Background
Since the 1960s, West Borneo has been facing systematic destruction of its ecological resources. As a result, most of the primary forest areas of Borneo today, and especially in West Borneo, are below the minimum 30 percent specified. A study also shows that each year Borneo is inundated by floods and landslides.
The website www.astaga.com wrote in an article on 13 June 2005 that this condition, if left unchecked, can be detrimental in the long term. It would affect the livelihood and economic potential of Borneo as well as creating a bigger ecological catastrophe. This is made worse by the occurrence of inter-ethnic conflicts.
Borneo as the third largest island in the world, after Greenland and New Guinea, is becoming more and more affected by the onslaught of globalisation and the haphazard district autonomy implemented in Indonesia.
As a result of these challenges, we find that the local community do not preserve their local knowledge and oral traditions of their ancestors. This is becoming extinct, and the most important aspect is that the culture of writing has not been fully realised.
Writing is actually very important for the survival and the identity of a generation. Just like it is said by the renowned laureate Pramoedia Ananta Toer: “To write is to live for eternity”.
On the other hand, technology that can make information readily available may not be available to all strata of society in Borneo. This is a loss, as in fact information can create democracy. Renowned historian Mitchell Stephens said that “through technology, humans can change all sorts of news including history and cultural knowledge”.
The establishment of a new daily, Borneo Tribune, on 19 May 2007, can take a progressive role towards positive development in such a situation. Borneo Tribune has not been able to play a significant role especially in the education of the community.
This situation encouraged the seven editors of the Borneo Tribune daily at the time, to start a campaign on the importance of a writing culture through launching a non-profit organisation, Tribune Institute, in May, 2007.
Since the early days of the Borneo Tribune daily, Tribune Institute (commonly known as TI) has been creating awareness in the public on the importance of writing skills.
TI started a movement within the community of the Borneo Tribune daily, to give journalistic training for prospective reporters. TI also carried out several training sessions for youths, students, and graduates; the local community as well as NGOs working for the community, such as Pemberdayaan Pefor Nusantara (YPPN) Institution and Pangingu Binua (YPB) Institution.
More than 35 training sessions have successfully been carried out by TI for schools, campuses and local community organisations.
TI soon became an alternative body in the urban society in Pontianak to train and teach writing skills. The effect that can be observed is the motivation to write, even leading into a writing movement, what can be named a new culture that is slowly emerging in West Borneo.
In the two years since its establishment, more than 1000 alumni of the trainings carried out by TI – which are graduates, students, youth organisation members and the public – have continued to write actively. Hundreds of writings have been documented, but not all have been published in the Borneo Tribune daily, although there are 24 pages printed daily.
On 28 July 2007, TI initiated the setting up of the Borneo Blogger Community (BBC) as an alternative media to train alumni to publish their writings.
The development of the community was monitored by the editors of the Borneo Tribune daily at the time: A.Alexander Mering, Stefanus Akim, Tanto Yakobus, Muhlis Suhairi and Nur Iskandar
Other people involved in the process were: Yaser (Blogger), Aries Munandar (journalist at Media Indonesia), Nanang (Graduate Student), Erwin Affandi, Ishaq, Nanang, Agus, Maulisa and Arthur OA.
The numbers of writings published are countless, especially in the respective personal blogs. This community is growing from day to day.
This spurt of inspiration then created an opportunity for TI to develop and expand the writing traditions from the urban to the rural village communities in West Borneo. This serious and significant move instilled confidence in TI, forging the way for a progressive movement that could change the culture and instil initiative towards a global development through information technology.
As on 1 March 2009, BBC registered 9,600 of bloggers in Kalimantan Barat, especially using pages through blogs, wordpress and friendster and other forms of social media.
Today, the TI alumni are actively communicating with one another as well as with the outside world through the formation of online networks such as Borneo Blogger Community (BBC), Malahia Corner, Serakop Tampun Juah (STJ) and others.
TI is also planning for 20 villages to become a part of the TI community as a base for its Jurnalisme Kampung programme, aiming to establish a new culture in Borneo. This idea came about during the Strategic Planning and Programming Workshop by TI on 25 March 2008, held at the premises of Borneo Tribune.
Following this workshop invitations were handed out to the local community for a meeting at Wisma PSE Pontianak on 28-29 March 2008, where 32 participants from multi-ethnic villages met with TI members.
As a formal institution, it was then officially established as Tribune Institute under the Notaries Act by Silvia Fransiska Tan, SH, Number 2 on 14 April, 2008.
Vision
Renewing Borneo’s Civilization
Mission
To develop a writing culture in Borneo; to develop a plural and peaceful community through journalism; to lend a helping hand to the younger generation to be free from the threats of HIV/AIDS; to create a local community initiative so as to be able to enjoy the fruits of modernisation whilst maintaining their identity; to promulgate the respect towards women in society.
Basic Principles
In implementing all of its programmes, Tribune Institute has basic principles to be adopted by all activists:
1. The first principle is respect for pluralism. TI holds the opinion that pluralism is a blessing; therefore there is no excuse to abolish pluralism, ethnic grouping, religion or origin.
2. The second principle is fostering a close bonding among the communities. TI believes that human beings need others in their lives; therefore true brotherhood is absolutely a must for the conservation of all of God’s creation.
3. The third principle is balance. TI believes that balance in life has to be respected, including gender balance. This balance is realised in the philosophy of customary society. This is the balance relationship; balance between people and nature, as well as between people and God. With the existence of customs, this balance is secured.
4. The fourth principle is democracy. The democracy to be achieved is a populist democracy. Strategic decisions have to involve as many parties as possible. TI rejects procedures which contradict with democracy.
5. The fifth principle is opposition to violence. TI believes that any problems can be settled peacefully in a democratic way. TI strongly rejects violent problem solving measures.
Network
In West Kalimantan, since 2007, Tribune Institute has been actively carrying out co-operations with the local and public communities. This includes government offices and NGOs in West Kalimantan.
They are EC - INDONESIA FLEGT SUPPORT PROJECT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade), Pemrovinsi Kalbar, Pemerintah Kota Pontianak, Borneo Bloger Community, Speedy Telkom, YPPN, YPPB, Palma Institute, Center for Research and Inter-Religious Dialogue (CRID), Dinas Pengendalian Dampak Lingkungan Provinsi Kalbar, Untan as well as high schools and teaching institutions in West Kalimantan. At the national level, Tribune Institute is working with Pantau Foundation, Jakarta, University of Bonn, German.
Structure
Organisation Structure of Tribune Institute Foundation, period 2008-2013:
Founder
Wilhelmus Suwito, SH, MH
Drs. Hieronymus Laurens Mangan
Management Committee
Head : Dwi Syafriyanti, SH, MH
Head I : Dr. Yusriadi
Head II : H. Nur Iskandar, SP
Head III : Yohanes Supriyadi, SE
Head IV : Hairul Mikrad, SP
Secretary : Muklis Suhaeri, S.Sos
Secretary I : Asriyadi Alexander, SH
Secretary II : Atika Ramadhani
Secretary III : Tanto Yakobus, S.Sos
Secretary IV : Syam Abubakar
Secretary V : Iwan Siswanto
Treasurer : Ukan
Treasurer I : Fahmi Ichwan
Treasurer II : Caturaini Fahmi
Monitoring Committee
1. Ir. Kristianus Atok, M.Si
2. Agustinus Ambo Mangan, SH, MH
Management
Programme Coordinator : A. Alexander Mering
Finance : Yohanes Supriyadi
Development and Networking of Institute Divisions : H. Nur Iskandar