Diterbitkan oleh mingguan Kontan, 23-29 Januari 2012
Artikel-artikel saya bisa dijumpai di Kontan setiap 2 minggu sekali.

oleh Jennie S. Bev

Jika melihat harga property yang kian melambung di kota-kota besar di Indonesia, terselip sebuah pertanyaan. Apakah kita sedang memompa property bubble? Aset property di kawasan premium misalnya, mudah menikmati kenaikan harga (capital gain) 50% sampai 100% dalam setahun.

Mari kita bandingkan dengan ketika pecahnya bubble properti di Amerika Serikat (AS).

Di AS, (proses pecahnya) property bubble mulai terjadi tahun 2007 dan meledak pada 2008 yang ditandai dengan runtuhnya Lehman Brothers dan AIG. Setidaknya tujuh juta sampai sembilan juta aset properti telah disita bank (foreclosed) sejak tahun 2007 sampai detik ini dengan asumsi 1,5 juta sampai 2,5 juta per tahun. Tidak terhitung jutaan lagi aset property yang dijual secara short sale alias jual rugi, dan bank terpaksa menyerap kerugian itu. Sebab, nilai jualnya rendah dibandingkan sisa piutang.

Ada beberapa faktor utama yang menyebabkan property bubble di AS. Pemicu pertumbuhan eksponensial ini adalah intervensi pemerintah dengan kebijakan ekonomi dan moneter yang mempengaruhi suku bunga, pengucuran kredit bank, pertumbuhan ekonomi, dan daya beli masyarakat. Faktor pendukungnya adalah aplikasi dan imbas dari kebijakan tersebut hingga ke akar rumput.

Bermula dari kebijakan yang membuka pemisah antara bank ritel dengan bank investasi, yaitu Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act of 1999 yang mencabut Glass- Steagall Act of 1933. Bank bisa menciptakan produk investasi derivatif kompleks yang memungkinkan surat piutang KPR diungkit nilainya (leverage) hingga 60 sampai 70 kali atau dikenal dengan CDO (collateralized debt obligation).

CDO merupakan paket investasi yang berisi KPR subprime dengan peringkat A+ tapi berisiko mahabesar. Bagaimana tidak, KPR eksotik (exotic mortgage) ini bisa diperoleh hanya dengan menandatangani pernyataan pendapatan bulanan yang tidak diverifikasi dan rasio utangnya tidak dikendalikan. Loop hole ini berwarna abu-abu karena berada di jalur antara etis dengan tidak etis.

KPR subprima yang dibumbui iming-iming introductory interest rate selama enam bulan sampai satu tahun ini menyajikan ilusi CDO yang kredibel. Daya tahan CDO bergincu ini jelas hanya sekejap karena piramida itu segera runtuh dan bubble pecah. Serpihan bubble ini masih terasa sampai kini.

Banyak harga properti mencapai titik nol di kota-kota baru yang sudah tidak berpenghuni dan infrastrukturnya dihancurkan. Termasuk, pos polisi dan sekolah publik.

Harga property yang masih bagus terbatas di kota-kota besar yang sangat mapan geopolitik dan geo-ekonominya. Seperti pusat kota San Francisco dan Manhattan.

Kebijakan moneter yang terlalu liberal di AS memberi loop hole luar biasa bagi para kapitalis raksasa untuk bergerak leluasa. Termasuk memberikan bunga rendah sehingga pinjaman sangat mudah diperoleh untuk KPR subprima dengan masa pinjaman 30 sampai 40 tahun.

Keadaan serupa tidak dijumpai di Indonesia. Program KPR yang ditawarkan dapat digolongkan konvensional untuk jangka waktu yang relatif pendek, dengan suku bunga flat, efektif, dan anuitas tahunan serta bulanan.

Posisi Indonesia

Yang menarik adalah konsumen properti Indonesia tidak terlalu antusias dengan KPR. Cukup banyak transaksi property yang menggunakan tunai sebagai purchase money. Ini membuat bisnis properti di Indonesia cukup solid.

Namun perlu diingat bahwa properti sering diagunkan kembali (hipotek) untuk modal usaha maupun diinvestasikan kembali di properti. Penggunaan modal tersebut tentu sulit didata karena leverage bisa dilakukan dengan cukup bebas.

Apakah property di Indonesia sedang mengalami proses penggelembungan (bubbling)?

Kondisinya sangat bergantung pada penggunaan modal itu. Sepanjang pembelian dilakukan dengan tunai dan modal tetap menyatu dengan properti, maka harga property relatif stabil. Kemungkinan bubble lebih tinggi jika aset property itu digunakan untuk hal berisiko tinggi.

Terjadinya bubble atau tidak, bisa dianalisis dari korelasi penggunaan aset itu dengan keadaan ekonomi makro. Faktor kebijakan ekonomi dan moneter yang mendukung pemberian KPR dan kredit usaha juga mempengaruhi permintaan pasar terhadap properti.

Penggorengan harga oleh pengembang terhadap property baru menciptakan bubble jenis lain, yang lebih terpengaruh oleh koreksi harga berdasarkan pasokan dan permintaan. Kondisi ini dipengaruhi oleh iklim ekonomi. Krisis moneter Asia tahun 1997, misalnya, menurunkan harga properti karena permintaan merosot tajam.

Masih terlalu dini memprediksi penurunan ekonomi India dan China juga akan mempengaruhi Indonesia. Namun kemungkinan selalu ada. Koreksi harga setiap saat. Ketika harga sudah sangat tinggi, biasanya titik jenuh mulai terlihat.

Pertanyaannya: di mana kita sekarang berada?[]

Jennie S. Bev adalah penulis, kolomnis, pengusaha, dan pengajar yang bermukim di California.

[This article was previously published in The Jakarta Post, January 22, 2012.
Republished in The Malaysian Insider, January 22, 2012.]

by Jennie S. Bev, Northern California

The Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 23, 2012, marking the start of the Year of the Dragon — a year of courage, prosperity, love and cooperation. With such a rosy expectations, the end of the world is likely not going to occur this year.

The current economic downturn may ease up a bit as well. People of Chinese heritage worldwide are likely going to celebrate this special day merrily and for a total of 15 days.

We can expect to hear loud firecrackers, see a lot of bright red clothes, watch the famous dragon dance and eat the delicious Nian Gao rice cake and roast pork. Children expect you to give out ang pao or “red envelopes,” so make sure your pocket is full of them. Chinese New Year, or Imlek, is a joyous occasion and gives us hope for a better tomorrow.

Let’s extend a sincere Happy New Year to each other by saying, “Xin Nian Kuai Le.”

Residing an hour’s drive from San Francisco, most likely I’ll be celebrating in this foggy city’s famous Chinatown. San Francisco’s Chinatown boasts the largest Chinese New Year celebration outside of Asia, which will take place on Feb. 11.

The 2012 Miss Chinatown USA, who will be crowned on Feb. 4, is likely symbolizing the hostess of the festival. A 76-meter long golden dragon, the center of the occasion, will dance the night away with 100 acrobatic martial artists.

San Francisco’s Chinatown was established in 1848 and is both the oldest Chinatown in the United States and the largest Chinese community outside Asia. It is famous for its unique ambiance, which seems more like Hong Kong than an American city.

Chinatown boasts over 300 restaurants of various sizes, prices, and specialties, which would take nearly a year to try each one of them. With a total land area of only 3.5 square kilometers, its population of more than 100,000 makes it one of the most densely populated districts in the US.

Every Chinese New Year reminds me that I’m a part of one of the oldest cultures in the world. With 1.4 billion other Chinese individuals worldwide, including 40 million living outside Mainland China, it’s a great feeling realizing how grand the membership is.

The Han Chinese ethnicity is divided into 56 ethnic groups. Indonesia is home to approximately 7 million Han Chinese, with major populations based in other countries such as the US (3.8 million), Singapore (3.6 million) and Malaysia (7.1 million).

In Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, those who have assimilated into the Indonesian and Malay cultures are referred to as peranakan. By this category, I am considered a peranakan as well, even though my grandparents migrated directly from Northern China. I enjoy having spicy and rich peranakan cuisine and often wear kebaya nyonya, proudly created by my own mother’s fashion designs.

Raised in a middle-class family by a single mother, I never considered myself financially wealthy. My high school and college classmates witnessed how I was used to taking public transportation to go to school, including the notoriously overfilled public buses and trains. However, the stereotype that “all Chinese are wealthy” stays with me to this very day, despite my family’s constant struggle to catch up with daily expenses. Such stereotypes taught me an important life lesson: Many people believe in illusions.

Most overseas Chinese, I believe, carry with them at least a longing to feel at home wherever they are, while at the same time feeling proud of their cultural heritage. For this, they try to find meaning through various allegiances and affiliations. Indian literary critic Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak said it well, “I attempted to fracture the totalizing logic of their representational practices by othering myself from the stereotypical consolidation of the rich, non-resident Indian subject.”

Spivak made a lot of sense because the “stereotypical consolidation of the rich” is merely a mirage, an illusion. Out of 7 million individuals of Chinese ethnicity in Indonesia, how many are “pure” Chinese? Could we even distinguish or identify those individuals?

This would be very hard to prove with DNA evidence, because, after all, ethnicity is a politicized idea, an invention to divide a social structure. Furthermore, out of 7 million individuals, how many of them actually possess the economic power to influence a country? All 7 million of them? I doubt it.

Just looking at Forbes magazine’s list of 40 richest individuals in Indonesia doesn’t give a valid picture of Chinese-Indonesians’ wealth. One should also read ethnographic research findings about Chinese-Indonesians trapped in cycles of poverty, such as Vidhyandika Djati Perkasa’s Poverty in a Chinese Community in West Java, Indonesia: Survival, Identity, and Social Face.

As a Chinese-Indonesian in a Western country, I carry with me two beautiful cultures with which I strive for acceptance in whichever community I reside. Despite the stereotypes I had to endure, the New Year always brings new hope and aspirations.

Let’s remind ourselves that our identity isn’t determined by stereotypes, but by the quality of our work and the content of our character.[]

Jennie S. Bev is an award-winning author and columnist based in Northern California. She can be reached at JennieSBev.com.

If you haven’t downloaded my highly praised eBook, do it now!
It doesn’t cost a penny.
Download Success with Positive Psychology by Jennie S. Bev

JA Konrath and Dean Wesley Smith have proven that “starving writer” is a myth. Konrath earned $100,000 in 3 weeks from his Kindle ebooks. Smith makes more than enough to make a very good living in USA with his 90+ books and their derivatives.

Konrath’s Amazon KDP account screenshot (click to enlarge):

Read Smith’s arguments here or below:

Where else does this myth come from?

Duh? The answer is simple. It comes from all the people who are, for one reason or another, simply too afraid to try mailing out their fiction regularly to places who buy it. Or too afraid to put the stories up electronically. Or only have one novel up and are wondering why they are not selling like Konrath. Or writers trapped in the agent myth, rewriting book after book for an employee.

For all those writers, it would be impossible to make a living at writing fiction. And thus, when you talk to them about making money, they are telling you the truth.

From their viewpoint.

How about a writer who has sold three novels and for the first time understands how the money flows? Or has gotten five to ten stories up electronically. Those early writers are saying the same thing, of course. Selling one genre book a year is not enough to make a living writing. Putting up just a few books electronically is not enough to make a living. Unless, you are fantastically lucky.

But most of us aren’t that lucky, so a writer with one book a year, who has bought in to the writing slow myth can’t make a living, and they are telling other writers the truth as well.

From their viewpoint.

So what about when you hear this myth spouted by a big name bestseller? I heard a New York Times bestseller in a keynote speech once tell 500 people there were only two hundred people in the nation making a living at fiction. Kris and I almost fell out of our chairs laughing, but we were just about the only people in the room laughing. Everyone else thought he was right. As it happens, I’m sitting next to him on a panel the very next hour, so as we were talking, I turned to him and said, “You know that 200 number is totally wrong.”

He look sort of stunned and said, “That’s what I had always heard.” (The myth hits again and is repeated by big-name writer who is making millions.)

I said, “If that’s the case, then don’t you find it pretty amazing that there are seven of the two hundred on this one panel?”

He looked down the panel at the seven of us, all full-time fiction writers sitting on the panel. Then I asked the 100 people in the room how many were writers making at least $80,000 per year with their fiction writing. Five more people, two of whom I recognized, raised their hands. Twelve of us in the same room at a writer’s convention. That stunned the keynote speaker, let me tell you, and we ended up spending the entire panel talking about this myth. And where that 200 number came from in the myth.

Since 2003, I have broken the “myth” and no longer believe in any naysayers.

Just applied to Knight Fellowship. There is always the first time in everything.
Please pray for me. Thank you.

[Perviously published in Kontan 2-8 January 2012.]

oleh Jennie S. Bev

Kita baru saja memasuki tahun 2012. Awan kege­lapan masih menaungi Amerika Serikat (AS) dan mengintai Eropa. Beberapa ne­gara Asia mulai terkena imbas krisis ekonomi global, seperti China dan India. Bagaimana dengan prospek Indonesia? Be­narkah pertumbuhan akan ting­gi atau malah terseret ke dalam pusaran krisis?

Saya tercenung ketika para analis dan ekonom penuh opti­mistis memandang Black Fri­day yang jatuh pada 25 Novem­ber 2011 atau sehari setelah Thanksgiving. Sebab, sebagai pemilik bisnis, ‘Hari Belanja’ itu tidak membawa revenue ekstra. Saya mencoba menghibur diri dengan berpikir, mungkin jenis usaha yang saya jalankan se­dang lesu di akhir tahun.

Terbukti, beberapa hari sete­lah data-data yang masuk via POS (Point of Sale) dianalisis secara nasional, pertumbuhan bulan November di AS hanya 0,2% atau lebih rendah dari Ok­tober yang 0,6%. Padahal, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, dan musim belanja menjelang Natal sudah lama dijadikan barome­ter tingkat kepercayaan konsu­men yang mempengaruhi per­gerakan ekonomi sektor riil.

Di sisi lain, angka pengang­guran nasional AS bulan No­vember 8,6% atau turun dari 0,4% pada Oktober. Namun, ini bukan angka sebenarnya, kare­na tidak menghitung orang yang sudah habis masa pengambilan unemployment benefit bulanan (semacam pesangon) serta ti­dak menghitung para underem­ployed (pekerja paruh waktu). Termasuk tidak menghitung para wirausahawan yang mem­bayar self-employed tax.

Diperkirakan, 20% sampai 30% warga AS tidak berpenghasilan memadai untuk hidup minimal dengan standar optimal wajar. Tak mengherankan jika lebih dari 45 juta warga AS sekarang hidup dari voucer makanan (food stamp) dan dapur umum Food Bank (organisasi nirlaba yang membagi-bagikan makan­an gratis). Saya menyaksikan sendiri para kelas menengah yang masih bekerja ikut meng­antre makanan karena menyu­sutnya penghasilan mereka.

Lantas bisakah 2012 lebih baik bagi AS? Kelihatannya sulit untuk membangunkan ‘gajah’ yang punya produk domestik bruto (PDB) US$ 14,58 triliun itu. Bandingkan dengan PDB Indonesia yang US$ 796,56 mili­ar atau Kuba US$ 62,8 miliar. Pertolongan dari bank sentral The Fed untuk memperbaiki mortgage industry tidak bere­fek positif setelah dua tahun.

Penyitaan properti oleh bank karena kredit macet akan ber­langsung minimal sampai 2014. Saya yang mempunyai lisensi broker properti California me­ramal, kondisi itu akan berlang­sung hingga 2015.

Sedangkan sejumlah kebijak­an ekonomi AS tidak mampu meningkatkan lapangan kerja. Dodd-Frank Act yang bertujuan mencegah perbankan melaku­kan loan fraud menyebabkan menciutnya pemberian kredit kepada pengusaha kecil. Pada­hal, mereka tulang punggung kelas menengah AS. Modifikasi kredit kepada para pemegang KPR juga tidak berdampak po­sitif karena implementasinya masih di tangan para bankir.

Peluang Indonesia

Sementara itu, Bank Dunia memprediksi pertumbuhan In­donesia tahun 2012 sebesar 6,2%. Bahkan, beberapa eko­nom memprediksi lebih dari 7% sampai 8%. Sedangkan pertum­buhan China diprediksi turun di bawah 9% dan India di bawah 7%. Kesadaran hak asasi manu­sia (HAM) yang meningkat mendorong para buruh di China semakin sadar haknya atas gaji sesuai standar hidup.

Sebagai contoh, pabrik Elec­trolux di Michigan tutup karena gaji di AS terlalu tinggi sehingga biaya produksi membengkak. Bandingkan upah pekerja di sana US$ 15 per jam tidak se­banding dengan gaji US$ 1,8 per jam di Meksiko.

Kesadaran inilah yang sedang mewabah di China. Kosekuen­sinya, semakin banyak investasi yang pindah ke Indonesia, Bur­ma, dan Meksiko. Dengan upah pekerja hanya US$ 0,70 per jam, Indonesia merupakan ban serep yang laris manis.

Bubble properti di China juga mulai mengempis seiring pe­ngenaan pajak untuk kepemi­likan properti lebih dari satu. Ini akan mempengaruhi ekono­mi makro Negeri Panda terse­but. Alhasil, China seperti se­dang menggali keterpurukan­nya sendiri lantaran kesadaran HAM dan pertumbuhan ekono­mi itu berbanding terbalik.

Jadi wajar jika Nouriel “Dr. Doom” Roubini optimistis de­ngan masa depan Indonesia. Kunci analisis akar rumput yang dikombinasikan dengan pan­dangan makro dan tingkah laku menunjukkan kesadaran HAM dan pertumbuhan ekonomi ber­banding terbalik. Ketika upah di AS sudah 30 kali lipat dari upah minimum buruh di Indonesia, para kapitalis tentu memilih buat pabrik di Indonesia.

Pertanyaannya, maukah In­donesia menjadi negara yang tumbuh pesat ekonomi di atas penderitaan kaum buruh? Ingat, semakin pesat ekonomi, sema­kin tinggi pula kesadaran HAM para buruh. Siklus seperti ini akan terus berulang dengan para pelaku ekonomi yang ber­beda namun dengan pola yang identik.[]

Jennie S. Bev adalah penguasaha, pengajar, dan penulis prolifik yang bermukim di California, Amerika Serikat.

(Image Courtesy: Sammy and the City)

[This article was previously published in The Jakarta Post, January 3, 2012.]

by Jennie S. Bev

The year 2012 is here. Is it a time to celebrate or to get ready for another calamity? The United States started this economic implosion in 2008; next was Europe; now India and China have been showing signs of declining growth.

Obama has failed Americans with his inability to uplift the economy and increase jobs by over-expanding the government, over-spending, and under-performing. 2011 presented a gloomy picture for the western part of the world.

Whether 2012 will be a better year for the global economy, no one knows for sure. Most notable economists like Paul Krugman, Robert Reich, Michael Spence, Joseph Stiglitz and Nouriel Roubini agreed that 2012 would offer a 50-50 chance of global and US recession. So, at this point, whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, you have an equal standing. 
The good news is, it is more likely Asian countries, including Indonesia, will do better than the US and Europe.

With a rosy World Bank forecast on Indonesia’s growth at 6.2 percent and Nouriel Roubini’s affirmation on Indonesia’s continued growth, we can take a quick break from worrying.

But Indonesia’s growth is sustained and limited by cheap labor (70 US cents to US$1 per hour minimum wage) and the accelerated depletion of non-renewable resources imposing extremely high social costs.

Thus, Asia could be the backbone of the world economy, right? Not that fast, according to Paul Krugman, quoted in an interview with Bloomberg. China’s economy isn’t big enough to be the backbone of the world’s economy as it’s only a little larger than Japan’s.

Whether Indonesia can ever replace China, it’s also too early to tell, even though some optimistic economists see a good opportunity for Indonesia to replace India in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) grouping.

During the first days of 2012, should we be happy with Indonesia’s economic outlook this year? Absolutely.

We can see growth over the next five, or even 10 years, as long as many things remain more or less the same (ceteris paribus), because many things, literally, can be physically improved in Indonesia.

Indonesia’s maritime and other renewable tourism opportunities haven’t been properly explored, for example. Other intangible areas can be developed as well.

My article titled “Developed Indonesia and Third World America” published on Oct. 17, 2010 in The Jakarta Post hypothesized the possibility for Indonesia to switch places with the US in 20 years’ time.

This may well be proved true, if Indonesia can learn from economic cycles and train its human resources with proper skills. (Please keep this article, so we can compare notes in 2031).

The thing is there are some correlations to be cautious about.

First, the lower an awareness about human rights the lower the wages. This means when Indonesia’s human rights are better respected, wages are expected to increase as well.

For instance, Electrolux closed its manufacturing plant in Michigan due to high wages of $15 to $18 per hour. They shipped out production jobs to Mexico, where the hourly wage is a mere $1.50.

The governor of Michigan’s offer in significant tax breaks wasn’t significant enough to keep the jobs at home. Human rights are much respected in the US, where wages are 10 to 20 times those of similar jobs elsewhere.

Second, low wages and low raw material prices likely have an inverse correlation with social costs. This means the lower the final product cost, the higher the long-term social costs that the producing and the consuming societies are likely to bear.

This explains that a mass-produced piece of clothing may only be priced $8 retail in a department store, but the detrimental effects of low wages and the exploitation of the environment for quick profits on long-term health, quality of life and resources depletion are likely to be tenfold or more.

While thinking about what could happen two decades ahead may sound too far-fetched, we should understand that whatever we do today creates an impact later.

It’s just the law of nature that everything goes in cycles, which we should respect and be aware of. It would be impossible to keep exploiting nature without experiencing the consequences.

Global warming, for instance, is a clear consequence of ignoring the greenhouse effect, prior to causing a massive destruction of nature.

Political will will make a huge difference on whether Indonesia and the world will be able to sustain long-term prosperity. Interestingly, based on my limited observation, politicians and legislators in both Indonesia and the US have “lost interest” in performing their caretaking responsibilities.

Many political decisions are based upon short-term solutions and quickly increasing the bottom line – which oftentimes means the 1-percenters’ bottom line.

Must we place our future in the hands of short-sighted politicians and legislators? Aren’t there other options? The economy is global; we can’t live alone.

One small mistake in policy-making can create a gigantic calamity causing social destruction on a massive scale. Yet, it is on human nature and our own behavior that we must rely.

I long for many things these days: security, prosperity, trust and optimism.[]

Jennie S. Bev is an author, entrepreneur and adjunct professor based in Northern California.

I have a few business success “formulas” that I’ll share in my memoir on being a self-made person. Two of them are:

1. Not only diversify, but create 100 unbeatable products per business line, at least 20% will become cash cows.
2. Create 10 (at least) streams of income consisting no.1.

Financial success is guaranteed. No doubt. 20% of the streams will be your 80% of income. Worst come to worst, 1% of them will be best sellers. Key is very strong stamina to keep fighting in the Ultimate Marathon of Life/Business. And do it with a lot of smart, wit, and desire to annihilate BS and unfairness.

Adhere to social responsibility. Minimize social costs, maximize social benefits.

Click to enlarge. Make sure your skills are usable in 2020, so upgrade them now!

December 1st, 24 more days to Christmas. A special day in the midst of on-going global recession. It’s still a time to be merry.

As usual, I’ll be busy with year-end business activities (accounting, taxes, renewals, etc). On top of that, I have several book manuscripts being written and a few more to edit.

A friend asked, “What are you writing, Jen?” I answered, “I always have something to write. Next question, please.”

If Barbara Cartland could write and publish 732 books in her lifetime, Isaac Asimov 500+ and Jane Yolen 300, I sure can follow their footsteps.

(Photo Courtesy: Stan Richards)

The keyword is “impactful.” I’m writing about making an impact. It took me a while to find the appropriate term for what I was referring to. “Impactful” it is.

We all need to create an impact with our lives, big or small, far or near. If you know the sure way to create an impact, would you do it? I know I would, because I’m willing to take risks and to make calculated steps to minimize those risks.

Sometimes it takes a big push to see how far we can go and how big an impact we can create. Now is the time and I have arrived.

After more 14 years, this is my first article for Kontan again. I published with Kontan business tabloid in 1995-1997. The article published on November 23, 2011 is “Crisis and the Occupy Wall Street Movement” for their daily newspaper. It is in Indonesian language. Read here: Kontan: Krisis dan Gerakan Occupy Wall Street

Setelah lebih dari 14 tahun sejak terakhir saya menulis untuk Kontan, satu artikel terbaru saya persembahkan untuk para pembaca. Kali ini untuk harian Kontan. Selamat menikmati.

 Chick lit novels are fascinating. Sex and the City, Bridget Jones’ Diary, and Devil Wears Prada all belong to this genre.

What would make a great chick read? Most likely these elements. What would make a great chick lit novel cover? Most likely something like these illustrations by Nuno Da Costa.

Artikel wawancara dimuat di JaringNews dengan jurnalis Ebenezer Siadari yang sudah saya kenal cukup lama. Baca selengkapnya langsung dari sumbernya.

Jennie S Bev asal Indonesia memimpin dan melobi pihak berwenang AS.

CALIFORNIA, Jaringnews.com - Krisis ekonomi yang menghantam sektor properti AS telah membuat jutaan orang terancam kehilangan rumah karena disita oleh bank. Namun, warga tidak serta-merta dengan mudah menyerah pada keadaan ini. Mereka menghimpun diri dalam kelompok-kelompok komunitas untuk mengadakan pendekatan kepada Pemerintah dan bank, agar memberikan keringanan dan jalan keluar.

Salah seorang pemimpin komunitas itu adalah Jennie S. Bev, orang Indonesia yang sehari-hari bekerja sebagai penulis, pengajar dan entrepreneur di sejumlah perusahaan dot-com, diantaranya Omni Terra Realty,  broker properti berlisensi di Silicon Valley, AS.

Jennie dan suaminya tinggal di sebuah residensial bernama Mountain House, sebuah kota baru di Kalifornia Utara. Oleh New York Times, kawasan ini disebut sebagai the most underwater city in USA.  Namun apa daya, krisis telah membalikkan sebutan itu.

”Properti-properti  di sana mengalami penurun  50% sampai 70% dari harga puncak tahun 2005-2006. Rumah kami misalnya, dibeli dengan  harga $625.000, sekarang nilainya tinggal $230.000,” kata dia, dalam percakapan via email dengan Jaringnews.com.

Lebih celaka lagi, buruknya perekonomian telah membuat penghasilan banyak orang menurun sehingga kesulitan membayar cicilan. Belum lagi terciptanya ekuiti negatif, yakni pokok utang lebih besar daripada nilai kolateral saat ini.

Oleh karena itu, Jennie berinisiatif menggalang komunitas di tempatnya tinggal untuk menjalin lobi kepada pihak berwewenang. Dua tahun lalu ia menjadi pemimpin komunitas itu menjalankan misinya.

“Kami melakukan lobi lisan dan tertulis di tingkat city, county, state, dan federal untuk mengajukan beberapa permohonan,” kata alumni Universitas Indonesia ini. Ada setidaknya tiga permintaan mereka.

Pertama, permohonan keringanan pajak properti (yang besarnya sekitar 1.25% sampai 2% dari nilai beli).

Kedua, mengajukan kerja sama dengan bank-bank besar dalam proses modifikasi hutang (loan modification) sehingga harga cicilan mendapatkan keringanan.

Ketiga, meminta agar pokok utang direduksi (principal reduction) sehingga sama dengan nilai kolateral sekarang. Dengan demikian, para pemilik rumah bisa tetap melanjutkan cicilan dan tidak terjadi penyitaan yang akan berakibat panjang secara sosial mikro dan makro.

Menurut Jennie, dari sekian banyak permintaan itu, baru poin pertama yang tercapai.  Itu terutama karena  keputusan akan hal itu ditentukan oleh county,  sehingga aktivisme lobi mererka yang sangat agresif,  termasuk menghadiri rapat-rapat publik di  tingkat kota dan county, membuahkan hasil.

Kendati kini tanda-tanda pemulihan ekonomi telah tampak, Jennie mengatakan pertumbuhan ekonomi AS masih akan lambat. Yang memprihatinkan adalah  angka foreclosure (penyitaan properti oleh bank karena kredit macet). Tahun ini, menurut Jennie, 2.5 juta sampai 3 juta rumah yang mengalami penyitaan, dan dan masih ada 5 juta properti lagi sedang antri dalam proses. “Sampai 2014 proses ini masih akan terus berlangsung dan harga properti masih akan menukik ke bawah,” kata dia.

Jennie sendiri kini sedang aktif  menulis beberapa buku current affairs yang cukup panjang dan 200 short Kindle eBooks untuk dijual di Amazon. “Saat ini saya telah menyerahkan kepemimpinan lobi komunitas kepada para pemimpin aktivis lainnya karena saya telah dua tahun memegang aktivitas tersebut,” tutur dia.

Selain itu, ia sedang tekun membesarkan perusahaan investasi propertinya,  Omni Terra Realty. Perusahaan ini dia harapkan dapat   membantu menaikkan harga-harga properti di California. “Intinya perusahaan yang saya dirikan dengan suami ini membeli dan membantu buyer untuk membeli properti-properti di California untuk disewakan kembali atau untuk disimpan sebagai investasi di masa depan.”[]