Just a short post guys, just something that came to mind randomly.
A re-examining of my family's genetic ancestry has led to some interesting thoughts.
One source for these interesting thoughts are my recollections of Grandpa. He had blue eyes, which might indicate Caucasian ancestry. I also remember him being fond of sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn, crops which originated in Central and South America. Then again, these foods are quite popular in China in modern times, so it doesn't seem so odd for him to have enjoyed these foods.
Was Grandpa really an Amerindian 鬼佬?! Hmm...
My father's ancestry thoroughly intrigues me as well. From first glance, Dad doesn't look to me like a typical "Han" Chinese person at all. I once read a National Geographic article which traced the ancestry of a supposedly "pure" Frenchman, he was shocked to discover African and Asian ancestors from relatively recent times (within the past few thousand years).
I would love to do some proper research, even testing, I'm not sure where to start though. Are there any institutes nearby that trace family ancestry?
Any readers out there who can help, that would be much appreciated!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
人生十四最- Life's 14 Greatest
This refers to a little list that has been hanging around Mum's home for all of my life, it ties strongly in with her Buddhist beliefs. However I do believe it has value to anyone, even if they are Non-Buddhist or even Non-religious for that matter. Until my English was at a decent level and when I could also actually read some of the Chinese characters, I really never valued it myself. However nowadays, I find it rather inspiring and thought I'd share it with anyone bothered to read.
And yes, the English translations are below the Chinese characters.
1) 人生最大的敵人是自己
Life's greatest enemy is oneself.
2) 人生最大的失敗是自大
Life's greatest failure is arrogance.
3) 人生最大的欺騙是無知
Life's greatest deception is ignorance.
4) 人生最可哀的是嫉妒
Life's greatest sorrow is envy.
5) 人生最大的錯誤是自棄
Life's greatest error is abandoning oneself.
6) 人生最大的罪過自欺欺人
Life's greatest sin is to deceive oneself.
7) 人生最可憐的性情是自卑
Life's greatest pitiable disposition is self-pity.
8) 人生最可佩服是精進
Life's greatest admiration is the choice to move on.
9) 人生最大的破產是絕望
Life's greatest insolvency is despair.
10) 人生最大的財富是健康
Life's greatest wealth is good health.
11) 人生最大的債服是人情債
Life's greatest liability is a debt of human sympathy.
12) 人生最大的禮物是寬恕
Life's greatest gift is forgiveness
13) 人生最大的缺欠石悲智
Life's greatest imperfection is melancholy wisdom.
14) 人生最大的欣慰是布施
Life's greatest gratification is give to charity.
I hope treasure it as much as I have, this might be made up of simple words (though I still had to look a few up in the dictionary, Chinese that is :-P) but I believe they offer great value and insight.
And yes, the English translations are below the Chinese characters.
1) 人生最大的敵人是自己
Life's greatest enemy is oneself.
2) 人生最大的失敗是自大
Life's greatest failure is arrogance.
3) 人生最大的欺騙是無知
Life's greatest deception is ignorance.
4) 人生最可哀的是嫉妒
Life's greatest sorrow is envy.
5) 人生最大的錯誤是自棄
Life's greatest error is abandoning oneself.
6) 人生最大的罪過自欺欺人
Life's greatest sin is to deceive oneself.
7) 人生最可憐的性情是自卑
Life's greatest pitiable disposition is self-pity.
8) 人生最可佩服是精進
Life's greatest admiration is the choice to move on.
9) 人生最大的破產是絕望
Life's greatest insolvency is despair.
10) 人生最大的財富是健康
Life's greatest wealth is good health.
11) 人生最大的債服是人情債
Life's greatest liability is a debt of human sympathy.
12) 人生最大的禮物是寬恕
Life's greatest gift is forgiveness
13) 人生最大的缺欠石悲智
Life's greatest imperfection is melancholy wisdom.
14) 人生最大的欣慰是布施
Life's greatest gratification is give to charity.
I hope treasure it as much as I have, this might be made up of simple words (though I still had to look a few up in the dictionary, Chinese that is :-P) but I believe they offer great value and insight.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Red, White and Blue (Australia Day post)
Red, White and Blue: Such a common theme for the flags of Mankind. People have embraced vileness and hatred due to these colours. People have embraced and cared for others because of these colours. People have fought and died for these colours. Others have chosen to celebrate and live live to the fullest with the colours in their heart. Who would have though that such three simple colours could have such an effect!
The Taiwanese have 同心同德，贯彻始终， 晴天白日满地红 as a motto. So stoic!
Hmm, I don't know if Aussies really have any motto explicitly tied to the flag though.
I would be lying if I said that I have no opinions on Australia Day and the flag it bears. I guess since no-one really reads this,Ｉcan air my opinions right?
I haven't attended a proper celebration of Australia Day in many years, especially not the ones for the fireworks. I think the fireworks are repetitive, loud and crappy excuse to pollute the air. The firework celebrations also breed awful behaviour, at least the years I went, especially those held near the city and foreshore. The people I encountered were loud, rude, littered everywhere and probably used the day as an excuse to get blind drunk and belligerent.
Perhaps I was swayed by the flag bearing ceremony in Taipei on New Years. It was massive and crowded, but I saw no serious incidents at all. Sincere patriotism was shown, but the crowd was civil and polite. There were foreigners there as well, waving the ROC flag as well, on a cold windy Taipei night, this made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Everytime I left the fireworks, I would feel a little disgusted, especially seeing the incredible amount of rubbish left on the grounds. The only real reason whyＩever attended was because I love Dad and I enjoy spending time with him and bonding with him. My mother never wanted to go and my brother (who's much older) always celebrated with his mates. I also had a few minor racial encounters which angered me quite a bit. So I decided a few years ago, that I wouldn't bother going.
Maybe I should just hold a quiet barbeque at home with some family and friends. :-P
As for the flag, what was I going to say? I dislike the design, not for any ideological and nationalistic reasons, I just dislike it aesthetically. I think it's an ugly flag. For those who argue that the Union Jack no longer represents Australia, well Australia is still technically a dominion and Queen Elizabeth the Second is still the Head of State. I think my demand for a change in flag design is kind of selfish on my part :-P So I don't really pursue it seriously. I think for now, the ugly-ass flag will do. However when or if Australia does ever change into a republic, then obviously a new design should seriously be considered.
Anyway, enough of my ranting. Whatever your opinions are of your own country and the flag it bears, I hope everyone has a lovely day today, enjoys themselves and keeps the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of man in their hearts especially with what is happening in Queensland and other afflicted places around the globe. I know for some this day has a bad history, but so do a lot of national days I guess around the world, let bygones be bygones and be nice to one another ;-)
Best regards,思捷
The Taiwanese have 同心同德，贯彻始终， 晴天白日满地红 as a motto. So stoic!
Hmm, I don't know if Aussies really have any motto explicitly tied to the flag though.
I would be lying if I said that I have no opinions on Australia Day and the flag it bears. I guess since no-one really reads this,Ｉcan air my opinions right?
I haven't attended a proper celebration of Australia Day in many years, especially not the ones for the fireworks. I think the fireworks are repetitive, loud and crappy excuse to pollute the air. The firework celebrations also breed awful behaviour, at least the years I went, especially those held near the city and foreshore. The people I encountered were loud, rude, littered everywhere and probably used the day as an excuse to get blind drunk and belligerent.
Perhaps I was swayed by the flag bearing ceremony in Taipei on New Years. It was massive and crowded, but I saw no serious incidents at all. Sincere patriotism was shown, but the crowd was civil and polite. There were foreigners there as well, waving the ROC flag as well, on a cold windy Taipei night, this made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Everytime I left the fireworks, I would feel a little disgusted, especially seeing the incredible amount of rubbish left on the grounds. The only real reason whyＩever attended was because I love Dad and I enjoy spending time with him and bonding with him. My mother never wanted to go and my brother (who's much older) always celebrated with his mates. I also had a few minor racial encounters which angered me quite a bit. So I decided a few years ago, that I wouldn't bother going.
Maybe I should just hold a quiet barbeque at home with some family and friends. :-P
As for the flag, what was I going to say? I dislike the design, not for any ideological and nationalistic reasons, I just dislike it aesthetically. I think it's an ugly flag. For those who argue that the Union Jack no longer represents Australia, well Australia is still technically a dominion and Queen Elizabeth the Second is still the Head of State. I think my demand for a change in flag design is kind of selfish on my part :-P So I don't really pursue it seriously. I think for now, the ugly-ass flag will do. However when or if Australia does ever change into a republic, then obviously a new design should seriously be considered.
Anyway, enough of my ranting. Whatever your opinions are of your own country and the flag it bears, I hope everyone has a lovely day today, enjoys themselves and keeps the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of man in their hearts especially with what is happening in Queensland and other afflicted places around the globe. I know for some this day has a bad history, but so do a lot of national days I guess around the world, let bygones be bygones and be nice to one another ;-)
Best regards,思捷
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Gripes with EFL Phonics Series
I'm in Taiwan for my summer vacation and whilst I'm over here, I'm volunteering (as part of a student organisation called AIESEC) for an elementary school as an English teacher. So far it's quite a fun and interesting job, however there are at times, some parts that get me down. Today I'll just quickly talk about the EFL phonics series as I have little spare time to write about my time here in Taiwan and the other aspects of the job in detailed fashion.
I've only realised how long it has been since I had finished Elementary school (way back in 1999)when one of the teachers asked me to create an answer guide for the EFL Phonics series of books. These books introduce the sounds of the English language through the presentation of sometimes utterly nonsensical and whimsical sentences. I assume this is done to hold the interest of the students. It brought back fond memories, but then when I started work on the books, I had begun to be thoroughly irritated.
This was through no fault of the books or it's authors, they're just doing their jobs of educating children. I'm just the type of person who has this irritating trait of curiousity and for asking too many questions. Also, the trait of delving too deeply into things to possibly find hidden meanings and implicatons, as you have witnessed previously with my rant against the Cheng and Tsui Integrated Chinese series (on which I have gradually mellowed my position).
I lament the fact that I must abandon all logic when I'm creating answer guides for the exercises of the EFL Phonics series. Again it comes down to those ridiculous sentences. Such as,
"The ram has a ham"
Why does the ram (a herbivore) have a ham? Is it just playing with the ham or is it some mutant carnivorous ram which has developed an appetite? Should we be worrying about mutant carnivorous rams, is there a danger that they might eventually develop a taste for human flesh?
or "The ham is on the dam"
Why is the ham on the dam, what purpose does it serve being there? In the picture, the ham is almost as wide as the dam itself, this huge ham could feed a lot people but instead it is sitting on a dam rotting away. What a shame.
or even "The bugs cut the bun"
How are the bugs able to cut a bun? Most bugs that I know of have neither the dexterity or strength to use a knife properly. Again should we worry about these obviously genetically or otherwise engineered insects that are able to handle utensils and neatly slice a bun in half.
Anyway, I'm probably just thinking way too much about this. I just felt like another rant :-D When I find the time, I'll write about my time in Taiwan and my experiences until and maybe even another World Music entry.
Until then, that's for me now. Comments are much appreciated, well I give you much thanks if you even decided to spend your time reading this blog much less comment on it.
Regards, 思捷.
I've only realised how long it has been since I had finished Elementary school (way back in 1999)when one of the teachers asked me to create an answer guide for the EFL Phonics series of books. These books introduce the sounds of the English language through the presentation of sometimes utterly nonsensical and whimsical sentences. I assume this is done to hold the interest of the students. It brought back fond memories, but then when I started work on the books, I had begun to be thoroughly irritated.
This was through no fault of the books or it's authors, they're just doing their jobs of educating children. I'm just the type of person who has this irritating trait of curiousity and for asking too many questions. Also, the trait of delving too deeply into things to possibly find hidden meanings and implicatons, as you have witnessed previously with my rant against the Cheng and Tsui Integrated Chinese series (on which I have gradually mellowed my position).
I lament the fact that I must abandon all logic when I'm creating answer guides for the exercises of the EFL Phonics series. Again it comes down to those ridiculous sentences. Such as,
"The ram has a ham"
Why does the ram (a herbivore) have a ham? Is it just playing with the ham or is it some mutant carnivorous ram which has developed an appetite? Should we be worrying about mutant carnivorous rams, is there a danger that they might eventually develop a taste for human flesh?
or "The ham is on the dam"
Why is the ham on the dam, what purpose does it serve being there? In the picture, the ham is almost as wide as the dam itself, this huge ham could feed a lot people but instead it is sitting on a dam rotting away. What a shame.
or even "The bugs cut the bun"
How are the bugs able to cut a bun? Most bugs that I know of have neither the dexterity or strength to use a knife properly. Again should we worry about these obviously genetically or otherwise engineered insects that are able to handle utensils and neatly slice a bun in half.
Anyway, I'm probably just thinking way too much about this. I just felt like another rant :-D When I find the time, I'll write about my time in Taiwan and my experiences until and maybe even another World Music entry.
Until then, that's for me now. Comments are much appreciated, well I give you much thanks if you even decided to spend your time reading this blog much less comment on it.
Regards, 思捷.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Anthropomorphic animals in children's programs freak me out!
When I was growing up, I didn't think much about anthropomorphic animals in kids cartoons. These kind of programs provided learning opportunities or entertainment or just a time to unwind after school.
But now as an adult, I am freaked out by the implications presented by these programs. Granted, it probably is just me delving too deeply in mostly innocent programs catering to kids from around 6-12 years old. But then just as Star Trek and some other sci-fi shows mainly presents a utopian view of future humanity without showing the wars, famines and massacres that surely featured in the precursor to this utopia; these childrens programs don't show what happened beforehand to create a world where monkeys, pigs, dogs and cats are driving cars, working, cooking, reading newspapers and running infrastructure.
Where the hell are the humans?! Did genetic splicing and uplifting go too far? Maybe the humans wanted some intelligent yet subservient animals that they could rely on for chores and other sorts of tasks. Then, did the uplifted animals just get tired of subservience and mankind's crap in general? Did they band together, rise up and kill all of their former masters? Or perhaps, because of these programs are targeted at children, the humans which have been fortunately spared are not shown, maybe they are used as slave labour or for some other nefarious purposes which our various future animalian overlords have.
There is one program in particular which perplexes me.
It is Arthur, now this was one of the favourites of my childhood. I watched it almost religiously during my childhood. But nowadays,it just doesn't provide the same entertainment and in fact, provides some strange questions.
What disturbs me most in this screwed up Arthur fictional world is that these uplifted animals did not learn from their prior idiotic human masters and decided to keep ethnic and religious divisions. It is mentioned several times that Maxine (a monkey) and her family are Jewish and that Brains (a bear)and their family are black or assumedly so as they celebrate Kwanzaa. I personally don't see the need for these animals to perpetuate race and religion. I mean, I get the purpose, the writers of Arthur want to promote multiculturalism and tolerance, and that's something good to teach kids. But I don't see why inherently human concepts would serve any purpose for these animals, but hey that's just me.
Also Buster, a rabbit eating meat by the kilo and Arthur, an aardvark eating everything else but ants, is seriously fucked up. Also in Arthur, the Dogs own smaller less intelligent (like the ones we're used) pet dogs, this seriously freaks me out, it's like the makers of the show want to subtly imprint a message of slavery. But then again, the pet dogs are pampered and fed well, so perhaps not.
Anyway I just felt the need to share this thought, I know I rant about some really irrelevant things and that sometimes I might make more out something than I should do. However, it's been on my mind ever since my last viewing of Arthur.
But now as an adult, I am freaked out by the implications presented by these programs. Granted, it probably is just me delving too deeply in mostly innocent programs catering to kids from around 6-12 years old. But then just as Star Trek and some other sci-fi shows mainly presents a utopian view of future humanity without showing the wars, famines and massacres that surely featured in the precursor to this utopia; these childrens programs don't show what happened beforehand to create a world where monkeys, pigs, dogs and cats are driving cars, working, cooking, reading newspapers and running infrastructure.
Where the hell are the humans?! Did genetic splicing and uplifting go too far? Maybe the humans wanted some intelligent yet subservient animals that they could rely on for chores and other sorts of tasks. Then, did the uplifted animals just get tired of subservience and mankind's crap in general? Did they band together, rise up and kill all of their former masters? Or perhaps, because of these programs are targeted at children, the humans which have been fortunately spared are not shown, maybe they are used as slave labour or for some other nefarious purposes which our various future animalian overlords have.
There is one program in particular which perplexes me.
It is Arthur, now this was one of the favourites of my childhood. I watched it almost religiously during my childhood. But nowadays,it just doesn't provide the same entertainment and in fact, provides some strange questions.
What disturbs me most in this screwed up Arthur fictional world is that these uplifted animals did not learn from their prior idiotic human masters and decided to keep ethnic and religious divisions. It is mentioned several times that Maxine (a monkey) and her family are Jewish and that Brains (a bear)and their family are black or assumedly so as they celebrate Kwanzaa. I personally don't see the need for these animals to perpetuate race and religion. I mean, I get the purpose, the writers of Arthur want to promote multiculturalism and tolerance, and that's something good to teach kids. But I don't see why inherently human concepts would serve any purpose for these animals, but hey that's just me.
Also Buster, a rabbit eating meat by the kilo and Arthur, an aardvark eating everything else but ants, is seriously fucked up. Also in Arthur, the Dogs own smaller less intelligent (like the ones we're used) pet dogs, this seriously freaks me out, it's like the makers of the show want to subtly imprint a message of slavery. But then again, the pet dogs are pampered and fed well, so perhaps not.
Anyway I just felt the need to share this thought, I know I rant about some really irrelevant things and that sometimes I might make more out something than I should do. However, it's been on my mind ever since my last viewing of Arthur.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
思捷 (Sijie) does World Music 1: Qawwali
A friend recommended that I post my musical interests as he found them interesting , I believe my writing skills are inadequate for critiquing and am no real authority on world music. So the purposes of posting these entries are to introduce possible readers to just a small part of my musical tastes and just a little bit of information on the genres discussed.
I've been into so called world music for a long while now, I'm not really sure how it came about, but I've had a passion for languages for as long as I can remember and so I guess music correlates with that somewhat. I simply love listening to music from other cultures in other languages besides English. I'll give any genre a listen, and I'd say from personal experience, I've mostly been rewarded. In this entry, I'll just give short introduction to a genre called Qawwali, however to my knowledge it is also called Sufiana.
Qawwali is a form of music that is most popular in Southern Pakistan and Northern India. Qawwali is usually a large group effort, with a few singers and instrument players. Instruments used in Qawwali to accompany the group of singers include the tabla, dholak (a low pitch drum) and the harmonium, handclapping is also used to achieve some rhythmic effect. It is said that it's steadily building percussive and melodic layers have a somewhat hypnotic effect and can induce euphoria in listeners. Personally, the longest Qawwali song I've listened to is around 15 minutes long and though I wasn't exactly euphoric, it was quite a pleasant listening experience.
The vocals are usually in Punjabi, Hindi or Urdu, however other languages are occasionally used. I've only heard Qawwali in the former three languages. Qawwali historically was introduced to the Indian subcontinent by travelling sufis (Islamic missionaries) from the Middle East. As such, a lot of Qawwali has strong Islamic flavour often including poetry, quranic verses and the such. However a significant amount of songs also have secular lyrics, many being devotional love songs. Though from what I've read, some of these devotional love songs can be re-interpreted as being devotional to Islam.
As I'm not a muslim nor do I have a working knowledge of Hindi/Urdu, I usually listen to Qawwali for pure listening pleasure's sake. Personally I just love the melodies, percussive elements and strong vocals . I'm really fond of Hindi/Urdu poetry and lyrics, to me they possess a lovely aesthetic. I personally don't know many artists at all, my favourite is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who sadly passed away in 1997. In a sense, it can be said his musical legacy has been carried on by his nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, whose music I also enjoy, though I haven't had the real opportunity of being exposed to much of it.
If anyone out there has more artists to recommend for me, I gladly appreciate it. I'd really like to expand my collection for Qawwali/Sufiana.
Below I've posted two songs, just to give you a taste of what the genre is like.
Allah Hoo- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Long Version Part 1
Long Version Part 2
Short Version (I prefer this one)
Aaya Tere Dar Par from the Veer Zaara soundtrack- Ahmed Hussain, Mohd. Hussain, Mohd. Vakil, Javed Hussain (A longer 7 minute edition is available on the Veer-Zaara soundtrack)
^This one has English subtitles, so that you can know more about the lyrics.
Enjoy and feel free to offer feedback!
I've been into so called world music for a long while now, I'm not really sure how it came about, but I've had a passion for languages for as long as I can remember and so I guess music correlates with that somewhat. I simply love listening to music from other cultures in other languages besides English. I'll give any genre a listen, and I'd say from personal experience, I've mostly been rewarded. In this entry, I'll just give short introduction to a genre called Qawwali, however to my knowledge it is also called Sufiana.
Qawwali is a form of music that is most popular in Southern Pakistan and Northern India. Qawwali is usually a large group effort, with a few singers and instrument players. Instruments used in Qawwali to accompany the group of singers include the tabla, dholak (a low pitch drum) and the harmonium, handclapping is also used to achieve some rhythmic effect. It is said that it's steadily building percussive and melodic layers have a somewhat hypnotic effect and can induce euphoria in listeners. Personally, the longest Qawwali song I've listened to is around 15 minutes long and though I wasn't exactly euphoric, it was quite a pleasant listening experience.
The vocals are usually in Punjabi, Hindi or Urdu, however other languages are occasionally used. I've only heard Qawwali in the former three languages. Qawwali historically was introduced to the Indian subcontinent by travelling sufis (Islamic missionaries) from the Middle East. As such, a lot of Qawwali has strong Islamic flavour often including poetry, quranic verses and the such. However a significant amount of songs also have secular lyrics, many being devotional love songs. Though from what I've read, some of these devotional love songs can be re-interpreted as being devotional to Islam.
As I'm not a muslim nor do I have a working knowledge of Hindi/Urdu, I usually listen to Qawwali for pure listening pleasure's sake. Personally I just love the melodies, percussive elements and strong vocals . I'm really fond of Hindi/Urdu poetry and lyrics, to me they possess a lovely aesthetic. I personally don't know many artists at all, my favourite is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who sadly passed away in 1997. In a sense, it can be said his musical legacy has been carried on by his nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, whose music I also enjoy, though I haven't had the real opportunity of being exposed to much of it.
If anyone out there has more artists to recommend for me, I gladly appreciate it. I'd really like to expand my collection for Qawwali/Sufiana.
Below I've posted two songs, just to give you a taste of what the genre is like.
Allah Hoo- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Long Version Part 1
Long Version Part 2
Short Version (I prefer this one)
Aaya Tere Dar Par from the Veer Zaara soundtrack- Ahmed Hussain, Mohd. Hussain, Mohd. Vakil, Javed Hussain (A longer 7 minute edition is available on the Veer-Zaara soundtrack)
^This one has English subtitles, so that you can know more about the lyrics.
Enjoy and feel free to offer feedback!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Essay for a university unit
Once in a while, I like to ditch with the crude stories, jingoism, slang and obscene language to present a softer more intellectual side of myself.
This was one of the essays which I handed in recently. Admittedly I'm somewhat of an amateur when it comes to essay-writing, but nonetheless, I hope any readers of this enjoy!
Transmigration: Was Indonesia used as Java’s Playground?
By Sijie Liang
Introduction
A common trend for most nations throughout the 20th century has been a period of dramatically high population growth due to an improvement of agriculture and healthcare. Such high growth then led to pressures such as overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure and inequality of living standards. Such pressures in turn led governments to pursue different measures of population control. Some of these population controls were remarkably popular and successful whilst others failed to lessen such pressures and in some cases agitated other problems.
Indonesia has been no different and has followed such a pattern of high population growth then implementation of different methods of population control. In this essay I’ll attempt to assert that Transmigration, one of the more notable government population control initiatives, has failed in delivering true impact to Indonesia’s population pressures and in fact has triggered a legacy of social problems.
Brief population background of Indonesia
As of 2009, the total population of Indonesia is just under 240 million. Over two thirds of the population reside on the major islands of Java and Sumatra, which together make up only roughly a third of the total land area. Growth rates of moderate projection are set to increase the population to around 288 million within 40 years. (UN Population Division Database, 2010)
With a land area of approximately 1.9 million sq kilometres, this corresponds to an average density of around 120 people per sq km. However this figure is by no means accurate or consistent across Indonesia. Java for example has an average density of roughly 1003 per sq km which heavily exceeds the national average whilst sparsely populated regions such as Kalimantan and Papua have rather low densities of 12 and 6 per sq km respectively. (EIU Views Wire, 2008)
In turn, those regions with high densities also have high population pressures such as overcrowding in major cities. These population pressures have led the government to introduce various population control methods such as transmigration, which will be discussed later on in this essay.
One relatively successful government population control initiative has been its various family planning programs. These have been in place since the 1960s and have been responsible in reducing the total fertility rate of roughly 5.7 children to a woman to just 2.4, which is just above the replacement rate. (EIU ViewsWire, 2008)
However population growth as we will see throughout is only one of the many population issues which affects Indonesia.
Population Pressures of the “Inner” Islands
As mentioned above, population density is not consistent across the Indonesian archipelago. The majority of the population resides on the so called Inner Islands of Bali, Java and Madura. The population densities on these islands far exceed the national average. Historically the rich volcanic soils of the islands were extremely suitable for wet-rice cultivation and could thus support large populations. (Connor, 2004)
Consequently with these higher populations, the inner islands experience many population pressures such as overcrowding, inequitable distribution of wealth and limited ownership of land. Population pressures are also the direct and indirect causes of many other issues such as pollution, inadequate sanitation, inadequate infrastructure and environmental degradation.
The disparity of population density along with the population pressures of the Inner Islands was the main impetus for conception of the Transmigration policy.
Origins of Transmigration
The concept of transmigration or in Indonesian, Transmigrasi involves a redistribution of the population through re-settling people of one province into another province. This could be done for many reasons including cultural, economic and political concerns. Transmigration itself was one of the major cornerstones of the population control policy of many former Indonesian governments.
The transmigration policies gathered steam during the respective Sukarno and Suharto regimes, where they were promoted as a way of alleviating population pressure and improving national cohesion. However the concept of transmigration itself has significant historical roots which date back to the Dutch colonial government. In 1905, a “colonisation” program was started to resettle people from the crowded inner islands to outer islands, so that cheap labour could be provided to the plantations there. (Connor, 2004)
Aims of Transmigration
The initial and main aims of the transmigration were
1) Demographically balancing Indonesia by redistributing the population by resettling people from the crowded inner islands (Java, Madura, Bali) to more sparsely populated regions such as Kalimantan and Papua.
2) Alleviating poverty by providing land and new economic opportunities to generate income for poor landless settlers.
3) Exploiting more effectively the "potential" of the "outer islands".
However critics of the transmigration program state that other possible aims include cultural assimilation of local ethnic groups through the resettling of Javanese transmigrants as well as suppression of local culture. (Adhiati and Bobsien, 2001)
Legacies of Transmigration
Whilst the policy of transmigration was officially abandoned in 2000, inter-island migration still continues as many Indonesians look around for better economic opportunities than they otherwise would have at home. Running for more than 40 years, the transmigration policy has left many legacies and immense social change. (Oxford Analytica Daily Brief Service, 2000)
One of the very obvious legacies of Transmigration is the demographic and ethnic transformation of the Outer Islands. An overwhelming majority of transmigrants were Javanese. This led to the policy of transmigration being criticised as a convenient form of Javanese cultural assertion and assimilation, rather than a genuine attempt of population redistribution and poverty alleviation.
However ethnic groups such as the Balinese, Buginese and Madurese have also created sizable communities in regions such as Kalimantan, Papua and the Maluku Islands where prior to transmigration; they only had very minimal presence. Economic competition and local accusations of oppressive government treatment in regards to land and civil rights have triggered intermittent ethnic violence.
Another major legacy of Transmigration is that of environmentally destructive practices. Transmigrants were encouraged by the central government to clear vast tracks of land to plant rice and other major crops. Consequently, huge areas of ecologically important rainforest in Kalimantan were cleared which in turn worsened the air quality of the region. The environmental damage was also economically damaging as transmigrants eventually found that the cleared land had rather poor soils which translated to poor yields of rice and crops. The transmigrants and the government had essentially invested vast resources and effort on a very unproductive venture.
Lastly a major irony of the transmigration policies was the drive for people from the outer islands to migrate to the inner islands of Bali, Java and Madura to find more opportunities. This was partly due to chronic poverty; however it also was from the economic competition posed by transmigrants. There was close to no restriction on these outer island migrants, therefore the effect of transmigration was close to negligible. (Adhiati and Bobsien, 2001)(Davidson and Kammen, 2002)(Connor, 2004)
Conclusion
Transmigration seems to have been a failed program, in that its core aims have been largely inadequately dealt with. With population pressures and poverty not being alleviated by the levels anticipated by the Indonesian government, the transmigration program also had many flaws in its implementations and results. These flaws in turn have had drastic consequences for the natural environment and ethnic relations within the country.
Despite the failure of the transmigration programs, the strong need for effective policies and plans to deal with population pressures still remains in Indonesia. Indonesia, especially its “inner” islands faces many challenges in the decades to come from population pressures and growth. Family planning programs and improvements in living standards have helped to dramatically reduce fertility rates; however relative momentum will mean that Indonesia’s population will continue to grow significantly. In the long-term, this means that transmigration might have to be revisited albeit in a new more culturally sensitive and well implemented fashion; as a way to reduce overcrowding through population redistribution.
Whichever measures of population pressure control are eventually adopted, the responsibility for long-term planning and careful implementation is inherent. In addition Indonesian governments at various levels, state institutions and society must balance such measures with other interests such as ethnic diversity, environmental protection and economic growth. A population pressure control method which does not take these factors into consideration is bound to fail just as transmigration did.
REFERENCES
Adhiati, M.A.S. and Bobsien, A. 2001. Indonesia's Transmigration Programme - An Update. A report prepared for Down To Earth http://dte.gn.apc.org/ctrans.htm (accessed May 23, 2010)
C. M. O'Connor. 2004. Effects of Central Decisions on Local Livelihoods in Indonesia: Potential Synergies Between the Programs of Transmigration and Industrial Forest Conversion. Population and Environment: Unforeseen Consequences of Policy Decisions (Guest Editor: 25, no. 4, (March 1): 319 -333. http://www.proquest.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/ (accessed June 2, 2010).
United Nations Population Division Database. http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a12#PopDiv (accessed May 23,2010)
Indonesia: Population. (2008, May). EIU ViewsWire. Retrieved May 23, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global.
Davidson, J., and D. Kammen. 2002. INDONESIA'S UNKNOWN WAR AND THE LINEAGES OF VIOLENCE IN WEST
KALIMANTAN. Indonesia no. 73, (April 1): 53-87,188. http://www.proquest.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/ (accessed June 2, 2010).
Kaup, K.P., Hill, R.D., Mackerras, C., Khandke, K., McDougall, D., Sutter, R., Hills, P., Forbes, D., Rodgers, Y., Cole, K., Beauchamp, F., Marquez, E. and Womack, B. 2007. Understanding Contemporary Asia Pacific. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc.
Chauvel, R. and Hedman, E.L.E. 2007. Refugee Displacement and Dispossession: Responses to Indonesian Rule and Conflict in Papua. Refugee Studies
Centre Working Paper Series No. 42: Dynamics of Conflict and Displacement
in Papua, Indonesia. Oxford: Department of International Development,
University of Oxford. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2007.nsf/fb9a3459e0c5a152c1257205004f1c3e/c2b722fb60ec0f9bc125738f0073df6e/$FILE/Full_Report.pdf#page=33 (Accessed 8 October 2008)
INDONESIA: Transmigration leaves explosive legacy. (2000, December). Oxford Analytica Daily Brief Service,1. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1687954191).
This was one of the essays which I handed in recently. Admittedly I'm somewhat of an amateur when it comes to essay-writing, but nonetheless, I hope any readers of this enjoy!
Transmigration: Was Indonesia used as Java’s Playground?
By Sijie Liang
Introduction
A common trend for most nations throughout the 20th century has been a period of dramatically high population growth due to an improvement of agriculture and healthcare. Such high growth then led to pressures such as overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure and inequality of living standards. Such pressures in turn led governments to pursue different measures of population control. Some of these population controls were remarkably popular and successful whilst others failed to lessen such pressures and in some cases agitated other problems.
Indonesia has been no different and has followed such a pattern of high population growth then implementation of different methods of population control. In this essay I’ll attempt to assert that Transmigration, one of the more notable government population control initiatives, has failed in delivering true impact to Indonesia’s population pressures and in fact has triggered a legacy of social problems.
Brief population background of Indonesia
As of 2009, the total population of Indonesia is just under 240 million. Over two thirds of the population reside on the major islands of Java and Sumatra, which together make up only roughly a third of the total land area. Growth rates of moderate projection are set to increase the population to around 288 million within 40 years. (UN Population Division Database, 2010)
With a land area of approximately 1.9 million sq kilometres, this corresponds to an average density of around 120 people per sq km. However this figure is by no means accurate or consistent across Indonesia. Java for example has an average density of roughly 1003 per sq km which heavily exceeds the national average whilst sparsely populated regions such as Kalimantan and Papua have rather low densities of 12 and 6 per sq km respectively. (EIU Views Wire, 2008)
In turn, those regions with high densities also have high population pressures such as overcrowding in major cities. These population pressures have led the government to introduce various population control methods such as transmigration, which will be discussed later on in this essay.
One relatively successful government population control initiative has been its various family planning programs. These have been in place since the 1960s and have been responsible in reducing the total fertility rate of roughly 5.7 children to a woman to just 2.4, which is just above the replacement rate. (EIU ViewsWire, 2008)
However population growth as we will see throughout is only one of the many population issues which affects Indonesia.
Population Pressures of the “Inner” Islands
As mentioned above, population density is not consistent across the Indonesian archipelago. The majority of the population resides on the so called Inner Islands of Bali, Java and Madura. The population densities on these islands far exceed the national average. Historically the rich volcanic soils of the islands were extremely suitable for wet-rice cultivation and could thus support large populations. (Connor, 2004)
Consequently with these higher populations, the inner islands experience many population pressures such as overcrowding, inequitable distribution of wealth and limited ownership of land. Population pressures are also the direct and indirect causes of many other issues such as pollution, inadequate sanitation, inadequate infrastructure and environmental degradation.
The disparity of population density along with the population pressures of the Inner Islands was the main impetus for conception of the Transmigration policy.
Origins of Transmigration
The concept of transmigration or in Indonesian, Transmigrasi involves a redistribution of the population through re-settling people of one province into another province. This could be done for many reasons including cultural, economic and political concerns. Transmigration itself was one of the major cornerstones of the population control policy of many former Indonesian governments.
The transmigration policies gathered steam during the respective Sukarno and Suharto regimes, where they were promoted as a way of alleviating population pressure and improving national cohesion. However the concept of transmigration itself has significant historical roots which date back to the Dutch colonial government. In 1905, a “colonisation” program was started to resettle people from the crowded inner islands to outer islands, so that cheap labour could be provided to the plantations there. (Connor, 2004)
Aims of Transmigration
The initial and main aims of the transmigration were
1) Demographically balancing Indonesia by redistributing the population by resettling people from the crowded inner islands (Java, Madura, Bali) to more sparsely populated regions such as Kalimantan and Papua.
2) Alleviating poverty by providing land and new economic opportunities to generate income for poor landless settlers.
3) Exploiting more effectively the "potential" of the "outer islands".
However critics of the transmigration program state that other possible aims include cultural assimilation of local ethnic groups through the resettling of Javanese transmigrants as well as suppression of local culture. (Adhiati and Bobsien, 2001)
Legacies of Transmigration
Whilst the policy of transmigration was officially abandoned in 2000, inter-island migration still continues as many Indonesians look around for better economic opportunities than they otherwise would have at home. Running for more than 40 years, the transmigration policy has left many legacies and immense social change. (Oxford Analytica Daily Brief Service, 2000)
One of the very obvious legacies of Transmigration is the demographic and ethnic transformation of the Outer Islands. An overwhelming majority of transmigrants were Javanese. This led to the policy of transmigration being criticised as a convenient form of Javanese cultural assertion and assimilation, rather than a genuine attempt of population redistribution and poverty alleviation.
However ethnic groups such as the Balinese, Buginese and Madurese have also created sizable communities in regions such as Kalimantan, Papua and the Maluku Islands where prior to transmigration; they only had very minimal presence. Economic competition and local accusations of oppressive government treatment in regards to land and civil rights have triggered intermittent ethnic violence.
Another major legacy of Transmigration is that of environmentally destructive practices. Transmigrants were encouraged by the central government to clear vast tracks of land to plant rice and other major crops. Consequently, huge areas of ecologically important rainforest in Kalimantan were cleared which in turn worsened the air quality of the region. The environmental damage was also economically damaging as transmigrants eventually found that the cleared land had rather poor soils which translated to poor yields of rice and crops. The transmigrants and the government had essentially invested vast resources and effort on a very unproductive venture.
Lastly a major irony of the transmigration policies was the drive for people from the outer islands to migrate to the inner islands of Bali, Java and Madura to find more opportunities. This was partly due to chronic poverty; however it also was from the economic competition posed by transmigrants. There was close to no restriction on these outer island migrants, therefore the effect of transmigration was close to negligible. (Adhiati and Bobsien, 2001)(Davidson and Kammen, 2002)(Connor, 2004)
Conclusion
Transmigration seems to have been a failed program, in that its core aims have been largely inadequately dealt with. With population pressures and poverty not being alleviated by the levels anticipated by the Indonesian government, the transmigration program also had many flaws in its implementations and results. These flaws in turn have had drastic consequences for the natural environment and ethnic relations within the country.
Despite the failure of the transmigration programs, the strong need for effective policies and plans to deal with population pressures still remains in Indonesia. Indonesia, especially its “inner” islands faces many challenges in the decades to come from population pressures and growth. Family planning programs and improvements in living standards have helped to dramatically reduce fertility rates; however relative momentum will mean that Indonesia’s population will continue to grow significantly. In the long-term, this means that transmigration might have to be revisited albeit in a new more culturally sensitive and well implemented fashion; as a way to reduce overcrowding through population redistribution.
Whichever measures of population pressure control are eventually adopted, the responsibility for long-term planning and careful implementation is inherent. In addition Indonesian governments at various levels, state institutions and society must balance such measures with other interests such as ethnic diversity, environmental protection and economic growth. A population pressure control method which does not take these factors into consideration is bound to fail just as transmigration did.
REFERENCES
Adhiati, M.A.S. and Bobsien, A. 2001. Indonesia's Transmigration Programme - An Update. A report prepared for Down To Earth http://dte.gn.apc.org/ctrans.htm (accessed May 23, 2010)
C. M. O'Connor. 2004. Effects of Central Decisions on Local Livelihoods in Indonesia: Potential Synergies Between the Programs of Transmigration and Industrial Forest Conversion. Population and Environment: Unforeseen Consequences of Policy Decisions (Guest Editor: 25, no. 4, (March 1): 319 -333. http://www.proquest.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/ (accessed June 2, 2010).
United Nations Population Division Database. http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a12#PopDiv (accessed May 23,2010)
Indonesia: Population. (2008, May). EIU ViewsWire. Retrieved May 23, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global.
Davidson, J., and D. Kammen. 2002. INDONESIA'S UNKNOWN WAR AND THE LINEAGES OF VIOLENCE IN WEST
KALIMANTAN. Indonesia no. 73, (April 1): 53-87,188. http://www.proquest.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/ (accessed June 2, 2010).
Kaup, K.P., Hill, R.D., Mackerras, C., Khandke, K., McDougall, D., Sutter, R., Hills, P., Forbes, D., Rodgers, Y., Cole, K., Beauchamp, F., Marquez, E. and Womack, B. 2007. Understanding Contemporary Asia Pacific. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc.
Chauvel, R. and Hedman, E.L.E. 2007. Refugee Displacement and Dispossession: Responses to Indonesian Rule and Conflict in Papua. Refugee Studies
Centre Working Paper Series No. 42: Dynamics of Conflict and Displacement
in Papua, Indonesia. Oxford: Department of International Development,
University of Oxford. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2007.nsf/fb9a3459e0c5a152c1257205004f1c3e/c2b722fb60ec0f9bc125738f0073df6e/$FILE/Full_Report.pdf#page=33 (Accessed 8 October 2008)
INDONESIA: Transmigration leaves explosive legacy. (2000, December). Oxford Analytica Daily Brief Service,1. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1687954191).
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