PENGALAMAN DALAM NEGERI ERMA RANIK

A. PELATIHAN
1. Maret 1999 : “ Pelatihan Keberagaman (multikulturisme) bagi wartawan se Indonesia,” diselenggarakan oleh Lembaga Study Pers dan Pembangunan di Palangkaraya Kalimantan Tengah.
2. Juni 1999 : ”Pelatihan intensif bagi wartawan muda Indonesia dalam rangka ISAI AWARD 1999”, diselenggarakan oleh Institut Study Arus Informasi di Jakarta
3. Oktober 1999: “Pelatihan membangun perdamaian (peace bulding” untuk lembaga swadaya masyarakat,” diselenggarakan oleh The British Council di Yogyakarta.
4. Maret 2000: “Pelatihan Jurnalisme Damai untuk wartawan se Indonesia,” diselenggarakan oleh The British Council di Yogyakarta.
5. Oktober 2001 : ”Pelatihan Hak Asasi Manusia Untuk wartawan Indonesia,” Diselenggarakan oleh The British Council dan Lembaga Study Pers dan Pembangunan, di Jakarta.


B. FASILITATOR
1. April 2002 : “Pelatihan Nasional untuk pemuda adat; Proses standar hak asasi internasional bagi masyarakat adat,” diselenggarakan oleh Institut Dayakologi, AMAN, The Saami Council dan Uni Eropa di Pontianak.
2. November 2002 : ”Pelatihan jurnalistik bagi masyarakat sekitar Taman Nasional Danau Sentarum,” diselenggarakan oleh Yayasan Riak Bumi di Desa Nanga Leboyan Kab. Kapuas Hulu.
3. April 2003 : ” Lokakarya penguatan perempuan adat di Kabupaten Bengkayang,” diselenggarakan oleh Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Kalimantan Barat di Pastoran Bengkayang, Kab. Bengkayang.
4. Mei 2005 : ”Musyawarah Besar Masyarakat Adat Pegunungan Niut,” diselenggarakan oleh Perkumpulan PENA di Desa Parek Kec. Airbesar Kab. Landak.
5. Maret 2006 : ” Pelatihan jurnalisme radio dan pembentukan radio komunitas masyarakat adat pegunungan Niut,” diselenggarakan oleh Perkumpulan PENA di Desa Bentiang Kec. Airbesar Kab. Landak.


C. PEMBICARA
1. Oktober 2000: “Pelatihan jurnalisme untuk pers mahasiswa,” diselenggarakan oleh Institut Dayakologi di Pontianak.
2. Juni 2002 : ” Pelatihan pembuatan peraturan lokal berdimensi hak asasi manusia untuk anggota DPRD dan dosen,” diselenggarakan oleh Perhimpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia, di Pontianak.
3. February 2004 : ” Lokakarya Pemilu Damai di Kalimantan Barat,” diselenggarakan oleh Commond Ground Indonesia di Pontianak.
4. Juni 2004 : ” Seri Konsultasi Draft Deklarasi Masyarakat Adat di Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa,” diselenggarakan oleh Perkumpulan PENA dan AMAN.
5. Maret 2004 : “ Lokakarya Revitalisasi Adat dalam Era Transisi Demokrasi di Indonesia,” diselenggarakan oleh Lembaga Penelitian Asia Universitas Nasional Singapura (Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore), di Batam, Kepulauan Riau.
6. Maret 2006 : ” Sarasehan Kondisi Kesenian tradisional di Indonesia,” diselenggarakan oleh BAKTI dan Bank Dunia, di Makasar Sulawesi Selatan.
7. Agustus – Oktober 2007 : ” Pelatihan penggalian potensi desa secara partisipatif,” diselenggarakan oleh EC-Indonesia FLEGT support project di Kab. Sintang, Kab. Melawi dan Kab. Kapuas Hulu.

PENGALAMAN LUAR NEGERI

A. PELATIHAN

1. Oktober 2001: “ Standard Hak Asasi Manusia Internasional dan Proses Kebijakann Bagi Masyarakat Adat (International Human Rights Standard and the Policy Process for Indigenous Peoples)” , diselenggarakan oleh Cordilera Peoples Alliance, the Saami Council dan Uni Eropa, di Baguio City, Philippina.
2. Mei – July 2003: “ Pelatihan dan magang advokasi internasional untuk pemuda adapt (Training and internship on international advocacy for youth indigenous peoples),” diselenggarakan oleh Down to Earth, Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN) dan Departemen Pembangunan Internasional Kerajaan Inggris (DFID), di Inggris.
3. November – Desember 2005 : “ Kursus untuk Pemimpin Muda Asia dalam Tata Kelola Pemerintahan (the first regional course Asia for Young Leaders in Governance),” diselenggarakan oleh Badan Pembangunan Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa (United Nation Development Program) Regional office Bangkok dan LEAD, di Chiangmai, Thailand.
4. July – Agustus 2006 : “ Pelatihan Masyarakat dalam Sistem Hukum Internasional (indigenous peoples in the international system)” , diselenggarakan oleh Pemerintah Greenland dan International Training Center for Indigenous peoples di Greenland Kutub Utara.

B. FASILITATOR

1. Juni 2003 : “Pelatihan Hak Asasi Manusia untuk Pejabat Pemerintah (Human Rights Training for Indonesian Government Officials), “ diselenggarakan oleh Departemen Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia (Depkumham) Republik Indonesia dan Human Rights Institute (HRI) Universitas Oslo, di Oslo, Norwegia.

C. PEMBICARA


1. July 2002 : “ Seminar Kondisi demokrasi dan konflik di Indonesia (International symposium on democracy and conflict in Indonesia)”, diselenggarakan oleh Network for Indonesian Democracy (NINDJA) dan Sophia University, di Tokyo, Japan.
2. Agustus 2003 : “ Konvensi internasional Cendekiawan Asia (Third International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS 3)), diselenggarakan oleh Universitas Nasional Singapore (National University of Singapore) di Singapura.
3. April 2002 : “ Lokakarya Konsultasi Draft Deklarasi Hak-Hak Masyarakat Adat,” diselenggarakan oleh Minority Rights Group Inggris, diselenggarakan di Bangkok, Thailand.

3 FUNGSI DAN PERAN DPD

Sesuai dengan konstitusi, format representasi DPD-RI dibagi menjadi fungsi legislasi, pertimbangan dan pengawasan pada bidang-bidang terkait sebagaimana berikut ini.

1. Fungsi Legislasi

Tugas dan wewenang:

• Dapat mengajukan rancangan undang-undang (RUU) kepada DPR
• Ikut membahas RUU

Bidang Terkait: Otonomi daerah; Hubungan pusat dan daerah; Pembentukan, pemekaran, dan penggabungan daerah; Pengelolaan sumberdaya alam dan sumberdaya ekonomi lainnya; Perimbangan keuangan pusat dan daerah.

2. Fungsi Pertimbangan

Tugas dan wewenang:

• Memberikan pertimbangan kepada DPR

Bidang Terkait: RUU Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Negara (APBN); RUU yang berkaitan dengan pajak, pendidikan, dan agama; Pemilihan anggota Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan.

3. Fungsi Pengawasan

Tugas dan wewenang:

• Dapat melakukan pengawasan atas pelaksanaan undang-undang dan menyampaikan hasil pengawasannya kepada DPR sebagai bahan pertimbangan untuk ditindaklanjuti.
• Menerima hasil pemeriksaan keuangan negara yang dilakukan BPK

Bidang Terkait : Otonomi daerah; Hubungan pusat dan daerah; Pembentukan dan pemekaran, serta penggabungan daerah; Pengelolaan sumberdaya alam serta sumberdaya ekonomi lainnya; Perimbangan keuangan pusat dan daerah; Pelaksanaan anggaran pendapatan dan belanja negara (APBN); Pajak, pendidikan, dan agama.

Munying, a Dayak traditional healer

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 09/27/2002 12:00 AM | Life

Munying is not much different from everybody else in his village. Living in a four meter-by-five meter wooden house in Tanjung village, Jalai Hulu district, he makes a living as a farmer.

But he is also known as a healer, or baliatn. Since childhood he has never been much interested in religion. ""I can't comprehend religion,"" he says.

""Once I had an illness that was hard to cure and I almost went mad,"" he recalls.

He suffered for a long time, but Hangiq, a baliatn from Air Dua, healed him. Since then, he has studied the arts of the healer so he too can help others.

As a baliatn, Munying leads a different life than people of other Dayak subtribes. He must, for example, be able to fast for seven days. There is also a period in which he can eat only certain foods. And he must be able to stir-fry seven grains until each forms something like a cracker.

A baliatn can eat only three grains, and must dump the rest on the ground. In a barayah rite (Dayak Jalai-Ketapang), refraining from eating certain foods and fasting are compulsory. Without this process, one cannot be a legitimate baliatn.

Payment for the services of a baliatn are large earthen jugs, plates, bowls and so forth, suitable to the disease cured. If someone is cured of an illness, then he must give the baliatn six plates, a machete and a chicken, plus some rice. Sometimes, the healer will not take this gift. So, a healer is in essence a volunteer worker, and cannot be blamed if his healing powers fail him.

Munying says he does not regret becoming a healer, because it was his destiny. To be a healer, a person must suffer. Understandably, only a few people are able to qualify.

Healers from Dayak Ketungau Sesat also have their own superstitions. They must not walk through a cemetery. They may not divulge their supernatural partner. And after healing someone, they can't go home alone.

Then the healers -- also called manang -- must not eat certain foods. They also are not allowed to refuse a request to heal someone.

""Even if there are hurricanes or rainstorms, I must go to a patient's house even though I have to walk,"" Munying said.

To be a healer is to assume a heavy social responsibility indeed. There is little economic gain. Almost all Dayak tribes allow a healer to receive their fees only in the form of goods. A healer cannot set his fees. The sick person gives something to his healer voluntarily. If he can afford to give a healer only some plates, the healer must accept this gift.

It is a social profession, as such a Dayak healer lives a modest life. As being a healer entails heavy consequences, not many Dayak youngsters are interested in this profession.

--Erma S. Ranik

Photos by West Kalimantan children bring reconciliation

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 01/26/2008 2:45 AM | Life

By Erma S. Ranik

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): Sixteen-year-old Agus' eyes gleamed whenhe saw the photograph before him. ""That is the rice field near my house,"" he said. His eyes were glued to the photographs taken by Desy Anggraini, 16, who hails from Sinam village in Pemangkat subdistrict, Sambas regency.

Agus is one of thousands of children who fled their homes with their parents following the riot that rocked Sambas in March 1999. He has lived in a haj dormitory in Pontianak for over a year now. It is not possible forhim to return to Sinam because the residents of the Malay ethnic group, whooccupy most of Sambas, still object to the return of the Madurese residents.

Agus was able to gratify his longing for his home village when he saw thephotographs on display at an exhibition of children photography at the State Museum in Pontianak from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22. Agus was able to name the spots and places captured in the photographs on display.

Agus' comment was just one of many reactions to the photographs during a workshop on photography held for the children of West Kalimantan. This exhibition was the fruit of a collaboration between Child's Eye, a network of non-governmental organizations in West Kalimantan and the Forum of Volunteers from West Kalimantan, with support from the British Council.

Sixty children of Malay, Dayak, Madurese and Chinese ethnic/racial backgrounds took part in the exhibition. Most of them were from socially marginalized classes in Pontianak, Nyarumkop and Pemangkat: the children ofbus conductor assistants, fishermen and basketmakers, school dropouts and children from refugee camps.

Jonathan Perugia of Child's Eye said the most important part of the program was helping the children of West Kalimantan explain what took placein their daily lives through photography.

""Many people may know nothing about what the daily life of a child is like,"" he said.

And sadly, many children lead desperate lives. They receive no education,are subject and witness to horrible violence or are compelled to work to survive.

With just a pocket camera the children were given ample opportunity to make use of photography as an instrument with which they could talk about their daily lives.

""You feel something different when you look at photographs taken by children and those taken by professional photographers,"" said Perugia, an Associated Press free-lance photographer.

Professional photographers may come up with artistically fine photographs, but they may not have a strong feeling for what they capture with their cameras. ""They are obviously different from the children in their own environment.""

This explains why the children taking part in the program were able to capture their daily activities in their entirety.

Jemi, 15, a Malay, fishes for a living. So he has chosen as his subject the lives of fishermen's children in Pemangkat, capturing their activities from collecting fish to bathing in the river.

In this exhibition, the children were allowed complete freedom to select which of their photos they thought were worth displaying.

The children of Nyarumkop have also captured the activities they know best. They photographed life in a Dayak village. And Wijayanto, 15, captured with her photos the pulse of life among the ethnic Chinese in Singkawang.

Meanwhile, children from a refugee camp tell in their photos what their lives in the camp are like: a limited supply of clean water, small huts andscabies, which many children in the camp suffer from.

With the special spirit of children, they also recorded in their photos the riot that broke out in Pontianak between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27, 2000. Bekri, 14, for example, came up with a photograph showing the desire for a peaceful Pontianak that children have.

A child is squatting, holding a small banner that reads: ""We love peace/ethnic groups/racial groups/religion."" The caption below the photograph reads as follows: ""This banner is held by a child refugee who loves peace. His name is Adam, aged 10, and he earns a living as a scavenger.""

Look at the photographs by Anissa, 15, a Malay girl from Pontianak. She took a picture of a Madurese and a Malay joining hands under a banner aboutthe love for peace. The photo was taken in Kampung Dalam, where the riot inPontianak began.

Anissa said the photo was very important because it depicted the unity between the Madurese and the Malay. Her caption for this photo is: ""Happy and Peaceful.""

""I took this picture in the middle of a riot. The leaders of the Madureseand the Malay suggested that everybody make a banner with the inscription ""Love peace"" to ensure the riot would not spread,"" she said.

Meanwhile, Raidatul Ulum, a coordinator of the event, said the exhibitionalso was held in observance of International Child's Rights Convention Day,which is observed every Nov. 20.

It also is aimed at making more people aware of the plight of children inWest Kalimantan. ""Children are always the victims in the conflicts that break out in West Kalimantan.""

Therefore, this exhibition was held not only in Pontianak, but also in Singkawang from Nov. 24 to Nov. 26. ""The aim is to make more people in WestKalimantan aware of the plight of the children of West Kalimantan,"" he stressed.

To Muhamad, 25, a visitor to the exhibition, this event could be construed as a reconciliation of sorts in West Kalimantan. ""The photographsput on display are those taken by children of different ethnic groups in West Kalimantan.""

He said that this was a good step forward given that conflicts often occur in the province. ""Hopefully through this exhibition the children willbe able to remind adults of the significance of being different,"" he stressed.

Differences, Muhamad said, are no reason for clashes and conflict.

The writer is a journalist for KALIMANTAN Review and a member of the Alliance of Independent Journalists, West Kalimantan bureau

Contract marriages a ticket out of a small town

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 01/26/2008 2:12 AM | Life

SINGKAWANG, West Kalimantan (JP): With too much makeup for her tender years, Su Khim is about to embark on a momentous journey.

As a car pulled up in front of a three-star hotel in the center of Singkawang, she was one of the four people who alighted.

The others were two middle-aged men and a doltish looking young man.

They sat in the lobby, and the two older men began making a series of calls on their cellular phones. One of them came over to the young woman and told her: ""If the phone rings, you must answer yes.""

The man continued by telling her how she should answer the call in the Chinese dialect of Taiwan. Su Khim appeared timid, which irritated the man. ""How will you be able to go to Taiwan to see your mother-in-law if you can't even do such a simple thing?"" he barked.

Su Khim is only one of thousands of ethnic Chinese young women from Singkawang who choose to marry men from Taiwan in contract marriages.

Economic woes are the greatest push for the amoy, as Singkawang's ethnic Chinese women were once known, to seek a foreign bridegroom. Unlike many other Chinese-Indonesian communities, Singkawang is relatively poor. Most of the people are vegetable farmers or fishermen.

Unmarried men from Taiwan have realized it is easy to find a wife in the small town, which has led to brokers setting up business to help them in their search.

Language is no handicap. Though Singkawang residents speak Hakka as theirvernacular dialect, they quickly become fluent in the dialect of Taiwan.

From hunger

Su Khim, who is from Karimunting village, Sungai Raya subdistrict, said she only finished the sixth grade of elementary school two years ago, whichwould make her about 15 years old.

She helped her parents in farming but they lived in poor conditions. One day a distant male relative came to her family and asked Su Khim if she would be interested in going to Taiwan.

It was not for a job offer, but to become the wife of a young man.

Su Khim did not find the offer strange because several girls from her neighboring village had married men from Taiwan. She did not think long andhard about the matter, but decided it was a way to help her family.

She was told to have her photograph taken to be sent to Taiwan. She did not have to wait long because a month later there was a reply from her prospective husband.

He was the younger man in the lobby. Although the man suffers from polio and is not particularly attractive, Su Khim said she was still willing to go through with the plan ""because he's still young"".

She will try out the marriage arrangement by staying in Taiwan for a year.

Kenny Kumala of Singkawang's Ethnic Chinese Communication Forum (Foket) said the large number of Singkawang Chinese girls marrying men from Taiwan began to emerge in the 1970s.

He said it was better today because the man was required to meet his prospective wife before the marriage day. ""In the past they didn't know whotheir husbands before they went to Taiwan,"" she said.

Kenny did not deny the arrangement held risks for the women. ""I've received information from a non-governmental organization in Taiwan that there are 10,000 girls from Singkawang whose status is unclear.""

He also did not dispute that many girls also married good spouses.

""It is they who send money to their families in Singkawang each month,"" Kenny added.

Tjang Fo Hon, the head of a monastery in Singkawang, said men from Taiwanchose women from Singkawang as their wives because they were considered patient and not materialistic.

He said most of the men found it difficult to find partners in their own country, sometimes because of their looks but mostly because they were ""notestablished"".

Marriage to Singkawang women is a bargain for them. They only pay for their flights to Singkawang and a small dowry to their new in-laws. It's relatively inexpensive due to the strength of the Taiwan dollar to the rupiah.

The marriages are most often carried out at the public records' office. However, the men cannot bring their new wives to Taiwan until the women have changed their citizenship, which involves submitting applications to the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jakarta.

""The process can take three months,"" Tjang Fo Hon added. If the applications are approved, the wives can follow their husbands.

In addition to send money back to their parents every month, the women usually return home for Chinese New Year.

Aloysius Kilim, regional legislature for Bengkawang regency, said there was no administrative way to prevent the marriages, despite protests that some of the women are underage.

""Anyhow their families become prosperous because their children have married in Taiwan,"" he said.

For some women and their families, it's the only way for them to create abetter life. (Erma S. Ranik)