“Europe 2016 in The Eyes of Indonesian Catholic: My Political View”

“Without broaden knowlede and deep thoughts, big dreams could not be achieved”

–Pearl S. Buck

Background

I always have a dream to be a first Indonesian catholic president because we had already a woman president. I stand out “catholic” here because majority of religion in Indonesia is Islamic (Sunni) faith, so that kind of dream needs some challenges to be passed for and need some passions to be showed of. That is definetely a big dream.

By mentioning “catholic” does not mean that I am a good one. I am not religious, but I am proud of seeing Catholic things that are manifested by architectures, churches, songs, books, discussions around the world. I am proud to be part of Roman Catholic church, it is not just a religion, but a huge international organization.

Catholic faith, more or less, is always influenced by European history of Renaissance, with the Pope as the central and highest hierarchial position in Roman Catholic church, had the main role to change Roman Catholic church policy and international politic as well. But Catholic and Indonesian history is not so “romantical” as Catholic with European history. Catholic and Indonesia is like talking about iPhone 7 in front of newborn babies in the era of Ben-Hur. Yes, sarcastic and unbelievable.

However, I am 100% Indonesian and I am 100% Catholic, so I look alike Flinstone who uses Mac laptop to hear some Franz Schubert’s classic songs. Only Indonesian-Catholic knows that mixed-feeling of being an Indonesian, and at the same time, having a Catholic faith. Everytime we introduce ourself, “I am Indonesian, but I am Catholic”.

We stress “but” here because many Europeans think all Indonesians are Moslems. This aspect of “Indonesian Catholic” will bring some unique perspectives while we are in Europe and especially for me, who loves Politic so much, give some opportunities to know everything that I do not know before.

This essay of course does not represent all Indonesian Catholicians. I just try to mix my second journey in Europe last summer (July-August 2016), also some memories from my first journey in Oslo, Norway in 2009, and with some political knowledge that I always use to see everything. I hope you enjoy this essay, not as an academic writing, but a reflexion about Europe from an ordinary Indonesian woman who loves international politic issues. This essay written in English to gain more readers and break up misunderstanding, to be more post-modern thinker style of writing.

European Union Nowadays

Terrorism is the number one issue, of course and that’s it. If I just say it, this essay had been ended now. When I was in Europe in 2016 is really different condition while I was in Europe in 2009. Europe 2009 was everybody’s dream. Oslo was great. Trondheim was amazing. Amsterdam was memorable.

2009 to 2016 is the lapse time of 7 years. In 7 years, European Union faced some redundance problems, for instance the issue of unemployment, nuclear, borders, racism, etc., but mostly political analysts say Europe now face the new issues, mainly terrorism, that leads to immigration policy.

Terrorism came up in European Union, based on my preliminary research, is because of the Liberty concept of European Union. As an Indonesian Catholic, I think European Union gives liberty to all people of being they wanted to be, of being atheist, of being homosexual, of being communist, of being etc, etc.

Being atheist, homosexual, and communist are absolutely restricted in Indonesia. We do not have a spoken Law to prohibit those issues, but in social life, Indonesians with those issues can not get their best position in life, nor the great feeling to speak up. I do not know exactly what those feeling because I am not an atheist, I am not homosexual, and I am not communist, but I have been studying European contemporary history and I can say that way.

This kind of “liberty concept” of European Union, at critical point, manifested in the increasing number of job-seekers and scholars coming to Europe. Indonesians feel “cool” to go to Europe. I feel also. We sacrifice more than 15 millions Rupiahs (Equal to 1.500 Euro) for round-trip flights to go to Europe just to see different perspectives of life.

This kind of “liberty concept” is not also a core point of problem. Liberty is not given, but taken by victories in long wars in European history. I appreciate that. I appreciate European Union. I want to stress out that the real “cassus belli”of the misuse of Liberty is the uncontrolled international politic diplomacy of European Union leaders.

Based on international politic analysis of Anne Apelbaum, Hans J. Morgenthau, and Kofi Annan, without the intention of generalising nor dramatising, Europeans had won some diplomacies by taking wars for fighting Liberty. Germanisation, Stalinisation, and Americanization were passed away in European history and by redefining its identity, European Union turns into Globalization with the full Liberty of independence Europeans, that becoming one unity later, to balance international politic and to promise a more liberty life.

On the eyes of Indonesian Catholic in Europe, Europeans liberty has some steps of acceptance. In some parts of Europe, individual liberty is shown up without a prior notice, but in some parts of Europe, liberty only means citizenship liberty, for example a state guarantees the liberty of their people from terrorism or other bad things, but the government does not accept individual liberty, even ban Europeans who convert into Islam. This will discuss later.

Poland-Indonesia

Poland is one of Indonesia strategic partnership countries in Visegraad areas. In Flores, located in Eastern part of Indonesia, there are many Polish Catholic priests who are living and give services for more than 40 years and they love living in Indonesia and love Indonesian people. While I was in Poland, nothing surprise me, because I am catholic, so Poland’s catholic mentality that manifested in architecturs, churches, books, paintings, etc., just automatically came out from my heart, just Alice see her own figure on the mirror. Of course I have some bad feeling while some Polish people do “racism look” in my Asia’s skin, but overall I feel okay. Bardzo dobrze!

Slovakia-Indonesia

Many Indonesians do not know that Slovakia was already separated from Czech Republic. In Indonesia I also never know what Slovakia-Indoneia relationship ever do. I only know there is Slovak Embassy who give summer scholarship each year for Asians who want to study Slovak. That’s it.

In the midst of my political knowledge, I have been studying Slovak Republic as the new emergence country in the European Union, who is still struggling for its political identity after-separation and of course with Visegard countries, Slovak Republic always strengthen bilateral cooperation. I believe that in the future there are more good opportunities for Indonesians coming to Slovakia and Slovakians to Indonesia.

Austria-Indonesia

In the eyes of Indonesians, Austria is a modern country in the heart of Europe. In the history of Europe, Austria was a military base of the actual kingdom at that time. It is important for Indonesians to visit Austria during their trip or study in Europe because Austria gives the meaning of victory in wars. Austria-Indonesia so far so good. We love each other.

Czech-Indonesia

Czech-Indonesia has some unique relationship. Due to the era of Banning-Communism in Indonesia in 1960s, many Indonesian communists came to Czech, which at that time was still a communist country. That part of Communism history becames a glue of diplomacy until nowadays. If historians want to know how Indonesian communits survived during that dark era, they might be find it and explore it in Czech.

France-Indonesia

Paulo Coelho newest novel, Matahari, I think speak so much about a French spy, Matahari. In Indonesian language, Matahari means Sun = Le Soleil. Based on Indonesian history, Matahari had some missions in Medan, a province in Western part of Indonesia (if we want to trace what is the first French diplomatic mission in Indonesia). Besides of that, there are already some books talking about France-Indonesia relationship, including Napoléon Code that is still applied in Indonesia until now, because Indonesia applied Dutch Law and Dutch Law applied Napoléon Code. 

France can not be separated in Indonesia’s diplomacy. The number of Indonesians studying and working in France getting more higher than before, French investing more bigger, and also Indonesian diplomacy about climate change conference in Paris 2015, broadly respected by French ministries.

Germany-Indonesia

If I have time, I come to Goethe Institut Jakarta with my friends to watch German movies. What I can say about Germany-Indonesia political and economy relationship remains stabil. Germany over DAAD scholarships for Indonesians who study technic. In the eyes of Indonesians, studying to Germany means studying technic. While I was in Berlin, this kind of perception stakes at good point. Berlin is really highly class city of technical things, really modern in transportation, but also leaves some touch of high art.

Conclusion

I sparked to you 6 countries that I visited during my summer trip in Europe this year. Honestly, I faced also some racism problems, but I could handle it and it was not a memorable, but a lesson-learned that I always love of being Indonesian. Indonesia does not have that kind of “European liberty”, but we rarely racist to other people. We can not be an atheist, homosexual, nor communist, but we respect individuality as a human, not a manifested-state-robot.

I am not a famous international political analyst. Not yet. I only can say that European Union must respect individuality in the point of “Giving”, not just “Liberty”. The level of Egoism and Racism can be reduced and the alert of Terrorism can be altered upon the trustworthy diplomacy, so in the eyes of Indonesian, I can feel “Europe 2009” once more, erneut, jescze raz, znovu, encore une fois.

Finally, I hope this essay can be useful for all readers and I make sorry if I note some erreur or misunderstanding in history that marks my imperfections or missing knowledge. I will read a lot.