Mr. Kie Eng Go is the CEO of Surya Enterprise Indonesia. Surya Enterprise is a technology company that involves in developing solutions for under developed villages in rural Indonesia. Mr. Go is also a human right activist. This interview is about Mr. Go activities as a human right activist. The interview was conducted in September 2005 during FICA’s Oversees Mission Conference or OMC.
I: Sofia and Tommy Tjiptadjaja; KE: Mr. Kie Eng Go
I: In your opinion, who are the key players of social transformation in Indonesia right now and what are the visions that they offer to the people?
KE: That will be the direct political players, the politicians. The other players who are also significant are from the business community. The next players who are also important are the NGOs, because they always have alternative views about what’s going on in the society. The other real components in Indonesia in terms of social transformation today other than those three are the religious communities and the thugs, the preman. Although the media is also important, but the question is who are controlling the media. Even though now the media is relatively far more open compared to the old regime era, but I still have to say that the media is not completely independent yet in Indonesia.
I: What are the visions for social transformation in Indonesia?
KE: New Order, Madani/Sharia Society, and Civil Society. The new order vision is basically held the supremacy of the elite. When the elite rules, there will be continuous exploitation to the environment, people, and human rights. The Madani society is taking the Islamic principles to build the democratic societies. Based on this, Indonesia would be based on Islamic law or Sharia. The other vision is the civil society. The vision is based on pluralism that respect universal values held by the human race from all backgrounds. This vision is supported by the younger generations and intellectuals in Indonesia.
I: What do you think Indonesian people need to make their society better than now?
KE: Indonesian has to appreciate its plurality so that we could build manner in public space that is segregate people based on ethnic, race, religion, and social status.
I: What do you think Christians have to do to cultivate the civil society in Indonesia?
KE: First, we need to practice what we believe. Practicing our faith does not mean that we are a fundamentalist. On the contrary, Christ went to earth and incarnated to His culture. Second, we have to understand how God sees the world. We have to have a complete Christian worldview. We cannot be dogmatic; instead we need to understand God’s passion, grace, and love for the world. Third, Christians should have the character of Christ. (In Indonesian context, KE articulated further to have 3 implications.) a. Would we as Indonesian Christian be willing to accept the consequence? For example, when we talk about honesty in the context of Indonesian culture, it is hard to be followed. This is because there is a heavy consequence put on by the corrupt system that punishes honest individuals. , b. We should not have any hidden agenda in our good work. We need to conduct our good work to really help the people; instead of having a hidden intent to evangelize the people we serve. These people need to know Christ through our life. c. We should not be afraid to have dialogues and relationships with people from other religions, race, and social status.