Zevanya
Carrie Hall
1101-D355
March 17 2019
The Outcasts
Around a year ago, I was in a car with my best friend, her parents and her parents’ friend (Tante T). We were on our way to a teacher’s wedding reception when we stumbled upon a homeless person on the street asking for change. I clearly remember her parent’s friend said, “tuh kan karena orang-orang inilah negara Indonesia enggak maju. Yah boleh dibilang sampah-masyarakat kita la” (this is why Indonesia never improve economic wise, it’s because of these poor people. I guess you can say, they’re basically our society’s trash) I was fueled with so much anger and annoyance because do you think they wanted to be poor? Are you saying that just because YOU’RE MORE PRIVILEGED you have the right to talk down at them? Have you ever tried to understand them instead of blaming them? I wanted to ask her all of these questions so eagerly but it was considered very disrespectful to talk back at elders and they would say how “young people’s” opinions are invalid because they are young and clueless.
Not long after the incident with Tante T there was a talk show called ‘Kick Andy’. It was similar to Ted Talk and it just so happens that the topic was about “sampah masyarakat.” During the talk, it briefly explains the definition of the word which means outcasts or in direct translation society’s trash. They were talking about the homeless, prostitutions and children born outside of wedlock. I never knew the word represented so many communities besides the homeless. I would be lying if I said I have no problem with young females or males becoming prostitutes but behind every title there’s a story. A story that not many know or care to know because a majority of Indonesians are self-centered, ignorant and judgmental.
In relation to the homeless, it turns out that the two main causes behind our country’s poverty are corruption and unstable food prices, especially rice. According to Project, T.B, “25 percent of Indonesians reported having paid a bribe to obtain identification documents, and one in seven reported having paid a bribe to utility services in the past twelve months.” (p. 3) “These problems impede the development of Indonesia’s public infrastructure including electricity generation and provision of clean water.” (p. 4) In other words, numerous Indonesians are blinded by their ego and are unaware how it is affecting the society especially the less fortunate. I’ve seen news about children in Indonesia falling ill and dying due to insufficient access to potable water. In addition, The World Bank economist Ndiame Diop stated that the reason behind the fluctuation of food prices is because Indonesia has low farm productivity (caused by the old-fashioned technology), almost no progress in new crop development and when there are scarce food supplies, the country is unable to instantly accept imports. This shows how the homeless people aren’t the cause of our country’s poor economic development instead they’re the victims.
Not only are the homeless people victims but so are prostitutes. As I’ve mentioned earlier, most Indonesians are Muslim and the remaining population is either Christian, Catholic, Buddhist or Hindu. In other words, Indonesia is a very religious country which is what makes it so diverse but how is it possible for a country that implements numerous norms and values have prostitution as the most grossing career? According to Pomchertchoo, “it becomes clear that poverty remains a key driver that leads individuals and even families into prostitution.” (p. 10)
In the article “Indonesia’s sex trade ‘impossible’ to shut down”, a mother named Ratu entered the prostitution industry at the age of 17 because her parents were struggling financially. What made it even more heartbreaking was that her daughter, Putri, also works as a prostitute. Putri dreamed of becoming a doctor but money became an obstacle. The article mentioned how most families are exactly like theirs, both the mother and daughter would be a part of the industry just to help the family live another day. Do our people (the higher class) know that not everybody comes from a three generation of rich businessmen?
In America, children born outside of wedlock isn’t really a big deal whereas, in Indonesia, it’s viewed as the most sinful and horrific act. Close-minded adults would say how illegitimate children are most likely to become failures but I’m living proof that the way you were born doesn’t determine your future in any way. When my mom’s friends and family found out she was pregnant with me they all told her to abort it before she ruins her life. People discriminated her and assumed her life would be a downfall but she proved them wrong. We both proved them wrong. She now works as a director in the largest beauty company worldwide – Loreal – and travels all around the world visiting salons, attending huge conferences and events. They thought I would become a failure but here I am in New York chasing my dreams, helping people and successfully achieving a 4.0GPA. There has always been a quote within my family that said “jangan liat gw sekarang tapi liat gw nanti.” (don’t look at me now, look where I am in the future). This very quote was what motivated my mom and I to keep moving forward.
“Jadi sebenerny maksud gw itu apa?” (Okay, then what exactly is my point?) Indonesians have always used the term “sampah masyarakat” to make these communities feel even more worthless. They put the blame of the country’s image and failures on these communities but never understood or tried to understand their side of the story. Instead of complaining and putting the blame on other people, take a look in the mirror and ask yourselves “what exactly have I contributed to my country?” If the only thing you people do is buy imported branded goods (which actually provides revenue for the country the product was made from instead of ours) and waste millions of dollars on cars just for collection maybe you guys are no better. Maybe, we all are sampah masyarakat.
Works Cited
Project, The Borgen. “The Two Main Causes of Poverty in Indonesia and the Need for Further Progress.” BORGEN, 3 Aug. 2017, www.borgenmagazine.com/causes-of-poverty-in-indonesia/.
Promchertchoo, Pichayada. “Indonesia’s Sex Trade ‘Impossible’ to Shut Down.” Channel NewsAsia, 27 Aug. 2018, www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-s-sex-trade–impossible–to-shut-down-8009820?cid=youtube_cna_social_29012018_cna.
“Indonesia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia.
