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The Indonesian blogosphere has grown in size and strength over the past few years, and one of the long-term stalwarts of the scene is British expatriate Terry Collins.  Collins, pictured center with his family, has been living in Jakarta for more than 21 years and is well known for his blog Jakartass (http://jakartass.blogspot.com), where he shares observations and thoughts on life in Jakarta, as well as his work as a co-author of “Culture Shock: Jakarta,” a humorous guide for new arrivals to the Big Durian.  For Collins, blogging is an extension of the travel diaries he has been writing since 1970, as well as a way to push for change in an evolving Indonesia.

You have been living in Jakarta now for more than 20 years, right?

Yes, it’s been a long time, and I still live in the same street.

How did you end up here?

Back in ’88, I returned to London having spent just over a year backpacking around the world. A friend of mine got a job as deputy head of the Voluntary Service Overseas office in Fiji. I’d promised to visit her, and then looked at a world map and realized that there were a lot of countries in between. After five years, I’d got tired of running a children’s out-of-school charity in inner south London, so I quit, and, thanks to a small inheritance, armed myself with a round-the-world ticket and gave myself the holiday I’d always dreamed of.

How did it feel when you got back to the UK?

It was the biggest culture shock of all. Everybody was the same, and I was bursting with what I’d seen and done, yet my friends were still engaged with their mortgages and stuff and I was probably a tease, or more likely a bore. I couldn’t find a suitable job in the voluntary sector and eventually remembered that being a qualified teacher, and judging by my time in Bangkok, I could work there teaching English. So I took a course and headed straight back to Thailand. After three months, I returned to the UK, all the while hankering for a return to Southeast Asia. I’d loved the climate and people. A friend of mine was recruited by a language school here in Jakarta and I was immediately jealous. So I applied, was interviewed in a pub, and was told how green the city was. And here I am.

Do you feel like a local yet?

With my six-foot frame I stand out, even though the other British expat in our area is even taller than me, so I try and blend in. Having lived in the same house for so long, I’m obviously well-known and can get quite upset if I’m treated as a curiosity. Recently, I was walking past a new father sitting on his step with his baby who said to his son, “ Lihat, ada bule ” [“Look, there’s a white man.”] Bule is a term which annoys me as I feel it is inherently racist. So I politely told him that I found the term offensive, but didn’t mind being called an orang barat [Westerner] or orang jangkung [stork-like]. A woman nearby also remonstrated with the young man, obviously a newcomer, and told him in strong terms that I was orang Indonesia.

Your blog, Jakartass, is one of the most well-known English-language blogs in the country. What started you blogging?

Maybe it’s a continuing search for identity. I’ve generally kept a diary of my travels starting way back in 1970 when I ended up in Ibiza, Spain, for a couple of years, surviving by making bags, belts and sandals. Coming to Indonesia and finally settling, I am no less a traveler, a stranger in a land which I will never fully understand.

What do you hope to achieve through your blog?

This country is moving away from its colonial past, the vestiges of which remain if you examine the records of the majority of the presidential candidates. Consider the exploitation of its natural resources and population and the arrogance of the bureaucrats, business moguls and legislators. I believe therefore that it is important to learn from the past, and to look toward the future. I want a future for my children and grandchildren which ensures that their voices are heard and that they are able to reach their fullest potential without, of course, inhibiting or harming the rights of others to do the same. So Jakartass is my voice. I hope it leads to an understanding of what makes us tick.

Do you think Indonesian blogging is starting to hold some sway with those in power?

The sponsorship of last year’s Pesta Blogger by the government [and commercial sponsors] indicates that it is, but I, maybe cynically, believe that the co-option of a group of individuals, most writing on personal computers about personal matters, is an effort to control our output. For example, Enda Nasution, who I consider to be the godfather of Indonesian bloggers, was invited to follow and report on Jusuf Kalla’s recent campaign trail. Of far greater importance in the scheme of things is that Enda set up Indonesia Help, a blog to which I also contributed, in the aftermath of the Aceh tsunami. This gave updates on where and how to help the victims.

What other causes has the blogosphere been involved with?

In October last year, bloggers united in highlighting the release by the Department of Education on the Internet of the names and addresses of every school student in the country, a terrible invasion of child privacy. More recently, there has been an outpouring of support for Prita Mulyasari in her victimization by Omni Hospital. I live in hope that other iniquities can be resolved by concerted blogosphere action. Isn’t it time that the plight of the Sidoarjo “refugees” is settled?

Terry Collins was talking to Ashlee Betteridge.