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)