Some things never change despite changes in regime<\/p>\n
Prijono Tjiptoherijanto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An almost forgotten Javanese saying appeared recently in a
\nnewspaper article: Mikul dhuwur mendem jero (originally meaning
\nto respect parents while they are alive and after their deaths).<\/p>\n
It was for the first time popularized in the early 1970s,
\nshortly after the changeover to the new regime took place. The
\nOld Order had collapsed and was replaced by the New Order under
\npresident Soeharto. A lot of hopes were pinned on him, and there
\nwas public pressure to bring outgoing president Sukarno to trial.<\/p>\n
In the view of most people in those days, Sukarno would have
\nknown everything about the abortive coup attempt by the
\nIndonesian Communist Party (PKI) at dawn on Oct. 1, 1965. For the
\nsake of clarity, Sukarno needed to explain the actual incident to
\nsociety, some members of which had fallen victim to or suffered
\nthe consequences of what became known as the Gestapu\/PKI affair.<\/p>\n
Such clarification was needed to prevent the major event, with
\nits international overtones, from remaining a mystery. In
\nreality, to this day the incident has never been clearly and
\nunambiguously explained. It has remained a riddle.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto responded to all the demands with a maxim,
\nmikul dhuwur mendem jero, meaning he did not want things that
\ncould tarnish the accomplishments and reputation of the \"great
\nleader of the revolution\" to be laid bare. Soeharto was prepared
\nto cover up everything he knew for the sake of the public good.
\nThis attitude was strongly opposed, particularly by vocal
\nfigures, who believed that everything would be thoroughly settled
\nif made known to the public. But Soeharto was determined. To him,
\nit was not beneficial to open up old wounds. It would be better
\nto move forward and avoid repeating the same errors.
\nConsequently, the role of Sukarno in the affair, which at the
\ntime shocked the world, will never be fully uncovered, even by
\nreliable analysts and historians wherever they may be.<\/p>\n
The principle of mikul dhuwur mendem jero seems to be a
\nteaching or philosophy of the Javanese that is strictly adhered
\nto by those who feel the need to maintain the values of
\nstatesmanship while in power.<\/p>\n
They will not cause embarrassment to others by exposing their
\nfaults, and are even willing to let themselves be subjected to
\nridicule and reproach for maintaining their stance. This becomes
\neven more pronounced when the person being protected is
\nconsidered as meriting respect. There are apparently many
\nofficials who still adhere to these sort of Javanese social
\nvalues, even though they are often seen as outdated and out of
\nline with the exigencies of reform.<\/p>\n
During the rule of president Soeharto, the principle put down
\ndeep roots. It was this that resulted in the truth behind the
\nextra-judicial executions of criminals, popularly known as the
\nPetrus incidents, not being fully disclosed. Up to his dying day,
\nGen. L.B. Moerdani, the one assumed to have been behind the
\nincidents, refused to speak about them. The motive behind such
\nreticence is that it is though improper to reveal the truth if
\nthis would only cause \"confusion\" and disrupt the \"tranquility\"
\nthat had to be maintained at all times.<\/p>\n
Many of the lofty ideals of Javanese culture are out of kilter
\nwith the modern demand in Indonesia for transparency in all
\naspects of life. No matter how strong the desire to demonstrate
\nopenness may be, however, there remain cultural demarcation lines
\nthat are still never crossed.<\/p>\n
In this particular respect, the Japanese are capable of
\nproviding us with a good example. Despite Japan's modern and
\nadvanced economy, that nation continues to appreciate and uphold
\ncultural values that have been in existence since the Meiji
\nreform era. It is by holding on to its noble culture that Japan
\nhas avoided being swamped by the wave of Westernization.<\/p>\n
The writer is a professor of human resources economics at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia. He recently resigned as secretary to the
\nVice President.<\/p>",
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