'Hero' must be redefined
'Hero' must be redefined
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
When Time magazine named Indonesian folk singer and youth idol
Iwan Fals as one of Asia's contemporary heroes in 2002 for his
defiant take on former president Soeharto's dictatorship, it was
apparent that he had redefined the concept of heroism or in the
words of Iwan's idol Bob Dylan Times They Are A Changing.
The same magazine named Butet Manurung, another young figure
in its selection of Asia's heroes in 2004, a little known
conservationist who lent her hand to educating the country's
indigenous people deep in Sumatra's woodlands.
As time goes by, heroes from bygone eras will have little
relevance to current conditions and a new definition of a hero is
needed, historian Asvi Warman Adam of the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences (LIPI) says.
The government, he says, must diversify its selection of
figures it awards the title of national hero to, so as to include
persons whose contribution is more relevant to current
conditions.
The titles do not have to relate to the past by selecting
freedom fighters or military figures.
"The primary consideration is whether or not the figures have
fought selflessly for a good cause, regardless of their
political, social or ethnic background," Asvi told The Jakarta
Post on Wednesday.
His statement came as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono named
five freedom fighters national heroes to mark Heroes Day, which
falls on Nov. 10.
Asvi said people like rights campaigner Munir could be
declared a national hero for his contribution to human rights.
"If the public thinks that Munir deserves the title, relevant
organizations or people in his home province of East Java can
propose that the government declare him a national hero," he
said.
The State Secretariat singles out figures to be awarded from
names proposed by the Ministry of Social Services, which receives
entries from provincial governments.
The President issues a government regulation to confer the
titles on the selected figures. Families or relatives of the
awardees are entitled to financial support from the government.
Asvi said the government had not done justice to scores of
figures who -- despite their indispensable contribution to the
country's independence -- were excluded from history books and
not given the credit they deserved, because of their political
stance or simply their ethnicity.
"We have a freedom fighter named John Lie who broke through a
military blockade imposed by the Allied troops in 1947 to
purchase weapons for our fighters from neighboring countries. But
he was not recognized as a hero simply because he was a Chinese-
Indonesian," he said.
Separately, senior historian Taufiq Abdullah said that the
only quality that made an individual eligible for the title was
their untainted record in serving the country.
"Such a criteria will prevent the government from awarding the
title indiscriminately," he told the Post.
He suggested that more titles be given to local heroes to
honor the regions' contribution to Indonesia's independence.