Usman Hamid

Background

About Usman Hamid

I really love music, cycling, gardening, philosophy, and meditating. I am currently an MPhil candidate in the Department of Political and Social Change, ANU. In 1998, I was a student activist from Trisakti University where four students were shot dead—this incident triggered a nationwide protest that toppled the Suharto regime. I subsequently became the coordinator of KontraS, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence. In 2004 I was appointed a member of the Presidential Fact-Finding Team that investigated the 2004 murder of prominent human rights defender Munir Said Thalib. I also served as an expert adviser to the International Center for Transitional Justice, Jakarta office, from 2010 until 2012. In 2011 I was appointed to the Presidential Working Unit for the Supervision and Management of Development, where I reviewed the policy on Indonesia’s Human Rights Nation Plan of Action of 2011–2014. In 2012 I co-founded the Public Virtue Institute and the Indonesian Branch of Change.org, the world’s largest online petition platform. I held fellowship at University of Columbia (2003) and Nottingham University (2009). On a personal note, I used to play guitar in a band that once won prize at the national festival. I am a lucky guy for having a philosophy-wife with a beautiful son and a lovely daughter. Changing the things I want to see: I want to see my family in my village get better education. I want to see more freedom in Indonesia both freedom from fear and freedom from want. I want to see no more dictator in Indonesia.