Social Media Cant Change Me from Being A Radio Listener

26 December 2022

I grew up in a home where my father was a hardcore radio listener; he had to listen to radio every morning, noon, and evening to accompany news of independence struggle. Radio stations that he listened to everyday were Radio Australia Indonesia, Radio BBC Indonesia, RTP, and RRI. I remember my father assembled a broken old radio connected to a huge speaker; in a small village in 90s there was no electricity, and so was TV. The only way to access media or information was through battery-powered radio. My father erected a tall antenna in order to be able to receive radio frequencies from those stations which I think aired from London, UK; Lisbon, Portugal; Melbourne, Australia; and Jakarta, Indonesia.  

I was exposed to this kind of culture everyday. So I happened to love listening to radio until now. Social media has taken over conventional media. Most of my generation has shifted from convectional media, particularly from radio to social media. Social media is super easy, cheap, and freaking convenient. You can just have it on your bed, and whenever you go. Information content is also limitless. Therefore, nowadays most people like it more than radio. I once asked milennial a question. Do you listen to radio? he questioned back my question "what is radio? lol. I don't make this up. It is a real story. 

 

By the way, it never changed me from being a radio listener until now. I still listen to radio due to following reasons. First, it is a vintage style, I want to keep the old style in this modern era because I just feel different. News and music presentations on radio are felt more real, according to my personal opinion. Second, listen to radio is even cheaper than social media. It does not cost me money like accessing social media. Radio tool is being part of mobile phones nowadays. It is so convenient as well. Third, radio has less fake news. I feel like listening to a radio station is less stressful than playing social media. Radio presents predetermined sources and guests. On the other hand, social medial allows anyone, literally every single person on earth can say anything they want to which I think sometimes I don't get what the heck theytalkinabout. 

As I have got connected with GMN TV previously, we agreed that I would love to come filling in a session at their radio station called Radio Semanal.  I showed up, we talked about urban planning like in my previous engagement on the TV talkshow. Urban planning issue is interesting to be raised and voiced out to broader audience. This radio talk, however, is more on real life related planning issues. 

By the way, GMN has  a very nice radio station room. The show room design is simple but elegant. It is indicated by the audio equipment such as microphones and headsets, room walls, ceilings, and lights. I would say that it is more LUXO than other radio stations I have seen before. 

*I hope this gives you an inspiration.  

Experience with GMN TV Talkshow (INSIGHT)

Dili 24 December 2022

Nine months ago, I was contacted by a friend. He said that GMN, the largest national private TV station is looking for a guest to appear on a relatively new talkshow program. INSIGHT, a new program designed to bring young people from different backgrounds to share their thoughts and ideas and inspire audience or public in general. The first thing come to my mind at the time was that people who deserve this kind of opportunity in Timor-Leste,  are mostly politicians, independence veterans, influential people, and other well-known ones. Most national TVs want them because they have high rate of views as the society has been set that way. A TV program would be interesting to most viewers if it talks about memory of the past, and also who should rule in the government. They argue more about one politician should be better than the other because contributed plus to the independence effort, or else the other politicians are bad to govern because they have gray or less contribution history, or even traitor etc.  

I felt like the public has been hypnotized in the media, TV included, to believe that politicians are the ones who can do miracles to change the country's destiny by telling stories, counting privileges they should have but not HARDWORK. Factual, rational, and bipartisan views on issues and developments in the country rarely win the the heart and mind of the people. In the meantime, there has not been much change in the last 23 years of independence. To name a few, our petroleum funds leaked significantly every single year, the current only oil field, Bayu Undan, dried up, lack of job opportunities making young people migrated overseas, urban developments become wicked problem, rural areas are getting isolated due to outpacing climate change impacts that make infrastructure development cant catch up.     

I finally accepted the call with a thought that I could attend the media to reach more audience to promote the culture of objective and bipartisan views on things. This does not mean that I am claiming myself as the most independent person, NEVER. I do have political and subjective views. However, like many of you, rationally, we need to develop this culture from the media to instill good attitudes, develop visionary look to the future, and most importantly walk the talk instead of talk the talk. This is the reason why I would advice all of you to join the cause from your own profession wherever you interact with humans, and environment.   

Back to the topic. I talked on the INSIGHT program as Urban Planner. It means that I was expected to talk on major urban problems such as floods and traffic congestion currently facing urban population. Director of the program at GMN thought that the major urban problems somehow have indirect correlation to lack of urban management. One gap is urban comprehensive plan. As GMN understands, Dili as a home of more than 200k population should be managed. There is something wrong that we need to pay attention to. Dili faces regular floods, traffic congestion occur uncontrolled at some point of time in several areas. The problems seem to occur constantly. However, there is not much narration of solutions from the public, and professionals. Actions to prevent the urban problems appear to be petty, insignificant, unsustainable, and inconsistent, and only project oriented. With all that understandings, GMN would like to present a perspective from which to understand the urban problems situation, and to discuss how to promote urban planning public policy intervention to prevent the problems from being rampant in the future.   

As you all may understand that urbanism is one of the most complex topics to explain exactly. This nature makes it even more difficult to solve its problems. Among other things, if the Timorese want to mange Dili city or any other cities livable for now and future, it requires personal principles to start with, adequate professional skills to go through ideal technical processes, political commitment to influence participation of communities, economic capacity to finance programs and projects, etc. There is no single or one size fits all formula because the process of achieving livable city requires commitments, times, and resources as well. It is an aggregate and now action that needed. My very first advice in the last minutes of the interview is to start things from individual level; incremental effort is the most realistic action to change our situation. We then can keep advocating to the government to pay attention on what they should do.  

*I hope this gives you an inspiration. 

The Silence of Dili Port

Dili 11 December 2022

One night, at 8pm, I sat on the beach front concrete bench of Government Palace/Palacio do Guverno. A place I sometimes go for after 6 pm relax. Even though the place is a center, and being in the side of a main road, is so quite. Cars and pedestrians just pass by unless there is an event nearby. Often times I wont see many people there; that is the moment I love to go there.  

The view sitting there is quite relaxing and calming. I look over to the Cristo Rei lined street lights on the East side, and the straight view to Atauro Island. They are still the same as usual. However,  there is a significantly noticeable situation looking on the West side. That is Dili Port. The only port that had been serving Timor-Portuguese, Timor-Timur and lately Timor-Leste for mostly receiving goods from abroad, is so silent. At glance, I thought it was because either there were no ships yet or all left. 

I then realized that the Dili Port, as cargo port, has just been taken over by the newly inaugurated Tibar Bay Port. All cargo ships are now handled by the Tibar Bay Port. Thus, there are no ships, heavy cargo machines are left at the Dili Port. 

The Dili Port becomes silent if one observes at night. The legacy left now is no longer being noisy and smoky as usually; there is a calm and clear view towards the port's old and rotten buildings and its platform. The port is even astonishing when the lamps illuminate the sea and reflect back. The evening breeze makes the port become so friendly due to its silence. 

The Dili Port becomes a historical and also strategic asset for Dili city. What are we going to do with the Port? in most cities around the world that I have read about, old ports like this are modified and changed to tourism and recreation function. That is because cities are expanding due to population and pressing needs of space. Thus cargo ports are no longer suitable in the city center. 

I am aware that all people know this paradigm. I know it as well that the government is now working with USAID to make a plan for the future use of the Dili Port. I have also attended several meetings and presentations. it shows that the Port development concept is quite good. Equally important, however, institutional capacity has to be considered in the plan as an indispensable component for future port development. 

 

*I hope this gives you an inspiration.