a-journey, a-dot

I always have a high skepticism to Indonesian businessman’s wishes. Some -if not most of them- were quite satisfied with less-justified assumptions supplied by their managers working under their guidance, some were hesitate to use statistics and to hear facts that against their plan, some were blindly believe in their past experience forgot that world has changed, some were too soft to get rid of flaw judgments and using those to please business partners or banks (whom also like to be fooled as well:) and they together composing a nice wishful thinking scenario.

I do respect their savvy and built-in self confidence that generally not found in our genetics. I do respect every chairman that I ever served.

I do believe that we should not underestimate crazy ideas. From Microsoft to Honda to a nearby successful supermarket compound that I visited this afternoon, they all coming from below.. with original and savvy ideas, perseverance, risk taking and sweat. Nothing is light, free and come easily.

I nodded when my fellow businessman was laughing when I asked him why he did not expand overseas. He told me a fairy tales of Indonesia where you can really make your wishful thinking comes true. Really.

I was laughing too when Vice President Yusuf Kalla -a businessman from a new order era, tricks his fellow citizen by saying in the newspaper that we are in jeopardy of facing severe electricity shortage is not because of power shortage, but because of our economy is growing. My logic is stuck somewhere between my ears. I should play and turn upside down silly deduction to get the gist of his statement. If the economy growth could not guarantee its prerequisite (an infrastructure development), who’s on earth can believe that economy growth could guarantee that we could get better living.

Businessman is not a philosopher, they did crazy things with their savvy. We cant expect them to be that cautious and logic-friendly on what their saying, but now too many businessman ruling this country. I just feel sorry that we are too much rely on those guys, whom might rely much on a wishful thinking mentality, beautiful scenarios prepared by the ministers, pleasing the people; people that might be dying for not getting enough food tomorrow. I feel sorry that they look like abandoning the process and ethics and keep boosting political fairy tales for us to sleep well another one night.