Bears in the Palace
The inauguration appeared quite ordinary, like a ceremony whose choreography is already familiar. However, among the names read out, one made the public pause for a moment: Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat.
His name stands out in nearly every labour demonstration. A veteran activist, with his distinctive shouts, whose life has been spent more on the streets of struggle than in the corridors of power, has now officially become the Minister of Environment.
The one who inaugurated him was President Prabowo Subianto. And in the row of guests, there was another no less controversial figure: Rocky Gerung—a long-time comrade in the arena of criticism and debate.
The scene was like a reunion of disruptors of the status quo, but this time taking place inside the Palace, not outside the gates. It evoked tones of cynicism, as well as concern.
It was here that a simple sentence from Jumhur’s comrades suddenly felt sharper than any academic analysis: “Don’t let them become circus bears.”
The sentence was short, but it bit deep. Because it was not talking about animals, but about the fate of idealism. It flashed a written hope from his friends.
You know, a circus bear is strong, but tamed. It was once wild, but now walks to the rhythm of music. It still looks majestic, but the direction of its steps is already determined by the trainer.
However, you also know that in a living environment—one that is healthy, that is just—a bear remains a bear. It does not need to be tamed into a spectacle.
A true bear will live in harmony with nature, not destroying, not taking what is not its right, not greedy. It will only become fierce when its environment is damaged.
Thus, the problem is not with the bear itself, but with its environment.
And our history is full of stories of how the comfortable and often soft environment of power tames those who were once wild.
Jumhur’s comrades hope he remains as they know him, born not from a comfortable space. He was forged from conflict since his university days at the cold technology campus.
The events of 5 August 1989 at the Bandung Institute of Technology dragged him to Sukamiskin prison. This was a phase that not only tested his courage but also shaped his character of resistance.
However, history does not stop in the past. The year 2020 became another more complicated chapter for him.
As the wave of rejection against the Job Creation Law grew, Jumhur was again at the forefront. He was arrested, tried, and convicted in a case related to his criticism of the policy.
Later, the Constitutional Court declared that the Job Creation Law was constitutionally flawed and must be amended.
Based on that, Jumhur himself asserted that he was never a convicted person in the sense he believed, because the legal basis used was subsequently annulled in the process.
At this point, we see a consistent pattern: he is always on the noisy side, not the silent one. He chooses risk, not comfort. And it is precisely because of that the concern about “circus bears” becomes relevant.
Because the living environment is not just a matter of technicalities, but of courage in facing great powers.
There, there are mines with trillions in investment, plantations with global networks, and strategic projects that are often more immune to criticism than forests to fires.