Guess What? Ichlasul Amal

No one ever though that Prof. Dr. Ichlasul Amal, the prominent political observer as well as rector at Gadjah Mada University, was also a humorous poet and poetry reader.

Not until last Tuesday when he read his own compositions during The Art Performances for Peace held at the University's Graha Sabha Pramana auditorium to celebrate the university's 50th anniversary.

With his trademark smile and amusing miming actions to his humorous poetry, Amal was a surprisingly refreshing entertainer for some 5,000 people attending the celebration.

For example, in the first of 16 couplets he wrote in four pages -- only one rhymed in "u" and the other rhymed in "i", he wrote: Hadirin dan para undangan yang saya hormati/Malam ini saya diminta membuat orasi/Saya jadi bingung sekali/Karena saya tidak tahu lagi siapa yang harus dicaci-maki. (Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am asked to make an oratory tonight, It makes me so confused, As I no longer know whom else to ridicule at).

Long applause followed Amal's performance that night, no shorter than those given to other entertainers, including the King of Monolog Butet Kertaredjasa, prominent poet W.S. Rendra and the enchanting Addie M.S.'s Twilite Orchestra.

"Of course I wrote the poetry myself. I stayed up all night just to prepare it," Amal told The Jakarta Post after the celebration. (swa)