There Are No Happy War Stories

 A UK based journal indexing site, Connecting Repositories (CORE) cites that "More than 90% of consumers have trust on the product or service which is commended by directly knowing people." It is somehow true in my latest case of deciding to watch Civil War.

I watched the movie as a result of a sudden decision which emerged from a casual conversation with Dian. The video journalist said that she was impressed by how relevant the title was. 

Civil War tells about four journalists who are trying to reach Washington DC. The US President apparently hasn't had any press statement for 14 months long in the midst of a running chaos in the country. Hence, a team consisting of a reporter, two photographers and a senior writer try to interview the national leader.

As a presidential palace journo, she might feel some closeness to the issue. Hence Dian recommended Addin who's also stationed at the same post. Eventually, I sat beside him and eavesdropped on her recommendation.

Hours later, I was standing at a train to go back home when my YouTube algorithm recommended me to a movie review. The reviewer praised Civil War as a perfect film with impressive sound mixing as well as good storytelling. As soon as the video reached its middle part I jumped out of the train and reached the nearest cinema.

The decision to watch Civil War at a cinema was a good choice. I really enjoyed every aspect of the movie. 

I got that emotional feeling when witnessing a tragic moment of a burning human. On another part of the 109 minute duration I can't help myself to not to throw a curse as the sound of a shooting gun is suddenly heard. 

Above all, the storyline highlights how war results in a cathastrope. According to the words spoken by Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, in the 29 April edition of Tempo Magazine, "there are no happy war stories". []

Behind The Interview

 This is a story from an interview session with Indonesia’s Culture Director General, Hilmar Farid. Last March my team conducted a chat about the Indonesian Heritage Agency (IHA), which is set to be officially launched on May this year.*

There was an interesting behind the scene story from the occasion. It’s about how Pak Hilmar and I filled the timing gap between the moment when he sat down in front of a SEA Today reporter and the time when our video journalists pressed the record button.

“Eyang datang”, I eavesdropped on a security officer who told his colleague about the attendance of one old man. 

As the man passed through the door where our team set the room as an interview studio, he looked inside. Some minutes later, Pak Hilmar told our team that he had to meet the man. 

“Sebentar ya, ke Pak Wardiman dulu”.

Later after concluding the meeting with the former minister of education, Wardiman Djojonegoro, Pak Hilmar told me that the 89 year-old man is currently focusing on research about panji, a series of stories which were engraved on temples in Indonesia. 

When it comes to panji, my mind recalls a meeting with Lydia Kieven, a researcher who wrote “Menelusuri Figur Bertopi dalam Relief Candi Zaman Majapahit” in 2014. In 2015, I met her in Frankfurt when I was attending the biggest book fair in the world, where Indonesia took a role as guest of honor.

Pak Hilmar nodded to my experience-sharing, and added that recently Kieven was in Indonesia. Fact checked: in 2023 an online news outlet quoted her analysis about a panji on Mirigambar Temple in Tulungagung, East Java. 

It was not surprising that Hilmar Farid has a broad connection to historians, archeologists and a lot of things surrounding those subjects. In fact, the 56-year old had gained a Ph.D. from National University of Singapore’s Cultural Studies in Asia after finishing his bachelor degree in Universitas Indonesia’s Department of History. 

It also made sense that the latest book he read was “Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World”, a book written by David van Reybrouck. “Bagi kita itu bukan hal baru, tapi caranya bercerita menarik”, Pak Hilmar gave me a glimpse of his review.

The book has been translated to English from its original Dutch language. Interestingly, on an episode of SEA Morning Show’s Book Talk segment, Marissa Anita reviewed the book. Hence, although I haven’t read the title we still have similar things to talk about.

Aside from the book, we also talked about a film. I told Pak Hilmar that before I have becoming a producer, as a reporter I wrote the release of a “docugraphic” movie, “Begini Lho Ed!”.

He remembered the title but (understandably) forgot about how I interviewed him as a historian, with his long hair. The hairstyle was so distinctive that prior to taking this picture, I said that Pak Hilmar somehow is a rockstar. [] 

* The IHA interview URL link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StfFs7KFiMU 

Atasi Kelangkaan Air di Indonesia, TNI AD Lanjutkan Program “Manunggal Air”

 Hingga tahun 2017, sebanyak 27 juta penduduk Indonesia kesulitan mendapat akses air bersih. Hingga kini, tantangan tersebut masih membayangi keseharian warga di berbagai daerah, termasuk Halmahera Tengah, Maluku Utara.

Mahadiah Abdul Hamid terpaksa menggunakan air dari sumur rumahnya yang terletak di bibir pantai Desa Kipai, Kecamatan Patani. Ibu rumah tangga ini harus terbiasa dengan rasa asin yang sulit hilang, meski ia sudah menambahkan sepotong kayu secang (Biancaea sappan) ke dalam air yang ia rebus.

“Karena kalau saya masak air sumur, itu panci saya banyak garam (mengendap). Sudah banyak itu. Jadi mau bikin bagaimana, terpaksa saya minum. Mau ambil air juga jauh,” keluhnya.

Upaya pemerintah setempat belum cukup untuk mengatasi masalah kelangkaan air di tujuh desa di Patani. Instalasi pipa PDAM dan bak penampung air yang dikelola warga selalu kering saat musim kemarau tiba. 

Bertolak dari kondisi seperti itulah, TNI Angkatan Darat secara resmi memulai gerakan TNI AD Manunggal Air. Kecamatan Patani menjadi lokasi peresmian kegiatan nasional ini, karena di pulau Halmahera itu, TNI AD berkolaborasi dengan sektor swasta dan pemerintah daerah untuk menunjukkan bahwa negara hadir untuk memenuhi kebutuhan warga.

Hal itu disampaikan oleh Kepala Staf Angkatan Darat (Kasad) Jenderal Maruli Simanjuntak pada Selasa (6/2/2024) dalam wawancara khusus bersama tim liputan SEA Today.

“Jadi, kita mengambil peran ini karena saya pikir kalau pemerintah pusat (yang) membuat, mungkin cost-nya akan mahal. Tapi kalau kami yang mengerjakannya dengan masyarakat, itu jauh nilainya pasti jauh lebih murah. Selain juga kehadiran TNI dengan masyarakat, mereka bisa bekerja bersama di lapangan, menikmati bersama hasil karyanya, saya pikir itu jauh lebih bernilai,” paparnya.

Dalam kesempatan yang sama, Jenderal Maruli juga menegaskan tiga hal yang menjadi fokus utamanya selama menjabat Kasad sejak 29 November 2023. Ketiganya adalah penanaman pohon, pembukaan lahan untuk kebutuhan pangan dan penyediaan air bersih.

Sebelum bersemat bintang empat, penyediaan air bersih telah menjadi perhatian Jenderal Maruli Simanjuntak sejak ia menjadi komandan korem (danrem) Surakarta. “Suatu saat saya lihat di Korem itu masyarakat tidak bisa bertani karena persoalannya air. Ada daerah-daerah yang saluran-saluran airnya rusak. Dan kebetulan saya punya banyak teman-teman akhirnya kita perbaikilah ini saluran-saluran air,” ujarnya dalam wawancara yang digelar pada Senin (5/2/2024) di penerbangan menuju Ternate.

Di hari yang sama, perwira tinggi kelahiran Bandung, Jawa Barat ini, menerima penghargaan dari kesultanan Ternate. Pada Senin (5/2/2024), Jenderal Maruli Simanjuntak dianugerahi gelar Kapita Ahi Besi Malamo (Panglima Besar Angkatan Darat).

Usai memimpin upacara adat penyematan gelar, Yang Mulia Sultan Ternate Hidayatullah Sjah mengungkapkan harapannya. “Semoga kehadiran Bapak Kasad dan Ibu (Ny. Uli Simanjuntak), juga Pangdam, Danrem beserta jajarannya, dapat membawa keberkahan bagi Kesultanan Ternate. Bisa lebih kuat lagi mempertahankan adat istiadat dalam menjaga keutuhan NKRI,” ujar Sultan Ternate seperti dikutip situs resmi TNI Angkatan Darat.

Dalam “Launching Program TNI AD Manunggal Air” di Kecamatan Patani, Halmahera Tengah, Maluku Utara, terdapat enam unit tandon air berkapasitas delapan ribu liter untuk mengairi rumah warga di dekat pantai. Pengelolaannya pun akan dilakukan dengan berkoordinasi bersama pemerintah setempat.

“Dari Desa Kipai juga kami lebih berterima kasih kepada Pak Kasad. Mudah-mudahan program ini bisa berlanjut terus,” ujar Kaur Perencanaan Desa Kipai, Nurdin Safar.

Penyelesaian masalah kelangkaan air juga menjadi perhatian pemerintah pusat. Dalam Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah Nasional (RPJMN) 2019-2024, pemerintah menargetkan pemasangan 10 juta sambungan air minum perumahan. []