The Witch's Silent Loops

Human are ugly.

            She could not shake the feeling that those pigs never learn its lesson. Surrounded by uneasiness, she glanced upon the poor-looked man in front of her. The man has been crying for hours while stating how his life has been a series of misfortune.

            “I want to be handsome. Oh… and also, rich! Yeah, RICH!!”

            Oh, not this kind of wish again. Nobody could hear her. Not even her master. Her voice can only be heard by herself. Well, after all, she is only an observer to the entire tragedies that occurs in this world.

            “Shall I grant your wish, human? But in exchange, you must pay some prices.” Now the woman who has been silent all the time spoke out. Her voice is like an oasis, refreshing the gloomy mood in the room.

            The poor-looked man nod furiously. He will pay it, without fail. He really fed up with the lifestyle he has been living. He want thing to change, he want to be respected, he want to be loved, and he want easiness in his life. Egoistic? Yes. But, human is all about greediness, right?

            “The price… lets see… I want you to bring me your sister’s liver,” said the woman mercilessly. One thing that human should understand is that asking a witch to grant their wishes will cost much, not financially, but mentally. The liver price was cheaper than the price her master asked to a little kid last month. That time, her master, the Witch, asked for the kid’s future.

            The poor-looked man, as she expected, agreed to the condition. He promised the witch to be back in two days with a big smile on his face. In the other side, the Witch does not look very happy when the man left. She was slightly disappointed.

**

            Human are beautiful.

            The Witch always believe in the picture books she read in her young age. Long before she was appointed as the state official witch, she lived deep in the mountain together with a black cat named Nora. The only human she know at that time were only a man who every week visit her, bringing second-hand books from the city. Many were fiction novels with difficult words and complicated story, some were cute picture books told about princesses and the cheesy love story.

            The Witch loved the picture books. The social awkward witch has a general thought that human basically will behave the same way like in the picture books. She believed that human are kind, wise, and forgiving creatures. Even though in fact, the human who visit her after became the official witch were nothing but greedy and worthless creatures.

            “Someday, you will fall and regret what you believe in.”

            The Witch still remembers that one sentence a client of her blurted. That client asked the witch to give her a handsome husband, she ditching her former husband who were ugly because she got bored with him. The price was fairly cheap, a handsome husband in exchange for her beautiful silky hair. She accepted the requirement faster than the speed of sound.

            “Human are beautiful. They always trying their best to achieve their dream! They can do anything, they are free,” said the Witch. In fact, she wants to convince herself that human is greater than her. She had no freedom, her future has been decided since she was born. That is why she wants to take a pride of her identity as a witch that said to be the greatest supporter for the humanity… according to the state.

***

            Human are ugly.

            She has meet hundreds of witches in her life. Over generation, she always there, sat silently in the witches’ heart. She had seen the worst. She had seen so many endings of the so-called greatest supporter for the humanity.

            “You know, it feels so wrong receiving all of these prices,” the Witch said herself while looking at her storage room. The Witch plays with a red bundle of meat in her hand. It was a liver. The liver of the ill-destined little sister of a greedy man.

            The poor-looked man final visit to the witch this morning can be considered a legend. He was smiling when the witch finally casted some spell on him. He had abandoned his status as a brother … as well as a human being.

            She was very disgusted by the poor-looked man, oh, now he not poor-looked anymore. But still, the man added more to her theory that human is indeed inhuman.

            “I don’t know what to do with all these prices. Should I give it to the state?”

            You are a fool. She hated the Witch for her foolness. The previous official witch she knew will never hand her belongings to the state, not even think about the idea. The prices should be the source of the Witch power, it should have consumed by the Witch only, to gain immortality. But, well… The immortal witch can still die. Like the previous official witch.

            The Witch embraces her gently. It is like she know the anxiety within her and trying to hush it by softly whisper, “I’d like to talk to you, should I make you alive? Is it a good idea, oh the blue sapphire pendant?”

***

            The last time the Witch going outside her mansion was before her coming of age ceremony. Around five years ago, after the ceremony she never allowed to go outside by the state. They say it was to keep the witch pure in order to maintain her power in granting wishes.

            “Now, where are we going?” ask the Witch.

            The two men who sit in front of her never answer the question. They are just looking at each other in anguish, forbidden to talk to the Witch. One of them handed a piece of letter to the Witch in exchange of talking.

            The Witch smiles. She never meets any human who are not her client and once she meet them, they are restrained to talk to her? What a joke.

            Oh, the President house? Is it already the time? She still remember the President. The flamboyant, the selfish, and the fake. She knows the President better than the Witch. She knows the President since the country was still in the monarchy era, she knows him even since the day he was born.

            Even the President smile has been engraved in her memories.

***

            Soon after arrived in the Palace the Witch was escorted to the private room with a city view balcony. Being in other room beside her mansion, the Witch is totally excited. She touches all the furniture that exist in the room, jump on the jumpy expensive bed, and admiring the shiny and big bathtub. She compare all the things in the private room with her old and rusty mansion.

            Around twenty minutes later the man who declared himself as a President enter the room. Beside him is a wheelchair with a pale-faced beautiful woman whose face frightens even an angel, but has already gone from this world.

            “My wife has died from an uncured illness,” said the 45 years old President.

            The Witch wondering when was the last time she meet the President. The first time she met him was before the ceremony, there the President was still young and handsome together with his beautiful wife, all happy, not like now where he has aged and collecting white hairs.

            “I want you to revive her, I can’t life without her.”

            “…I am no God. I can’t revive dead person.”

            There are three sacred rules that must be obeyed by witches. First, they should not marry a human. Second, they should not revive a human who has died.

            “I willing to pay any price for her.. Just please, make her live again. I will give you anything!!”

            The kind Witch drowns in her thought for a second. She suddenly remembers the picture book she had always loved. She has never been in love with anyone so she could not understand the President feeling for his wife. But the book said that love can make people sacrifice anything, it is the strongest and most beautiful trait a human can possess. Also, helping human whose she perceived as beautiful even though she must goes against the rule is not a bad thing for her.

            “But the price must be equal.. In this case it might be your life,” said the Witch.

            The room goes silent.

            “I… I… will pay it even with my life,” said the President determined after glanced upon the blue sapphire pendant he once knew.

            “Then, please come closer here.”

            The Witch casts a forbidden spell on the President and his wife. One minute, two minutes… If thing goes right the President should have die after the spell ended.           But… no, the one who unconscious after the spell ended is…

            The Witch.

            And once again, the President, smiles.

***

            Human has always been ugly.

            One day there was a witch who fell in love with a human and lost her power. Not only that, she also been cursed with an incurred illness.

            One day there was a manipulative and selfish man who fell in love with a beautiful witch. He managed to marry the beautiful witch but ended up with a curse that his wife will die within 5 years.

            One day there was a blue sapphire pendant that has been watching the witches through generation. All she can do is witnessing the never-ending loops of the witch murders while silently hating on human.

            One day there was a kind-hearted and naïve witch who loves human. She lives generously while dreaming one day she would have a human friend. She even bravely goes against the sacred rules in order to help human.

            There are three sacred rules that must be obeyed by witches. First, they should not marry a human. Second, they should not revive a human who has died. And third, a witch who already died can only be revived in exchange of other witch’s soul.

The Price of Indonesian Democracy

Pricy Democracy
The Price of Indonesian Democracy 
Abstract     

      Democracy has been exists in Indonesian system since Sukarno’s era of Guided Democracy in 1957. Even though when Suharto took the presidential chair in 1965 Indonesia was going backward of its realization of democracy, but in 1998 after the fall of the authoritarian Indonesia started to implement a more open and liberal-political aspect of democracy. This democratization did not come with a cheap price. Just before Suharto’s fall, Indonesia experienced a severe economic crisis that resulted in the economic dislocation of millions of households, a sharp rise in poverty, a 13% decline in gross domestic product (GDP) and near bankruptcy in the financial sector. The economic crisis lead to huge protest by the citizens especially universities students who come out to the DPR/MPR building bearing the entire country aspiration that sadly ended with the shooting of four Trisakti’s students. The shooting incident later followed by May 1998 Riots in several cities. The riots mainly target Ethnic-Chinese properties, causing more than thousand people died, more than 170 cases of rape were reported, and material damage valued at more than Rp 3 trillion. After this much prices Indonesia paid to gain its democracy it is not exaggerated if the generation today have responsibility to protect the democracy through participation in the political activities.

Keywords: democracy, guided democracy, economic crisis, democratization

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA): A Love Letter from The West

Other group members blog:

The U.S – EU Sanction on Iranian Oil Exports by Metri Pangestika

The Impact of the Economic Embargo of Iran by the United State and the European Union for International World by Shintya Ayu Wardani

The erasing sanction towards Iran by Sri Nurhidayanti

United States and European Union : Iran Nuclear Crisis, Policies and Future Relationship by Zanuar Barep

Economic Sanctions against Iran and Its Impact by Fachrul Yuan

Source: Google Images

Background

The P5+1 (U.S, China, U.K, France, Russia, plus Germany) and Iran took an important first step toward reaching a long-term diplomatic resolution with the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), which halted the progress of Iran’s nuclear program in November 2013.  The Iran’s nuclear program was first uncovered in 2002 and since then the U.S. and its allies (mainly EU) has been struggle to put pressure on the Islamic Republic even though the concerned party stressed that it was developing nuclear for peaceful purposes. The sanctions given by the EU and U.S are not enough to stop the program, but it is enough to bring Iran to the table of compromise.  (Van Kemenade, 2009)

Despite the "significant progress" of the talks, several delays have been made through the first step to this time. As after the first talk the deadline of July 2014 was set to find a "comprehensive solution", but the talks were subsequently extended by four months to give negotiators more time. On that date, however, negotiators announced that they need more time and extended the talk until November 24. Since the extension, the P5+1 and Iran have meet multiple times in variety of formats including the one in Oman involving Ashton Zarif and U.S Secretary of State John Kerry where both sides agreed that another seven months were needed.

The process to reach the dreamed goal of a long-term diplomatic resolution is not an easy matter as the parties has its own fear and distrust issues towards each other. However, in the talk held from March 26 to April 2 2015 in Lausanne, Switzerland resulted in high-level agreement on the key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA parties will continue drafting the final text of JCPOA, to be agreed by 30 June 2015.

Once the final text of JCPOA is done, Iran is obliged to abides by its commitments if its want the U.S. and EU to lift their sanctions. Therefore, this article will attempt to explain about the key Parameters of JPCOA regarding the Iran’s nuclear program and its influence on the relation between the west and Iran.

Why the West Started to Doubt Iran Nuclear Program?

It was Alireza Jafarzadeh, U.S. representative for the exiled Iranian opposition group, National Council of Resistance of Iran (NICRI), who in 2002 blow the whistle on the much larger than known scale of Iran’s nuclear program. In a book published in 2007, he also revealed that there has been a military component from the very beginning which was separated from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and became the exclusive reserve of the Revolutionary Guards, the state within the state that was determined to keep this secret from the outside world. He also mentioned that there are two top-secret nuclear sites under construction: a partly underground uranium enrichment facility in Natanz and a heavy water facility in Arak. (Jafarzadeh, 2007)

Those NICRI reports what makes the U.S. and EU-3; United Kingdom, France and Germany, to call on Iran to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to have access to all previously declared and publicized facilities.

The West Sanctions over the Iran Nuclear Program

Since the secret nuclear program was revealed in 2002, the U.S. and EU have imposed sanctions in efforts to prevent Iran from developing military nuclear capability. The sanctions are targeted towards Iran’s key energy and financial sectors and proven to be effective in crippling the Iran’s economy.

EU’s sanctions includes the restriction on trade equipment that can be used for uranium enrichment, a ban on any transactions with Iran bank and financial institution, and ban on the import, purchase and transport of Iranian crude oil and natural gas - the EU had previously accounted for 20% of Iran's oil exports. European companies were also stopped from insuring Iranian oil shipments.

The US sanctions prohibit almost all trade with Iran, making some exceptions only for activity "intended to benefit the Iranian people", including the export of medical and agricultural equipment, humanitarian assistance and trade in "informational" materials such as films. (BBC, 2015)

The Key Parameter of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

The JCPOA is the fruit that comes from the recent talks about Iran nuclear program in Switzerland. The key parameter has been released but it still subject for more negotiation. These key parameters are elements to form the foundation upon which the final text of the JCPOA that will be written between now and June 30, and reflect the significant progress that has been made in discussions between the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran.

The key parameter includes agreement about Enrichment, Inspections and Transparency, Reactor and Reprocessing, Sanctions, and Phasing. From this JCPOA, Iran has agreed to reduce by approximately two-thirds its installed centrifuges and it also agreed to implement the Additional Protocol of the IAEA, providing the IAEA much greater access and information regarding Iran's nuclear program, including both declared and undeclared facilities. If in the future Iran can abide its commitments in this JCPOA, U.S. and EU will fully relief their sanctions. (CNN, 2015)

Conclusion

The fear and distrust between U.S.-EU towards Iran nuclear program is understandable as the hidden project argued to be a deadly weapon that will disrupt international security. This JCPOA that hopefully will be finished on 30 June is a love letter that will end the nuclear crisis, remove the suspicion towards Iran and restore its crippled economy.

References

BBC. (2015, March). Iran Nuclear Crisis: What are the sanctions? Retrieved June 27, 2015, from BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-15983302

CNN. (2015, April 2). Parameter of the Iran Nuclear Deal . Retrieved June 27, 2015, from CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/02/world/iran-nuclear-deal-parameters/index.html

Jafarzadeh, A. (2007). The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

Van Kemenade, W. (2009). Iran's Relation with China and the West: Cooperation and Confrontation in Asia. The Hague: Netherland Institutes of International Relations.