (and other social capital) to help us to decide who deserves our vote to lead our beloved KOMAHI.

I know no one really needs my opinion, but I’d like to use freedom of speech privileged to me as a citizen of a quasi-liberal country. If you’re already reading this now, I hope it can help broaden your view and challenge you to assess critically what the two candidates have to offer.

The thing I’d like to point out is: none candidate impressed us (I talked to some classmates and they had the same thought as mine). Yeah, if I had to cast the ballot now (at least for now at this early stage), I’d go for the white space between the two photos.

When I point my finger to others, my other three (or four) fingers point back at me myself. I’m well aware of this and I’d like criticize myself first (you can skip this paragraph if you do not care though hehehe). I did not do well during the campaign; was not good enough in public speaking. I could not get what I said in line with what I think, simply because I find difficulties in getting shit together. I was very much part of this obsolete “professionalism v family” bunk. I concede that I did not have sufficient knowledge on my own concept that I was trying to build. I was so much into this conception of ‘family’ only to find things were much different from what I had envisaged. In short, I realized I did not have sufficient intellectual capacity and charisma to be the head of this immense organization, to create what I had envisaged. It needs much more than imagination and confidence of being able to do what I want. It needs real hardwork. But I’d also like to see what I did quite right. It was the commitment to get into the real work, to cope with the challenge. I challenged myself to be someone that was no different from the people I lead. It was a commitment to lead by example. I know I have not had much success, but I never regretted on trying to do so. I’m not a kind of person that tells people what to do (although this position obliges me to do so), but I’m trying my best to get involved directly into some of each of the 9 departments and BSO programs. I enjoy this particular part of the hardship actually.

Okay, enough talking about me. Now let’s get to the next two candidates.

First, an overview of the quality of the candidate. This is of course 100% my opinion.

Lukas offers “Dedikasi untuk KOMAHI” which I can confirm is not at all nonsense, looking form the track record. I’ve worked closely with him and I can see he’s been doing his best at INKA with its IRCCT montly discussion. He’s the program organizer in partnership with Tiffany and they did well. Lukas has been present in discussions that I attended and he made sure everything went well. The same case at HI CINE, he played his role in Antologi Anatomi, he did his job well in editing the films produced by the amazing HI CINE guys. In these two cases, he successfully showed his responsibility and proved himself reliable. Surprisingly, lately he got involved in DIRA and performed in two occasions. I argue that he’s been showing his dedication, which he can brag if he wants. So apparently, he’s multitalented. Had the chances never come, we’d never know that he is. However, he’s not a person who stands out in the crowds so few know his contribution to KOMAHI. For me, he’s also a little bit timid, so he’s okay with being not known.

At the other end, we have Je who offers professionalism as the key to KOMAHI’s thriving. In my opinion, he’s been a pro all his life. He’s a guitarist and he also sings and there’s a lot at stake with this role. It’s important not to make mistakes up the stage. Amazingly, he’s very much used to doing that and we can see this in other arena. As for KOMAHI, he’s been a staff at INKOM’s Diplomatic Affairs which mainly deals with building relations with KOMAHIs from other universities in Indonesia. However, due to some conditions, he wasn’t available at times when the diplomatic events were held. He’s been doing good recently by finally taking part in KORWIL IV meeting and also in the UGM’s delegation for the 28th PNMHII at Universitas Budi Luhur, Jakarta next week. At the last KORWIL IV meeting, he showed his ability to think critically and show his eagerness to learn about the affairs. Outside INKOM, he is also a member of Tim Minat-Bakat, HI Kustik under DASS. Well, no doubt he has impressed many people (especially girls) with his unbelievable talent and personality. He has performed in some occasion. As an addition, he was also successful as the chief of committee for MAKRAB 2016. Contrary to Lukas, Je is a person who stands out in the crowd. He’s got fans, which is undoubtedly good for him.

So we know already their contribution to KOMAHI. but it does not stop here.... (continue to part 2)

Standar Kecantikan, Konstruksi Sosial, dan Keadilan

Aku sendiri nggak percaya bisa menulis tentang hal-hal semacam ini.

Tapi semoga, kalau kalian membaca, tulisan ini bisa memberikan perspektif baru. Selain itu, mumpung masih 40-an hari sebelum demisioner, semoga tulisan ini punya semangat yang sama dengan HIPFEST 2016 demi penghapusan kekerasan terhadap perempuan.

Btw, HIPFEST 2016 Ignite The Revival, 25 November 2016, Jogja National Museum.

Masyarakat kita tidak lagi asing dengan berbagai standar estetika dan kecantikan manusia, terutama terhadap wanita. Maraknya pengeksposan kecantikan melalui iklan, majalah, video klip musik, dan kontes kecantikan (seperti Putri Indonesia dan Miss Universe) menunjukkan bagaimana kita terus didikte oleh mereka yang memegang kontrol akan agenda. Mainstream media menjadi agen yang sangat krusial dalam menyebarluaskan narasi mengenai standar kecantikan. Lebih jauh lagi, secara tidak sadar kita sangat terpengaruh dan memegang teguh standar yang telah dikonstruksikan media. Fakta ini termanifestasi melalui media sosial seperti Instagram di mana siapapun dapat mengeksploitasi standar kecantikan untuk kepentingannya, atau bahkan sekedar mengeksposnya, sedangkan kita terus mendukung struktur ini dengan likes yang kita berikan.

Saya berpendapat bahwa standar kecantikan merupakan konstruksi sosial, sebuah struktur yang dibentuk manusia (melalui mainstream media maupun media sosial) yang pada gilirannya akan memengaruhi cara berpikir dan kognisi manusia. Standar kecantikan menciptakan ketidakadilan di masyarakat, dengan seorang yang dianggap cantik akan dianggap lebih favourable, desirable, dan bahkan mendapatkan kesempatan-kesempatan tertentu secara eksklusif.

Standar kecantikan dapat dipandang sebagai suatu konstruksi sosial, sesuai dengan teori konstruktivisme sosial yang cukup applicable dalam memahami berbagai fenomena sosial. Teori ini berusaha untuk mengonseptualisasi hubungan antara agen dan struktur (Barnett 2014, 157). Interaksi manusia sebagai agen akan menciptakan budaya, norma, dan berbagai cara untuk memaknai realitas yang telah mapan di masyarakat seperti persepsi mengenai baik dan buruk. Konsekuensinya, terbentuklah social facts yang sekalipun abstrak tetap terasa nyata. Demikianlah cara masyarakat (society) menyepakati fakta sosial sebagai suatu kenyataan. Standar kecantikan juga merupakan suatu fakta sosial yang terbentuk sebagai suatu pandangan umum dan disepakati oleh masyarakat.

Hal tersebut seakan mengikis relativitas ukuran kecantikan dan attractiveness yang sebenarnya berbeda bagi tiap individu. Ide-ide mengenai relativitas ini tidak lagi menjadi otonomi masing-masing individu, tetapi juga dibentuk secara kolektif dalam masyarakat. Di sinilah interaksi antara agen dan struktur terjadi hingga terbentuk standar kecantikan. Agen-agen yang berpengaruh besar adalah media yang memiliki aspek visual seperti televisi, majalah, hingga iklan di billboard sekitar kota. Sebagai konstruksi sosial, ide mengenai kecantikan dan attractiveness juga tidak lepas dari tren globalisasi (Yan dan Bissel 2014). Dengan begitu, terdapat beberapa kesamaan antara standar kecantikan di negara satu dengan lainnya, dengan Barat sebagai acuan utama. Di Indonesia, standar kecantikan pun cukup serupa dengan negara lain seperti Amerika Serikat. Beberapa ukuran seperti tubuh langsing atau kurus, badan tinggi, kulit cerah (biasa disebut dengan istilah ‘putih’ (white)), hidung mancung, dan lain-lain. To a lesser extent, fitur lain seperti rambut pun juga dapat menentukan cantik atatu tidaknya seorang wanita, khususnya di Indonesia. Misalnya rambut lurus sampai berombak sebagai fitur fisik yang lebih favourable daripada keriting.

Media dengan baik mengokohkan konstruksi ini dengan mengekspos public figure yang dianggap cantik dan memenuhi standard tersebut, misalnya melalui iklan yang dibintangi penyanyi dan aktris seperti Raisa Andriana dan Chelsea Islan. Kedua contoh public figure tersebut tentunya memiliki beauty and attractiveness standard yang diterima secara luas oleh masyarakat Indonesia. Di area lain seperti pemberitaan, pembawa berita pun cenderung memiliki standar kecantikan yang telah disebutkan,[1] misalnya Grace Natalie dan Indy Rahmawati yang menjadi news anchor di stasiun televisi swasta TVone. Hal ini juga dapat dijumpai di negara-negara lain melalui media cetak seperti majalah wanita, misalnya Cosmopolitan yang tersebar di lebih dari 100 negara, diterbitkan dalam 63 bahasa, dan memiliki 36 edisi internasional (Yan dan Bissel 2014). Berdasarkan riset yang dilakukan Yan dan Bissel (2014), majalah fashion internasional seperti Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, dan Glamour cenderung menggunakan model dengan physical appearance serupa, seperti Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Kate Hudson, dan Jennifer Lopez. Hal ini menunjukkan kemampuan media dan globalisasi membentuk dan menyebarluaskan beauty culture, serta menciptakan standar di berbagai negara.

Tidak hanya media massa, kehadiran media sosial seperti Instagram memberikan kita ruang untuk terus mempertahankan standar-standar ini. Tab ‘Explore’ Instagram misalnya, memperlihatkan foto-foto wanita muda dengan tubuh langsing, kulit putih, rambut lurus atau berombak, bermata lebar, kadan dengan aksentuasi lensa kontak, hingga bertubuh tinggi yang memiliki ribuan likes. Akun-akun ini juga cenderung memiliki pengikut yang mencapai belasan ribu. Selain itu, mereka memberikan layanan endorsement bagi produk-produk kecantikan seperti lipstik, masker wajah, dan pensil alis yang dijual secara online. Bukan hanya produk kecantikan, tetapi juga aparel, tas, baju-baju wanita, hingga endorsement  bagi kafe.

Terdapat pola yang sama pada mainstream media dan media sosial: wanita yang memiliki standar kecantikan yang diterima secara luas akan dianggap menjadi daya tarik tertentu bagi berbagai kepentingan khususnya ekonomi. Tidak hanya menunjukkan standar kecantikan yang sudah mapan di Indonesia, celakanya struktur ini menciptakan ketidakadilan di masyarakat Indonesia, misalnya dalam kesempatan-kesempatan kerja. Berbagai riset menyatakan bahwa  persepsi mengenai kecantikan dan attractiveness membuat seseorang yang memilikinya mendapatkan penilaian yang lebih favourable, dianggap lebih diinginkan (desirable), dan bahkan lebih sukses dalam berbagai interaksi sosial (Yan dan Bissel 2014).

Hal inilah yang ditunjukkan oleh berbagai media kini dan dapat dijelaskan secara sederhana. Tokoh-tokoh utama wanita dalam sinetron-sinetron Indonesia cenderung memiliki standar-standar kecantikan yang telah disebutkan di atas. Sedangkan, kita sangat jarang menemui aktris dengan tubuh gemuk mendapatkan peran utama tersebut. Hal yang sama terjadi pada periklanan dan pekerjaan lain seperti pembawa berita. Ditambah lagi, belum pernah ada televisi nasional yang memiliki pembawa berita dengan etnisitas Indonesia Timur, misalnya etnis Melanesia yang memiliki kulit gelap dan rambut keriting, apalagi sebagai bintang iklan produk kecantikan seperti shampo. Terciptalah pembatasan kesempatan pada orang-orang dengan penampilan fisik tertentu, di mana mereka lebih diuntungkan, bahkan keadaan ini memungkinkan terjadinya segregasi rasial di Indonesia yang mengakibatkan ketidakadilan. Media sosial juga menunjukkn bahaya ini. Hampir tidak pernah kita menemukan seseorang wanita yang obese atau sekedar berbadan gemuk menjadi iklan-iklan baju yang sedang à la mode.

Secara tidak sadar, kita telah menjadi masyarakat yang akrab dengan objektivikasi seksual, menjadikan penampilan fisik wanita sebagai objek yang dihargai hanya dari kegunaannya bagi orang lain (Syzmanski, Moffitt dan Carr 2011). Hal ini sangat jelas dalam promosi dan periklanan, serta kegiatan media lainnya. Seakan-akan kita memisahkan tubuh wanita dari dirinya sendiri sekedar sebagai alat untuk menarik perhatian khayalak atau bahkan laki-laki. Proses inilah yang mungkin dapat menghilangkan kemampuan suatu masyarakat untuk menghargai wanita sebagai social being. Dengan pengetahuan ini, mungkin kita tidak dapat menghancurkan struktur yang sudah ada dan kokoh berdiri di society kita. Akan tetapi, akan lebih bijaksana apabila kita dapat menghargai manusia, terutama wanita, bukan dari penampakan fisiknya saja, melainkan menghargainya sebagai manusia yang setara satu dengan lainnya. Hal yang perlu diingat adalah bahwa standar kecantikan telah memengaruhi society kita dan membuat kita melihat penampilan fisik sebagai komoditas yang dapat dieksploitasi. Sebaiknya kita tidak terjebak di dalam struktur ini.

Referensi

Barnett, Michael. "Social Constructivism." In Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, by John Baylis, Steve Smith and Patricia Owens, 155-168. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.

Syzmanski, Dawn m, Lauren B Moffitt, dan Erika R Carr. “Sexual Objectification of Women: Advances to Theory and Research.” The Counseling Psychologist 39, no. 1 (2011): 6-38.

Yan, Yan, dan Kim Bissel. “The Globalization of Beauty: How is Ideal Beauty Influenced by Globally Published Fashion and Beauty Magazines?” Journal of Intercultural Communication Research 43, no. 3 (2014): 194-214.

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[1] Hal ini dikuatkan dengan artikel online yang saya temukan, dengan judul “8 Presenter TVone paling cantik” (URL: http://www.portalfia.com/2015/07/8-presenter-tvone-paling-cantik_24.html)

Brexit: The Illusion of Sovereignty and the Imminent Uncertainty

Hi there.

Britons will have to make up their mind up in less the 24 hours (by the time this article is finished) before they cast their ballot at polling stations on Thursday, June 23, 2016. Democratically, they can turn their country into the most loathed one on the planet and cause world’s most successful integration project to fall apart. The other way round, they can retain the opportunity to continue being a key player in regional and international politics. I am not British. But if I were, I would definitely vote remain.

Who’s to Blame

David Cameron deserves arguably a large share of the blame of the current political turmoil since its onset. 2015 marked the second term in office for Conservatives, partly thanks to Cameron’s political promise of a referendum over UK’s membership in the Union. This was due to the push from his Tory MPs who claimed that the UK has not had much say in the EU and that the Union were gaining more control over Britons’ daily lives.¹ It should not be overlooked that the referendum is Cameron’s weapon to undermine the rise of far-right populist U.K. Independence Party (UKIP), the strongest advocate of a British exit from the European Union.

To me, Cameron’s maneuver is degrading the meaning of European integration merely for electoral purpose, whereas the EU has served the wider European interest to prevent wars and gain prosperity. It gives the platform for cooperation and common market, which helps the UK’s declining export to survive. By putting the referendum on agenda Cameron provoked the conflict of pro- and anti-EU to become much more manifest. The murder of English MP Jo Cox by a far-right hard-liner says it all. He could also cause a Scottish push for independence in order to remain in the 28-nations-bloc. The UK’s referendum also translates to less political confidence in the EU and risks a Eurosceptic Spring to take place.

Integration or Isolation

As posited by the iconic ex-London Mayor Boris Johnson, Britons can “take back control of this great country’s destiny”.² But one should not fall in the illusion of modern-era control and sovereignty, which offers nothing but disillusionment. So far the Leave campaigners have argued that leaving the EU will only make them stronger and independent. Sovereignty is central to their argument in the case of security and economic affairs. There are many others but I would like to focus mainly on these two.

Since no threat other than terrorist attacks has struck Europe, the issue on security correlates with the migration issue. Leavers tend to combine this with xenophobia that puts migrants as threat to Britain, just like how they describe the country being overrun by Turks while releasing a poster that reads “Breaking Point” showing a long line of migrants in Slovenia. For them, it is impossible to control migration as long as the UK is part of the Union due to Schengen visa and Common Asylum Policy. This is clearly a fear-mongering tactic of Leavers.

In 2015, the UK is one of the least-affected country by migration crisis. The asylum application amounted to only 60 for every 100,000 resident, while only 13,905 asylum was granted by British authority compared to that of Germany that reached 140,910.³ The Calais crisis should indeed not be forgotten. But the British authority has been able to coordinate with its French counterpart to keep migrants from crossing the English Channel. Leaving the EU will have severe consequence on this issue. Should Brexit occur, the UK will no longer share its territory with the mainland European countries. If the refugee crisis is to continue and affect the UK, the point of arrival will move to Dover, England, and have adverse impact on migration and asylum management. In the EU, the asylum policy is collectively made in Brussels. Therefore, outside the EU, policy uncertainty regarding asylum management is imminent.

If migration has anything to do with this, then the migrant workers is more suitable an issue. The UK has received workers from other EU countries, mainly Eastern Europe such as Poland. This is claimed to become a burden for the social security programs of EU such as in-work and child benefits. Of course it is a completely different issue from the refugee crisis. Up to this point, one might think this is caused by the policy of free movement within the Union and leaving would give the way out of the problem.

Not so fast.

British nationals are also beneficiaries of free movement of people. There are approximately 800,000 Britons who are workers and their dependents in other EU countries.⁴ On the other hand, migrant workers in the UK are vital to the economy. In the City of London alone, 22% of the 360,000 employees, mainly working in high-requirement fields such as tech and financial services, are non-British.⁵ Moreover, 1,216 people are employed in the European Commission along with 73 MEPs. 

Once again, policy uncertainty regarding working permit is imminent should Brexit occur. The UK could adopt Norwegian model of membership in the European Economic Area (EEA) without joining the EU. But this would mean regression for the UK as it would not have any influence in the policy making without being a member of the Union. In addition, no one could guarantee that the UK would immediately strike any FTA or other agreements with the EU, at least in the shorter term, nor can anyone estimate how long Britain should live before any deal struck.

But why does the EU seem to be so important that Britain has to remain? Leavers argue that leaving the EU would free the UK from Common Commercial Policy which limited their freedom to have any trade relation with the rest of the world. By leaving, Britain will be more independent to strike trade deals with any countries they wish to. Statistics shows that there is a price to pay if Brexit occurs.

Half of the British total goods export is directed to the European Union. If this is combined with service export, the number will fall to yet sizeable 45%.⁶ This number contributes to 15% of the UK’s GDP, making the European Union its most important trading partner. The UK has also benefitted from EU membership by trading freely with 60 countries with which the EU has free trade agreements including Turkey, Switzerland, and South Africa.

Leaving the European Union means leaving all the trade agreements that have backed British economy up.  Even in the 2 years of quitting process, the EU itself is busy with other trade negotiations. Therefore, immediate UK-EU trade deal may or may not be possible. In the pessimistic case, the UK has to deal with higher tariffs to continue trade with the EU, while trade deals with the rest of the world may not be rapidly struck. Membership in the EU would give the UK higher bargaining position. Just compare 500 million Europeans in the EU with 64 million British population. So it might take a long period before any trade deals struck. The UK would also miss implementation of EU-Vietnam FTA, CEPA with Indonesia, TTIP with the US, and EPA with Japan.

Once again, policy uncertainty is imminent. The UK would have to deregulate and might replace some regulations and directives taken in the EU level with the new ones. Trade barriers with the EU may follow, being an obstacle to free movement of goods and services as mentioned above. The UK can adopt Switzerland’s or Norway’s membership in the EFTA or EEA, but leaving would mean giving up the power to be involved in the policy-making.

In addition, the UK face Scotland push for independence should Brexit occurs. As Nicola Sturgeon, the head of Scottish government stated, the EU is the destination of 42% of Scotland export and the membership contributes for provision of 300,000 jobs. Scotland had a referendum in 2014. They may have another in times ahead if the UK leaves the EU.

The UK could face significant economic decline. Britain has closed its coal industries since 1980s, and the de-industrialization continues with the manufacturing which has been on its lowest point. One would not have to look any further than the Port Talbot steel industry crisis, which fortunately has been saved by a buyer.

Financial sector would also be hurt if Brexit occurs. London has been known as the centre of financial service that serves both European and non-European financial actors. Investments and banks are coming to London thanks to its strategic time zone, financial technology, and the language used, English, that makes transactions easy. As the member of the EU, the UK has passporting rights which enable British-based institutions to trade with the rest of the European Union without having a branch there. The financial service surplus of the UK amounted to £16.1 billion and contributed to 0.9% of its GDP. As mentioned above, the City of London also hosts thousands of foreigners that keep the financial industry running. Leaving the EU would mean giving up the passporting rights and might urge financial institutions to relocate to other European cities such as Frankfurt and Paris. The UK could adopt EEA membership to retain its status as financial centre of Europe. But at the same time, it would be giving up power to make decision. The UK has been fighting to protect the city from EU regulations such as bankers’ bonus cap. Giving up membership would make the UK powerless.

Freedom could cost the UK almost everything. This is why the sovereignty, control, and independence that the Leavers are glorifying are nothing more than nonsense. Admittedly, things could be controlled in the long run. But would Britain be able to shield itself from the short-term catastrophe caused by uncertainty? Just like which country would be the first to strike any deal with the UK, no one knows.

The end is near?

The fight and frenzy over Brexit has not received as much attention, at least in my milieu, as the US primary, but the two have one thing in common: The push for sovereignty, nationalism, and isolation which is a bunk from the get-go. Ironically, this idea reaches its momentum with the rise of far-right populist parties, namely UKIP which is a small yet vocal advocate of this nonsense. However, I would say this is normal in times of crises. According to Taggart (2004), populism can be resulted by extreme crises that struck a country.⁷ But, it is worth-noting that crisis is always temporary. The Greek financial crisis, even though still going on, seems to be more manageable than how it was at the onset. As Hyman Minsky stated, the economy would come back to equilibrium after crisis.

The migration crisis has been going on for around two years and the end is yet to be caught in sight. If we look back at the European history where great powers existed and persist until today, of course walking out and leave the opportunity to save the world is not European at all. The UK has a huge opportunity to play a global role in saving human beings. But these crises have been exploited by far-right parties and they have been, to a great extent, gaining success.

On the other hand, a Brexit could trigger a Eurosceptic Spring, a contagion effect throughout the bloc. The far-right parties are on the rise: Freiheitliche Partei Österreich (FPÖ) in Austria, Front National in France, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Germany, Northern League in Italy, Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) in the Netherlands, Swedish Democrats in Sweden, and so on and so forth. These parties benefitted from the persistence of the crisis and may well be gaining more votes just like how FPÖ did in the last Austrian election. More people can be trapped in the illusion of sovereignty that turns the European integration into a mere electoral campaign instrument, just as reckless as Cameron was.

If Brexit does occur, the UK could be the most isolated and hated country in the world. The UK has been privileged with its special rights and status in the Union along with its natural status as the second largest economy in the Union which has been able to, in a realist point of view, offset the domination of Germany and France. Leaving would shut the UK from regional and global role while imperiling the European Union. European integration is not perfect of course, but the EU has become a key player in the international politics that normatively considers its actions. It has been a success. If it weren’t one, the refugees would not have come in search of better life, peace, and prosperity. With this immense power, comes an immense responsibility. Coordinating 28 sovereign countries with different interest is of course not easy. But leaving will only adds to national problems and even more crisis. Uncertainty is more imminent.

They may not be part of the mainland Europe, but Britons should be proud to be part of the European project. There is none like the EU anywhere in the world. Leaving the EU would lead to isolation and uncertainty for indefinite period of time. Britons should not be lured by the illusion of freedom and independence, which would leave them with nothing. Literally nothing. Staying will retain them the power and opportunity for a global role. Staying will save them from isolation. I am not British, but if I were, for the sake of Europe and the UK itself, I would definitely, absolutely, vote remain.

Notes

¹ Wheeler, Brian, and Alex Hunt. The UK's EU referendum: All you need to know. June 22, 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887 (accessed June 22, 2016).

² Dominiczak, Peter. Boris Johnson: Change the whole course of European history by backing Brexit. June 19, 2016. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/19/boris-johnson-change-the-whole-course-of-european-history-by-bac/ (accessed June 22, 2016).

³BBC. Migrant crisis: Migration to Europe explained in seven charts. March 4, 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911 (accessed June 22, 2016).

⁴Migration Watch UK. The British in Europe – and Vice Versa. March 23, 2016. http://www.migrationwatchuk.org/briefing-paper/354 (accessed June 22, 2016).

⁵Jenkins, Patrick, and Harriet Agnew. What would Brexit mean for the City of London? February 23, 2016. https://next.ft.com/content/e90885d8-d3db-11e5-829b-8564e7528e54 (accessed June 22, 2016).

⁶Woodford Investment Management LLP. The economic impact of ‘Brexit’. February 2016. https://woodfordfunds.com/economic-impact-brexit-report/ (accessed June 22, 2016).

⁷Taggart, Paul. "Populism and representative politics in contemporary Europe." Journal of Political Ideologies (Routledge) 9, no. 3 (2004): 269-288.