Anies Baswedan

Francy Tanumihardja

I was never into politics.

And I think I am a part of a large demographic in Indonesia that

doesn't care about politics because almost every single one of
them that we see on television or read in the news comes off as an
idiot, a power-hungry beurocrat, or someone that has falsely
use my tax money for buying LV bags for their wives.

I just thought that politics is a 'given' part of the system and, well,
just let things happen. I don't care.

Then I met this guy.

This guy has stirred up my heart from the first talk that he gave on
a stage on TEDx Jakarta. Here is that talk.

That talk turned my life path around.

This guy teaches me that Indonesia is a great nation, and we owe

it to our founding fathers to give back all we can for the betterment
of its people.

He teaches me that we cannot wait for the goverment to do

something, since this nation is not goverment's. It's ours.

Let the goverment do their part, but we, this nation's people,
whatever we are, whoever we are: We. Can. Do. Something.

We can take part. We can roll up our sleeves and start doing the
work. Nothing fancy that will get us into evening news. But we can
do something for this nation.

This guy believes in the impossible.

Because the impossible is the thing that happens right before the
history is made.

*Anies Baswedan is currently the president of Paramadina

University, Jakarta, and the founder of the Indonesia Mengajar
movement.