Disclaimer: If you sense some negative qualities about Indonesian people in this post, it doesn’t mean that I hate Indonesians nor I hate being an Indonesian. It’s the quite the opposite. And If I write this entry in English, it doesn’t mean I don’t like to write in Indonesian, either.

Tasa, or the more well known in the blogging world as Guebukanmonyet, wrote the article proudly published on the Jakarta Post titled It’s the Indonesian factor in our blood. It is a delightful and enlightening article that can boost our Indonesian pride. It, indeed, is the Indonesian factor in our blood that made us what we are. There is a lot to be proud of, yet a long list of questionable qualities we need to work on should balance our pride with a caution. It is because there’s something about us.

Have you ever joined a rapat to discuss the kind of structure an organization should have? Have ever joined a rapat to discuss how to hold an event? Have you ever joined a rapat pertanggungjawaban? Or, have you ever joined a rapat for any reason? If you answer Yes in any of those questions, you know how we hold a meeting. Yes, you picture the meeting’s schedule that has to be pushed an hour later, people with speaking tone that was pre-set for the meeting, long lasting debates, questions being asked to look sophisticated, and finally a meeting agenda that barely develops as it should have.

Perhaps, it is the culture that we live in that makes us hold a meeting the way we do. And it maybe other aspects of our life such as education and social interactions that also contribute. It is epidemic. In any meeting in our country, we can expect to see one of those lively acts. That’s how we hold meetings in Indonesia.

We belong to Indonesia, no matter where we are. A true yet ironic statement that we know it because Indonesians who live in Washington D.C. area hold meetings that resemble the ones held in Indonesia. A meeting held by qualified educated professional individuals in the capital of the most democratic nation in the world went for a vote only to choose one out of two options that are not essentially different. The pre-set speaking tone was there. The sophisticated questions were thrown out in the air. The debates were exciting that we only discussed one issue for almost two hours. It was more like a political debates on TV than a practical meeting on how to hold a successful cultural event. There’s something about us.

Guys, please, let’s have an efficient and effective meeting! And save our voice to…sing, maybe?

In the U.S. there’s a handful, if not a lot, Indonesians who do not want to speak Indonesian. What I mean by Indonesians are people who came from Indonesia (imigrated) and not those who were born or raised in the states. Some act like they have forgotten Indonesian languange due to their long period of speaking english. Some think that they must only speak English even to Indonesians. Some feel cool and elevated by speaking English, because when they were in Indonesia they felt not cool. Some just don’t want to speak Indonesian for no reason. Ironically, they were Indonesians who once lived and were born in Indonesia. And Bahasa Indonesia is on their get-rid-off list?

Sadly, in Indonesia now there are just so many people who don’t actually understand how to have a conversation in English well but always mix some English words in their conversation in Indonesians. Their Indonesian might not be up to standard either. And worse, now there’s a growing trend in speaking Indonesian with an English (bule) accent. What in the world are we going to be? You speak in a Mandarin accent when you speak Mandarin. You speak English with the correct pronunciation and maybe an American accent to sound perfect. But speaking Indonesian with an English accent, what is that?

If other people (you know who) can’t stop claiming our culture, don’t be surprised. We don’t even seem to love our very basic culture that much. How can you love a culture if you don’t love the language?

Isn’t it funny that now not only are we enslaved in our own home by non-Indonesian business people, but also by our own Indonesian people who don’t speak their language? How can we defend ourself from the global wave with this kind of mentality? Don’t ever think of spreading Bahasa Indonesia throughout the world if we at home don’t even feel comfortable speaking it.

Imagine if we have a program called Ayo, Berbahasa Indonesia! on an Indonesian global TV Channel and is accessible via the internet. Beautiful, isn’t it? Proud, aren’t we? So, speak it, show it, be proud of it!

There’s something about us that makes us hold meetings unefficiently and uneffectively. There’s something about us that makes us dislike our own language. But, there’s also something about us that can actually make a change if we want. Let’s go for the latter!