Ali Sadikin launches new book

Ali Sadikin launches new book

By Johannes Simbolon

JAKARTA (JP): "Many happy returns of the day, Bang Ali."

The greeting came from friends and a number of admirers who
were gathered in his 4,000-square-meter home on Jl. Borobudur,
Central Jakarta, on Tuesday to celebrate his birthday.

Happy? Hold on!

"The government needs to clarify the status of the Petisi 50
petition group. I've sent letters to four ministers for this
purpose. It's not difficult to see that the members of the Petisi
50 group are honorable people, is it?" Bang Ali said in his
speech which was, as usual, rendered in fiery yet humorous
rhetorical style.

Bang Ali, as Ali Sadikin, Jakarta's former governor is
affectionately called, has turned 69 years old but he still looks
healthy, and is still as ardent as a young activist. Reaching the
twilight years of his life he is still full of determination,
self-respect, self-confidence, candor, humor and -- last but not
least -- anger.

The Petisi 50 group, in which he has been the de facto leader
since its inception in 1980, was once considered a potential
alternative to the current administration. Today, the group has
lost its political significance as well as the prospect of
becoming possible future contenders for the national leadership.
In its place many new groups of young Indonesians from a new
generation have emerged.

The group may be practically finished politically, but Bang
Ali is still an interesting subject to talk about. This is not
because mainly he may quite possibly continue to color the
Indonesian political arena for quite some time to come. Rather,
it is because Bang Ali is a personality who is very different
from most of us. His unconventional ideas and singular way of
expressing them often makes him look like a stranger in a strange
land. Because of this, too, however, he is credited with having
achieved many extraordinary things in the past.

Few people have the opportunity to get in close touch with him
personally and acquire a first-hand observation of his
personality and emotions. But now the public can to some extent
get to know it by reading the book which Ali Sadikin launched on
his birthday and is titled Pers Bertanya, Bang Ali Menjawab (The
press questions, Bang Ali answers). Edited by Ramadhan KH, the
same author who wrote his biography during his tenure as
governor of Jakarta, which was entitled Bang Ali Demi Jakarta
1966 - 1977 (Bang Ali for the sake of Jakarta 1966 - 1977), the
book is a compilation of his interviews with many publications
here and abroad spanning between 1980 to the present time. Just
because it consists of question-and-answer reports, Ali's
personality and emotions are more clearly sensed by the readers.
He looks as if alive in front of the readers.

"Interviews with reporters are really different from composing
a biography. We can make up a biography. In interviews, the
reporters come, and immediately look through us. We don't have
time to think 'What is the proper answer' or 'Can I lie to them',
cheating myself, which I don't like because it is against my
religion," Ali said.

By his account, Ali never conceals anything from the press.
But to his disappointment the press sometimes fails to publish a
complete interview, and even "polishes" it to the point of
changing the content.

"Anyway, I thank those who have published it as it is," he
said.

The 55 interviews compiled in the book are dated from 1980
until recently. No wonder the events that took place during that
period dominate the discourses, including the emergence of the
Petisi 50 group; the historical visit of the group's members to
the state-owned PAL shipping company in Surabaya at the
invitation of State Minister of Science and Technology BJ Habibie
in the middle of 1993; the victory of the banned Tempo magazine
at the Jakarta Administrative Court this year, and the
imprisonment of top paranormal Permadi on charges of blasphemy,
also this year.

However, in most cases the press could not restrain itself
from reminding Bang Ali of his tenure as Jakarta's governor, a
period which was truly historical and very unforgettable not only
for Jakartans but to all Indonesians. It was then that, for the
first time, an extreme secularistic policy -- as pursued by Bang
Ali -- came to a clash with the prevailing traditional and
religious views. And it was that period that caused his
popularity to soar to national levels. After Ali, none of the
officials who came after him have thus far dared to emulate him.

Ali was appointed Jakarta governor by the late President
Sukarno who, on his inauguration day, told him, "I place in your
heart my dream of Jakarta. Thus, after you leave office, people
will still talk about you." The words came true.

The Jakarta administration, recalled Ali in many interviews,
was in desperate need of money to build the urgently necessary
infrastructures, including hospitals and schools. Ali opened
gambling dens and massage parlors which were open round-the-
clock. He worked hard during two terms to build a better Jakarta,
give it a clean administration and many great institutions and
edifices, including the Taman Ismail Marzuki Art Center, the
Ancol Recreation Park, the Jakarta Fair, the integrated bus
terminal system, the Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), etc.

However, his policies incurred strong protests from many
parties, especially from the religious community, who decried the
money was sinful money and angrily labeled Ali Sadikin the
"Wicked Governor", or "Gambling Governor" or "Stubborn Governor".
But Ali went ahead with his controversial programs, saying that
since he had built the roads in Jakarta with sinful money, those
who were not willing to be "touched" by sin should go by
helicopter.

When opening the gambling dens he did not even consult the
City Council so that "I alone will shoulder the sins". "I am
ready to get my punishment from God," he added.

In contrast with the religious community, students put their
weight behind Ali and even nominated him presidential candidate.
But the students' efforts to break the taboo did him no good.

To make matters worse, several years later, he joined the
group of 50 prominent citizens, including several retired
generals, who were critical of the government. After that he and
his group were stripped for many years of many of their rights,
including those to travel abroad and get banks loans.

Here and there the interviews also touch on other periods of
his life -- his childhood which was colored with many brawls, and
his service in the navy which was colored by many wars. Because
of this the book is tantamount to a biography.

Obviously, Ali Sadikin is not a perfect man. One of the
shortcomings which he himself most deplores is that he easily
loses control of his emotions. There are lot of anecdotes in the
book which tell of how he as a governor got off his car and
slapped reckless drivers or his subordinates on the spot.

During the interviews, he sometimes uttered obscene words or
angrily pointed a finger at his interviewers if he thought they
asked him stupid questions.

Ali Sadikin has many dreams. One of them is meeting someday
with the President, who he has long criticized. After the former
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kharis Suhud, several
years ago promised to arrange a meeting, he buy himself a tailor-
made suit. So far the meeting has not materialized.

"The new suit still hangs in my bedroom. I won't wear it until
I meet the President," he said during an interview.