Ponari & His Magic Healing Stone
Feb 26th, 2009, in News, by Lairedion
The magical faith healing stone of young boy Ponari is big business for a small village in East Java.
East Javanese village is earning big bucks with its boy wonder
Even Ponari must go to school. He hasn’t been there for three weeks and this Monday is the time. The school director takes him there personally on his “moped”, and a platoon of riot police officers run alongside the 9 year old prodigy to protect him. It is not easy to get the boy away from his village. Thousands of people crowd between the houses and when they see Ponari they even press harder. But people have to wait because Ponari must go to school.
A month ago Ponari was hit by lightning, according to his story. When he regained consciousness there was a stone on top of his head. He threw it away but the stone came back so he took it home. There he discovered the healing effects of the stone: a neighbour healed of fever after he had touched it, the village head got rid of a bad pain in his arm and the local police officer, a pious Muslim, swears he has seen with his own eyes how Ponari healed a boy who had not spoken a single word for five years.
The news about the miraculous healings spread quickly and people started to flood to the small village of Balongsari, a few hours drive from Surabaya. First dozens, then hundreds, and now there are thousands. They bring cups, bottles and buckets of water in which the boy wonder plunges his stone. This allegedly turns the water into a powerful panacea. Ponari is carried around by his father. He looks tired.
A party tent protects him against the sun. There are barriers of bamboo put down to control the crowd. This has already led to accidents: four people have been trampled to death and an unknown number got injured. And also the healing doesn’t work that well. A child of three died after his parents had given him wonder water instead of taking him to a doctor. The media are interviewing more and more people who have been drinking the miracle water but didn’t notice anything. Hamzah (53) says that his eyes are just as bad as before. Such information may not deter visitors. They keep on flooding to the village.
Yet there is growing criticism of the Balongsari circus. Especially Muslim organizations condemn what is happening there. It is superstition and therefore sinful but also dangerous. Child welfare agencies demand closure of this ‘practice’ of Ponari in order to protect the boy against exploitation. Even his father says now enough is enough. He has already tried a few times to get Ponari to school but was always stopped by the crowd and his own neighbours which keep the family more or less as hostages. They want Ponari to continue because they earn big money: they sell food, they rent out parking spaces, sleeping places and sell water in which Ponari has immersed his stone. This poor peasant village is making a daily turnover of one billion rupiah (70,000 euros).
As long as the faithful continue to throng there’s no way back. Ponari says nothing. After school he is back on his father’s shoulders and he immerses his stone in water until he cannot hold it anymore….
This post is a translation of an article which appeared in Dutch daily “Volkskrant” on 24 February 2009 (link: http://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/article1154300.ece/Indonesisch_dorp_teert_op_wonderkind).
249 Comments on “Ponari & His Magic Healing Stone”
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Mike Oxblack says:
whiteys’ dirty laundry
It’s not dirty as the pembantu washes it. In the other sense of the phrase, your precious Javanese have plenty of dirty laundry (blood on their hands) of their own and are colonialists par excellence. Seeing the faces of Wiranto and Prabowo leering down from billboards all over town at the moment makes me feel ill.
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Aluang Anak Bayang says:
Misterrr Mike Oxblack,
Haven’t felt particularly cornered I must say. All I’ve heard is third rates racist, ad hominem attacks from ABB. Another nationalist dupe it seems.
If you had not ‘felt cornered’, the way you bail out of a debate raised eyebrows.
Then go back where you were rescued by Mbak Oigal.Did you see that on the internet? You’ve got to get beyond these 6th form conspiracy theories ABB. There’s no conspiracy, that’s just the way global institutions work and always have worked. … If you really want to address the huge and immoral gap between the northern and southern hemispheres in this world ’solidarity’ is indeed the key, it’s most certainly one that will have to transcend race though.
I am Asian and I have been there, gone to where most of my countrymen had not. I am speaking on first hand account. The worst of the lot is Australia. Can you say there is no skin-based bias in Australian white dominated workforce – public and private? I can give you many real case examples.
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Can you say there is no skin-based bias in Australian white dominated workforce – public and private? I can give you many real case examples.
…and can you say that the exact same biases don’t exist in Indonesian culture? Africans don’t get much respect here. Just turn on the TV and look at all the dodgy skin whitening adverts and their eugenic overtones. Other SE Asian countries don’t have nearly the same obsession with white skin. Physician heal thyself…
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@ Mike Oxblack
Like any caring family, there is always brotherly conflict. We do not need bule outsiders to interfere.
Here is a short list of bule interference:
Korea: North and South Korea
Vietnam: North and South Vietnam
Nusantara: Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia
China: China and Taiwan
India: Pakistan, Bangladesh and India
Indonesia: Acheh
Timor: East and WestHowever, East Timor threw a shoe at Australia face by declaring Indonesia as their brother state. Was East Timor being ungrateful? Of course NO, these are people in the know.
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Indonesia: Acheh
Timor: East and WestThese last two we can’t take credit for alas. Although we gave you the go ahead to commit acts of genocide in these two areas.
Not really looking to defend Western governments, which I largely deplore, just to take you up on the:
caring family, brotherly conflict
part of your argument. One quarter of East Timor’s population murdered by Indonesia (using Western made weapons of course). You really are more deeply propagandised than I first thought.
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Misterrr Mike Oxblack,
Sorry to burst your bubble, here is what Prime Minister Gusmao said to Our president, “My discussion with President Yudhoyono was like a young man asking for his elder brother’s views and inputs.”
Indonesia and Timor are like brothers. That cannot be said of Australia.
Re,
…and can you say that the exact same biases don’t exist in Indonesian culture? Africans don’t get much respect here. Just turn on the TV and look at all the dodgy skin whitening adverts and their eugenic overtones. Other SE Asian countries don’t have nearly the same obsession with white skin. Physician heal thyself…
Once again, you are speaking out of your anus. Obama is a living testimony. He had not been bullied living in Menteng, a Javanese neighbourhood. During my childhood, being Blackies especially American Blacks are cool and funky. Lesser Blackies like the Indians, we adopt their culture.
Dodgy skin whitening? I thought you can come up with something better. Hair colouring and skin whitening are fad. I am sure your hero, Oigal and schmerly [sic] had eaten noodle, yet they are as racist as the KKK.
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Oigal says:
If you had not put forward the questions, I am sure Mr. TTT would not try to explain. In explaining, whiteys’ dirty laundry has to come out, and you took offence.
AAB..Ssshh.. Real people are talking, now quieten down or or they will double your dosage again..
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Mike…AAB adds nothing.. May I suggest fun to poke but not to be taken seriously on any topic..just another sad little white brat playing pretend to shock his elders..we all did it and most grew out of it.
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“This day marks once and for all times the end of our long suffering and today, too, we affirm our sovereignty as a people.” Xanana Gusmao
“It would be a mind-boggling endeavor to try to identify each individual who claims to have been a survivor of victimization during this period of 24 years.”
Jose Ramos-HortaEast Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was ‘incorporated’ into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of East Timor. During the subsequent 24-year occupation a campaign of pacification ensued. Between 1974 and 1999, there were an estimated 102,800 conflict-related deaths (approximately 18,600 killings and 84,200 ‘excess’ deaths from hunger and illness), the majority of which occurred during the Indonesian occupation.
Some brothers.
During my childhood, being Blackies especially American Blacks are cool and funky. Lesser Blackies like the Indians, we adopt their culture.
A pecking order of Blackies ay? I guessing you don’t get invited to a lot of diplomatic functions AMM.
Once again, you are speaking out of your anus.
..nobody else’s anus is mine to speak out of.
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It’s all good fun Oi-man. Is he a whitey/blackie or brownie though? Christ he’s got me doing it now…
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whiter than me thats fer sure! Just goes to disprove that old adage that travel brings wisdom.
Although he does remind me of the story of the convict back in Sydney, who was so crazy they chained him to a rock at Sydney heads for years and years. Day in and day out, He would just stand there naked and screaming inarticulate abuse at all the ships as they came throught the Heads. A sort of special Australian welcome to new immigrants, kind of sad they have done away with it in some ways
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schmerly says:
@ AssmadsBitch…
yet they are as racist as the KKK.
Lesser Blackies like the Indians
I suppose that’s not racist!! are there other Lesser Blackies around
maybe they live in Papua or Australia yeah?Btw I don’t think Barack Obama would be very impressed with you calling him a Blackie.
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Suryo Perkoso says:
Mike Oxblack Says:
March 30th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Can you say there is no skin-based bias in Australian white dominated workforce – public and private? I can give you many real case examples.…and can you say that the exact same biases don’t exist in Indonesian culture? Africans don’t get much respect here. Just turn on the TV and look at all the dodgy skin whitening adverts and their eugenic overtones. Other SE Asian countries don’t have nearly the same obsession with white skin. Physician heal thyself…
Come on, have a care, one walk down Jaksa or a visit to the Lagos Hilton (Ibis Slipi) should be enough – you know full well Mike that a Jumbo sized tonk, the smell of ganja and a missing wallet means only one thing – silvery time.
Change the above to non stop lies, the smell of sweat interlaced with Garam Masala and a missing wallet and …….
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schmerly Says:
March 30th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
@ AssmadsBitch…yet they are as racist as the KKK.
Lesser Blackies like the Indians
I suppose that’s not racist!! are there other Lesser Blackies around
maybe they live in Papua or Australia yeah?Btw I don’t think Barack Obama would be very impressed with you calling him a Blackie.
Why not? it is the favoured term – not allowed to say “coloured” now – make your mind up, what should it be?
Depends how you look at it really, if you like a good roast lion sandwich or if you prefer bowls of yellow shit, green shit and brown shit 3 times a day for 6 weeks.
Personally I favour lion sandwiches, the possibility of some serious knob rot and a good chance in having you turnip lopped off woth a machete favourable to the other thing.
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Lairedion says:
MO said:
“It would be a mind-boggling endeavor to try to identify each individual who claims to have been a survivor of victimization during this period of 24 years.” Jose Ramos-Horta
“It is impossible for us to forget the past, but East Timor should forgive him before he dies and I ask people to pray for Soeharto as former president of Indonesia,” – East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, some of whose family were killed during the occupation.
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ET says:
Mr TTT
Thank you for your explanation on the origins of Indonesia’s foreign debt.
Now this question is burning inside my head, Who were the bankers that lent money to the netherland at the first place?
Who the bankers were doesn’t seem important to me and I see nothing wrong with what they have done. Let me recapitulate this in my own words.
1. The Dutch were in debt for various reasons among which were the costs of the Napoleonic wars.
2. After recovering the Indies from the British the Dutch saw an opportunity to pay for these costs by using the enormous potential of their overseas territories.
3. To be able to fully exploit this overseas potential however they needed capital for infrastructural investments in these territories.
4. The Dutch found this capital on the international financial markets where it was considered a profitable and safe investment for many reasons among which no doubt the shift to a more ‘etische politiek’ contributed.
5. Thanks to the rising prices of sugar and other commodities these plans proved highly successful and enabled the Dutch to pay their Napoleonic war debts.
6. By the time of Independence however the debts for capital costs and infrastructure investments were still not fully paid and so the question arose who had to come up for the balance.The Indonesian government took their responsibility and IMHO they did the right thing. Would it have been better for Indonesia if the Dutch had withdrawn all their investments – if this would have been possible at all – or had applied the scorched earth policy and let the young republic start from not even scratch but from zero? I can see now that saying ‘tidak’ to repayment would have been the most stupid thing to do and I also see why the Islamists were in favour of it because we all know what they want. It would have ostracized and alienated the Republic from world politics. It also sheds a light on the CIA involvement in the events of the mid sixties. But kudos for Suharto if he was able to renegotiate the debt and repay most of it before the end of the century.
But you are wrong in saying that because of these debts the real age of the Republic is only 10 years. Without them Indonesia wouldn’t have even lasted 10 years. World politics and economy are based on wheeling and dealing and not on free handouts. It is because of the payment of those debts that Indonesia was allowed to continue to exist and even got protection against all odds. Do not believe the Marshall plans in western Europe were Uncle Sam’s Christmas present. They were intended to make western Europe a buffer zone against the rise of the Soviet empire.
Loans aren’t rezeki, they have to be paid by all those who benefit from them.
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@ ET
You robbed your wealthy neighbour to pay for a debt. The driveway to your neighbour’s garage is potholed. But since there was so much to take, you paid for the concrete laying, and even bought a truck to facilitate your burglary. Your neighbour managed to freed himself and chased you out. In haste, you ran off leaving your truck. Now the hapless neighbour asked for return of his house title certificate which you also took along. This is where White Solidarity rears its ugly heads. You and the rest of your thieving whitey brigands demanded your neighbour agreed to pay for the laying of driveway concrete and truck in return for the cert.
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@ SP … What are you on about??
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@ SP ..
Depends how you look at it really, if you like a good roast lion sandwich or if you prefer bowls of yellow shit, green shit and brown shit 3 times a day for 6 weeks.
Personally I favour lion sandwiches, the possibility of some serious knob rot and a good chance in having you turnip lopped off woth a machete favourable to the other thing
I’m not having a go at you, but WTF are you on about??
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AssmdsAngryBitch….
You robbed your wealthy neighbour to pay for a debt. The driveway to your neighbour’s garage is potholed. But since there was so much to take, you paid for the concrete laying, and even bought a truck to facilitate your burglary. Your neighbour managed to freed himself and chased you out. In haste, you ran off leaving your truck. Now the hapless neighbour asked for return of his house title certificate which you also took along. This is where White Solidarity rears its ugly heads. You and the rest of your thieving whitey brigands demanded your neighbour agreed to pay for the laying of driveway concrete and truck in return for the cert.
Your talking out of your black hole once again!!
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Driveways? Surely that’s the Irish. Tinkers with tarmac. The Javanese of Europe.
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one walk down Jaksa or a visit to the Lagos Hilton (Ibis Slipi) should be enough – you know full well Mike that a Jumbo sized tonk, the smell of ganja and a missing wallet means only one thing – silvery time.
Muuuurrderrr!! True on J Road SP but there are other more legit. silveries in the hood, textile traders and footy players. The Jaksa lot are well dodgy though.
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Mr Tic Tac Toe says:
Tn. ET, Yth:
Loans aren’t rezeki, they have to be paid by all those who benefit from them.
Agreed.
But it wasnt our loan,…And we didnt really benefitted from it, for these reasons:
1. Sugar price crash of the 30s (and the effect of it to netherland’s economy)
2. The forced takeover of the land, along with culturstelsel during the “investment” era
3. The forced labour by the pretext of transmigration.
4. The forced monoculture (i forgot the correct term, cultur stelsel ?).
5. Low wages in exchange of free-taxYou should remember Hindia was on colonization at the time.
To be able to invest in Hindia, they have to conquer it first. It also requires money. So they also invested on war: those debts along with napoleonic wars transfered to sugar debts. 100 million gulden on the aceh war alone.
By the time of independence, the sugar industry was already a failing industry, its no longer profitable, unless we enslave the workers. While there is not enough paddy field around to feed ourselves.
Would it have been better for Indonesia if the Dutch had withdrawn all their investments
They dont need to. Part of the agreement was nationalization of the companies along with nationalization of those debts. They can always comeback later, after marshall plan give them heavy machineries to extract oil.
So they sucked our blood to the bone, slain those who refused, and after its all gone, they had us to pay their debts.
Without them Indonesia wouldn’t have even lasted 10 years. World politics and economy are based on wheeling and dealing and not on free handouts.
Without indonesia taking the reponsibility of the debts, Netherland would be heavily burdened, and marshal plan wouldnt work. So they forced us to take it in exchange of recognition.
Independence, and freedom, wasnt the very basic rights of indonesian people. It wasnt universal for us. We had to buy it, we had to pay the tools they use to enslave us.
And we go along with it, we paid, didnt we?
But if you agree with the whole concept of investing on war then letting the conquered people work to pay for the war debts, then no need for this dicussion. We are different on the very core concept of investment.
(..all other things, later k, need to go out now.)
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Tn. Oigal, Yth:
Nasty Nasty TTT, but thats ok, you keep looking for a way to avoid the issues and hold dear to your insular little theories.
LOOOOLLLLL.
What issues? Oh you mean your red herring issues?
Dude, i am not as all-knowing as you are. And i cannot possibly answer them all, if you keep throwing more of them, faster than speeding bullet.
I wasnt even in vote-age at the time those things happened, and not necessarily agree.While you can simply ignore my words by mere ipsedixitism.
Look again at the chronology of our pissing contest.
I said, you sounds like snouck hurgronje, then you accused me of xenophobia, by hiding behind your so-called institution.I said even if i was xenophobic, which im NOT btw, it should be understandable, even though cannot be justified, and i explained why.
You simply looked down at my explanations without arguments or proof.
…Then you said i was fixated on foreigners, while i was discussing with ET.You were ipse-dixiting by saying i was misquoting, despite my efforts on proofing your intent by asking for falsifibility of the basic ideas of your question,
while you can actually debunk it easily by providing research on genetic markers (which you didnt).You kept assuming things that you dont know, and labelling me this and that.
Dude, here we call your argumentation techniques as “diskusi anak SD”.
Tell you what, present your proof on genetic markers that rules the success of a nation, and its distribution in indonesian population, so we can answer your question, without having to continue our pissing contest.
Or just retract your question, instead of repeating it.
As simple as that.Im just too tired to humiliate you point by point.
I dont know how australia did it, but if the level of capabilities of its uni-educated people cannot stand with SMA-educated indonesian without resorting to logical fallacies, then…
REALLY, i dont know how you guys did it!*shakes head….
PS. 🙂
I am off to burn the national flag, carry out a sweep, throw rocks..oh wait
again, dont assume 🙂
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Burung Koel says:
@ Mr Tic Tac Toe
There’s probably an article (or articles) in this. Especially if it can be tied back to any similarities with the present global financial crisis. Maybe you could write a quick one up for Patung, and we could move this to another thread. I’d certainly like to learn more.
Also, if Ponari is reading this, he’s probably very confused.
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TTT..
YAWN.. Let me know when you mature and join the present century..thanks for the amusement, you will excuse me if I don’t bother answering your sad little attempts to misquote. Kind of childish don’t you think to keep on with the “you did so say that” although any direct quote would provide otherwise. Why on earth would I retract a question? Because it offends you? Laugh ..how very new order of you.
1. Still interested in your description of PRIBUMI as it applies today tho.
2. How what happened in Aceh, East Timor was any different to the dutch (obviously you would be big on compensation to the East Timorese?Funnily enough..I don’t necessarily agree with some of the presumtion that the above alude to but I am interested in how the pribumi (chuckle) actually deal with such issues when there is such an obvious link.
Cute insults little one, If in the absence of anything approaching rational discussion I more than an enjoy a good intelligent insult fest (but in your case it may well be fighting an unarmed man) but it wouldn’t it be a touch xenophobic if I accused you of having no logical debate skills due to your Indonesian Schooling. Trouble with insult fests unless you are particularly thick skined IM can be brutal..You sure you want to go there?
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Tn. Oigal, Yth:
Still interested in your description of PRIBUMI as it applies today tho.
lol… ok with the risk of continuing your red herring this is my answer:
I cannot choose whatever definition i want? whos the thought police now?should i follow the definition of other people even though i disagree with them? heck im all for just soli instead of jus sanguinis.
I don’t bother answering your sad little attempts to misquote.
wasnt your question: “is it genetic? is it cultural?”
didnt i point out that it was similar with snouck’s?
didnt i point out that its basic premises are unfalsifiable?How what happened in Aceh, East Timor was any different to the dutch (obviously you would be big on compensation to the East Timorese?
Again, this is anak sd argument. What soeharto or WE did there, will never justify what the dutch did, and i didnt even want compensations or such, i have stated that. And it also doesnt mean that we shouldnt compensate the timorese.
Argument by diversion, misquoting, assuming.
Cute insults little one, If in the absence of anything approaching rational discussion I more than an enjoy a good intelligent insult fest
Ok man, you are the most rational, i give up, you win. 🙂
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Oh i forgot 1 thing:
Why on earth would I retract a question? Because it offends you? Laugh ..how very new order of you.
To save you from having to prove the falsifiability of the premises of your question.
You see… im kind 🙂 i dont want you to be bothered with genetic researches.
Comment on “Ponari & His Magic Healing Stone”.
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@ Oigal
If you had not put forward the questions, I am sure Mr. TTT would not try to explain. In explaining, whiteys’ dirty laundry has to come out, and you took offence.
It is a poor attempt to divert attention by attacking Mr. TTT’s poor comprehension of English. Try something else.