Can democratic RI accept Romo Mangun?
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)