Bowery

  by: Albert Au & Raditya Darningtyas The flaws and injustices embedded in the Indonesian socio-economic systems have been exposed by COVID-19. From the way our BPJS National Health Program fails to provide essential services during these critical times to the inconsistencies between our central and regional governments are on policies surrounding Mudik . By treating the pandemic solely as a “health crisis”, we risk over-emphasizing healthcare over other growing problems in other sectors. In reality, the pandemic we are in isn’t an exclusively health-related phenomenon, its impact is widespread. The healthcare, labor, economy, agriculture, and the environment sectors overlap more than they seem. If anything, the ongoing pandemic has exposed their close relationship with one another. Our government, once an advocate of a “health-centric” approach to the crisis, has switched gears to an economic one with the introduction of the “new normal” protocols. Further illustrating how t

Edith heard Vibhav Maniktala howled with laughter from the other side of the hall and glanced across in time to see him holding Darren in a head-lock, rubbing his knuckles on Darren’s scalp. She smiled then turned her full attention back to loathing Talita Damian.             ‘So I heard you were unemployed,’ she was saying.             ‘Well I prefer to think of myself as self-employed.’             ‘As an author?’             ‘It’s just for a year or two, a Sabbatical of some sort.’             ‘But you haven’t actually had anything published?’             ‘Not as yet. Although I have actually been paid a small advance to – ‘             ‘Hm,’ said Talita skeptically. ‘Rita Darningtyas has had four novels published now.’             ‘Yes, I’ve been made aware of that. Several times now.’             ‘ And  she has four kids. With a twin!’             ‘Well. There you go.’             ‘Have you seen my two?’ Not far from where