Taxi Cab Confessions in Indonesia

One of the best places to learn about the issues in Indonesia is by traveling around in a taxi. In everyday conversations it is sometimes difficult to decipher answers and the outward presentation of an Indonesian. There is such a unique way of presenting yourself and being polite in Java. The political realm in Indonesia is yet another very complex system of inner-workings relationships specially politicking in ways to arrive at desired outcomes. In a taxi however, things seem to be a little different for some reason. I don’t know why but conversations seem to be genuine and personal in a cab. It’s as if the character of the driver is perhaps let down by the fact that there is no exchange of names, titles, and the relationship will last only until the destination, upon which you disembark and never have any subsequent ties with each other—aside from the off-chance you step into the same cab again. But that is unlikely since there are about 13,000 bluebird cabs alone; not to mention the total number of taxis in Jakarta, which must double that figure and probably surpasses 30,000 cars. An hour south of the capital, in Bogor, the road is constantly clogged by a poorly planned transportation system—a mellow green mass of ‘Angkots’ crawl through the roads like cockroaches beeping at everyone and stopping just about anywhere to solicit rides—it has cause some of the most frustrating traffic imagine-able. I always take my chance for the front seat. The opportunities to conduct research about this fascinating country are limitless. In Jakarta, most cab-drivers are migrants from even the furthest reaches of Indonesia and in Bogor I get the local perspective.


The most popular topics always come up in conversation. The traffic is awful. After being stuck in gridlock so long, with one Angkot driver we actually came up with a fairly lengthy entrepreneurial plan to sell cigarettes in the cab to feed this overly nicotine-addicted and dependent society. The traffic is bad… and with such an overpopulated region without sufficient and effective public transportation, the problems seep into everyone’s everyday lives. I’m actually a rather big fan of the new transjakarta busway system and enjoy riding the busses but it’s just not enough to deal with the transportation needs of this mega city.

More serious and emotional matters always re-enter the conversation. People are disappointed in the state of Indonesia and always ask my opinion how it could be better. I insist that since reformasi (the fall of Suharto and reformation period in in the late 1990s), this is still a relatively young country and the legacy of Suharto’s KKN (corruption, collusion, and nepotism) style government is still very strong. After thirty years of normalizing a style of leadership and policy, it is impossible to think that the idealism of successful regional autonomy can be immediately achieved. However, headlines of “corruption” and “regional autonomy” are among the most common issues in the opinion pages of the Kompas newspaper, and it shows a strong commitment from a flourishing freedom of the press that people actually care about such issues. I reply to the driver, although the rupiah is still weak the foundation and ideology for democracy in Indonesia is strong and with constant monitoring and involvement there are possibilities for a very prosperous future. I try to provide some optimism.

Domestically, some major hurdles remain. Aside from genuine efforts at a free press, there needs to be better accountability in the legal system and more emphasis on secure investment. Indonesians are afraid of investing in their own country and are focusing more on secure investments in other countries (e.g. Singapore). Internationally, the Moslem community (about 88%) could play a crucial role in world politics. A recent visit by Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmedinedjad has translated into deep respect and admiration from Indonesians. The greater rifts in the Islamic world and especially with the West that is developing surrounding the frenzy created by Ahmedinedjad may lead to possible serious conflicts through the divisions that are occurring on the world stage. Indonesia will hold an increasingly larger role to play in such issues of world politics.

On a national level, I feel the ostracizing of the Muslim community towards other ethnic and religious groups may also lead to severe unrest in the future. Overriding the Bhinneka Tunggal Eka ideology (One through Diversity) through more emphasis on Moslem groups towards Islamicization will lead to unity issues in Indonesia. Within Indonesia, Moslem groups are also creating greater rifts among themselves. “Before there seemed only two options from the major divisions of Islam and now it has become more complex and divided” one driver tells me. Perhaps the idea for Indonesians to think of themselves as ‘Indonesians first’ was something that Suharto was very successful.

The money has weekend and sometimes people are almost serious when they say that the Suharto era was better than things are today. “Money was easier to come by then.” It is true, when reflecting on the Suharto era things did seem a little better. But just like a deck of cards can systematically be built to reach fairly great heights, it is not built on sufficient infrastructure to sustain any problems or mistakes. 32 years of power built an impressive house of cards but also led to a plunging economy, a dysfunctional system of law, and cruel politics, which the people of Indonesia are now paying for. Less than a decade later, Indonesia appears a young country but with a promising hope at changing their ideologies for a better future—as long as there is a halt to corruption to build together a proud, united Indonesia.

It is rather exciting to be close to such a process. The Indonesian people are yearning for better leadership. They see the difficulties in their economy and are hoping for a better and more comfortable, secure future. Today, I leave for Aceh. A province with complex historical issues. People have told me the pride of Acehnese surpasses into a realm of stubbornness. The Islam and newly implemented Syariah law in Aceh has been described as fanatic. The people have gone through a unique and long history. At the tip of Sumatra with beautiful sceneries and a gateway into the spice islands, the region has been a very crucial stronghold. The infamous Zheng He, with one of the strongest navies in history expanded Chinese power and landed in Aceh in the 14th century; using the region as a trading stronghold. In the 1600s, Sultan Iskandar Muda based his kingdom in Aceh and he was able to control much of the Western coast of Sumatra and even expanded East into the Malay regions.

Flying into Aceh, the airport is called Iskandar Muda airport and on the drive from the airport into the capital, Banda Aceh, I passed several schools, plaques, a police complex, and other institutions dedicated to Iskandar Muda. The pride people have for their history, through this sultan, who people say was so dignified that he went so far as to order the execution of his own adulterous son (others argue the execution was because he did not want to give up his power to the heir to the throne). Iskandar Muda is a source of great pride and it seems people resort to his legacy because in more recent years they feel they had to submit to outsiders—like the Dutch, who fought a long and grueling war for control that the Acehnese say they never accepted. And then, there is the contemporary history. After the Dutch finally left, the Indonesians picked up right where they left off.

Aceh has very rich natural resources and especially of economic value are the natural gas deposits found in the Lhok Seumawe area. Acehnese complain that while their resources produce a lot of monetary benefit to Indonesia, the people remain poor and the fighting between the separatist GAM (Free Aceh Movement) and the military reached heights of conflict in the early 1990s, resulting in several thousand casualties.

And then there was the tsunami—perhaps the greatest natural disaster of our time. The Acehnese driver says he lost about half his family and subsequent conversations reveal similar personal accounts and statistics. More than five thousand teachers were lost, and 30,000 children orphaned. Casualties here are described as ‘disappeared’ rather than ‘passed away’ or ‘dead.’ Literally any trace of tens of thousands of people who once existed have basically disappeared. Another man tells me how he lost ten years worth of research, and while such issues may not compare to missing family members, they tell important clues into the recovery process that people must have been going through these past couple of years.

Having just a few conversations in Aceh I think back to the metaphor the cab driver gave me on the way to the airport. “Aceh’s houses have very small doors. You’ll have to bow to get in. Once you are in however, the interior is very spacious and comfortable. You’ll see, the people are like that too.” I now see his point. I am looking forward to my time in Aceh.

Exiting the cab and glad to have new insights (including a financial analysis of the meager earnings of the typical driver) I utter my usual goodbye to the driver—“Here’s a little extra tip for the ngobrol (conversations),” and hand him a little extra. Hopefully by a slim chance I’ll step into this car again sometime...