Background

As Indonesia embarks on the second decade of the Reform Era, it continues to face enormous challenges in its nation development effort. In the midst of struggles of power and conflicts of aspirations among the different elite groups, our nation has lost a common agenda–one ideology that could bring our diverse nation together and work towards a strong and fair Indonesia. The masses in Indonesia today witness that their livelihood and rights are shrinking, their life space being subject to the will and interests of the elites. Numerous natural disasters, the global food and fuel crises, ineffective economic and monetary policies implemented by the state, as well as conflicts of interest arising from the overly-intimate relationship between the state and the economic elites, only worsen the hardships endured by the economically underprivileged. Tensions across racial, religious, ethnic and economic lines continue to haunt an already anxious lower class. In all aspects of life in our society there seems to exist a class system gives unmerited privileges to certain groups of people at the expense of other (usually weaker) groups. The marginalized continue to find themselves being depraved of their political, legal, cultural and economic rights, their life space systematically constraint to make room for that of the privileged, leaving them unable and not ready to get out of the hardships they are in.

Motivated by this observation, it is the objective of this year’s Overseas Ministry Conference / Temuwicara Pelayanan Mancanegara (OMC / TPM) to dissect the issue of the shrinking life space and rights of the underprivileged. It is OMC’s goal this year to serve as a forum for in-depth discussion on the situation and condition of life space in Indonesia, with the hope that it result in concrete plans towards the development and protection of life space for all. As Christ followers, we recognize life space is an original element in God’s blueprint of the society. It is a gift given by the love of God to all, so all can come to know and enjoy His greatness and truth. We are called to be the salt and light of the Earth, His partners in preserving this gift. OMC strives to see that through it, our participants may come to a deep understanding and conviction that concrete and real actions need to be taken to protect, preserve and develop the life space in Indonesia, and that they are called to take part in the actions by serving according to their own expertise and vocation.

The audience of OMC is made up of individuals coming from all walks of life. The majority of the participants are college and graduate students, industry professionals, and academic staff. Most come from the middle class background and enjoy the level and quality of education that most in the lower class can only dream of. We are brought together by the conviction that as both Christians and part of the Indonesian society, we need to use our economic and intellectual privileges as God’s ministry to the nation we call home.

Goals

The goals of OMC XV are as follow:

1. To study and understand God’s design for human life space in relation to His blueprint of the society
   1. To reflect on the biblical design for human life space and its relevance in the context of the political and social reality and cultural situation in Indonesia.
   2. To study the clash of and compare the different worldviews with different outlooks on the meaning of life space in modern Indonesia, and to formulate ways to proclaim the relevance of our faith and Biblical truth in the midst of the different worldviews in society.
2. To study and understand the roles, dynamics and characteristics of the different entities that exist in Indonesia today:
   1. The Middle Class
      1. Get to know the identities of the Indonesian middle class
      2. Study the potential and different roles that the middle class can take in building life space in Indonesia
      3. Identify the challenges faced by the middle class in their effort to build life space and protect rights to livelihood
   2. The Social and Political Elites
      1. Identify the profiles of the Indonesian social and political elites
      2. Study the agenda of each and their stands in protecting and building life space for all, and also their efforts in either protecting or oppressing the life spaces of the underprivileged.
      3. Identify the challenges they face in their efforts
   3. The Underprivileged / Lower Class
      1. Get to know who they are
      2. Develop an intimate understanding of their life space, and their struggles to maintain it
      3. Formulate actions that can be taken to help them develop their understanding of life space and their rights as part of our nation, and identify the challenges that they will face in the effort.
   4. Non-Governmental Organizations / Civil Society Organizations
      1. Study the NGO / civil society movement in Indonesia and their agenda in building the social capital / network, in the context of the discussion on life space and livelihood rights.
      2. Explore the movement’s support system in Indonesia.
3. To formulate our dual roles as Indonesian Christian intellectuals and as part of the middle class in participating in the building of life space and the protection of livelihood in Indonesia.

Goals

To achieve our conference goals, we are inviting the following speakers:

• Mr. Anton Obey
  

Mr. Obey is a businessman from Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, whose profile as a business man is preceded by that of his active involvement in the society, both in his local community as well as regionally. Mr. Obey is well-known for his participation in building unity and solidarity in his ethnically, economically and religiously diverse community. He has also served as the chairman of the his home region’s chapter of Forum Komunikasi Kesatuan Bangsa (FKKB).

• Ms. Rita Olivia Tambunan
  

Ms. Tambunan is the Executive Secretary and cofounder of the Trade Union Rights Centre in Jakarta. TURC provides practical support for blue collar workers through advocacy and research on labor law and related issues especially human rights. Ms. Tambunan is responsible for TURC’s organizational sustainability, developing a program of activities to meet the needs of workers and trade unions. Ms. Tambunan works closely with the labor workers by providing labor advocacy and facilitating legal training and policy advocacy on workers' issues. Previously she worked as the Chief of Public Campaign Division of DEMOS, a human rights monitoring organization and with Jakarta Legal Aid Institute. She has a Masters of International Human Rights Law from Essex University.