Yogyakarta

Today we ventured across Yogyakarta/Jogjakarta to visit a non-profit organization, Yayasan Gaia, and the Ombadsman in Yogyakarta that handles private sector matters. Yayasan Gaia is an organization that provides community assistance in a variety of ways, notably through distaster relief assistance, a mobile medical clinic, and providing funds for street children to obtain an education. Two women in charge of the organization showed us around a campground where families and businesses can stay for retreats. All proceeds from the campground go to a fund for the education of street children in Yogyakarta. Honestly, I wish I could have stayed at the campground myself. It was so incredibly beautiful and tranquil, the perfect spot for a person to camp. The site was surrounded by palm and banana trees and a spout trickled water into a pond filled with large fish. I'm excited to return tomorrow to interview street children and learn more about Yayasan Gaia's work in Yogyakarta.

I found the meeting with the Ombadsman to be incredibly fascinating. The organization comprised of 5 members and 5 assistants selected by the governor of Yogyakarta to act as a mediator between consumers, private enterprise, and local government-owned enterprise. The organization encourages businesses to use ethical practices and consumers to develop a more thorough understanding of contractual agreements and how to make wise purchases. During the meeting, a member of the organization . I'm really curious as to whether the government has ever resisted efforts of the Ombadsman to mediate conflict between consumers and whether the governor can remove members from their positions if their recommendations conflict with state interests. I was also really surprised that the members of the Ombadsman were so interested in hearing our questions and asking about our own mediation processes in the United States. They seemed very eager to see how conflict resolution and government/private sector relations worked in the United States and appeared to take our opinions very seriously. Since Indonesia is a new democracy, I understand how people are eager to learn how to create an ethical market system that encourages government and consumer cooperation, but I was surprised that the Ombadsman asked us about our own system, since we're college students with little private sector experience.

I also want to ask them about government corruption, but asking such a question would be incredibly unwise since the group, although it claims to be independent and impartial, does rely on local government officials for employment. I'm curious to know how much corruption and underhanded dealings occur in business transactions in Yogyakarta, but that would be a question for a watchdog NGO.