Chance and Riau Malay Challenge in the Globalization Era

By : H.M. Rusli Zainal

Globalization is a tendency and today‘s reality. Globalization creates limitations in its relationship amongst people, nation and country to be meaningless. Borders or countries elsewhere, people, communities or institutions can interrelate and sustain based on the individual interest. Everyday, Indonesian inhabitants are easily to get a picture and to interact with other countries vise versa. Nor only in the information array, it is on the economic, ideological, product distribution, and inter-cultural array relationship. Globalization makes the world residents are alike falling silent in a boundless house.

No single country that cannot get off the hook for this reality and one thing that can be done is self-strengthening in this infinite relationship so we won‘t be the victim. The big bang named globalization infiltrates people and fields, in a very fast time this big bang has changed the inter continents relationship‘s design and more and less has big influence in changing a country system.

In one side, globalization contributes the positive values since the “boundless world” makes the people to a healthy competition and can receive and transfer many things for the national interests an ethnic. Indonesia also quite accomplish as the effect of globalization that in several years of time, it has changed the Indonesia‘s face in its politics, democracy, economics, and socio-culture. Every little bit counts positively but in some of also labels negatively.

Riau Malays people and Riau province as the Indonesian sub system are little bit influenced by the globalization. Malays people who are weak to the unfair of central political and economical policy are forced competing with other regions that is virtually impossible having competition for several reasons. In the human resource situation, the Riau Malays people are still inferior since the new educational development done better after Riau standing as a province in 1957, on the contrary, other regions had started earlier. Every little bit counts positively but in some of also labels negatively.

This horrible situation can be seen where some of Riau regions are other countries‘ rubbish dumps e.g. some of places in Riau islands and Batam without doing mutual process in the terms of the limitation of the human resource and the productivity. On the one side, this condition is also caused by the lapse of Indonesia international policy itself without considering the locals interests.

Protection Necessity

In facing the situation accepted by the Riau Malays as the condition of the globalization, strategics steps are needed to assist these people not sinking from one defeat to another defeat. One of the strategic steps needed is doing and giving the protection to Riau Malays people. This protection is important since it is impossible to let Riau inhabitants compete equally and imbalance with the outsiders‘ strengths that are stronger and more ready.

The sufficient protection makes the Riau residents to play fairly in the global association surrounds them. The protection policy is done by the government, specifically the local government in giving the first chance to the people in enhancing the economics, monetary and other fields that interconnect to the welfare development.

Protection is not a prohibited matter, although is not preferred by global relationship. Nor in Riau local‘s government or in Indonesia, if protection is not done, Indonesia will be “toys” in the international policy that only makes the developed countries possible to win. However, some protections have been done, Indonesia is still loose for the present weaknesses, even if we obligate to speak of the Riau people that have been enervated by the lapse of Indonesian‘ policy.

In several countries i.e. Malaysia and Brunnei, the protection for the Malay people‘s interest significantly has been enhanced the Malays welfare that enables them competing in the global association. For countries implementing protection, indeed a big country such as the US, it keeps implementing protection for its residents.

Autonomy as capital

To enter the global world, the basic powers are needed to have the strong bargaining position. These basic powers are used as weapon in facing the fight. Today‘s weakness is that Riau Malays people and Province Riau are not able to behave as a part of sub-country‘s consequence. Between ten and twenty years of time, the Malays people are the policy acceptor implemented by the central government that is not able to make policies based on the physical knowledge and creates own policies for the people goodness. This is generally planned in Indonesia but the Riau Malays people are on the terrible position in the same system. Moreover, all the resources are taken without a prestigious sharing benefit while in the same time they are unwanted that have to face and accept the disturbance from the closest continents. This fact is excruciating.

The district autonomy law goes into effect recently giving broaden opportunity to local government in managing themselves, this feature is brought about to be the capital in facing problems you possessed. This is real that the autonomy implementation in a year has been giving a little bit brightness to the Riau Malays people.

The other important side from the autonomy is not just the material obtained by Riau as the cause of huge number of its natural resources but it is merely because Riau itself is able to make public, politics and economics policies to the inhabitants‘ goodness. The opportunity in making self-policy is important to Riau that is directly facing other countries. Hence, the Riau people are firstly considering everything before deciding to make decision for something.

Furthermore, the global relationship needs a sufficient self-defense where the autonomy implemented by Riau governance is more able to arrange the people having the welfare. If the people are still possessing lives and good human resources, they struggle for and play of globalization wave won‘t be able to shake them.

Accidentally, the government is impressed to stretch the autonomy issue. In deeper, toward Riau, the systematic conspiracy is done by certain people and certain group that finally empties into the emasculation the right of Riau toward their natural resources. The conspiracy viewed on how the government tries to cut off Dana Lokasi Umum (DAU), to postpone the CPP Block management, and to agree the gasoline sharing profit through the Oil and Gas Law that is clearly harmed the Riau people that have been oppressed.

If the idea of the country is people‘s welfare, why the central governance does not give a balance result for the Riau people? The answer probably is one that it will reduce the government‘s pressure to the local government. The government in years usually considers the central-local relationship in the discourse of “Patron and Client” and “Slave and Master”. Pointing and elaborating Hernando De Soto in The Other Path, it is simply said,” the psychological condition occurs when power always regards that political voluntarism must be the main factor to all things that will happen in country‘s future”. In fact this is no possibly since no single person or power that is able in understanding and providing all the socio-evolution process as such occurs in Indonesia and Riau recently.

The autonomy, in spite of its strengths and weaknesses, is a good beginning path in creating self-government as can be seen in several federal countries e.g. the US, Malaysia and so on. By the reason, autonomy is something that is fix that must be better developed.

The strengths‘ front line

Regardless the necessity of big autonomy and protection to Riau Malays in facing the globalization era, those Malays people and certainly Riau as a district should have the basic strength and prepare the supporting elements in facing the real world.

At least, there are several basic and big strengths used to enhance the Malays simultaneously as the instrument entering the global world both in real and virtual power. In the general outlines, at least Riau has two powers.

At first, The Natural Resource and Industrial Capacity. Generally, Riau can be spoken having in front line of natural resources and industrial capacity within Indonesia. These become the important instrument into the global world since in the side of inter districts and inter continents relationships are always be based on a mutual symbiosis. The next reason, standard power is needed to enter the global world where the most important thing is the sources that giving welfare chance. The Riau natural resources and industrial capacity along with the existing resources make possible the Riau Malays to follow the bargaining process that is morally and materially strengthening the bargaining position toward Riau‘s relationship with other regions or countries.

Trailing to second, the geographical strategic position. Riau geographical condition is directly in border with several countries i.e. Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and a number of Asian countries which is the positive point to go beyond into the global association along with taking benefit from this relationship. The borders‘ closeness with other countries makes it possible the Riau Malays people to have an autonomous relationship with other countries in the form of economical and socio-cultural relationship. Take the case of the Sijori economics triangle relationship involving Riau, Johor and Malaysia. In future, “by a more fairly policy from the central government toward Riau”, and/or through the results and the logical consequences of the autonomy implementation, the Riau Malays inhabitants will be more self improved economically and socio-culturally using its strategic condition. In recent time, although the mutual relationship is disproportionate, the Riau Malays inhabitants autonomously have been doing the relationship as the effect of the border closeness e.g. between the Batam Malays people and Tanjungpinang and the Singapore and Malaysia entrepeneurs. With the system and a better system implementation, is not possible in future that Riau Malays people will take the bigger advantage from their mutual condition.

Those above capitals are the sufficient strength if it is used better by the Riau Malays residents. However, by observing the Riau‘s case, a continuous supporting elements must be placed on a solid footing by the Riau‘s local government, the society‘s superintendents element, and the society itself. At least, there are several main points that need to be taken into account as follows:

Firstly, human resources. Good human resources are the main and important element. For that reason, developing the human resources is an obligation in facing the global rivalry. The society‘s improvement and defense do not depend upon the quantity but the inhabitants‘ quality. The inhabitants‘ quality is directly connected to the ability of a local government in managing its natural resources. In this case, enhancing the Malay natural resources quality should be implemented well and directed through the educational quality escalation in Riau. Of course, it is merely decided by the present educational policy.

Secondly, the leader quality. Unquestionably that credibility or disability, wisdom or competence, effectiveness or non-capability in leading is very influencing the strength or power possessed by a certain district. Since a leader is an important variable, in facing the globalization, the Riau Malays people need a good leader figure from their own surroundings that has capability, credibility, and good personality.

Thirdly, the bureaucracy organizational efficiency. In facing fast and accurate global world, the fashioned bureaucracy must be put in order in immediate. It needs to be formed an efficient bureaucracy used to implement the policies in its coherence principally to the relationship with outsiders.

Fourthly, the Socials Voluntarism and the Societal Cohesiveness. The present powers won‘t be bigger if the socials voluntarism and the societal cohesiveness are extinct. The society‘s unification becomes important since in the world somehow, a struggle goes to its destination if there is a socials voluntarism in politics, economics, social, and culture. A struggle without a societal cohesiveness will be hard to be achieved again in facing the globalization. This matter is grown continuously by the Riau Malay people, headlessness, without considering where the people are originated.

Today, Riau Malays inhabitants are inline to the above aim and if all of these are working, globalization or a boundless world is not frightening but just becomes an interested world where Riau Malays people will give and transfer in balance in the same crater.

In spite of this, the progress in all parts and others‘ completeness also need to be determined especially for Indonesia since it is the state‘s policies that support the society‘s power appearance in fighting against the challenge. Riau and Riau Malays people is just a sub of a country named Indonesia that without conviction collectiveness will be sank.

Billahi taufik wal hidayah
Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarokatuh

H.M. Rusli Zainal

Gubernur Provinsi Riau (2003 - 2008)

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