Disclaimer: With respect to my respondents and their consent for my research, I will not share any names or conversations we have during the interviews. These are just the interesting anecdotes we have outside of the recorded interviews.
My research is about urban sanitation and the roles of international NGOs in supporting safely managed sanitation. I was quite surprised to find that through snowball sampling, one of my respondents referred me to talk with this organisation: “You need to talk to Manasix. They’re a community group, an organisation of ex-convicts here in Tasikmalaya”.
And there I was, talking to these gentlemen. They invited me to their base camp, which was still under construction back then. They offered me water to drink, saying that it was the only thing they had. You know, the usual niceties, warmth, and cute little humbleness of Indonesians. I love those. We were talking loads about my research, but I won’t spoil any of them here, of course.
I was entering the place feeling a bit anxious, frankly. It’s more on, like, would I waste their time with this sanitation-centric chat of mine? Like, the environment, really? Do they want to talk about these things? Well, I’m just being ignorant.
Right before I hit record for the interview, I was sipping the water they gave me when he broke the silence with, “See, mba, people like us? We’re seen as trash, mba. Discarded by society, by our families. But even trash has a purpose once it gets recycled, right?”
And just like that, my preconceived notions were blown away. They threw this raw analogy at me with smiles and laughs. Was it self-deprecating humour or a resilient acceptance of their societal position? I really don’t know how to keep a straight face, but I just nodded and smiled at his analogy. This is going to be an interesting conversation.
I mean, as a person who never interacts with convicts, I might be those with prejudices for sure. This was a sobering reflection of my own biases.
As the conversation continued before the interviews, I learned about their pursuits — how they clean up rivers to help set up river tubing attractions for the local community and tourism around Tasik. They talked a lot about how “We just want to be useful. We just wanna act and do something nice for a change”.
The more I reflect on it, I think their journey was less about seeking validation or forgiveness from society and more about finding their own redemption. In a world quick to slap labels on people and even more quicker to dismiss people, this little organisation is a testament to their journey to transformation and hope.
In their company, I can see how the weight of societal labels could both burden and bond them together. Branded by past actions, each step towards their future is often met with scepticism. Yet it was through his very challenge that they built a sense of unity. They put their motto on their vests: “To have good intentions, to serve, to be useful”.
One of them made some remarks on the posters they had on their walls: “Do you know this Hadits, mba? The best human being is the one that is useful for others”.
Sitting amongst them, I was starkly reminded of the dangers of hasty judgements, of my prejudices that they might not find the interview interesting, that they wouldn’t have anything to say on the matter. Well, they proved me wrong.
I do hope these gentlemen continue to defy such prejudices and the organisation really does serve its purpose. I guess their stories remind me of how redemption is not just about making amends and trying to seek validation from others but actually redefining one’s narrative, eager to do something nice for the world to be a useful human being.
