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.