Reviving 'SARA' talks would boost national awareness<\/p>\n
Amid humiliation and gloom the commemoration of National
\nAwakening Day on May 20 means reviving formerly taboo talks on
\nsocial differences, to seek an acceptable \"Indonesia\" to all
\nacross the archipelago, says historian Anhar Gonggong, a member
\nof the expert staff at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.<\/p>\n
Question: What is today's context of commemorating \"national
\nawakening\"? The founding of the Budi Utomo organization on May 20
\n1908 is considered a landmark in Indonesian nationalism.<\/p>\n
Answer: There has been a misunderstanding over our process of
\nbecoming a nation. We have not become an Indonesian nation yet.
\nThe term Indonesia itself is still new. It was not a continuance
\nof (previous kingdoms) Sriwijaya and Majapahit...<\/p>\n
Budi Utomo aimed for heightened (awareness of) culture and
\neducation for a limited public, the Javanese... But this was the
\nstart of an ethnic awareness becoming a larger awareness in the
\ncontext of a nation...<\/p>\n
Other organizations followed like Sarekat Islam and the
\nIndische Party propagating nationalism of \"Hindia\" which
\ncomprised the Dutch East Indies. \"Indonesia\" further developed
\nfrom organizations like Jong Java (Java Youth), Jong Ambon...
\nYoung Indonesia... The nationalism process reflected changes.<\/p>\n
Q: What changes?<\/p>\n
A: Significant ones: A few educated, enlightened Dutch East
\nIndies citizens acquiring education not merely to earn a living
\nbut to work for the interest of a nation.<\/p>\n
Their organizations became new tools in the struggle. This
\nmarked a change; a struggle using brains, a departure from the
\nprevious three centuries in which struggle mainly used brawn.<\/p>\n
Yet another change was the birth of another new tool --
\ndialog. Dialog among ourselves in meetings, those representing
\nourselves through organizations, and talks with the colonial
\nparties. A third was the rise of another tool of struggle --
\nnewspapers and magazines to launch ideas bringing about public
\nawareness...<\/p>\n
One dialog involved (leading intellectuals) Sutakmo
\nSuryokusumo and Cipto Mangunkusumo. Sutakmo said the basis of
\nnationalism should be Javanese nationalism because of its great
\nculture and long history. Cipto said Javanese culture was
\ncrumbling, so we should build the nationalism of the Dutch East
\nIndies. This kind of dialog continued... until the 1928 Youth
\nPledge declared one archipelago, one nation, and one language --
\nIndonesia. But the pledge meant that we are one nation with
\nacknowledgement of our different histories; that despite unity,
\nwe remain a diverse nation.<\/p>\n
All this was created through rational dialog. Organizations,
\ndialogs and enlightenment led to the discovery of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Q: But many now fear the country's disintegration and feel
\nashamed to admit they're Indonesian when they're abroad...<\/p>\n
A: This is our fault, mainly that of political parties which
\nnever conducted political education. After we proclaimed
\nindependence, it was as if Indonesia was completed. It remains a
\ndynamic process... because we are a diverse nation.<\/p>\n
Under (former president) Soeharto we could not talk about
\nthose things... we were told that talking about SARA (acronym
\nfor social differences of ethnicity, race and other groups) would
\nmake the country fall apart.<\/p>\n
The deepest fault lies with our self denial; by not doing so
\n(engaging in dialog) we have been (reinforcing) SARA... hence the
\ndivisions among us. Indonesia is the result of a dialog between
\nenlightened people... Instead of developing \"Indonesia\" the
\ngovernment extorts its own people -- witness Aceh, Irian Jaya,
\nRiau, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
So we cannot stop drawing up strategies to bring about the
\nkind of Indonesia that we want in the future. Does it have to be
\nthrough continually extorting Aceh and Irian? Does Jakarta always
\nhave to be the capital? Our fault has been the inability to
\nunderstand the dynamics that led to the emergence of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the way out?<\/p>\n
A: By reviving dialog and doing away with group interests.
\nPolitical education is important. What's the difference between
\ntoday's politics and those of the era of the independence
\nstruggle? The earlier political organizations succeeded in
\nbuilding national awareness for independence and the image that
\nIndonesians were equal to others -- thanks to (scholars and
\nleaders) Sutomo, Ki Hajar Dewantoro, Mohammad Hatta, Soekarno and
\nSyahrir.<\/p>\n
It was such people who managed to provide political education
\n-- not the 1945 Generation, which did nothing after proclamation
\nbecause they thought Indonesia had already been established. So
\nwe failed to understand ourselves and we stopped talking among
\nourselves. Now we have dialogs, but for our own group interests.<\/p>\n
Q: So how should we commemorate National Awakening Day?<\/p>\n
A: By discovering its true meaning again, by building Indonesia
\nthrough dialog, unity and diversity. Unity must not be
\ncontradicted with diversity ... Party leaders must reflect on the
\nleaders of national struggle.<\/p>\n
Q: Is it worth preserving Indonesia as a unitary state?<\/p>\n
A: I prefer a federal state because a country with so many
\ndiverse islands and people is too large to be led from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Q: What about regional autonomy within the framework of a unitary
\nstate?<\/p>\n
A: The current concept is wrong, giving autonomy directly to
\nregencies -- what about the provinces? Autonomy should aim first,
\nfor the empowerment of regions to identify and realize their own
\npotential; second, for the benefit of Indonesia. Strong regions
\nwill result in a strong Indonesia ...<\/p>\n
Q: The Anti-Communist Alliance has been commemorating National
\nAwakening Day by searching for \"leftist\" books. Your comment?<\/p>\n
A: That contradicts the spirit of National Awakening Day because
\nin the struggle for independence open dialog flourished, likewise
\nall sorts of books and ideas. Our leaders enthusiastically
\nstudied Marxism, communism and socialism. (M. Yazid)<\/p>",
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