Putu Oka finds no life without hope<\/p>\n
For Nov. 30<\/p>\n
Christina Schott
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
There are three things associated with Putu Oka Sukanta's name --
\nliterature, traditional health treatment and commitment to human
\nrights -- but none stands out over the others.<\/p>\n
The 64-year-old Balinese is one of the country's most
\nimportant authors; a well-known acupuncturist; and second
\nchairman of the National Naturopathic Association of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In the last decade, he has focused on an alternative medical
\ntreatment for people with HIV\/AIDS and the fight against their
\ndiscrimination.<\/p>\n
At first glance, the fields are different, but they have
\nsomething very important in common: All of them do show a deep
\ninterest in people, not only from their physical well-being but
\ntheir mental and social aspects as well.<\/p>\n
\"I really know what it feels like to be discriminated against
\nand stigmatized,\" the former political prisoner said. \"This is
\nactually the same motivation why I fight for people with HIV\/AIDS
\n-- to end their discrimination and stigmatization.\"<\/p>\n
Putu Oka was born the son of a farmer in Singaraja, Bali, but
\nsoon showed skills very different from the rest of his family.<\/p>\n
\"From a very early age, I didn't feel satisfied with the
\nsocial conditions of my environment -- so I never stopped asking
\nwhy, why, why. For example, why should only a member of the
\nhighest cast be able to fulfill the criteria for being a Hindu
\npriest?\"<\/p>\n
Having published his first short stories at the age of 16, the
\nyoung writer was alone among his four siblings in going on to
\nuniversity after high school.<\/p>\n
To earn a living during his study of pedagogy in Yogyakarta,
\nhe worked as an assistant teacher. As a freelance writer and an
\naccused member of Lekra, a cultural organization linked to the
\nIndonesian Communist Party (PKI), Putu Oka was imprisoned in
\nJakarta following the abortive coup blamed on the party in 1965.<\/p>\n
Although paper and pen were strictly forbidden items during
\nhis 10 years in jail, he was still \"recording\" stories in his
\nhead.<\/p>\n
\"A writer struggling for human rights and dignity will never
\nstop writing, even if he must write on sky, clouds, and wind --
\non light and darkness,\" he wrote in his essay Writing is a
\nStruggle for Life.<\/p>\n
He continued: \"Oppression, insults to human dignity,
\nstarvation, sadistic torture and killing will be recorded by
\nwhatever means possible, even when these actions occur in the
\nhidden cells of a prison. Prison is a place that affords time for
\ndeep spiritual reflection\".<\/p>\n
In 1969, he shared a cell with the Chinese doctor Lie Tjuan
\nSien, who offered to teach his co-prisoner Chinese traditional
\nmedicine. Despite the fact they had neither books nor
\ninstruments, Putu Oka learned the basics of acupuncture and
\ntraditional healing from the doctor, including the holistic view
\nof health as a balance of body, mind and spirit that guides him
\nuntil today.<\/p>\n
\"We worked together, first in theory. Later the people in
\nprison became my practice. In this way, I indeed got a lot of
\nexperience during seven years,\" Putu Oka said.<\/p>\n
Due to the lack of needles, he primarily practiced
\nacupressure, but later created acupuncture needles out of guitar
\nstrings.<\/p>\n
Once released, the passionate writer immediately started to
\nuse his pen again, mostly in reflections on his experiences.<\/p>\n
\"Writing became my personal medicine and self-therapy,\" Putu
\nOka said, although he was still barred from publishing his works.<\/p>\n
However, he did get a license to practice acupuncture and was
\nallowed to go for training in Taiwan and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
In 1989, he took up an invitation from Goethe-Institute and
\nwent to Germany and the Netherlands. Back in Indonesia, he was
\nimprisoned and tortured again. After 10 days he was released, but
\nhe said he was still constantly monitored by officials and
\nintelligence agents.<\/p>\n
It was only after Soeharto's fall in 1998 that the damning
\n\"E.T.\" -- standing for ex-political prisoner -- was erased from
\nhis identity card, and also that of his wife and son.<\/p>\n
Finally, he was free to travel to Australia, Canada, Sweden,
\nthe U.S. and Hawaii, where he was invited for readings about his
\ndifferent activities.<\/p>\n
Despite all his traumatic experiences, Putu Oka seems to be
\nvery balanced -- a result of the holistic view of life he learned
\nin prison.<\/p>\n
The tall Balinese with a crop of thick white hair is one of
\nthose rare personalities that immediately instills respect in
\nothers.<\/p>\n
\"My inner strength is, maybe, that I never gave up hope. And I
\nrefuse until today to be broken by anger or the wish for
\nrevenge,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
\"My past is my backbone and I cannot live without it. But I do
\nnot have to think about it all the time -- there are still other
\ntasks to fulfill.\"<\/p>\n
For example, he puts his energy into alternative health
\ntreatment and training for people who cannot afford expensive
\nconventional medical treatment or Western medicine.<\/p>\n
Apart from his always crowded acupuncture practice in East
\nJakarta, Putu Oka, together with his wife Endah, has led Taman
\nSringanis in Bogor, a center for the conservation of healing
\nplants and the development of alternative health care, since
\n1992.<\/p>\n
In its idyllic sample garden with around 400 partly endangered
\nhealing plants from all over the country, Taman Sringanis
\nprovides a small clinic and a jamu (traditional herbal medicine)
\nshop, as well as regular training for groups.<\/p>\n
From phone company PT Telkom employees to the Association of
\nChurch Women, people from almost every part of society come here
\nto learn about the use of medicinal plants and acupressure.<\/p>\n
\"We want to strengthen the potential of the simple people, our
\naim is to transform the awareness of their right and duty in the
\nfield of health,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The garden has also enabled Putu Oka to conduct research on
\nalternative health treatment for HIV\/AIDS, which has gained him
\ninternational recognition. Besides medication, he also approaches
\nthe problem from its complex social aspects.<\/p>\n
He has written several books on the subject, including some
\nshort stories.<\/p>\n
\"We need a decriminalization of people with HIV\/AIDS, that
\nwere always thought as drug users, foreign and gay people or
\nother 'sinners',\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Compared to 10 years ago, we have already made huge progress
\nin the perceptions of society, since some of them (people with
\nHIV\/AIDS) even dare to come out on television now. But still,
\nthey need the goodwill and a common understanding to get rid of
\ntheir stigma,\" he added.<\/p>\n
\"This is only possible through greater education of society,
\nimplementing critical awareness and independent decisions by the
\npeople. We will see if the Indonesian government is ready for
\nthat.\"<\/p>",
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