Honk if you love bumper stickers
By Antariksawan Jusuf
JAKARTA (JP): Nowadays it is impossible to travel around Jakarta without spotting striking messages on the backs of vehicles.
Bumper stickers might have originated in the United States but Indonesians are finding their own way of expressing their minds and hearts on the bumpers of their cars and trucks.
These stickers usually represent good one-liner which entertain those who read them.
The usual and widely used versions are variations of sticker showing the spirit of admonition. "We are army family" and its relatives, "The Red Beret family", "Navy Family", "PM (Military Police) family". The meaning behind the words is simple: "We are the family of people who hold guns so back off and don't mess with us".
Some traffic police buy this message and let the drivers of cars with such stickers off when they violate traffic regulations.
Other drivers make fun of this attitude and have a sticker reading Rakyat biasa (Common people) with a picture of Bagong, a joker in Javanese shadow-puppetry, representing nobody.
And others have developed a similar spirit and put Keluarga Ki Gendeng Pamungkas (Family of Ki Gendeng Pamungkas -- the well- known psychic and black magic practitioner).
Religious stickers are also popular. "Be a good Muslim", "Yes we are Moslems", "Jesus saves", "Ready or not Jesus is coming".
Some shows where the vehicles have been to: "Dufan" (Fantasy World), "Taman Safari", "Sea World".
Now that political parties are enjoying freedom to act pretty much as they wish, stickers are getting political too. Pendukung Megawati (Supporters of Megawati), "Megawati or nobody at all", "PAN supporters", referring to Amien Rais.
Bumper stickers also carry government's messages. Jelek-jelek bayar pajak (Ain't so good but I pay tax), Sukseskan Sensus (Make the census successful).
And of course the imported ones: "My other car is a Ferrari", "Impeach Clinton and her husband", "Men come in three sizes: small, medium and Oh My God", "Friends don't let friends vote for Clinton".
But before the shiny, well-designed stickers, the one-liner generation of "stickers" flourished on the back of Indonesian trucks or their mudguards. The one-liners are usually painted about what the drivers are thinking and saying, related to their jobs, love and sex.
"Siapa bilang Mama dimadu" (Who says I have a mistress?) or "Ingat isteri di rumah" (Remember your wife at home) obviously carries a message from an NGO campaigning for an anti-HIV drive because truck drivers are considered a profession prone to the deadly disease.
Also of love: "Pergi untuk kerja, pulang untuk cinta" (Go for work, go home for love), Kutunggu Jandamu (Waiting for your widowhood).
Some drivers create a mix of readable numbers and alphabets such as "1/3dis" (which reads "Seperti gadis" -- Like a girl), "B 217 AN", a Jakarta number plate look-alike which reads "Berdua satu tujuan" (Together one goal), or "Kutangmu yang kumau" (I want your bra) a pun on the Sprite advertisement "Kutahu yang ku mau" (I know what I want)
Whatever the message, bumper stickers chronicle our times and look at all kinds of messages and the people behind them, they are also showing a democratic way of expressing one's mind.
"Honk if you love bumperstickers".