Experts call on leaders to study the art of 'wayang'

Experts call on leaders to study the art of 'wayang'

SURABAYA (JP): Studying the traditional art of wayang (shadow
puppetry) might help Indonesian leaders better understand the
country's people, the situation in which they live and the way
they think.

Psychologist Darmanto Jatman and sociologist Hotman M. Siahaan
discussed here yesterday how Indonesians often look to Javanese
culture, including the wayang, to make sense of contemporary
social, cultural and political issues.

"Wayang has become a way for people, Javanese in particular,
to understand events. What cannot be explained by wayang is often
discounted as nonexistent," Darmanto said during the discussion
held at Airlangga University.

The wayang shadow play, with leather puppets, usually
dramatize themes from such Hindu epics as the Ramayana.

Darmanto cited how the values of courage and leadership
extolled in wayang stories have been adapted into the 11 points
of the Armed Forces' code of conduct.

"Wayang is a world of order, of something that is far removed
from chaos...it has a tight hierarchy and a rigid code of conduct
and ethics.

"In this orderly world, there are no twin leaders," Darmanto
said, pointing out how Indonesians often strive to comprehend the
issue of national leadership succession through wayang stories.
Political scenarios which do not fit the wayang are then believed
to be an impossibility.

Darmanto, however, acknowledged the danger of transferring the
values of wayang to real life. "The problem is whether wayang
will only strengthen the status quo in this rural, feudalistic
society," he said.

Hotman concurred, adding that the values and ethics of wayang
might not be valid any longer in a rapidly transforming society.

"We're in the middle of a long journey of changes. If we wish
to make wayang a term of reference in understanding social
reality, we can't do so symbolically. We need to be more
realistic in studying various cultural, social and political
issues," he said.

Experts often point out that social and political realities in
Indonesia tend to defy conventional social and political
theories. Fresh approaches are needed, they say. Some have tried
to explain today's conditions in the context of Javanese culture.

Recently, several experts in Javanese culture pointed out that
many of the noble principles of the culture, such as tolerance,
have faded from Indonesian politics. They have been replaced,
they say, by egocentrism and corrupt behavior. (15/swe)