Human rights issue of the week in Indonesia is a controversial bylaw from the city of Lhokseumawe, in Aceh province, that bans female motorcyle driver to sit astride on the motorbike. Local government, who proposed this bylaw, said that such action is considered "un-Islamic" and therefore should be banned.
The local mayor said that the law does not ban women to ride motorcycle and that they can still sit astride when they are driving. However, when a woman becomes a passenger she has to sit side-saddle. Proponents say that this bylaw is aimed to protect women, because by sitting astride they might provoke "immoral behavior" from the men who see them.
Obviously, this law quickly garners a lot of criticism both from inside and outside Aceh. Critics say, correctly, that this law is degrading to women, because it assumes that women are the source of immoral behavior. Rather than protecting women by creating stronger legal framework to punish sexual offenders (who are mostly male), this law seeks to put women as the object to be controlled and regulated.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that applies strict Sharia
law. This bylaw, however, will only apply to the city of Lhokseumawe and
not to the whole province. Some activists are calling for the central government to strike down the law because it contradicts law no. 39/1999 on human rights.
This event is the latest of a series of controversies involving the application of sharia in Aceh. In 2011, the Aceh government forcibly shut down a punk music concert in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, detained about a dozen of punks and sent them to a re-education camp. They declared that punk music is 'un-Islamic' and therefore should not be allowed in Aceh.
Sources:
Indonesia city to ban women 'straddling motorbikes' from BBC
Lhoksheumawe larang perempuan duduk ngangkang (in Indonesian)
Indonesia's Aceh punk shaved for 'reeducation' from BBC
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Thursday, 3 January 2013
ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
Association of Southeast Asian Nations finally officially adopted its long awaited ASEAN Human Rights Declaration at the ASEAN Head of States meeting at 19 November 2012. You can see the declaration here.
Before the official announcement, observers and critic had been afraid that the coming Declaration would not be up to the international standards of human rights protection. The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) - the drafting committee - was heavily criticized, in particular for its lack of transparency. AICHR did open many consultation process with civil society organizations. However, observers said that these consultations often effectively went one way, with representatives from the civil society giving inputs and ideas with relatively minimum response or feedback from members of AICHR. Also, the general public were not given many opportunities to see the draft of the declaration. The civil society had no way of knowing whether their recommendations were incorporated into the declaration or not.
Another issue is the composition of AICHR. In accordance to its Term of Reference (see here), in particular article 5, each member of AICHR represents his/her own government and is accountable to his/her government. Critics say that this would compromise the independence of the Commission. Many questioned the sincerity of ASEAN to build a true human rights regime in Southeast Asia.(i)
When the Declaration was announced, it was received with mixed responses from civil society organizations in Southeast Asia. Critics point out that several provisions in the declaration have the potential to weaken ASEAN members' commitments towards human rights because they set a lower standard compared to the existing international human rights conventions and treaties.
Reading at the Declaration, I would say that the most problematic provisions are paragraph 6 - 8 of the General Principles. I quote them below (emphases are mine):
The three paragraphs above contain some words that echo the Asian Values Debate of three decades ago(ii). In short, proponents of the Asian Values say that human rights principles should be adjusted into the national and regional context to be applicable. Asian communities, they continue, put more emphasis on the importance of the group (society or the community) over the individuals, and that individuals should put forward their obligations and duties towards the community before claiming their rights. In addition, for Asian societies public morality is an important issue and that the state should act as its guardian. At least, this is what their proponents claimed.
The main problem with these three paragraphs is that they provide an opportunity for governments to not provide maximum human rights protection to its citizens. The term "national and regional context" is a handy excuse for governments to not fulfill certain human rights obligations. The concept of "duties" is also useful to shift responsibilities away from governments to the individual citizens. And "Public morality" is a vague concept. Often times it is used to justify repressive actions against certain groups, in particular LGBTs and women.
However, even with these flaws, I remain an optimist. I think the AHRD should be considered as "a living document"(iii). Meaning that its eventual understanding and interpretation will pretty much depend on the actions of ASEAN members in the future. Also, this is the first broadly-based non-binding human rights declaration for ASEAN(iv). The next step after this is to produce a more binding human rights document in the form of ASEAN Convention on Human Rights. Such document will have greater impact for the building of a human rights regime in the future. We hope, if it ever happens at all, the document will be more progressive than the one we have now.
End notes:
Another issue is the composition of AICHR. In accordance to its Term of Reference (see here), in particular article 5, each member of AICHR represents his/her own government and is accountable to his/her government. Critics say that this would compromise the independence of the Commission. Many questioned the sincerity of ASEAN to build a true human rights regime in Southeast Asia.(i)
When the Declaration was announced, it was received with mixed responses from civil society organizations in Southeast Asia. Critics point out that several provisions in the declaration have the potential to weaken ASEAN members' commitments towards human rights because they set a lower standard compared to the existing international human rights conventions and treaties.
Reading at the Declaration, I would say that the most problematic provisions are paragraph 6 - 8 of the General Principles. I quote them below (emphases are mine):
6. The enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms must be balanced with the performance of corresponding duties as every person has responsibilities to all other individuals, the community and the society where one lives. It is ultimately the primary responsibility of all ASEAN Member States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
7. All human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. All human rights and fundamental freedoms in this Declaration must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis. At the same time, the realisation of human rights must be considered in the regional and national context bearing in mind different political, economic, legal, social, cultural, historical and religious backgrounds.
8. The human rights and fundamental freedoms of every person shall be exercised with due regard to the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. The exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others, and to meet the just requirements of national security, public order, public health, public safety, public morality, as well as the general welfare of the peoples in a democratic society.
The three paragraphs above contain some words that echo the Asian Values Debate of three decades ago(ii). In short, proponents of the Asian Values say that human rights principles should be adjusted into the national and regional context to be applicable. Asian communities, they continue, put more emphasis on the importance of the group (society or the community) over the individuals, and that individuals should put forward their obligations and duties towards the community before claiming their rights. In addition, for Asian societies public morality is an important issue and that the state should act as its guardian. At least, this is what their proponents claimed.
The main problem with these three paragraphs is that they provide an opportunity for governments to not provide maximum human rights protection to its citizens. The term "national and regional context" is a handy excuse for governments to not fulfill certain human rights obligations. The concept of "duties" is also useful to shift responsibilities away from governments to the individual citizens. And "Public morality" is a vague concept. Often times it is used to justify repressive actions against certain groups, in particular LGBTs and women.
However, even with these flaws, I remain an optimist. I think the AHRD should be considered as "a living document"(iii). Meaning that its eventual understanding and interpretation will pretty much depend on the actions of ASEAN members in the future. Also, this is the first broadly-based non-binding human rights declaration for ASEAN(iv). The next step after this is to produce a more binding human rights document in the form of ASEAN Convention on Human Rights. Such document will have greater impact for the building of a human rights regime in the future. We hope, if it ever happens at all, the document will be more progressive than the one we have now.
End notes:
(i) There is also an issue related to ASEAN's principle of non-intervention. For more discussion on this principle and its relation to building a human rights regime in Southeast Asia, please go here.
(ii) For an introduction on Asian Values go here. You can also read a dissenting article from Amartya Sen on why Asian Values actually do not contradict universal human rights values here. There is also a good wikipedia article you can read as a reference point of the debate here.
(iii) I am borrowing this phrase of "AHRD is a living document" from Yuyun Wahyuninggrum, from Human Rights Working Group (an Indonesian based NGOs Coalition) at a conference in Bali, November last year.
(iv) ASEAN has at least two other human rights declaration before the AHRD: the ASEAN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the ASEAN Declaration Against Trafficking in Persons Particularly Women and Children
(ii) For an introduction on Asian Values go here. You can also read a dissenting article from Amartya Sen on why Asian Values actually do not contradict universal human rights values here. There is also a good wikipedia article you can read as a reference point of the debate here.
(iii) I am borrowing this phrase of "AHRD is a living document" from Yuyun Wahyuninggrum, from Human Rights Working Group (an Indonesian based NGOs Coalition) at a conference in Bali, November last year.
(iv) ASEAN has at least two other human rights declaration before the AHRD: the ASEAN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the ASEAN Declaration Against Trafficking in Persons Particularly Women and Children
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
2013 Resolutions
So I have several new year's resolutions that I would like to share. Here are they:
1. I want to travel more this year. Last year was really terrible. I only went to 2 places outside Jakarta. One was Ujung Kulon, in West Java, and the other one was Bali for a conference. I have to improve that this year. This year, I have to travel to at least one Southeast Asian country and three domestic destinations outside Jakarta (and Bandung, because traveling to Bandung does not count as traveling outside Jakarta).
2. In terms of books read, last year was actually really good. I finished a number of good books. However, I do notice that I mostly read fictions and in English. I only finished three non fiction works last year, one from Francis Fukuyama ("the Origins of Political Order") and two from Richard Dawkins ("the God Delusion" and "The Magic of Reality"). This year, I have to double that to six non fiction works. I also have to finish at least 3 Indonesian novels this year (I tried to read an Indonesian novel last year, but it was so boring I just gave up after 5 pages. However, I heard there are some pretty good Indonesian novels now, so fingers crossed I can achieve this).
3. In terms of work, I need to find something more stable and more long term. I love my current job, but it doesn't give me stability and security.
4. I need to lose at least 10 kilograms this year. I gained a lot of weight last year.
5. I want to have a more regular update for this blog. I created this blog on February last year, and since then I have 14 blog posts for the English version and 17 posts for Indonesian (a total of 31 posts. They are not translation of each other, by the way). That's actually not bad. This year I want to top that number. I don't know whether I can do it, considering that I had been very lazy at the last 2-3 months of last year. But let's just put this here as a reminder for me.
And there you go, my 5 resolutions. All of them will be a real challenge for me, but I guess the hardest one will be number one. The rest should be comparatively easier, I think.
1. I want to travel more this year. Last year was really terrible. I only went to 2 places outside Jakarta. One was Ujung Kulon, in West Java, and the other one was Bali for a conference. I have to improve that this year. This year, I have to travel to at least one Southeast Asian country and three domestic destinations outside Jakarta (and Bandung, because traveling to Bandung does not count as traveling outside Jakarta).
2. In terms of books read, last year was actually really good. I finished a number of good books. However, I do notice that I mostly read fictions and in English. I only finished three non fiction works last year, one from Francis Fukuyama ("the Origins of Political Order") and two from Richard Dawkins ("the God Delusion" and "The Magic of Reality"). This year, I have to double that to six non fiction works. I also have to finish at least 3 Indonesian novels this year (I tried to read an Indonesian novel last year, but it was so boring I just gave up after 5 pages. However, I heard there are some pretty good Indonesian novels now, so fingers crossed I can achieve this).
3. In terms of work, I need to find something more stable and more long term. I love my current job, but it doesn't give me stability and security.
4. I need to lose at least 10 kilograms this year. I gained a lot of weight last year.
5. I want to have a more regular update for this blog. I created this blog on February last year, and since then I have 14 blog posts for the English version and 17 posts for Indonesian (a total of 31 posts. They are not translation of each other, by the way). That's actually not bad. This year I want to top that number. I don't know whether I can do it, considering that I had been very lazy at the last 2-3 months of last year. But let's just put this here as a reminder for me.
And there you go, my 5 resolutions. All of them will be a real challenge for me, but I guess the hardest one will be number one. The rest should be comparatively easier, I think.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Regional Human Rights Declarations and Conventions around the World
This article also appears at: http://www2.agendaasia.org/index.php/news/151-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-regional-human-rights-declarations-and-conventions-around-the-world
In November, head of states of Association of South East Asian Nations ( ASEAN) will gather in Phnom Penh for the 21st ASEAN Summit. There, they are expected to adopt the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), which will represent a major milestone in the struggle for human rights in Southeast Asia, including for the human rights of persons with disabilities. Since the beginning of the drafting process, disabled people’s organizations have been involved in the consultation process with the drafting committee, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Committee on Human Rights (AICHR). They have lobbied, discussed and given inputs and suggestions to the committee on how to include the rights of persons with disabilities in the declarations. It is expected that the declaration will include several provisions on disabilities.
In the anticipation for the upcoming declaration, it is important for us to understand how other (and older) regional human rights declarations recognize disability rights. Such understanding will enable us to assess where we stand so far in terms of giving protection to the rights of persons with disabilities.
The oldest regional human rights declaration is the Organization of American States (OAS) Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, which actually predated even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The OAS Declaration was adopted in April 1948 in Bogota, Colombia, whereas the UDHR was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1948 in Paris.
Interestingly , both the UDHR and the OAS Declaration, in regards to disability rights, seem to have almost identical wording. Article 25 (1) of the UDHR says that:
Whereas article XVI of the OAS Declaration says:
This seems to reflect the spirit of the time where the rights of persons with disabilities were not central to the contemporary understanding of human rights. Both declarations only mention disability in relation to the right to social security and services. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which was signed in 1950 (and came into force in 1953), does not mention disability at all.
The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights was much more progressive in terms of disability rights than the two older regional human rights mechanisms. Article 18 (4) of the charter recognizes that:
At the time this charter was adopted by the African Union in 1981 this provision was considered to be very progressive. There are a number of reasons for this inclusion. One is the increased global recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities. The year 1981, the year when the Charter was adopted, was designated by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Disabled People. Various developments in the African continent itself, such as the existence of numerous conflicts in the continent which left a significant proportion of the African population with disabilities, may also compel the drafter to include special provisions for disabled people. However, the Charter still uses the charity-based approach which focuses on providing protection and care. It does not put the rights of persons with disability as part of human rights.
The African Charter also has an additional protocol on Rights of Women in Africa (also called the Maputo protocol, which was adopted by the African Union in 2003). Article 23 of the Protocol recognizes the special rights of women with disabilities. It says:
The most recent regional human rights instrument is the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. This charter was adopted in 2000 and by far the most progressive in terms of disability rights. It has a non-discrimination principle in Article 21 that includes disability, which says:
Even more progressive is article 26 which obliges the European Union members to:
Looking at all the regional declarations and conventions, we can see a clear progression on the recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities throughout the world. The expectation is that the AHRD will be able to at least equal the other regional human rights instruments.
Links for all the regional human rights instruments:
The European Convention on Human Rights
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights:
Maputo Protocol
In November, head of states of Association of South East Asian Nations ( ASEAN) will gather in Phnom Penh for the 21st ASEAN Summit. There, they are expected to adopt the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), which will represent a major milestone in the struggle for human rights in Southeast Asia, including for the human rights of persons with disabilities. Since the beginning of the drafting process, disabled people’s organizations have been involved in the consultation process with the drafting committee, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Committee on Human Rights (AICHR). They have lobbied, discussed and given inputs and suggestions to the committee on how to include the rights of persons with disabilities in the declarations. It is expected that the declaration will include several provisions on disabilities.
In the anticipation for the upcoming declaration, it is important for us to understand how other (and older) regional human rights declarations recognize disability rights. Such understanding will enable us to assess where we stand so far in terms of giving protection to the rights of persons with disabilities.
The oldest regional human rights declaration is the Organization of American States (OAS) Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, which actually predated even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The OAS Declaration was adopted in April 1948 in Bogota, Colombia, whereas the UDHR was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1948 in Paris.
Interestingly , both the UDHR and the OAS Declaration, in regards to disability rights, seem to have almost identical wording. Article 25 (1) of the UDHR says that:
“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”
Whereas article XVI of the OAS Declaration says:
"Every person has the right to social security which will protect him from the consequences of unemployment, old age, and any disabilities arising from causes beyond his control that make it physically or mentally impossible for him to earn a living."
This seems to reflect the spirit of the time where the rights of persons with disabilities were not central to the contemporary understanding of human rights. Both declarations only mention disability in relation to the right to social security and services. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which was signed in 1950 (and came into force in 1953), does not mention disability at all.
The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights was much more progressive in terms of disability rights than the two older regional human rights mechanisms. Article 18 (4) of the charter recognizes that:
"The aged and the disabled shall also have the right to special measures of protection in keeping with their physical or moral needs."
At the time this charter was adopted by the African Union in 1981 this provision was considered to be very progressive. There are a number of reasons for this inclusion. One is the increased global recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities. The year 1981, the year when the Charter was adopted, was designated by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Disabled People. Various developments in the African continent itself, such as the existence of numerous conflicts in the continent which left a significant proportion of the African population with disabilities, may also compel the drafter to include special provisions for disabled people. However, the Charter still uses the charity-based approach which focuses on providing protection and care. It does not put the rights of persons with disability as part of human rights.
The African Charter also has an additional protocol on Rights of Women in Africa (also called the Maputo protocol, which was adopted by the African Union in 2003). Article 23 of the Protocol recognizes the special rights of women with disabilities. It says:
The States Parties undertake to:
a) ensure the protection of women with disabilities and take specific measures commensurate with their physical, economic and social needs to facilitate their access to employment, professional and vocational training as well as their participation in decision-making;
b) ensure the right of women with disabilities to freedom from violence, including sexual abuse, discrimination based on disability and the right to be treated with dignity.
The most recent regional human rights instrument is the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. This charter was adopted in 2000 and by far the most progressive in terms of disability rights. It has a non-discrimination principle in Article 21 that includes disability, which says:
"Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited."
Even more progressive is article 26 which obliges the European Union members to:
"...recognizes and respects the right of persons with disabilities to benefit from measures designed to ensure their independence, social and occupational integration and participation in the life of the community..."
Looking at all the regional declarations and conventions, we can see a clear progression on the recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities throughout the world. The expectation is that the AHRD will be able to at least equal the other regional human rights instruments.
Links for all the regional human rights instruments:
The European Convention on Human Rights
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights:
Maputo Protocol
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Freewriting 1
Tools: Ballpoint and 2 pieces of papers
Time limit: 10 minutes
Location: AGENDA
Time: 4 PM
So i am trying this method called freewriting. I just looked it up in the internet, and it seems like fun. They say it’s a way around the mental blocks in writing, a way to find what you really want to express. I can write in any language. i was hesitating between writing in Indonesian or English, but then I decide to write in English. Why? Maybe because I want to improve my English writing skill. maybe this method could help me.
I actually have heard about this method before and actually have tried it as well. But it didn’t go very well. I guess that’s because I tried using keyboard, rather than writing in a piece of paper. Now i realise that the core idea of free writing is to have time for your mind to wander freely, but at the same time not too much that it destroys spontaneity. the balance between spontaneity and formulating one’s mind is the key here and i cannot do it using keyboards because i type too fast.
i realise that for the time being i have many things to say. i mean i read so many books and often times i find it difficult to find people who want to hear what i have learned from those books. i know for certain that there are people who are interested in listening what i have to say, but they are not necessarily in my immediate circle. The only way for me to reach and to communicate with them is by writing. but often when i tried to write i find myself facing mental blocks. Suddenly my mind goes blank and I cannot really figure out what to write. Maybe by using this method, I can start extracting my own minds. I can begin to understand what I really want to say and able to formulate them in a nice and clear way.
Note: I was pleasantly surprised to see this one turned out to be quite coherent. I did make some grammatical mistakes here and there, but they are negligible. Maybe because this is my first attempt doing freewriting on a piece of paper and I did write relatively slowly using pen, therefore my mind had time to formulate what I have to say. Anyway, it was really a pleasant exercise and I enjoyed it very much.
Time limit: 10 minutes
Location: AGENDA
Time: 4 PM
So i am trying this method called freewriting. I just looked it up in the internet, and it seems like fun. They say it’s a way around the mental blocks in writing, a way to find what you really want to express. I can write in any language. i was hesitating between writing in Indonesian or English, but then I decide to write in English. Why? Maybe because I want to improve my English writing skill. maybe this method could help me.
I actually have heard about this method before and actually have tried it as well. But it didn’t go very well. I guess that’s because I tried using keyboard, rather than writing in a piece of paper. Now i realise that the core idea of free writing is to have time for your mind to wander freely, but at the same time not too much that it destroys spontaneity. the balance between spontaneity and formulating one’s mind is the key here and i cannot do it using keyboards because i type too fast.
i realise that for the time being i have many things to say. i mean i read so many books and often times i find it difficult to find people who want to hear what i have learned from those books. i know for certain that there are people who are interested in listening what i have to say, but they are not necessarily in my immediate circle. The only way for me to reach and to communicate with them is by writing. but often when i tried to write i find myself facing mental blocks. Suddenly my mind goes blank and I cannot really figure out what to write. Maybe by using this method, I can start extracting my own minds. I can begin to understand what I really want to say and able to formulate them in a nice and clear way.
Note: I was pleasantly surprised to see this one turned out to be quite coherent. I did make some grammatical mistakes here and there, but they are negligible. Maybe because this is my first attempt doing freewriting on a piece of paper and I did write relatively slowly using pen, therefore my mind had time to formulate what I have to say. Anyway, it was really a pleasant exercise and I enjoyed it very much.
Saturday, 23 June 2012
Beauty is Political
A few weeks ago, I heard a friend described a girl as a 'natural beauty'. I was really curious about what he meant, so I asked him. He said that he meant it to describe a girl who still looks beautiful even without putting make up. He also added that he prefers 'that type of beauty' compared to a more 'make-up oriented beauty'. 'Make-up oriented beauty' is his own words. I think it is self-explanatory, but just to make it clear: he meant it to describe girls who become beautiful because of their make-ups and clothes. Their beauty, therefore, is not just fake, but also false. A clever manipulation of colors and shapes.
The phrase 'natural beauty' intrigued me. My friend did make some interesting observations and comments. Most of his views are condescending towards women (not to mention underestimating them), therefore it is hard for me to agree. Yet I was intrigued mainly because I think beauty should have deeper meaning than what he described. He (and I think he is not alone) views beauty as something that can exist naturally and can be objectively recognized, appreciated and, therefore, valued by people. This is the real and true beauty. Opposing that is the fake and false beauty, one that aspires to be beautiful by using all sorts of aids and tools (make-up is one, fashion is the other), but when stripped from all those, it becomes non-beautiful.
My problem with such view is especially with its core idea on 'true' or 'real' beauty. Is it true that beauty can be objectively recognized, appreciated and valued? Is beauty actually a natural thing at all?
I remember reading an article written by a Moroccan feminist, whose name I can't recall, on the topic of beauty. She describes a visit by a French friend to Morocco and she had to accompanied this friend. As they went around the town, she asked her friend which Moroccan girl he finds attractive. Her friend then pointed to several girls they encountered a long the way. She was really surprised because her friend apparently pointed to girls that Moroccans don't normally find as attractive.
She found this to be really curious and she mulled about this for a while. In the end, she draws the conclusion that the concept of beauty is never neutral and objective. She even went farther by concluding that beauty is political, meaning that the concept of beauty is decided by the ruling elite, and then followed and internalized by the ordinary people.
There are several ways to see how beauty is connected to politics. But first we need to understand that politics can be understood broadly, not just in terms of state politics. Politics can also be understood as part of daily relations between people. As people interact, each one tries to influence the behavior, attitude and actions of others. The act of influencing other people can also be broadly considered as politics. Some people call it as the politics of daily life. In this view, politics exist in all human relations and cannot be separated from any type of social interaction.
In such understanding of politics, beauty can be used as tool of influence. It is normally considered as fact that the more beautiful a person is, the more easier for him/her to persuade other people to follow his/her wishes. Most people are easier to be persuaded by somebody whom they consider attractive. Another way to look at this is the more a person thinks him/herself as attractive, the more confident he/she in influencing or persuading other people. Beauty, in this regard, is a political tool.
The connection doesn't stop there. The meaning of beauty itself is an arena for political contestation between different and opposing groups who try to impose their values (or in this context, who try to impose their definition of beauty) to the larger society. There are competing views in the society on what constitute beauty. However, despite the contestations and opposing views on how to define beauty, there will always be a mainstream understanding of beauty in a society. Interestingly, the group (or groups) who holds political control of a society is usually the one who holds the power to define beauty. To see this, one only has to go to the center of power and see the people there. Chances are people we encounter there are people that that society consider as beautiful.
Take for example my experience a few weeks ago when I had to go to Sudirman. For those of you who don't know, Sudirman is the name of a street in the center of Jakarta with a lot of skyscrapers and tall buildings. Many of the top businesses establish their offices there. Sudirman is also close to major political centers. The presidential palace is just a few kilometers away. So is the parliamentary building. Not to mention the ministerial offices and foreign embassies. So one may say that Sudirman, and its surrounding areas, is part of Indonesia's center of power.
I went there by bus from my home in a suburb outside Jakarta. As people entered and exited the bus, I suddenly became aware of one very interesting thing. I noticed that the level of attractiveness of people was changing slowly. In Indonesia, you are considered to be more attractive if you have fairer skin or taller body, and I noticed that the proportion of people with these characteristics increased substantially as we were nearing Sudirman.
Okay. I admit I didn't do a careful measurement, so I can't really say that this is a scientific observation. Yet I really believe this observation is correct: that people in Sudirman, the center of Jakarta, tend to look more attractive and better looking (in terms of the features I have described above) than people from outside that area.
Why is that? I think the most logical explanation is because it is the center of power (business and economic power, to be precise), and a center of power has the capability to select and choose people to have access to it, to be included as part of the center, as workers mostly, but possibly also as spouses, lovers, business owners, and other roles. This process of selection is political in nature, because power is involved. One side is doing the selecting because they have the power to do it, and the other side tries to get selected so they can gain more power (economic, social, cultural or political) simply by getting closer to the center of power. The people I saw were there because they managed to pass this selection process, and because they were selected by people in power society put the label 'beautiful' to them.
One important note is that the concept of beauty that is being imposed by the current elites is a continuation of the concept of beauty that was imposed by the previous elites. In other words, it is not something just newly created today, but has been shared, transferred and taught by many succeeding generations. It experienced its own changes, for example, I read somewhere that people from 2 or 3 centuries ago considered women with big buttocks as beautiful, a view that modern people don't share. These changes and continuation are possible because its definition is always contested, as I have mentioned before. One thing for sure, though, that it is the dominant group who gets to define what should be considered as beautiful.
Returning to the phrase my friend used, 'natural beauty', I just think that the term simply doesn't exist, or to be precise it doesn't apply to human being. Beauty is actually a political and cultural concept, and therefore man-made, or at least its understanding and definition is always political and cultural, never objective and neutral. Beauty can never be natural. It is a site of political contestation,. (Possibly) it is also tool used to subjugate women by putting them into criteria-based categories. By categorizing women, by creating an 'ideal' category (which is beautiful women), the society is urging (pressuring?) women to strive for the ideal, robbing them of their independence and critical thinking. Perhaps.
But maybe I am thinking too much. After all, as I was browsing through Internet looking for pictures of beautiful women to be put on this page (see the pictures above), I found myself repeatedly attracted to the women in the pictures. What's the point of having this kind of awareness if myself cannot really escape from it?
The phrase 'natural beauty' intrigued me. My friend did make some interesting observations and comments. Most of his views are condescending towards women (not to mention underestimating them), therefore it is hard for me to agree. Yet I was intrigued mainly because I think beauty should have deeper meaning than what he described. He (and I think he is not alone) views beauty as something that can exist naturally and can be objectively recognized, appreciated and, therefore, valued by people. This is the real and true beauty. Opposing that is the fake and false beauty, one that aspires to be beautiful by using all sorts of aids and tools (make-up is one, fashion is the other), but when stripped from all those, it becomes non-beautiful.
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| Zhang Ziyi: typical Asian Beauty? |
I remember reading an article written by a Moroccan feminist, whose name I can't recall, on the topic of beauty. She describes a visit by a French friend to Morocco and she had to accompanied this friend. As they went around the town, she asked her friend which Moroccan girl he finds attractive. Her friend then pointed to several girls they encountered a long the way. She was really surprised because her friend apparently pointed to girls that Moroccans don't normally find as attractive.
She found this to be really curious and she mulled about this for a while. In the end, she draws the conclusion that the concept of beauty is never neutral and objective. She even went farther by concluding that beauty is political, meaning that the concept of beauty is decided by the ruling elite, and then followed and internalized by the ordinary people.
There are several ways to see how beauty is connected to politics. But first we need to understand that politics can be understood broadly, not just in terms of state politics. Politics can also be understood as part of daily relations between people. As people interact, each one tries to influence the behavior, attitude and actions of others. The act of influencing other people can also be broadly considered as politics. Some people call it as the politics of daily life. In this view, politics exist in all human relations and cannot be separated from any type of social interaction.
In such understanding of politics, beauty can be used as tool of influence. It is normally considered as fact that the more beautiful a person is, the more easier for him/her to persuade other people to follow his/her wishes. Most people are easier to be persuaded by somebody whom they consider attractive. Another way to look at this is the more a person thinks him/herself as attractive, the more confident he/she in influencing or persuading other people. Beauty, in this regard, is a political tool.
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| Typical Western Beauty? |
Take for example my experience a few weeks ago when I had to go to Sudirman. For those of you who don't know, Sudirman is the name of a street in the center of Jakarta with a lot of skyscrapers and tall buildings. Many of the top businesses establish their offices there. Sudirman is also close to major political centers. The presidential palace is just a few kilometers away. So is the parliamentary building. Not to mention the ministerial offices and foreign embassies. So one may say that Sudirman, and its surrounding areas, is part of Indonesia's center of power.
I went there by bus from my home in a suburb outside Jakarta. As people entered and exited the bus, I suddenly became aware of one very interesting thing. I noticed that the level of attractiveness of people was changing slowly. In Indonesia, you are considered to be more attractive if you have fairer skin or taller body, and I noticed that the proportion of people with these characteristics increased substantially as we were nearing Sudirman.
Okay. I admit I didn't do a careful measurement, so I can't really say that this is a scientific observation. Yet I really believe this observation is correct: that people in Sudirman, the center of Jakarta, tend to look more attractive and better looking (in terms of the features I have described above) than people from outside that area.
Why is that? I think the most logical explanation is because it is the center of power (business and economic power, to be precise), and a center of power has the capability to select and choose people to have access to it, to be included as part of the center, as workers mostly, but possibly also as spouses, lovers, business owners, and other roles. This process of selection is political in nature, because power is involved. One side is doing the selecting because they have the power to do it, and the other side tries to get selected so they can gain more power (economic, social, cultural or political) simply by getting closer to the center of power. The people I saw were there because they managed to pass this selection process, and because they were selected by people in power society put the label 'beautiful' to them.
 |
| Is this the most idealized type of woman? |
Returning to the phrase my friend used, 'natural beauty', I just think that the term simply doesn't exist, or to be precise it doesn't apply to human being. Beauty is actually a political and cultural concept, and therefore man-made, or at least its understanding and definition is always political and cultural, never objective and neutral. Beauty can never be natural. It is a site of political contestation,. (Possibly) it is also tool used to subjugate women by putting them into criteria-based categories. By categorizing women, by creating an 'ideal' category (which is beautiful women), the society is urging (pressuring?) women to strive for the ideal, robbing them of their independence and critical thinking. Perhaps.
But maybe I am thinking too much. After all, as I was browsing through Internet looking for pictures of beautiful women to be put on this page (see the pictures above), I found myself repeatedly attracted to the women in the pictures. What's the point of having this kind of awareness if myself cannot really escape from it?
Friday, 15 June 2012
A Personal note
After working for some time in the new office and writing so many reports and news articles for them, I realize that I really need to improve my writing skill. I realized that when I submitted a draft of our operational report which was immediately handed back to me with so many corrections and comments. There were so many of them, I hardly recognized my original report in it.
I understand English is not my native language (and my boss too, obviously), but still I was a little bit shocked. I don't consider myself as an excellent writer, but I liked to think I'm not too bad. Apparently, I was wrong.
I never join any writing course. Not in Indonesian, let alone in English. All this time, I write without really thinking how to do it, only about what to write. I get mixed results because of that. Sometimes I am able to produce good writings, sometimes crappy ones. I never really bother. Besides, apart from writing several small articles for my previous office's homepage - which I did mostly in Indonesian anyway, a lot easier for me - I don't really regularly write.
But now, I need to improve more on my writing. This new job apparently involves a lot of writing in English, with considerably greater variations from what I was used to before, ranging from activities reports, news articles, to research proposals. I need to find a good writing course to handle all those. After all, a good writing skill will be an excellent addition to my skills set.
I understand English is not my native language (and my boss too, obviously), but still I was a little bit shocked. I don't consider myself as an excellent writer, but I liked to think I'm not too bad. Apparently, I was wrong.
I never join any writing course. Not in Indonesian, let alone in English. All this time, I write without really thinking how to do it, only about what to write. I get mixed results because of that. Sometimes I am able to produce good writings, sometimes crappy ones. I never really bother. Besides, apart from writing several small articles for my previous office's homepage - which I did mostly in Indonesian anyway, a lot easier for me - I don't really regularly write.
But now, I need to improve more on my writing. This new job apparently involves a lot of writing in English, with considerably greater variations from what I was used to before, ranging from activities reports, news articles, to research proposals. I need to find a good writing course to handle all those. After all, a good writing skill will be an excellent addition to my skills set.
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