MY LIFE JOURNEY

“Si Abang”. That’s the name that I finally choose for my web log (Blog) before a visitor suggests that I change it into something else, such as my name. Actually, the main reason behind my first choice is that “Si Abang” seems to have become the brand image of mine since my childhood due to my position as the eldest and only son in my family. My parents, my two sisters, my mates, my big family members, and those who know me well always call me with this nickname. Of course, it is also common in other Indonesian families with the Bataknese ethnic and cultural backgrounds to call their eldest sons with it.

My life journey is begun from Pangkalan Brandan, a small coastal town about 82 kilometers away from Medan, the capital of North Sumatra Province. Since my childhood, I have never had an ambition to be a journalist and make journalism be my career. Now, I work for ANTARA, Indonesia’s national news agency whose age is much older than the Republic of Indonesia. But, like a banker, scientist, doctor, and other professions, journalists are not always born, but made. Although whether journalists are born or made remains debatable, the truth is that I feel I am the latter one.

My journalistic career was started when I was recruited as a stringer for this news service's Medan bureau for about seven months. After that, I got a chance to participate in a basic journalistic training at the ANTARA School of Journalism in Jakarta in 1993. This training is compulsory for every cadet of ANTARA. Actually, from the academic point of view, my educational background has nothing to do with journalism because mine is English language and literature. So what has encouraged me to choose this career? Frankly speaking, my wish to be able to write something is the main reason. During my undergrad studies at the English Department of the University of North Sumatra (USU), I felt that I was one of the less fortunate students because I could only become the consumer of my campus news bulletins but had never contributed any article to them due to my poor popular writing skills.

Anyway, back to the first week of my work as the stringer in ANTARA's Medan bureau, I was shocked to find the fact that the living condition of average local journalists was saddening. Perhaps, the wages of factory workers in Medan at that time were higher than those of journalists. It was a paradox because media often published news about workers’ rallies to fight for wage hike. But, the media workers themselves had problem with their low income. I could hardly conceal my concern and told my senior about the situation and my plan to quit. Thanks to his wisdom and advice, I finally decided to go ahead with this career. Maybe, this cliché is right -- money is important for life but it’s not everything. There are a lot more things that can bring happiness, satisfaction, and worthiness to our lives. At least, to some extent, being a journalist can provide us with more access to meet people from different professions and backgrounds. No matter what and who! In this case, I've never imagined in my childhood to meet and join press briefings of world leaders, such as former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Australian Prime Minister John Howard during two APEC Summits: Shanghai (2001) and Sydney (2007). Also, along with two other ANTARA journalists, I could have a special interview with ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra in his visit to Jakarta a few years ago.

Meeting or having an interview with important news makers is only one of the privileges that people from other professions may not easily get. Another “privilege” for journalists is covering the news- worthy activities of or traveling with president's entourage, VIPs and members of parliament to various corners of Indonesia and the world.

But, apart from these "glamorous" sides, journalist is indeed a "dangerous career". The annual report of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the world's largest organization of journalists with 500,000 members in more than 100 countries, is the convincing evidence. In 2007, the death toll was134. They were killed either in the deadly conflict zones or in the hands of paid murderers.

Perhaps, I am lucky because I am not in such that extreme situation. But it does not mean that I have never experienced the unfortunate events when doing my work. About two or three months before Soeharto’s resignation in 1998, for example, an arrogant Paspampres (presidential bodyguard) kicked me and threatened me only because I entered the VVIP area of Halim Perdanakusumah Airport, Jakarta, to cover the departure moment of a Middle Eastern country's president. Without my knowledge, the former New Order leader, Soeharto, and his family members, had been inside the VVIP building earlier than the Middle Eastern president and his entourage (sorry, I've forgotten the name of his country). If I am not mistaken, at that time, Soeharto wanted to fly for Solo, Central Java, for an official visit with a special flight from the airport. The arrogant Paspampres did not say anything about this. Instead, he accused me of intruding the restricted area. Any explanation was useless ! I had also experienced a psychological war posed by a group of employees in Medan, who felt threatened by my news stories about their wrongdoings. In this case, the power of media becomes obvious. That is why, media are called the "forth estate" though this phrase has become a cliché, hasn't it? Maybe, due to this mantra, President George W. Bush was inspired to manage the media coverage for the benefit of his war policies against Iraq. Instead of finding the truth behind the Bush administration's oil hunger, the American media became the mouthpiece and propaganda machine of the White House. Bush’s ambition to export American democracy and control Iraq’s oil sources by invading the country and toppling Saddam Hussein with false rationale failed to be critically analyzed. This is indeed the dark side of the American journalism history despite its excellent journalism study at its centers of excellence, and global media networks.

America is the second country after Malaysia that I visit in the early stage of my journalistic career. It was in 1994, I received a surprising invitation from the US Embassy in Jakarta saying that I was one of four participants of the USIS-sponsored International Visitor Program. My trip to the US was special because it had paved the way for greater chances of going to other parts of the world. Since then, I had visited other countries, such as Singapore, United Kingdom, South Korea, the Netherlands, Belgium, China, the Philippines, and Australia. The latter has even become the place where I can pursue my postgraduate study. Thanks to the Australian Development Scholarship (ADS), I could study at the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Queensland (UQ), Australia in 2004. My Master of Journalism (MJ) was completed in July 2005. The final research project report for my MJ degree was entitled “ Framing the Australian Embassy Bombing (Jakarta) in Indonesian and Australian Newspapers” (St. Lucia: School of Journalism and Communication, UQ, 2005).

I have left my footprints in various places, which are far far away from where the first phase of my life is built. It is Pangkalan Brandan, where the story of my life begins. In that coastal town, also the home of first refinery of Indonesia's oil company, Pertamina, I was born, grown up, and educated. In my family, I am the eldest and become "Si Abang". I feel that the achievements that I have so far had in my life won’t ever exist without the sincere love of my beloved parent and family. For me, their love and prayer have never faded away.