Indonesian independence: It is all in the name<\/p>\n
Teuku Faizasyah, Department of Political Science and Public Policy,
\nUniversity of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand<\/p>\n
What is in a name? asked Shakespeare. Although knowing that
\neach name is unique and carries its own meaning, a phone call
\nfrom a friend Alamsyah on Aug. 17 struck me how meaningful his
\nname is.<\/p>\n
When he wished Indonesia a happy Independence Day, I initially
\nthought he was simply trying to soothe his homesickness.<\/p>\n
However, I eventually realized how meaningful Indonesia's
\nIndependence Day was for him. It is his name, he said, that
\nattaches him emotionally with Independence Day. His late father
\nAbdul Salam gave him the name Alamsyah to praise God for His
\nblessing in granting Indonesians legitimate freedom.<\/p>\n
Abdul Salam is an ordinary Indonesian name. But Abdul Salam
\nspent 17 years of his life in the notorious political prison of
\nBoven Digul in Irian Jaya. And, as narrated by Alamsyah, Abdul
\nSalam's cellmate, at one time, was Bung Hatta, one of the
\ncountry's founding fathers.<\/p>\n
When the Japanese invaded the archipelago, his father and some
\nother \"Digulis\" escaped to Australia. After Sukarno and Mohammad
\nHatta declared independence in 1945, Abdul Salam was among the
\nfirst Indonesians to return home from Australia. He returned to
\nhis hometown, Surakarta (Sala), and started a new life as a
\nchemist. He was no longer interested in politics after his long
\nyears of imprisonment in Digul.<\/p>\n
For me, the Digul affair seems part of the distant past.
\nMaybe, I thought, I am just like most Indonesians, who in the
\neyes of novelist Pramudya Ananta Toer, happen to have a short
\nmemory.<\/p>\n
When Alamsyah asked me what independence meant to me, it took
\nme a while before asking back, instead of responding, what it
\nmeant to him.<\/p>\n
In his lengthy answer he said independence provides
\nIndonesians with the opportunity to enhance their quality of
\nhumanism. He also opined that with their freedom from oppression,
\nIndonesians are now blessed with a greater chance to enrich their
\nknowledge and soul.<\/p>\n
After 57 years of independence, are we more humane? If our
\nquality of humanism has increased over the years, how come we
\nhave allowed our fellow citizens in Maluku and Poso, Central
\nSulawesi, for instance, to become trapped in a cycle of hatred?<\/p>\n
Once, my history teacher said that Indonesians of different
\nethnic groups, religious backgrounds, social strata and walks of
\nlife were all united in defending independence from the Dutch
\nmilitary incursion. Why does it seem very difficult nowadays to
\nsee our diversity as a unifying force? What went wrong with our
\nnation-building? Can we convincingly say that Indonesia is one
\nnation and no longer an \"imagined community\" as suggested by
\nscholar Benedict Anderson?<\/p>\n
Have we benefited from independence to enrich our knowledge
\nand heart? Perhaps we have been too busy enriching ourselves, and
\nin the process our hearts have hardened. It seems we have
\ndifficulty empathizing with the suffering of those at the bottom
\nof our society.<\/p>\n
The declaration of independence was pronounced after our
\nfounding fathers found that Japan had surrendered to the Allied
\nForces. Hence, while we know that knowledge is power, many
\nIndonesians today remain unable to acquire even basic knowledge
\nand education. And since the 1997 financial crisis, many of our
\nchildren have not been able to afford basic education, not to
\nmention tertiary education, which is still a luxury for most
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
Does materialism obsess us? Perhaps we are lacking a role
\nmodel who could show us how dignified being modest is. In today's
\nIndonesia, we are nobody unless we are wearing brand name
\nclothes, driving a luxury car and being extravagant. No wonder
\nthe first thing our politicians discuss is how to increase their
\nincome.<\/p>\n
On the phone, I tried to impress Alamsyah with a positive note
\nabout Indonesia's state of affairs, but I am not sure whether I
\nwas successful or not. Having spent more than 20 years of his
\nlife in New Zealand does not mean Alamsyah is ignorant about the
\nrealities back home. He informs himself of the news in Indonesia
\non the Internet and discusses the news with Indonesian students
\nin Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Although I did not answer his question on the phone, I did say
\nto him that I have faith that Indonesians will strive for the
\nbest and that the nation will survive. Being colonized for more
\nthan 300 years did not stop our forefathers from hoping that one
\nday they would be masters of their own home and destiny.<\/p>\n
However, our forefathers, just like Abdul Salam, did not stop
\nhoping and dreaming. They had tried at all costs to win
\nindependence and they were successful.<\/p>\n
I also shared my similar belief that Indonesia's younger
\ngeneration would always hope and give their utmost to rebuild the
\nnation, even if it takes a generation to achieve this vision.<\/p>\n
That evening I went to bed with the question: What does
\nindependence really mean to me? It might help if I had a name
\nrelated to the birth of our nation, but in any case, Alamsyah had
\nalready provoked me with the thought that perhaps my generation
\nmight also be interested in finding the answer.<\/p>",
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