OBITUARI ROMO PROF. DR. FX MUDJI SUTRISNO, SJ

Romo Prof. Dr. FX. Mudji Sutrisno, SJ. Saya menganggap mendiang adalah sahabat dekat dalam gagasan tentang demokrasi di Indonesia sejak lama, kira-2 dari awal th. 90an. Romo FX. Mudji Sutrisno, budayawan dan penulis yg membanggakan dan mengharumkan dunia ke cendekiawanan tanah air. Mendiang adalah penulis kata pengantar buku saya yg terbit pada 2024 lalu, sebuah kenangan abadi paling berharga bagi saya.

Selamat jalan, Romo Mudji! Anda adalah seorang pejuang demokrasi dan rohaniwan Katolik yg konsisten dalam kiprah selama hayatmu. Adalah takdirNya jua bila kemaren, 28/12/25, beliau wafat dalam usia 71 th. RIP. Berkah Dalem, Salve!*

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BICARA POLITIK IDENTITAS: ANTARA NEW YORK DENGAN JAKARTA

Politik AS kadang tak beda dengan di Wakanda, dalam hal faktor identitas dan perannya di dalam elektoral di kedua negeri. Dinamika politik elektoral, yang kini sedang berlangsung dalam kompetisi Pilkada Wali Kota New York (NYC), menampilkan pengaruh dan peran politik identitas yang mirip denga saat Pilkada Gubernur DKI 2017. Zohran bisa saja bernasib sama dengan Ahok yang, kendati sangat populer dan unggul di berbagai survei, tetapi gagal di bilik suara.

Zohran Mamdani (ZM) , seorang Muslim, migran, non kulit Putih, utk sementara memenangi pemilihan awal (primary) antar kandidat partainya (Demokrat) dengan sangat telak melawan Andrew Cuomo (AC) yang berkulit putih, Katolik, dan mantan Gub negara bagian New York. Walau kalah sebagai cagub dari Demokrat, Cuomo kemudian memutuskan akan tetap maju dalam pemilihan raya (general), bulan November depan, sebagai calon Independen!

Presiden Trump, yang adalah dari partai Republik, melihat ada celah bagi kepentingan dirinya dan masa depan partainya untuk membuat konstelasi politik di NYC, yg didominasi Demokrat (blue state), bisa diubah drastis. Presiden Trump lalu bikin manuver politik "memancing ikan di air keruh" dengan mengiming2i jabatan di Pemerintahannya jika cawalkot dr Republik, Adam, mau keluar dr kompetisi agar Cuomo, yg Demokrat itu, bisa mengalahkan Zohran (sesama Demokrat) , dengan kartu mewakili calon Independen! .

Jadi pertarungan politik elektoral di NYC tampaknya bukan kompetisi politik berbasis soal program, ideologi partai, apalagi clash antara pihak yg pro rakyat vs oligarki. Tetapi berubah menjadi soal latar identitas, soal perang budaya (culture war), yang dianggap akan bisa mengubah peta status quo di AS ke depan!

Zoran bisa saja unggul di survei dan bahkan dalam pemilihan awal, seperti juga Wagub Ahok yang survei2 nya selalu lebih unggul dari Anies. Tapi di dalam bilik suara bisa jadi berubah total, karena manuver2 politik identitas lebih berjaya dan efektif di ruang publik.

Jakarta dan NY ternyata ada mirip-miripnya dalam politik elektoral yg tak lepas dr politik identitas! 🇮🇩🇺🇸

Simak tautan ini:

1. NYC Mayor: What's happened with the candidates since the primary? (https://youtu.be/rACTppAl2X0?si=C1NvS65Tq_bQLV2r)
2. Mamdani challenges Trump to debate in NYC (https://youtu.be/_2bYC8Jxggs?si=TOZSI2OTHLSLY7JL)
3. Cut out the middle man: Zohran Mamdani dares Trump to a televised debate (https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/cut-out-the-middle-man-zohran-mamdani-dares-trump-to-a-televised-debate/ar-AA1LUi6Y?ocid=)
4. 'It never ends': Joe reacts to Trump team dangling job for Adams to quit NYC mayoral race (https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/-IT-NEVER-ENDS-JOE-REACTS-TO-TRUMP-TEAM-DANGLING-JOB-FOR-ADAMS-TO-QUIT-NYC-MAYORAL-RACE-246703685622)
5. Zohran Mamdani Rips Cuomo After Report That He Spoke With Trump: 'Betrayal' - Newsweek (https://www.newsweek.com/ZOHRAN-MAMDANI-ANDREW-CUOMO-TRUMP-BETRAYAL-NYC-2110598)

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KABAR DUKA DARI JOGJA

Telah wafat kakak dan Bu Dhe kami, Ny. Hj. Titiek Kartikah Mustofa (77th), pada 27 Oktober 2022 jam 16.35 di RSA UGM, Jogjakarta. Almaghfurlaha adalah isteri dari kakak sulung kami, almaghfurlah Drs. Hj. Achmad Mustofa Fatah (71) dan keduanya meninggalkan 5 (lima) orang anak, 3 (tiga) menantu, dan 7 (tujuh) orang cucu.

Semoga diberikan husnul khotimah, dan seluruh amal salihnya diterima di sisi Allah swt. Mohon doa para sahabat semoga almaghfurlaha Budhe diampuni semua dosa dan kesalahannya, dilapangkan jalannyya, dilimpahkan rahmat untuknya, dan dikaruniai tempat istirahat berupa jannatul Firdaus sesuai amalnya selama masih sugeng. Amin YRA, Alfatihah🙏🤲.

Kami yang berduka cita:

Muhammad AS Hikam 

Puji Winarni Hikam 

Halida Putri Widyastuti Fadli
Mochammad Fadli Zakiy

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INNALILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHI ROJI'UN: PROF. DR. AZUMARDI AZRA

Kita bangsa Indonesia kembali kehilangan salah seorang putera terbaiknya, pada hari ini Minggu 18 September 2022, di Malaysia. Almarhum, ketika masih bersama kita, sebelum wafat masih menjabat sebagai Ketua Dewan Pers. Prof Azra juga dikenal sebagai sosok cendekiawan Muslim terkemuka yg memiliki keilmuan dan wawasan luas dan menjadi rujukan akademis maupun di luar akademis, nasional maupun internasional.

Semoga Allah swt memberikan husnul khotimah kepada almarhum, dan kepada seluruh keluarga yang ditinggalkan diberikan ketabahan dan kesabaran menghadapinya.

Selamat jalan, Prof. Azumardi Azra. Doa kami selalu menyertai semoga mendapat tempat terbaik di sisi NYa. Alfatihah... Amin YRA (Muhammad AS Hikam & Keluarga)

(https://news.detik.com/berita/d-6297994/ketua-dewan-pers-azyumardi-azra-meninggal-dunia)

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KABAR DUKA: BUYA PROF. DR. KH. SYAFI'I MA'ARIF WAFAT.

Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi roji'un... Indonesia berduka. Buya Prof Dr KH Ahmad Syafii Maarif telah wafat pada hari Jumat tgl 27 Mei 2022 pukul 10.15 WIB di RS PKU Muhammadiyah Gamping. Kita doakan:

إنا لله و إنا إليه راجعون. أللّهمّ اغفر له وارحمه وعافه واعف عنه وأكرم نزوله ووسّع مدخله. وأدخله الجنّة وأعذه من عذاب القبر وفتنته ومن عذاب النّار.

آمّين يآ ربّ العالمين.

Semoga beliau husnul khatimah, diterima amal ibadahnya, diampuni kesalahannya, dilapangkan di kuburnya, dan ditempatkan di jannatun na'im. Mohon dimaafkan kesalahan beliau dan do'a dari semuanya.

Bangsa Indonesia kehilangan salah seorang putra terbaiknya, pejuang kemanusiaan, dan bunga bangsanya. (MAS Hikam) Simak tautan ini:

1. https://nasional.sindonews.com/read/780995/15/buya-syafii-meninggal-dunia-maarif-institute-muazin-bangsa-telah-tiada-1653631524
2. https://nasional.sindonews.com/read/781025/15/buya-syafii-maarif-meninggal-kapolri-kita-kehilangan-tokoh-dan-bapak-bangsa-1653631505
3. https://news.detik.com/berita/d-6097491/buya-syafii-maarif-ulama-sederhana-itu-kini-telah-tiada
4. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2022/05/27/11462691/buya-syafii-maarif-dimakamkan-di-kulonprogo
5. https://utaratimes.pikiran-rakyat.com/nasional/pr-1194576473/ini-sosok-profil-buya-syafii-maarif-pendidikan-pengabdian-hingga-karya-bukunya-yang-abadi

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REST IN PEACE NAMBORU RENTA

By Lily Hikam I count myself extremely lucky to be blessed with not just one or two, but three mothers. My biological mother or Mami, my mother-in-law Ibu, and my Namboru Renta.

Namboru Renta came into my life when I was just one scared, confused 15 year old in a new country with almost no one to turn to. Her brother, Uda Toman (Toman Hutabarat), who is a friend of my father, had called her up and said a friend of his had a daughter who would like to go to school in America. And just from one phone call and a brief visit to her house in New York, she took me in and raised me for the next two years until I graduated high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and continued raising me until I got my BSc (Pennsylvania State University, PSU), MS, and Ph.D. (both at the University of California at Irvine, UCI).

Namboru is not just a 'foster' mother to me. She’s my role model. I remembered one afternoon in my 11th grade sitting at her office doing Calculus homework while waiting for Namboru to finish with work so we could go home together. Then Namboru told me some good news about a drug she was developing with her team had a breakthrough, in which that drug helped a hemophilia patient not to have to worry so much about internal bleeding and that the patient can now live a relatively normal life. I remembered how happy she was that her work helped people live a better life, and I remembered how at that moment I wanted to be just like her: I want to dedicate myself to biomedical research so I can help cure and treat diseases to make the world just a bit better to live in, and have fun doing it.

One of Namboru Renta’s greatest virtue is her supportiveness. She was the first person who encouraged me to pursue biological science as a field of study and the person who got me my first internship gig where I discover my life-long love affair with molecular biology and stem cells. She was also the first person who met my then-boyfriend & current husband Zakiy and saw how good he could be for me and was very supportive of our relationship from the beginning.

Namboru Renta lived her life to the fullest. She loved life, she loved a good joke (even though at times it might be morbid or raunchy) and good food and drinks. The way she showed her love and affection is by treating us to good food, so much so that she refined our palate and elevated our taste. When we, her children, went to live on our own and tried to buy the same brand or type of food she used to buy us at home, we would be shocked by the price and in awe at how much she would be willing to spend on us to make us happy.

Namboru always said she wanted to be like her Papi, Ompung Doly. Stories of his kindheartedness and patience were something that she always shared with us. One story that always stuck with me was the story of how Ompung used to always have hungry students at home, and feeding them, much to the annoyance of Ompung Boru. Ompung Doly’s generosity was so huge and touched so many lives that when he passed away it took almost one week of people paying their respects at the funeral home before the family could fly him back to Medan for the funeral. If it wasn’t a pandemic, I have no doubt that there will be as many people paying their respects to Namboru.

The last words Namboru ever said to me was “Don’t cry”. But I’m sorry, Namboru, that’s one order I can’t obey for now, because now I have to live in a world that doesn’t have you in it, and my world is less bright now because I have lost you. I can never hear your voice saying “Halo, Inang!” nor can I ever hear your laughter ever again or sing Batak songs loudly and off-key. But I will try to be less sad as time goes by because it’s what you would have wanted. You would have wanted us to remember the good times and celebrate your life. You’re probably happier now because you get to be with Spike, Fluffy, Jaime, Parish, Chloe, and Krissy again. I know how much you’ve missed them and how you’ve longed to see them again.

Goodbye and Rest in Peace, Namboru.

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