Maverick Indonesia

Click of the Week #36: Irawan Santoso

“Not just an ordinary journalist, but one who comprehends the law,” wrote Irawan Santoso describing himself in a nutshell. How true!

His last post was on Themis, the Goddess of Justice, whom he said was respected by the big guys in the Indonesian law sector from the likes of lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution to Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan.

The Goddess’ reputation, according to Irawan, was questionable because her contribution in fighting for justice was unknown, yet Themis symbolizes justice. So I suppose the question is whether these guys truly worship Themis for all she’s worth or just because they think it’s rather obligatory for them to display the charismatic-looking Goddess of Justice in their working spaces. Ah well…

Irawan is an award-winning journalist who is currently working in Ombudsman, a law magazine. He received an award from Anugerah Adiwarta Sampoerna (AAS) two years in a row.

In 2006, he was named the winner of AAS for his article entitled “Misteri Suap Probosutedjo” in the social feature category. The year after, his piece “TIME Kalah MA Dibelah” was recognized as the best article in the law feature category.

I like his blog simply because he’s able to tell stories of the generally perceived dull topic like law in a manner that is engaging. A rare talent in the industry!

Keep it up, and don’t forget to submit your entries in the soon-to-be-launched AAS 2008!