Monday, June 30, 2025

satu kali lagi

jatuh cintalah sekali lagi
satu kali lagi
setelah tangis di malam malam panjang
dan duka yang lama menetap

beranilah berjalan satu langkah saja lagi
menghadapi besok pagi 
dengan gagah berani

terimalah semua gagal
dekaplah semua luka
kita coba lagi 
dengan sedikit doa
dan harap yang selalu menyala

sepi sepi itu besok pagi
mungkin tak akan ada lagi
beranilah mencoba lagi
semua percobaan takdir
yang akan mengikat nadi
dan garis tangan yang panjang

bersabarlah dengan hidup
dengan setiap cobaan 
yang membuat hatimu khawatir
berpura menguatkan hati
bersandiwara siapa tahu berhasil
menjalani kepurapuraan
dan semua awan gelap duka
akan segera tergantikan

besok akan kita coba lagi
besok harus kita coba lagi

30/30

yang luka luka

selalu ada luka di matanya
yang tidak bisa aku sembuhkan
tersayat dan berdarah darah
ditutupi dengan semua amarahnya

andai aku tak begitu memahami
dan perduli tentang semua hal
yang begitu pula aku sukai
segala kurang dan luka luka
yang bisa aku obati
seperti aku mengobati
luka lukaku sendiri

ia kira aku kuat
padahal aku menguatkan hatiku
agar bisa bersamanya
sedikit lebih lama lagi

mengulur waktu dan berdoa
semoga masih panjang nadir bersama
dengannya selalu mendecitkan keriangan
luluh di hatiku

yang tak pernah bisa berbuat apa apa
hanya tunduk dan menggenggam
semua yang ada padanya

mungkin kita tak akan pernah 
benar benar sembuh
dari semua kegilaan ini

29/30

setiap pagi

untuk masa depan 
yang tidak pernah benar benar
kita ketahui

berhenti menebak
semua cerita
punya alur waktunya sendiri

upaya yang telah dibuat
satu hari demi satu hari
semua mimpi dan doa
harapan kecil yang ada di hati
kita nyalakan di setiap pagi

kadang ia runtuh
dan goyah dihembus badai
sisa sisa tangis dan gemetar

mungkin memang waktunya
hancur dan menyusun kembali
berhenti tenggelam dan menyelam

matahari masih menunggu 
dengan sabar
di tepian 

mimpi mimpi tak henti dirapal
semangat dihembuskan di telinga
jangan pernah menyerah dan hiduplah
satu kali lagi

telan semua duka dan kecewa
hidup tak hanya punya isi bahagia
terima semua pedih dan lara
lapangkan dada

kemudian beranilah, 
larilah ke depan
untuk masa depan
yang tidak pernah
benar benar 
kita ketahui

28/30


Friday, June 27, 2025

27

aku memohon menginginkanmu
dengan semua keresahan keresahan
akan masa depan yang menakutkan
dan mimpi yang tak pernah kau tawarkan

mengagumi lekat semua 
yang ada pada dirimu
dan kalah pada semua
hal hal kekhawatiran

bagaimanakah cara
mencintaimu dengan baik dan benar
mampukah jadi yang terbaik
untuk hati yang selalu tenang tergenapi
dalam tenang dan pelukmu

teka teki yang paling sulit
yang tak berminat aku selesaikan
kuserahkan semua pada takdir
dan alam yang mendengar

semua doa doa kita
untuk hari hari di masa depan
yang mungkin tak pernah kita temukan

kita letakkan kesungguhan keyakinan
doa dan harapan untuk hidup 
satu kali lagi memaafkan diri sendiri
untuk semua kesalahan
yang tiap malam kita sesalkan

daftar daftar dosa 
yang kita hitung
setiap kali kegagalan datang
dan menebak nebak
darimana lagi ia akan datang

27.

yang terbaik, yang paling baik

di kepalaku jika 
aku memiliki semuanya
dan semua kemungkinan
berada dalam genggaman

mungkin pilihan terbaik
akan kau menangkan
dengan setiap hati yang luluh 
tiap kali kau patahkan
dan cerita demi ceritaku
yang kau dengarkan
dengan menyenangkan

hal hal minor yang mengganggu
akan aku abaikan demi
menggenggam tanganmu
sekali lagi

cemburu yang kau sembunyikan 
dan tangan yang diam diam
menggapaiku 

apakah kau yang terbaik
yang akan jadi paling baik
ketika semua hal benar
dan kemungkinan itu
kita menangkan

26.

kembali

bagaimana bisa 
merangkai yang telah putus
dengan ingatan ingatan patah
memori yang telah dihapuskan

hangatnya masih sama
dengan sepenuh kesadaran
kita semua melakukan kesalahan
pelajaran yang diulang ulang

bagaimana bisa 
melanggar menyalahi aturan
yang dibuat sendiri
mencoba memahami satu kali lagi
semua makna kegagalan

upaya upaya memahami hidup
gagal berulang ulang
dan kita pada akhirnya
hanya dua orang

yang tidak tahu
bagaimana bisa
kembali merangkaikan
kata kata yang tak punya arti

dalam hati yang hangat
tiap kali melihat lukamu
meskipun pernah kau lukai aku
dengan tanganmu

25.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

kata kata

kata kata cuma pemanis
rayuan yang paling lihai
waktu dan kesabaran
mata uang dalam memancing

wanita butuh kata kata, katanya
membuai dalam harapan
atau mengaburkan kenyataan
luluh diam diam

pada semua perlakuan manis
habis habisan di awal pertemuan
apakah kau merasa akan mendapatkan
semua yang bisa kuberikan

jika kau kerahkan upaya
mengutarakan semua 
bersabar menunggu celotehanku
pura pura menyimak semua perkataanku

katanya kau telah mengupayakan semua
yang kau kira bisa kau lakukan
menggenggam hatiku
dan kau akan terus menanyakan

mengapa aku tak memahami
semua yang telah kau lakukan
mungkin kau tak seingin itu
dan aku sudah tak mau lagi

22/06

pada akhirnya

terlalu naif untuk percaya
tulus tanpa kata kata
mengharapkan sesuatu
entah apapun halnya

aku yang menutup telinga
atau ia yang lupa bicara
pada akhirnya ternyata
semua hal yang telah aku kira

satu hal dan dua hal
alasan demi alasan
menyenangkan atau memilukan
fakta adalah fakta

yang berdiri tegak
di antara dua kepala
dan dua hati yang membicarakan
semua kata kata di dunia

pada akhirnya hanya sekedar
sadar untuk akhir dari jalan yang kita temukan
mungkin ada kabut yang menghalangi pandangan
tapi semua akan sejelas itu pada waktunya

pada awal, 
dan akhir
yang selalu kau paham,
tapi kau tau kemana semua ini
bisa berakhir

21/6

Friday, June 20, 2025

setiap pagi

setiap ku terbangun
terbenamkan pada
semua penungguan
yang dinantikan

apa yang tak lagi dituju
semua lara yang tak lagi datang
hanya keheningan

di setiap pagi
rindu datang tiap pagi
pada masa yang lewat
masa yang belum datang

satu ingatan yang kutelan
dan hati yang tak turut
dalam perintah pikiran

bagaimana bisa bertahan
sedang pertengkaran demi pertengkaran
menghabiskan semua kedamaian

di balik layar akankah yang pahit
awal dari semua hal baik
yang menunggu datang

20/6

Monday, June 9, 2025

telepon

suaramu menggema sampai jauh
meresap ke relung relung
kebodohan yang terulang dua kali
mungkin suka, mungkin ingin 

hening dan jeda sebentar
memberikan kesempatan
pada semua keraguan
pesan yang dibalas dingin
lebih gemar bertelepon, katamu

terlalu cepat berpikir
untuk aku yang memikirkan semuanya
merangkaikan kata kata
mengetikkan yang sebenar benarnya
kau baca sambil lalu,
telepon saja

tapi berbicara denganmu
hati tak karu karuan
semua kata yang terucap
telah aku sesalkan

apakah kau benar benar mendengarkan
sedang aku, terlalu cepat melupakan

6/6

Monday, June 2, 2025

The Pitfall of Super Apps- How Over Centralization Undermines Local Government's Autonomy

Karina Oktriastra- March 2025

The rapid adoption of super apps in government operations has been promoted as a breakthrough in public service digitalization. These one-command applications promise seamless service, standardization, and efficiency across different regions. However, behind this progress lies a worrying issue: the erosion of local government autonomy and the imposition of centralized standards that often do not align with the strengths and challenges of different regions.

Overuse of Technology - The Double Edge Sword

Technology should be a tool to enhance governance, not dictate policies without considering local needs. The current trend of developing one-size-fits-all super apps limits local governments’ ability to tailor solutions based on their unique socio-economic conditions. Instead of enabling local governments to build on their own strengths, these apps enforce uniformity, often overlooking disparities in infrastructure, human resources, and economic priorities across regions.

Super apps are often assumed to be a universal solution for all issues, but this approach is flawed. Local governments operate in vastly different contexts—what works in the capital city may not be applicable in smaller cities, rural areas, or regions with different socio-economic dynamics. Imposing a standardized system restricts innovation, hinders context-based problem-solving, and forces local governments to conform to a framework that is more suitable for metropolitan areas than their actual needs.
According to Janssen & Estevez (2013) in their study on e-Government, excessive standardization in digital governance can reduce policy effectiveness at the local level by limiting governments’ ability to customize technology to their own needs.

Dependence on Centralized Control: A Threat to Autonomy

In an era where digital governance is expanding, super apps are instead increasing local governments’ dependence on national policies. This dependency creates several challenges:

  1. Loss of Decision-Making Power: Local governments are forced to align their policies with centrally designed applications, reducing their ability to independently create policies that address local issues.
  2. Lack of Flexibility and Customization: These apps are often rigid, compelling regions to adjust their service models to predetermined features, even if they are irrelevant to local needs.
  3. Resource Drain: Implementing centralized applications, maintaining compatibility, and meeting national standards consume resources that could otherwise be used for more pressing local needs.

The result? Instead of crafting policies based on regional potential, local governments struggle to adapt to national mandates that often fail to consider their capacities and realities. Research by Heeks (2008) in the Journal of Information Technology for Development shows that the success of digital governance initiatives depends on how well technology adapts to local socio-political structures rather than simply implementing a top-down technology framework.

Forgetting the Strength of Local Autonomy

Before the rise of super apps, many regions thrived through decentralized decision-making, allowing them to develop solutions tailored to their unique socio-political and economic landscapes. Autonomy gave local governments the freedom to innovate and build regional cooperation among local stakeholders—a far more sustainable approach than merely following national standards.
The core strength of local governance lies in community-based problem-solving, where local knowledge, cultural nuances, and regional expertise play a crucial role. In contrast, super apps prioritize individual efficiency over collective progress, pushing a hyper-standardization model that disregards the power of community engagement and collaborative governance.

Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty for Local Governments

To address this issue, we must rethink how digital governance is implemented:

  1. Adopt a Hybrid Approach: Instead of enforcing a top-down digital policy, governments should develop modular and flexible digital solutions that local governments can adapt to their needs.
  2. Promote Interoperability, Not Uniformity: Rather than forcing a single application across all regions, we should build interoperable systems that allow local applications to communicate with national platforms without sacrificing their specific functionalities.
  3. Empower Local Digital Innovation: Encourage local governments to develop needs-based digital solutions, supported by central funding and expertise but without unnecessary restrictions.
  4. Strengthen Local Collaboration: Prioritize intergovernmental cooperation, ensuring that best practices are shared and adapted based on regional strengths rather than imposed through a centralized system.

Conclusion

Super apps are not inherently bad—but when they become tools for enforcing uniformity instead of empowering local innovation, they undermine the essence of local autonomy. If we want to adopt digital governance, we must do so in a way that enhances local governments’ strengths rather than merely making them conform to a system designed for the capital.

The future of governance should not be about making local governments fit into a centralized digital mold—but about leveraging technology to empower them based on their unique strengths.

As Sen (1999) asserts in Development as Freedom, technology must fulfill its true purpose: assisting marginalized communities, strengthening societies, and ensuring governance is built on inclusivity rather than centralized control. Only then can technology truly serve as a tool for effective and inclusive policymaking.

* Sen, Amartya. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford University Press.

The Tale of The Incompetent Leaders


Karina Oktriastra- June 2025

The Incompetence May Create The Dysfunctional Workplaces

Mostly in public organizations, workplace is not a byproduct of bad systems or lazy staff. Its more often than not, a reflection of the leader’s incompetence. A leader that have the key to determine how the organization’s will run or just going in the same place all over again, draining the operational budget without having output or outcome. A leader who lacks character, clarity and courage breeds confusion, distrust and disengangement. As the saying goes, “a fish rots from the head down”.

People may get the leadership role through a nasty politics, and then its up to their own moral commitment on how to run the rules. At the core of great leadership lies integrity- even when they got the place with some ‘push’ but people would watch, about how they doing the right thing even when its hard, when no one watching. Incompetents leaders would fail if they talk about values, but not embody them. When they demand loyalty, but betray the trust of their coworkers or clients. They make the staff making sacrifice, yet unwilling to sacrifice their own ego or convenience. 

Albert Schweitzer have a great quote for that “example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing”. If the leader can’t show the right moves, they can create the rejection and rebellion that would run on the grass. A dysfunctional workplace under poor leadership marked by indecisiveness, finger-pointing, and a lack of psychological safety. Team members would afraid to speak up, reluctant to take initiatives, and unsure where the organizations heading. Eventually, the best ones leaves, other may rest stay and survive- but stop thriving. 

What A Good Leader Actually Does

In my opinion, with a few workplace in my career. I define the good leadership is not about the charisma, seniority or power. They lead by example, by hearing and understanding our needs, values, strength, to overcome our weakness and then leading to be the best version of ourselves. They’re first to take responsibility, they’re the last to leave when things go wrong, and the first to act when tough choices must be made. They dont just ask people to be better, they show them how. In my experience, most people just want to make their work great and impactful, naturally, if we aim the same purpose, to make things great, the rest would follow the lead without any resistance if there’s no big sacrifice that must been made. 

“Before you are a leader, success is about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is about growing other” - Jack Welch 

The best leaders are often not the loudest, but the most consistent. Their people dont fear them, but feel safe around them. They know where the theme is going. And they know their leader wont throw then under the bus to protect their own image. This need trust that made by earning that. That safety-emotional, professional, and ethical- is what separates functional workplaces from toxic ones. 

What Incompetent Leaders Leave Behind

To knowing the damage left by poor leadership isnt always immediate. In my observation, it would build the certain situation slowly, that finally the crisis create the other martyr or leadership without position that they would listen and asking the advice or just get the most popular votes. 

Sometimes people are not really that lazy, they’re just disillusioned. Most professionals wants to care, but when they dont see the leaders living the values they talk about- integrity, fairness, service- they slowly stop believing in the work, too.

“If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you” - Indra Nooyi.

What Makes a Leader Worth Following

Some core or basic values of leadership in common maybe most of them have:
  • Live their values, not pushing people around, but influence and inspire them
  • Put team goals above personal gain
  • Make people heard, safe to speak, fail and grow
  • Consistent of their word and their action- not just charismatic
  • Understand that leadership is service- not self-promotion
In the public service, especially the stakes are higher. A director or department head who leads poorly doesnt just damage an office- they damage the public trust. And in this era, maybe the stakes are too high and maybe we cant afford it.

The nice workplace are shaped daily by the behaviour and modeled from the top. Great leaders dont have to be perfect, but they have to be authentic and clear about the vision where they were lead. They have to be willing to go first. To be the kind of person other people can rely on when the things get hard. Because when the leader are competent and courageous, people rise. When they’re not, everything else slowly falls apart and would be not nice to work in.