Memorials for Jakarta<\/p>\n
Street names, it has been said, tell a lot about a country's
\nsocial and political psyche. If that is true, it may not be long
\nbefore a ride through the streets of Jakarta could give visitors
\nthe (hopefully false) impression that little has changed in
\nIndonesia, all the talk about reform and democratization
\nnotwithstanding. If Jakarta's Governor Sutiyoso has his way,
\nmonuments -- or, to put it more precisely, statues -- of this
\ncountry's national heroes, early and recent, will soon adorn
\nJakarta's major streets and avenues.<\/p>\n
Statues of the native Jakartan pre-independence nationalist
\npolitician, Mohammad Husni Thamrin, and General Sudirman,
\nIndonesia's first Army chief, still highly revered by the
\nmilitary, will join the fire-bearing image of \"Hotplate Harry\" at
\nthe beginning of Jalan Sisingamangaraja, which leads into Blok M.
\nThe mythical Mahabharata figures of Arjuna and his divine
\ncharioteer Kresna will grace the area near the National Monument
\n(Monas) in Medan Merdeka Square, at the other end of the mile-
\nlong thoroughfare.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere in the center of the city, statues of Army generals
\nGatot Subroto, Suparman, Sutoyo and others, six of whom met their
\ntragic deaths during the failed communist-led September 1965
\ncoup, will overlook the traffic snarls along the capital's main
\nstreets as they stand there braving the smog.<\/p>\n
Possibly, and hopefully, some thought will also be given to
\npaying homage to other Indonesian heroes -- either civilians or
\nmilitary, government-sanctioned or otherwise -- who, during their
\nlifetime, gave their very best to the progress of this nation. A
\nfew examples: Indonesia's first prime minister Sutan Syahrir, Dr.
\nSetiabudi and other pre-independence nationalists, Kartini, who
\npioneered the women's emancipation movement in Indonesia, and Ki
\nHajar Dewantoro, who helped shape Indonesia's national education
\nphilosophy.<\/p>\n
Although there should be no problem at all for city
\nauthorities to find enough heroes to adorn the capital's streets
\n-- more than a hundred are presently listed -- one problem that
\nseems certain to crop up for those entrusted with the selection
\nis whether or not to honor leftists, or even communists in this
\nmanner. After all, in the pre-World War Two colonial Netherlands
\nEast Indies -- the present Indonesia -- leftist leaders, such as
\nTan Malaka, played a vital role in fighting the Dutch.<\/p>\n
As for the great number of heroes Indonesia honors, there is
\nnothing wrong in principle of a nation honoring its champions.
\nWhat has for a long time been a subject of debate is the
\nmisguided tendency among many Indonesians to relate heroism with
\nforce. During the military-dominated New Regime of former
\npresident Soeharto especially, Jakarta saw many of its street
\nnames changed, to the confusion of residents, to keep alive the
\nmemory of their deceased military officers.<\/p>\n
In view of all this, the addition of monuments could, if done
\nwith taste, help spruce up many of Jakarta's cheerless and
\ndisorderly streets. Changing our basic concepts about memorials
\ncould help to better keep alive the memory not only of past
\nevents which we regard as significant, but of the lofty values
\nwhich they represent and which we hold high as a nation. To be
\nhonest, most, if not all, of this city's present statues and
\nmonuments look ludicrous or even ugly to many of Jakarta's
\nresidents, expatriates and Indonesians alike.<\/p>\n
If Governor Sutiyoso is serious with his plan, he hopefully
\nwill have the good sense to involve people with a good background
\nin art, city architecture or esthetics for his project. By doing
\nso, hopefully, he can give not only Jakartans, but Indonesians
\neverywhere, monuments that are true memorials. Surely the capital
\ncity of this region's biggest nation deserves to have memorable
\nmemorials that are not kitsch, but art in the truest sense of the
\nword.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/memorials-for-jakarta-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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