Honk if you love bumper stickers

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".