Dick Hartoko, guardian of 'Signs of the Times'

By Budi Sardjono and Sulistyo Budi N.

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Father Dick Hartoko, better known as Pater Dick or Romo Dick is invariably associated with Basis, a monthly general culture magazine. From 1957 to 1995 he dedicated himself to this magazine, whose readership, according to a survey, comprises middle-aged people and intellectuals.

Dick once said that in his 38 years of leading the magazine, he simply contributed tidbits of cultural ideas in the interest of the country's development.

His articles in his regular column, Tanda Tanda Zaman (Sign of the Times), he said, are manifestations of whatever is weighing on his mind or his contemplative thoughts on current affairs. The late H.B. Jassin, one of Indonesia's most prominent literary figures, dubbed Dick the "Guardian of Reason" in view of his incisive writings in Basis.

"When I am in the mood, I find it easy to punch the keys of my typewriter in order to compose a "testimony" as a polite and cool-headed warning which does not seek the approval of other people," he noted.

Worsening health compelled him to reduce most of his activities at Basis in 1995 and he handed over the position of general manager/chief editor of the magazine to Sindhunata SJ. In June 2000, he left Yogyakarta for the Home of Emaus Girisonta in Ungaran, Central Java for meditation and seclusion.

Although he no longer writes for the Sign of the Times column, he is still a member of the magazine's board of directors, which comprises Franz Magnis Suseno, Raymond Toruan and P. Swantoro. The "soliloquy of his mute heart" is still heard by his friends.

Umar Kayam, one of the friends that Dick admires, once said that Dick's dedication to Basis magazine deserves special mention. Thanks to him, we can contemplate upon, grapple with and maintain a discourse on rather complex ideas.

At the advanced age of 78, Dick obviously needs a lot of rest. He must relax, avoid thinking about serious matters and take good care of his health.

"Well, sometimes I think that I have to abandon everything that used to interest me. Unfortunately, I can't make a clean break with this habit. Many poor people are still crying in distress and need a helping hand. The signs of the times will always be there, knocking on the doors of my room. This means I will still have to continue doing something," he said.

Though physically not as strong as he was before, Dick is as enthusiastic about traveling as he was when he was younger. "I've been longing to visit East Java," he said.

He has a deep longing for the peace and quiet of a rural atmosphere and that of a plantation as one can find in Jatiroto, Lumajang district, East Java.

Dick lashed out at the New Order regime when it exercised excessive repression of the press through various shackling regulations and laws, keeping journalists fettered so that they could not write the truth about social reality. This explains Dick's reluctance to talk politics.

He had an unforgettable experience with Basis, as during the Guided Democracy era in 1962 -1964, the magazine was "attacked" because Lekra (the Institute of Popular Culture), which was affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party, considered it an imperialist lackey.

Who is Dick Hartoko?

Dick Hartoko was born in Jatiroto, Lumajang district, East Java on May 9, 1922 under the zodiac sign Taurus and the influence of the Chinese animal symbol of the dog. His late mother was Soepi and his late father, a Dutchman, was Theodoor Jan Helder, an estate agent at Jatiroto sugar mill.

After completing MULO (junior high school), Dick pursued further studies at AMS-B (an equivalent to a senior high school) of Kanisius in Jakarta. He completed his AMS-B studies in 1942. He spent his youth in Jakarta and it was during his days in AMS-B that he began to take up writing and pay close attention to cultural developments.

In pursuit of his vocation, Dick joined Girisonta Seminary in Ungaran, Central Java. Between 1946 and 1949, he took philosophical classes at Kolose Ignatius, Yogyakarta under the tutorship of PJ Zoetmulder SJ.

Then he went to the Netherlands to study general history and theology. On Aug. 22, 1955 he was ordained by Monsignor Lemen SJ as a Jesuit priest in Maastricht, Holland.

In 1956 Dick returned to Indonesia and was assigned the position of secretary to the editor of Basis, a magazine established on Aug. 15, 1951. It was at Basis that Dick began to strike up a relationship with respected scholars and priests like N. Drijarkara, PJ Zoetmulder SJ and Sukarto SJ.

Dick has contributed greatly to the development of Javanese literature and culture and Javanese studies, as evident from his translation of Zoetmulder's works, among others Kalangwan; Manunggaling Kawula Gusti, Panteisme (Pantheism) and Monisme Dalam Studi Suluk Jawa: Suatu Studi Filsafat (Monism in Javanese Mysticism: a Philosophical Study).