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Tuesday 15 May 2007

Jakarta

I like that Indonesia recognises its youth and their contribution to the nation.



This is the Youth Statue or better known as the Pizza Man (depicted sans pizza).

Indonesia is undefinable. The people are difficult to stereotype, perhaps like most countries around the world.

Most Malaysians are aware of Indonesians because they come in as menial labourers or maids. The reality is, there are some very wealthy Indonesians, but of course, we don't meet them.

They have a thriving aerospace industry in Bandung thanks to Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara. And one of their former presidents, B.J. Habibie (also the founder of IPTN), was a scientist cum engineer who even has formulated a crack (no, not cocaine you idiots) propagation theory.

The average maid or labourer probably isn't aware of that, but in some parts of Europe, Habibie is highly revered.

Indonesia regularly decides to Ganyang Malaysia (crush Malaysia) but the worst that happens is usually the burning of the Malaysian flag and utterances of obscenities.

To be fair, they seem to have integrated rather well, multi-culturally. And while religious tensions do rise, they eventually peter out.

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