well that was the initial plan, but apparently this become a scattered space of my inconsistent ramble and incoherent mumble. I write my heart out, I throw my anger and frustation, I jotted my hopes and dreams, I record my random thoughts here

August 27, 2007

an echo from my backyards

PENJAJAHAN IDEOLOGY

*Ideology can be defined as: A set of ideas, comprehensive vision, a way of looking at things, a common sense, or a set of ideas proposoed by the dominant class of a society to all members of this society. Every society has an ideology that forms the basis of "public opinion" or common sense. This dominan ideology appear as "neutral", holding to assumption that are largely unchallenged. Meanwhile, all other ideologies that different from the dominant ideology are seen as radical, no matter what the content of their actual vision may be. Ideology of a society will be determined according to what is in the rulling class best interest. (Modified from wikipedia)

Just think about that little paraghraph i took from an article in wikipedia. Absorb the meaning and put it into your daily practice, put yourself in larger picture as a member of a society and feel the strong force of the "dominant ideology" towards your daily live.

Do you feel stupified? silenced? utilized? or maybe even "colonized"?

These are the matter lots of people took for granted, the right to have an ideas and put it into practice. I would call the ruling goverment (at least for Malaysia and Indonesia) as colonizer, since for me, they were just using the skin, the casing of so-called local people with the only interest to hold the power, to hold the ability to utilize the "common people" for their own interest. If the era of colonization is over, then this is the new form of colonization, to force the idea, the ideology of a society into people's mind and force them to be "obidient" while tagged those who stand on different side as radical. I said different, not necessarily mean opposite side.
Penjajahan ideology could be done by any society through education, economic development, religion force, etc. Put it into simpler context, an example: as a biologist, i believe that the destruction of natural resources for the sake of immediate economic development is still destructive and not a right thing to do, therefore i am against the clearance of forest and turn it into palm plantation, or timber resources or aquaculture pond. As a politician, my father believe the way to "modernized" a society and "educate" the people is through "facilitate the economic development" which, in less complicated manner by creating an industrial area, like the palm plantation and explitation of timber resource which is still abundant in Indonesia. My disagreement with his ideas were seen as radical, as for him my belief sounds like 'a growth retardation on a retarded community' --ok, lets not call it retarded, call it much less developed-- and this is (for him) the other word for penjajahan ideology that happen to me while i was thought in class whom lecturer were west-educated. sigh.

Apakah saya membiarkan diri saya dijajah?

Maybe its just the matter of which society we live, this biologist and that politican live in different society that hold different ideology.