Exclusive, Together With SMSI, Firdaus Against Conglomeration With Collaboration

United we stand, divided we fall, the old saying goes. In the current context, collaboration is a term that is more widely practiced in achieving something by collaborating with one another. This collaboration concept is practiced by Drs. Firdaus, M.Sc., as the General Chair of the Indonesian Cyber Media Union (SMSI) and its members. Unmitigated he will fight the conglomerates that support the media with this collaborative effort.

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Indonesian press people have just celebrated National Press Day (HPN) February 9, 2022. On that occasion President Jokowi, who was present online at the peak of the event which took place in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, hoped that press personnel would immediately welcome proposals for regulation of publisher rights or copyrights. journalism to be ratified immediately. This is an effort to organize the press industry ecosystem in the future which is better.

Jokowi gave three options regarding the form of publisher rights regulation, including forming a new law, revising the existing law related to the media industry, or issuing a government regulation (PP). "There are several options that we might be able to decide soon. Either push for a new law immediately, or secondly revise the old law, or the fastest government regulation or PP," Jokowi said in his remarks.

Drs. Firdaus, M.Sc., as the General Chair of SMSI welcomed the president's proposal regarding the ratification of publisher rights. "Hopefully this HPN moment will bring new awareness for all members of the press to see the future of the press more broadly. We must advance and transcend time. We don't just think about today but the future. The battle ahead of the era is already metaverse. This is what we must welcome. The challenges ahead are very tough, but we have to be optimistic, with that optimism we will hang on to our hopes and work to achieve them,” he said.

Another effort that can and should be done, said Firdaus, is collaboration. “Our economy is supported by a culture of gotong royong. This is the power of media star-up, collaboration and mutual assistance. Otherwise, we will never be able to deal with the conglomerates. The only effort we can prepare is collaboration," said Firdaus to Iqbal Irsyad, Edy Suherli, Savic Rabos and Rifai who interviewed him at the SMSI Office, Gambir, Central Jakarta recently. Here is the full excerpt.

SMSI is a media organization with more than 1,700 members, the majority of whom are MSMEs, as an organization what is the role of its members?

As a cyber media company organization, and we are among the largest in Indonesia and even in the world according to the version of the Minister of Tourism. We try to synergize all members. And all members must be aware that the name association is complementary, synergizing itself with others in order to achieve goals. Like it or not, to win the global competition, there must be collaboration. We will build a new ecosystem under the auspices of SMSI. This is our target for the past five years, to build an organizational culture.

What steps will be taken to synergize the members spread throughout Indonesia with such a large number?

We at SMSI are all pioneering start-ups, you could also say that SMEs are like that. We are trying to collaborate to build a newsroom together. Last year we formed the newsroom. There we set up a news bank and a data bank called Siberindo. All media who join SMSI can take the news for free. With a very low cost, they do not need to place journalists in Papua if their office is in Kalimantan, for example. Financially it can be helped, content can be fulfilled.

After a year, how is Siberindo going?

We launched October 2020 and we are still running, even though the COVID-19 storm has also affected all of our friends who have joined Siberindo. But we are still trying to keep this newsroom running. In the future, we hope that this newsroom will become a new platform. For that we are now jumping to build crypto for SMSI friends. It is a source of financing for the SMSI community. Later they have to pay with the crypto that we build and we share with them. We hope that someday crypto will be liquid. This is one of the efforts we make to overcome financial shortages.

Then what else to do?

In addition, we also continue to maintain synergy by cultivating a culture of association among SMSI members. Our economy is supported by a culture of mutual cooperation. This is the power of existing media star-ups, collaboration and mutual assistance. Otherwise we will never be able to deal with the conglomerates. The only effort we can do and prepare for is collaboration.

In today's era, online media dominates. But not directly proportional to the business (advertising revenue). Though the fate of the media is very dependent on advertising. How do you deal with this?

Back then, when the media wasn't as big as it is now, the media could earn income from advertisements from government agencies and partners who had already collaborated. In the future we cannot hope much, because there are so many media, while the sources are the same. That's why we build community. We can no longer expect advertising cakes from the outside. What can be done is to build a community that can support each other.

We hope that in the next three or four years the crypto that we have will be liquid, and that it can be a stepping stone for us to jump forward even further. I hope you all become rich people. In the meantime we are still trying to transfer first.

What is the reaction of SMSI friends to the application of this cryptocurrency?

Praise be to God, that friends who incidentally are entrepreneurs and journalists in the region who have never played in the digital realm (crypto). Crypto is a new medium of exchange for the future, they are all learning. They were very enthusiastic about learning this new matter. We will optimize our community to transact with this cryptocurrency. So that there is an agreement and the crypto becomes a medium of exchange for currency.

While these cryptocurrencies are not running well or in terms of liquid, what can be done?

To this day, friends in the area because they generally have other incomes, so there are alternatives for income and maintain idealism. Otherwise, we might all have fallen. Idealism to live this idea is maintained while waiting for the time that later we will build the press from the bottom.

What is it like to face competition with big media supported by conglomerates?

Big media supported by technology, finance, extraordinary human resources, in our opinion it is not competition. And we never put them as competitors. On the contrary, we use it as an encouragement for how one day we can surpass them all. And what should be noted now is that there is no longer mainstream media, mainstream media has become conventional. We who are small jump normally, when they want to jump we are constrained by large human resources. It would be a new burden if he jumped. Because we are small all the time can jump, while they can't.

Regarding the verification from the Press Council, how do you respond to it, are SMSI friends aware of this, have their media verified?

Verify if it's a requirement in a business, it must be met. Whether these requirements become the needs of the community and the press community itself is the question. When we no longer have hope in ads that require verification, people don't question that status anymore. This situation must be regulated by the Press Council. The Press Council must be revolutionary. The regulations must also accommodate things like this. Must be able to jump too so as not to miss the latest technological advances. Now people are talking about metavers. While we have never discussed issues like this in the Press Council until today.

What is your input for the verification system carried out by the Press Council, administrative verification and factual verification?

For now I think this matter should be reviewed, why? Is this verification not a burden, so that we limit the freedom of the press itself. Now every month new media is growing rapidly, while the members of the Press Council are still very few. If we think ahead, actually the things that make it difficult are trimmed. Why do we think about conventional things.

Violence against journalists is still happening, last year a journalist in North Sumatra was shot, how do you see this situation?

We are a country of law, anyone who acts or violates the law must be punished according to the applicable law. It's not just journalists when it comes to all legal matters. We are also concerned with the rapid growth of the press, there are still those who consider the press as an enemy, even though they are partners in carrying out development. So there are murders or journalists being killed, this is concerning. We must continue to increase the vigilance and competence of our journalists. Coaching for journalists is a must for all press companies so that journalists are educated and trained to certain competencies in accordance with established standards.

When journalists are also entrepreneurs, what is this like at SMSI?

Because at SMSI there are indeed many media star-ups, he sometimes doubles as a journalist and also as a businessman. As long as he can sort out his duties and still be professional as a journalist, I think that's fine. But if it is growing, journalists must choose whether to make the journalist profession an option or as a media entrepreneur. SMSI members must also identify themselves, will be a professional journalist or will become an entrepreneur. The problem is that there is a dividing wall between the two, it is taboo for journalists to talk about business, while entrepreneurs are obliged to talk about business and look for advertisements. We have appealed to SMSI members to choose to become journalists or entrepreneurs.

What does HPN mean for SMSI?

The HPN is a trace / historical monument for the nation, because HPN cannot be forgotten from the struggle of journalists in order to maintain independence and unite the nation. For us, HPN is an inseparable moment with the birth of SMSI. HPN is a milestone and a link in the future struggle for SMSI.

We encourage SMSI administrators to work on how to consolidate members to understand our responsibilities to the country. HPN and SMSI Anniversary are not far apart, HPN February 9, SMSI Anniversary March 7th. Now, at this moment, we encourage administrators and members to realize the importance of jumping in, preparing the next generation to master cybermedia. Otherwise we will be left behind. And the bulwark is not on the heroism of the past, but of defending the future of the organization in today.

What are the expectations for HPN this year?

Hopefully this HPN moment will bring new awareness to all members of the press to see the future of the press more broadly. We must advance and transcend time. We don't just think about today but the future. The battle ahead of the era is already metaverse. This is what we must welcome. The challenges ahead are very tough, but we must be optimistic, with that optimism we will hang on to our hopes and strive to achieve them.

Everyone has a dream to spend his old age. Chairman of the Indonesian Cyber Media Union (SMSI) Drs. Firdaus, M.Sc., has an obsession with wanting to spend his old age in the village by gardening and raising livestock. "If the mandate as General Chairperson of SMSI is completed and there are no obstacles, I will spend my old age in the village alone. I will fill my days with gardening and raising livestock,” he said.

The dream of returning to the village, like the old days when he was little and growing up. “I will return to my village to be an ordinary person. I will spend my time educating people. I will raise chickens and goats. Other people don't need to know that I used to be something. I will fill my days with worship,” he said.

Currently, even though it is not full, living in the village of Firdaus has already started. “During my off time, I have other things to do with supervising the journalist boarding school (JBS) that I founded. I prepare young journalists or those who want to become journalists, how to face the future. I prepare them to become prophetic journalists,” he said.

At the JBS location on Jl. Cikerai, Kaliimbang, Cibeber District, Cilegon Banten, Firdaus also often gathers with his family. Because at JBS, it's not only a place to study journalism, but there are also gardens and fish ponds that can be a place to unwind after struggling with busy schedules. “We usually gather with family. After feeding the fish, catching fish and cooking together," he said.

That's when Firdaus demonstrated his cooking skills. Cooking typical South Sumatran dishes. “I process the fish we catch and cook it with a special seasoning, called tempoyak. Tempoyak is fermented durian flesh. The result of the fermentation is called tempoyak. Fish as the main menu is cooked with tempoyak which is mixed with various spices such as chili, lemongrass, turmeric, salt and others to be used as food, "he said.

The fish that Firdaus prepares is not only cooked in a sauce with a mixture of tempoyak, but also made pepes with tempoyak ingredients as a seasoning that gives the fish a distinctive taste. “The fish caught are not only cooked with tempoyak sauce, they are also made with tempoyak paste. Don't ask about the taste, it's just crowded. There is a spicy, sour, salty, slightly sweet taste. Anyway, nano-nano hehehe," he said with a burst of laughter.

Because Firdaus often cooks tempoyak, he passed this knowledge on to his beloved wife. "Although he is not Malay, but now he is also good at cooking fish with tempoyak and cooking fish tempoyak," he added.

Preserving Fish

Another habit of Firdaus is to preserve fish by making it a special food called kasam or some areas in South Sumatra call it kasam. “Kasam is an attempt to preserve fish with salt, rice, and then fermented it. For two weeks, it can be processed into delicious dishes," he said.

Regarding making kasam, it turns out that there are certain tricks to get good results. “People who can make kasam will be found out by the results. If when making it there are caterpillars or maggots, it means that he cannot be said to be able to make kasam. If the results are without caterpillars or maggots, it can only be said that it can make you sour," he said.

In the Firdaus family, the skill of making these kasams becomes like a family confession. "So in my tribe, if we haven't succeeded in making kasam, we can't say we are family. So try and try again and again until you can and finally be recognized as a family member if you have succeeded in making kasam," he said.

What are the tips so that the results of making kasam are good? “The tips are very simple, cover it with cassava leaves every day. Every day the cassava leaves are replaced. Or at most three days. Uniquely, the cassava leaves that are used to cover the kasam fermentation, when cooked, the taste is even more delicious," he said.

Tips for cooking and processing these dishes, said Firdaus, are getting easier with technological advances. All can be searched in cyberspace, can be found. “Now if you just search diligently on the internet, you will find lots of tips. Like tips on how to make papaya leaves so they don't taste bitter," he said.

Pandemic

In maintaining health in the midst of this pandemic, Firdaus tries to have a good attitude and think positively. These two things are important to Paradise because they are the key to spiritual health. “Positive thinking is the key. If you don't have anything to do with negative thoughts about other people, it will become a burden on your mind. It ends up being carried away by the mind, that will make it unhealthy," he said.

After the spiritual affairs are completed, then the physical affairs he pays attention to. “I exercise regularly at home and at work. And you don't have to look for the moment, just going up and down the stairs makes him sweat. Or walking from one place to another has also made his body sweat," he said.

So there is no need to deliberately move. Movements that are done at home in the office and other places of activity can be a form of exercise for Firdaus. The point is the motion that makes the body accelerate, if the acceleration is higher the sweat will drip. However, he said, if there is time or for those who really intend to exercise, that is even better.

For young people he advised that everything is a process. It's not good to achieve something instantly. "Tips for young people that at this time we have to see everything is a process," he said. That's why he said to achieve something should be pursued from an early age. Go through step by step until you achieve what you want. “When we want to achieve a goal, it cannot be done right away, we have to go through the process first. And don't forget to pray and ask God for guidance so that what we are trying to get pleasure from Him, "said Firdaus who really appreciates the process before achieving something.

“We have to advance and transcend time. We don't just think about today but the future. The battle ahead of the era is already metaverse. This is what we must welcome. The challenges ahead are very tough, but we have to be optimistic, with that optimism we will hang on to our hopes and try to achieve them, "