Can democratic RI accept Romo Mangun?

YOGYAKARTA (JP): As Yusuf Bilyarto Mangunwijaya, a.k.a. Romo (Father) Mangun, turned 65 last week, a close friend asked the often controversial figure if he would remain controversial in a democratic Indonesia.

The question was posed by Arief Budiman, himself a vocal scholar, who like many other activists took his cue from Romo Mangun.

He asked his question during a seminar as a tribute to the man who often came into frontal confrontation with the authorities.

Some 300 people, whose names look like a who's who in Indonesian community of activists and government critics, turned up for the seminar organized jointly by the Institute for Inter- Faith Dialog in Indonesia and the Kompas daily newspaper on Friday.

There were Abdurrahman Wahid, Adnan Buyung Nasution, Arswendo Atmowiloto, Ashadi Siregar, Astrid Sutanto, Arief Budiman, Rendra, and Darmanto Jatman. There were also many student activists whose faces have become familiar in recent months for staging street demonstrations, even if their names have not.

Romo Mangun, a Catholic priest, has spent virtually all his life working for the improvement of helpless, unfortunate people. More often than not, he has taken up their defense in the face of suppression from the authorities.

Architect

Born on May 6, 1929, Romo Mangun is also an architect, a teacher, a philosopher, a theologian, a social-political, cultural and literature critic.

"Romo Mangun is the archetypical teacher. He never ran away from humanitarian and judicial problems," said Adnan Buyung Nasution, a staunch human rights activist.

Romo Mangun never indulged himself in slogans, which seem to be popular nowadays, Buyung said. "Instead, he does real deeds and always on the side of the little people."

Romo Mangun was last year's recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, for his work in developing a housing complex for the community in Code River in Yogyakarta.

The mid-1980s was a time when there protests of the eviction of thousands of villagers for the construction of the Kedung Ombo dam in Central Java. But instead of joining in the protests, Romo Mangun organized a school for the children of the evicted farmers.

"The moral values expressed in his real, simple, deeds give suffering people a sense of hope," said Abdurrahman Wahid, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama -- a Moslem organization.

"Many people can quickly identify themselves with Romo Mangun," said Arief Budiman of the Christian Satya Wacana University in Salatiga, Central Java.

He questioned whether there is still room for people like Romo Mangun when and if Indonesia becomes truly democratic "after 1998".

'The truth'

He has played an effective role in society, and by staying away from the formal political structure, he has been able to "speak the truth" when others did not have the courage, Arief said.

While Arief made no attempt to answer the question he posed about Romo's controversial past and future, Romo himself did when he was speaking to The Jakarta Post later.

"A struggle never comes to an end. It's not something about which you can conduct a feasibility study and count the costs and benefits," he said. "No matter what happens, my struggle will continue to the end of my life."

In his speech before the forum, Romo Mangun said has lived through five political orders -- the Dutch colonialism, the Japanese military occupation, the revolution for independence, the old political order and the new order. He says that he hopes to see at least a sixth.

"If there will be a new order and if I will live to see it, both of these things will be by the will of God. But it also depends on the willingness of the current, younger generation," he said, offering a challenge to the students present. (mun/emb)