Titus Jonathan's Stories

It’s still fresh in my mind, where Megawati’s PDI (Indonesia Democracy Party) harshly knocked-out by Suharto’s power in 1996. I was still 3 months since I set my feet on Jakarta from my hometown. Everybody knew Megawati was a serious menace of Suharto’s Golkar at that time, and 1996 was only a year ahead of the election. Like previous elections, Golkar always wanted vote majority in order to keep Suharto in reign. Time could not be stopped and Megawati popularity has made the Suharto’s circle depressed. They seemed so fearful the Soekarno’s spirit was coming back. With a very dirt scenario, Suharto’s regime created drama by conspiring with several PDI executives to organize a congress in Medan. The congress, as predicted clearly by everyone, finally appointed Soerjadi as PDI chairman, Fatimah Ahmad as deputy chairman and Butu Hutapea as the secretary general (Soerjadi is Megawati’s predecessor). It means, Megawati who had been selected by National Meeting in Surabaya in 1993, was kick...

We often perceive that God has to be powerful and can do anything. We force HIM to show His power, force HIM to do something that we want to. We are sure He will always hear us and help us because what we ask is any good things. We are trying to praise HIM and adore HIM by saying: “ Oh God, You are so powerful, You could do anything and You could change anything as nothing is impossible for You. ” But, then, after days gone and nothing happen, we disappointed to, and, even mock HIM. A drunk fights with his habit and intends to stop the behavior, but the more he attempts to stop the more he faces temptation. He then prays to God asking God to change him to be a good man. After several years he still struggles with that, but instead deeper involved as a drunken master. In the desperate and hopeless situation he eventually tells everybody: “ God is not powerful. In fact He could not change me. What’s wrong with my request? I asked a good thing! ” A woman experiences a bitter relationship ...

I received an email from my friend who has been working in Dubai since 2006 telling me that new year’s eve in the country (UAE) was not so as lively as usual before. While we, who are living in Indonesia particularly Jakarta so cheerful celebrating new year with fireworks and long night party. My friend told me the people of Dubai quietly stayed at home or went to mosques and churches to pray for Palestinian. There was no party, no fireworks, no trumpet blown in the night of 31 Dec 08. The UAE government asked everybody to welcome new year calmly as part of apprehensive attitude upon what was happening in Gaza – Palestine. The UAE government said it was not a wise attitude conducting a party while brothers and sisters in Palestine are moaning from pain in the war zone. War always creates deep misery, not to the elite figures, but to ordinary people. We don’t need to care either Israel or Hamas is standing in the right side. We don’t need to blame either Simon Peres or Ismail Haniya who...