:.••Nurani Dunia and the Press

SINCE the Central Java earthquake struck on May 27", Dr. Imam Prasodjo has been tirelessly pushing the issue of coming to the aid of the victims on anyone that will listen. It's all part of the 'unfinished project' of Indonesian independence. What happens here reflects on the whole country and failure would be a metaphor for failure as a country.

Rattling off a long stream of difficulties that have besot Indonesia over the last few years, he declares;"the tragedies that have occurred should be transformed into an emotional solidarity, as we make use of every capacity we have to develop the art of loving and compassion, to redefine Indonesia by developing a feeling of'we-ness' and togetherness in one family, one nation."

In his mind, the challenge is in recapturing the social capital and trust lost by the mismanagement of the New Order regime. It's this social capital that will be necessary to realize the dreams of this nation, to create a force strong enough to ward off sociopolitical instability. "'The challenge is not only the process of national disintegration where a region breaks away from the nation. But most alarming is the possibility of social disintegration where social bonds that bind us together are torn apart." A fundamental part of this process is uniting various sectors of civil society to strengthen communities and integrate those on the margins.

Calling Indonesia a nation 'borne of a courageous spirit' and emerging from 'shared suffering', he sees the rise of democracy as vital to eliminating 'chauvinism' and"provincialism' and creating a truly tolerant and pluralistic society. Democracy has been at the core Prasodjo's idea of Indonesian independ since rising to prominence during the reformasi period by coordinating stude groups challenging Suharto's governm He later vocalized this call for democ while appearing on television as a pol commentator and bringing Indonesia first presidential debates in 1999.

Now, his obsession has turned 'doing something', drawing on his years of academic study to create societal models meant to inspire new ways of looking at problems of education, health care, emergency response and more in Indonesian society. "The goal of this plan is the development of a responsive community characterized by open lines of communication and the potential for open, constructive and democratic community dialogue." This, he argues, will ultimately "make Indonesian communities stronger, more resilient, more peaceful and more prosperous."

Democracy and strong communities are keys to fulfilling the ambitions of the nation's founding fathers. As a result, he feels that the "reformasi leaders should continue the unfinished project' of this nation and continue the character building initially promoted by the leaders of Indonesian independence." The construction of this includes both physical structures (or the hardware) and the mental/moral foundation (or the software).

In Central Java, the renowned political commentator is leading his Nurani Dunia Foundation into 77 communities, aiming to harness the collective spirit to support and organize the organic process of mutual aid known as"qotonq royonq. Here, the efforts are focused on funneling enough food to keep the community kitchens alive and building temporary bamboo shelters for the elderly, infants and pregnant mothers-those most at risk. However, they are also working throughout the country, constructing schools and health centers, ensuring safe water supplies and creating economic empowerment programs. All of this is part of the process of supporting community efforts and creating the goodwill needed to advance more ambitious projects.

Prasodjo explains,-'When someone from one village sees how another village is helping each other and working to rebuild, he thinks "How about our village?" And this builds up. People see things going on and they want to jump on that boat. I want to see a country with so many social boats doing so many things to help each other - an organic, systemic, organized movement:

This accumulation of social capital, rather than financial capital, is precisely what the country needs, Prasodjo contends. While financial capital works on the principle of providing for the material needs of those affected, such as doling out a specific value for every life lost or house destroyed, it can also lead to the condition of a Hobbesian war or a 'war of all against all: By contrast, social capital aims to build up community bonds through volunteerism and trust.

His mind darting, Prasodjo rattles on about the donations coming in from artists and private individuals as well as large companies such as Nestle, Unilever, GE and Garuda. However, he reserves his greatest enthusiasm for the villagers themselves, heralding the manner in which they have come together to organize and rebuild. And this isn't limited simply to those living in the affected areas, with many coming from far afield on weekends to contribute whatever they can. Prasodjo excitedly points out the truckloads of people flying past on the road. "Look at that. Those are farmers. They are poor too but they are coming from 3, 4 hours away to help out."

On this day, Prasodjo and his partner Arifin set out from the poskoto tour some of the hardest hit communities of Bantul. The destruction is palpable, with many houses unsalvageable and empty spaces atop wide concrete foundations. However, the people seem to be in positive spirits. The food source from the community kitchen is secure and people are working hard to sort through the rubble and clear spaces for rebuilding. A group of women have prepared some fried tempeh and there's even some chicken on offer today. Everyone gathers around eager to show off the bamboo shelters that have been built by the organization. An elderly man proudly lets us in to see the simple bamboo bed and mattress where he now sleeps. The nights are still a little chilly, he says, but better than the frigid nights and steamy afternoons in the tents.

In a remote area of Bantul, another group of villagers has cautiously gathered around to hear Prasodjo share his ideas. He cautions them about the need for everyone to work hard and argues that he isn't a savior bringing loads of money. "I don't come with a lot of money. But, I have a telephone", he claims. Yet, with everyone working hard and social capital building up, he believes that the village has a bright future.

Taking disaster and creating opportunity is fundamental to Prasodjo's outlook on the future of the 'unfinished project' of Indonesia. "I feel that I am only a small part of the big movement of Indonesian people who are not wishing to lose the historic opportunity to save the nation, to rebuild Indonesia." If this will succeed, the once-marginalized people of lands stretching from Papua to Aceh will have to join in that process and Prasodjo hopes to get them involved by rebuilding their trust and hope.

Now, as he is standing amongst the ruins of a village in the remote mountains of Bantul outlining his vision, that phone rings.

"Mind if I answer this?" he grins, drawing laughs.

He puts his Nokia Communicator on speakerphone and everyone can hear the woman from SCTV asking him to come down to the studio. It's the World Cup she wants to chat about but Prasodjo chuckles and to the delight of everyone gathered around sets about putting priorities in order. "I'm in Bantu( right now. With the people that have lost their homes. There are sick people here, and elderly and infants and pregnant women. This is the story. This is what you should be covering."

And this is a story he's not going to stop talking about anytime soon. There's too much unfinished business to attend to.

The villagers in a remote mountain village of Bantul province are all smiles and showing enthusiasm as Prasodjo wraps up his presentation of plans and they too are starting to dream and eager to get started as a community. They can picture the new health center with its coconut wood and heavy stone base, with nutrition classes and fitness. They also look out upon the fields of sugarcane and envision his modern community school. It won't be easy but Prasodjo has that telephone and the community has its spirit.