He’s admitted to murdering 14 kids. I felt like I was talking to true evil. He played like he was innocent and expressed absolutely no guilt. He thought what he did was fair because of what his family had done to him when he was a kid. I asked him what punishment he thought he deserved and he said he deserved an apology. I couldn’t hide the anger in my face and my voice became high and started to tremble. I was so emotional.
Is there any meaning or philosophy behind the title of your show, ‘Mata Najwa’?
Hopefully I can represent the public’s questions and opinions on current issues or even longstanding issues. I also want people to be able to learn things they might not have known before tuning in.
What makes you sure that your questions and opinions represent public opinion?
We collect all the information we can get our hands on and find appropriate sources to interview on the show. First of all, we try not to think of things from a completely journalistic standpoint. We ask ourselves what questions everyday people might ask off the top of their heads when they hear about an issue.
Tell us the dos and don’ts of being a good interviewer.
Don’t face your sources with an empty head. With in-depth research you can predict the answers and the outcomes of the interviews. That way you can have your interviews under control.
What are your favorite topics?
Every issue has an interesting side to it. But political and legal issues are my favorite topics because of my background. Although I do have to say that a lot of the time political issues get on my nerves, because those politicians keep telling lies over and over again and at the end of the show the political issue at hand has rarely been made any clearer, or resolved.
Would you say that talking to politicians is the most intriguing part of your job?
Talking to sources that want to share their stories about accepting bribes from politicians — now that’s exciting. We have to cover our sources’ faces on the show while they tell us about how politicians have bribed them to organize demonstrations, for example.
Is there anyone you’ve not yet spoken to who you would love to have sitting across from you on the show?
Suharto, on my show. I wonder if he was actually really sorry for what he had done. And I would like to know what his biggest regret was. He’s also one of the keys figures of Indonesian history. I’m sure the public would be eager to see a show like that.
Do you ever think of throwing your hat in the political ring?
But at the end of the day I’m in love with journalism. I can provoke thought and help the public to decide for themselves what’s good for them. Playing the devil’s advocate is pretty interesting.
I admire Desi Anwar. She trained all the news presenters at Metro TV and she’s really smart. From outside Indonesia, I like Rachel Maddow, from MSNBC.
Care to give a prediction about Jakarta in the next five years?
I believe there will be total gridlock in Jakarta. We might find malls on every block and more skyscrapers and even less green space. I’m still hoping we can have an MRT within the next five years, though.
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