Posts Tagged ‘Yogyakarta’
Sultanate Vs SBY
wow, suddenly I found a blog article about the dispute of Yogyakarta’s special status. It is economist blog about asia view that make a good point and coverage.
Political scientists in Jakarta and Yogyakarta say that changes are needed: Yogyakarta’s legislative council does not “run normally” because the council dares not challenge the governor (who is, after all, the king). Therefore, there are no checks and balances. Yet a monarchy has its advantages: Yogyakartans cannot be faulted for revering their grand, incorruptible king in preference to some wheeler-dealer provincial governor. Sultan Hamengkubuwono’s stature also gives him a special sovereignty in national politics: he could support the Indonesian reform movement in 1998 without fear, and in during the violent days of May of that year, when Suharto came down, he calmed protesters in Jogja, thus saving the city from the looting and burning that affected other Javanese cities. The liberal sultan, who abolished polygamy when he rose to the throne in 1998, has also expressed concern that the new parardhya institution would add to existing royal privileges by conferring immunity from prosecution.
the blog just make a good point. it is the political scientist and politician that disagree with Yogyakarta’s monarchy system. But, Yogyakarta’s citizen still give their support to the king and his dynasty.
chaotic night
Unpredictably, Friday night becomes a chaotic night for Merapi’s evacuees. The story started when the volcano was rumbling in the distance. It was in the midnight when the loudest rumble could be heard even from more than 30 miles far from the Merapi’s hot pit.
In my current place, that is 30 miles from the hot pit, villages come out from their home. The rumble even could wake them from their soundly sleep. Villages come out and directed their eyes to the volcano. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy night so the hot pit of Merapi was invisible. The 30 miles away panic is only last for minutes. But, right in the slope and evacuation camp that only 10 miles from the active crater’s of Merapi, the fear last for hours.
Right after the rumble, Jalan Kaliurang was rushed by evacuation since the street is the main evacuation lane in the Sleman regency. While the evacuees were going down, I tried to go up, tried to draw near the hot pit. Police closed Kentungan junction, the main access to the higher Jalan Kaliurang. Finally, I found another way to pass the barricade.
It was the real chaotic night. While thousands of evacuees tried to abandon their last evacuation camp, there also sand fall. Sand, pebbles’, and ashes fall from sky that narrowing the evacuees’ vision. Approximately, evacuees had to go more than 5 miles from their last evacuation camp.
Berita Demokrasi
morningtology 