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Desi Anwar: The Wonders of 7
November 05, 2011

A Komodo dragon walks at the Komodo National Park on October 4, 2011. The park has been voted into the New Seven Wonders of Nature, according to a provisional list released on Saturday. (Reuters Photo) A Komodo dragon walks at the Komodo National Park on October 4, 2011. The park has been voted into the New Seven Wonders of Nature, according to a provisional list released on Saturday. (Reuters Photo)
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DrDez
7:39am Dec 7, 2011

abe - a bit out of date chap

abetyo
3:37pm Dec 6, 2011

Despite of that, we still need to make sure the legality of New 7 Wonders of the World before following the contest. As reported by Indonesia Embassy in Swiss, there are a lot of peculiarities of this organizer. We should keep our international reputation by following a contest that organized by a legal company. In addition, the government also should create an innovation in publishing our tourist area so not only Bali and Komodo National Park that are well known around the world, but also other beauty places in Indonesia.

abetyo
3:36pm Dec 6, 2011

I agree with Tourism Ministry who wants to introduce the beautiful Indonesia through New 7 Wonders. The impact now is Komodo National Park is known in the world and I believe more and more tourists will come to Komodo National Park. The negative of this will be the destruction of the nature of the park, unmanaged garbage waste from tourist. But, this will only happen if government cannot keep the strict rules when visiting the park. For example, Bali as a most tourist destination in the world has very bad traffic jam and the purity of worship place of local people sometimes are being affected and replaced with villas. As now the Komodo has been famous to the world, the next step that government must take is to protect the nature of Komodo National Park while the tourists visit it.

Valkyrie
2:24pm Nov 8, 2011

DrDez,

I am certain that SJ will surely remember you (me too) in her prayers. I am using the reference to the feminine gender as I suspect 'SJ" is a lady.

However, my apologies if I erred.

It's nice of you to retreat from this discussion. I'm indeed glad.

Hmmm...I will confess that I almost succumbed to the temptation.

DrDez
9:22am Nov 8, 2011

SJ

I am truly happy you find solace in god as do many others but from my experience with godly people they are prone to acts of violence and hypocrisy and use it as an excuse - but still imagine they are going to heaven (modern Islam is the worst just now but its across most)

In terms of this debate I will comment no more since there cannot be a winner or loser and quite honestly people who have the faith bug often tend to see a world that is somewhat different to reality (my opinion)

I chose to live my life day by day and if at the close of the ledger there is a god - well then he will judge me against what I have done rather than what I believe and I fancy my chances over and above a great number of people who claim devout faith

I really do not need a book or a god to instruct me how to be a decent person, I also trust to people rather than god... Its worked for 82 years, I am sure it will work for a few years more yet


The cacophonous debate on the merits of our beloved Komodo National Park as a candidate for the New 7 Wonders of Nature makes me wonder why humans obsess over the number seven. What’s so special about this number? A search on Google delivers much information on the subject.

In the mystical meaning of numbers, seven represents the number of perfection, security, safety and rest. There are seven heavens, seven colors of a rainbow, seven days of the week, seven notes to a diatonic scale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, seven years of bad luck if you break a mirror and references to the symbolic meanings of the number seven in most religions. And, of course, there are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Humans love lists, and the Greeks who first compiled the Seven Wonders of the World obviously had this in mind.

Those who want to see the home of our ancient Komodo dragon as a finalist in the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest no doubt do so with the hope that global tourists will put Komodo on their things-to-see-before-they-die list. Doesn’t everyone want to see a wonder of the world?

Controversy generated over Komodo’s entry as a candidate, however, has given rise to some other sevens, — the seven deadly sins. I’m thinking of two, wrath and pride, that participation in this contest have inflamed in the breast of some Indonesians to such an extent that much media space, television airtime and social media chatter have been spent arguing over Komodo’s emergence as a short-listed nominee.

No doubt the Komodos would be bemused if they knew they were being discussed with the intensity of other trending topics such as Kim Kardashian’s 10-week marriage — there’s even talk of a Komodo movie — and probably wouldn’t give a jot about being a wonder of the world. If anything, these ancient creatures that have a lineage back to the time of the dinosaurs are diminishing in number and languish on an island in one of the poorest parts of Indonesia, with neglect and public indifference being their unfortunate lot. Until recently, that is, when suddenly the Komodo became a cause celebre in a heated public argument that sows more confusion and rancor as days pass.

Some argue that the Komodo’s participation in this popularity contest is commercializing the creature at the expense of its much-needed conservation. It falls under another list of sevens, Gandhi’s seven blunders of the world, specifically commerce without morality. The Komodo is already a world wonder and does not need the recognition of its home in a New 7 Wonders of the World competition to validate it. Leave the poor creature alone. A zoo in Surabaya already did when one of its Komodos died of neglect even as the country was engrossed in championing its dignity.

This is all very confusing. Right now, the countries who are home to the other 27 short-listed natural wonders are busily trying to get their candidates over the line, presumably thinking of the publicity and tourism revenue that recognition would bring. Here, however, stirring up controversy is more appealing, with some people in positions of authority actually telling people not to vote for Komodo and pooh-poohing the entire exercise as the work of some shady organization.

As far as I know, this is the second New 7 Wonders of the World contest to take place. The first New 7 Wonders was in 2007, a popularity contest for the seven man-made structures, which our very own marvel, Borobudur Temple, missed out on. Sadly, Borobudur is not one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

When the contest for the New 7 Wonders of Nature opened, the Tourism Ministry was anxious not to repeat the mistake. Three natural wonders in Indonesia, Lake Toba, Krakatau Volcano and Komodo National Park, were entered. Out of the three, Komodo was chosen by a panel established by the organizer as worthy of the short list. The final winners are being selected by online and SMS voting.

So eager was the Tourism Ministry about the contest that it even bid for Indonesia to host the awards night, when the seven winners would be announced. That sounded straightforward. But it seems there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip. For reasons best known to those in the know, the ministry withdrew its offer to host the event. Suddenly Komodo was too good to be bandied about in a silly popularity contest.

But our Komodo remains a finalist. Let’s hope that despite the brouhaha it can win. Now that would be wonderful.

Desi Anwar is a senior anchor at Metro TV. She can be contacted at desianwar.com and dailyavocado.net.