Christine Hakim sets her priorities<\/p>\n
Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
When Christine Hakim's eyes glaze over and her voice trembles
\nwhen she talks about the conflict in Aceh, the first thought
\nmight be, uh-oh, here comes a touch of the crying game to get her
\npoint across.<\/p>\n
She is a very good actress, after all, but she is also one
\npublic figure who has done her best to keep the press at a safe
\ndistance, setting her own parameters about what information she
\nwants to divulge and what she keeps for herself.<\/p>\n
While she is undeniably warm and lacking in pretension, she
\nkeeps her guard up. She has perfected her own version of the
\npolite brush off, offering a smile and a few carefully chosen
\nwords to journalists before moving on at public events.<\/p>\n
"It's irrelevant," Christine said about media snooping in an
\ninterview in this publication in August 1992. "I would say that
\n90 percent of the journalists here aren't interested in my films,
\nthey just want to know about my private life."<\/p>\n
Today, that same defiance could be dangerous ground amid the
\nabundance of celebrity-obsessed tabloid and infotainment shows,
\nwielding the power to push up -- and then tear down -- public
\nfigures.<\/p>\n
But, at 46, Christine really has nothing more to prove. She is
\nundoubtedly the most accomplished Indonesian actress of her
\ngeneration, with accolades seemingly falling at her feet. She has
\nreceived cultural and acting honors from India, Japan, Singapore,
\nTaipei and, most recently, France, been named an "Asian Hero" by
\nTime magazine and hobnobbed with Sharon Stone and David Lynch as
\npart of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001.<\/p>\n
Despite her marriage to Dutchman Jeroen Lazar three years ago,
\nher private life remains pretty much off-limits to the press.<\/p>\n
"I always say, if this is really not in the interest of the
\npublic, then let's not talk about," she said last week at her
\nhome in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"I think we have to keep some of the mystery."<\/p>\n
Still, she is disturbed by the fervent interest in everything
\nabout the lives of celebrities.<\/p>\n
""Yes, they're celebrities, they're public figures, but they
\nalso have a right, as human beings, to space for their private
\nlife," she said.<\/p>\n
"We all have problems, things that we wouldn't want our
\nparents to get involved in, let alone an outside party. They (the
\ntabloid press) don't have any interest in solving the problem,
\nthey just add to it."<\/p>\n
She is also taken aback by the media frenzy over gyrating
\nsinger Inul Daratista.<\/p>\n
"I don't really understand why the press isn't tired of all
\nthe exposure. Maybe it's here that Inul's manager needs to be a
\nbit more selective. It's like we're overloaded by it already."<\/p>\n
Christine has not entirely escaped the media's snipes. Her
\nbatik attire at Cannes was roundly criticized as stuffy and old-
\nfashioned, more suited for a bigwig function in Jakarta than the
\nsun, fun and sex of a filmfest on the Riviera.<\/p>\n
She is careful to couch her answers in palliative terms of
\naccepting input, taking the positive from the situation and being
\ngrateful for the criticism. And then she gives as good as she
\ngets in responding to what could also be seen as a catty exercise
\nin cutting down to size the local girl who got to go to the top
\nand attend the big bash.<\/p>\n
"I'm very grateful they (the critics) gave me input, it's just
\nsuch a pity they waited until I got back from Cannes," she said,
\nher voice rising.<\/p>\n
"Nobody helped me before I went, it was only after that they
\nsaid, 'Christine, can I help you? When you have an occasion, let
\nme know, I'll sponsor you'.<\/p>\n
"It's very easy to criticize people. It seems like they know
\nwhat they're doing, but they don't. I feel sorry for them, but I
\nalso understand now what their real quality is ..."<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, however, she said it was about being
\ntrue to herself.<\/p>\n
"First, I have to be me. But I also realize I am contributing
\nto the reputation of Indonesia, and also Asia -- I'm an Asian
\nartist. I'm not going to behave like a Hollywood star. Why the
\nheck should I? I'm Christine, I'm proud to be Indonesian and
\nAsian.<\/p>\n
"That's why I look up to Indian women. They are very proud and
\nconfident -- it doesn't matter to them if someone says their
\nclothes are old-fashioned. And they are now inspiring Western
\ndesigners -- even Madonna is following it."<\/p>\n
Marriage to a foreigner (although his grandmother was
\nSundanese from West Java) has not been a problem, she said,
\nbecause of her own crosscultural background, born in Sumatra --
\nshe also has Middle Eastern ancestry -- and raised in Java.<\/p>\n
They have kept her husband pretty much out of the public eye.
\n"He doesn't want to be going somewhere and have people say, 'hey,
\nthere's Christine Hakim's husband'... I understand that."<\/p>\n
Although she does not rule out the possibility of children
\n("It's God's will ... my husband's mother had him at 48, so you
\nnever know"), she has devoted her energies in recent years to
\nactivism, particularly on education.<\/p>\n
Part of it was due to the drying up of local film production,
\nmuscled out of business by the inundation of Hollywood movies.
\nWhile the film industry is doing better than 10 years ago, with
\nthe emergence of young directors like Mira Lesmana and Riri Reza,
\nit still has a long way to go to return to the heyday of the
\n1970s and early 1980s.<\/p>\n
"One thing that is good about the film industry is that it has
\nhad regeneration, which cannot be said for this country, for when
\nSoeharto stepped down, there was no one who could replace him,"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
"The new filmmakers have such great spirit and energy ... but
\nit's still difficult to grow in this situation. It's not
\nimpossible, but support has to come from all sides ... We have a
\nhuge market ... Look at the success of Ada Apa Dengan Cinta and
\nJelangkung ... but it can't be done by Mira Lesmana or myself
\nalone ..."<\/p>\n
She once considered Merriam Bellina and Nurul Arifin as her
\nsuccessors, but, starved of film opportunities, the former now
\npicks and chooses TV series roles and the latter has gone into
\nHIV\/AIDS activism.<\/p>\n
"I see there are several actresses who have potential. But
\ndoing one or two (films) isn't enough. Dian Sastro has a lot of
\npotential, but after Ada Apa Dengan Cinta, she hasn't had another
\nopportunity ... There is also Marsella and, if she doesn't go to
\npop, Agnes Monica. They're all very clever.<\/p>\n
Christine returns to the bigger problem of the leadership
\nvacuum in the country.<\/p>\n
"Indonesia still has a big opportunity to develop our country
\nin the future, including the film industry. But the problem is
\nthat we don't have a good leader -- we're in a leadership crisis.
\nIt all depends on who will lead this country, it's very
\nimportant," she said.<\/p>\n
"You can see for yourself how Malaysia has developed because
\nof Mahathir (Mohamad) ... Before their capacity as a leader, what
\nwe need is a sincere leader who wants to sacrifice for the
\ncountry, putting aside their personal interests, those of their
\nparty or group -- the interests of the people must come
\nfirst ..."<\/p>\n
Education is her passionate cause: She is working with Plaza
\nIndonesia and private TV stations RCTI and Metro TV on the
\nUntukmu Guru (For you, teacher) program to improve the welfare of
\nteachers in rural areas.<\/p>\n
"We need a leader who has a clear concept and view to the
\nfuture about where he or she is taking the people. And the number
\none priority, aside from improving the economy, has to be
\neducation and culture, no compromises," she said.<\/p>\n
"How can you develop the nation when education is still not
\nconsidered important? It's the human resources who will run this
\ncountry, but how can you develop them when education is only 1.3
\npercent of the budget ... Look at Malaysia, 5.5 percent. Or
\nBangladesh, a country that is so much poorer than Indonesia, but
\nit still has an education budget of 3.5 percent ..."<\/p>\n
Now, there is the conflict in Aceh, a place close to her
\nheart. Playing the title character of the Acehnese freedom
\nfighter Tjoet Nja Dhien (1988), probably her most famous role,
\nChristine spent several months filming in the province.<\/p>\n
In a corner of her living room is a stack of boxes, containing
\nmilk supplements to be sent to the children of Acehnese fishermen
\nwho have been unable to go to sea since the conflict started.<\/p>\n
It is here that she loses her composure, tearing up when she
\ntalks about the shame she felt when her Malaysian hosts told her
\nthat the military operation had begun in Aceh.<\/p>\n
"(U.S President George W.) Bush set a very bad example for the
\npeople of the world (with Iraq). It's like he's inspired other
\ncountries to do the same thing, to use violence as the way to
\nresolve problems. How can you make a better world when violence
\nis the means? ... It doesn't make sense ... and war is now a
\ncommodity, a project for the 'post-Aceh' operation ... "<\/p>\n
She realizes that, amid the current rally-round-flag
\nnationalistic ardor, speaking out against the operation could
\ncause misunderstandings in some quarters. She points out that the
\nmilk distribution is being done in cooperation with the Army's
\nSpecial Force (Kopassus).<\/p>\n
"My opposition to the military operation doesn't mean I
\nsupport GAM (the Free Aceh Movement). What I'm saying is that it
\ndoesn't have to be like this. OK, sit down, make a deal, get it
\ndone. As an Indonesian and a Muslim, it would be difficult for me
\nto accept Aceh as separate from Indonesia."<\/p>\n
Despite her pain about Aceh, Christine is in a good place
\nright now. She will receive another lifetime achievement award,
\nthis time from the Philippines, in August.<\/p>\n
"I thank God for all I have. I have my health, harmonious
\nfamily relations and I've become more focused since I married.
\nThose things that aren't really that important but I used to
\nthink were important, I've put them aside now," she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/christine-hakim-sets-her-priorities-1447893297",
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