Jaya Suprana: Searching for Indonesia’s philosophy

Thu, June 20 2013, 11:38 AM
Emanuel Dapa Loka, Contributor, Jakarta

Asked about his greatest concern for the nation today, Jaya Suprana replied: “We only lack an appreciation of what we own. This attitude makes me feel anxious.”

He observed that the nation at all levels appreciated something from the outside far more than being proud of local values.

“It seems as if all things of external origin, especially the West, are superior to our own, but we’ve got great endowments and we can be even greater,” said the founder and proprietor of the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) in Jakarta recently.

Citing philosophy as an example, he described the cultures of Sumba in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and other ethnic groups in Indonesia as being steeped in high philosophical values as yet unrecognized as science by western academic norms. Referring to jamu (herbal medicine), he said: “Jamu has its science, but why should that have to be proven by western science?”

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/06/20/jaya-suprana-searching-indonesia-s-philosophy.html