Alia's cry for peace
Alia was a rape victim. She fought for peace and justice for her people and for her homeland in Aceh, but without taking up arms. Now, the powers that be in Jakarta have decided to deprive her of even a forum to convey the message of her struggle.
Alia, the title of a drama by playwright Ratna Sarumpaet, is not quite a fictitious figure. She may be the focus of a play, but she represents thousands of Acehnese women who have been the victim of acts of injustices, and are craving for peace.
It is therefore lamentable that TVRI, the state-run television network, has decided not to air Ratna's play, titled Alia, Luka Serambi Mekah (Alia, Wound on Verandah of Mecca), reportedly because of strong objections from the Indonesian Military (TNI).
By Tuesday morning, TVRI had not responded to the allegations made by Ratna that its decision not to air the play -- originally scheduled for Dec. 15 to mark International Human Rights Day -- came at the behest of the military, or because it was afraid that it would offend the powers that be.
TNI has denied that it had any role in the decision, but its spokesman Col. D.J. Nachrawi was quoted by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday as saying that: "If TVRI canceled the play, maybe it was due to the script itself -- does it (the script) make any contribution to the government's efforts to create peace in the province, or will it affect the current peace process?"
If Ratna's claim of TNI intervention was true, then TVRI's decision not to air the play by Ratna's Satu Merah Panggung Teater is yet another major setback for democracy.
The losers are not only the women and people of Aceh in whose interest the play was trying to represent, but also the nation because this means the return to censorship practices.
It takes us back to the recent bygone era where censorship was the norm. And TNI was one of those state institutions with an appalling record for curtailing the people's right to free expression. No wonder many people had a sense of deja vu upon hearing the news on Sunday that the play's airing had been canceled.
We don't share with Nachrowi's claim that it might be best not to air the show in support of the current peace process in Aceh. Peace in Aceh will be better served if stories like Alia's, as painful as they are to hear, are allowed to be told and discussed freely. Hopefully, such discussions will lead to peace and justice. Burying the truth, which is what those who oppose the drama's broadcast on TV, are doing, only creates artificial peace, which cannot be long lasting.
We hope that TVRI will reconsider its decision and air Ratna's play. Alternatively, other TV stations should take up the challenge. These TV stations owe this much to the people of Aceh, and to the people of this country, and to democracy.
Ultimately, Alia's cry for peace and justice is ours too.