'Jakarta Jive', an expat's story of survival in the city of upheaval

Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Jakarta

Jakarta Jive; By Jeremy Allan; Metaphor Publishing, Jakarta, 2001; 225 pp

It is hard to know what to expect when confronted by a book written by an expatriate promising a chronicle of jaman edan, the months following the fall of president Soeharto in May 1998.

Many Indonesians, myself included, often become defensive when reading an account of Indonesia by a foreigner or an expatriate. A generous sense of humor, a preparedness to be exposed, an anesthetized sense of identity, primed with a readiness to learn about oneself, are definitely prerequisites before even opening such books.

Having psyched myself into that mode, I began reading Jakarta Jive. I was pleasantly surprised. True, it is an expatriate's account, but the author does not speak from a platform above the world he describes, nor is he looking down, giving a supercilious running commentary. He tells the story as he explores the world, entering as he is, boots and all.

Jeremy Allan is no dollar-earning expat, immune from the economic crisis of the late 1990s. He was, in fact, caught in the whirlwind of krismon, the local term for the monetary crisis, buffeted left, right and center. And all the while, gasping, he kept his eyes, ears and even his heart open.

The reader benefits from Allan's observations, as well as his trials and tribulations, which he describes in his raconteur style. And no less important, as he paints a particular view of Jakarta life, the picture develops depth beyond the initial visible aspects, simply because Allan combines a refreshing boyish curiosity with a well-developed, mature humility. His own willingness to learn is disarming to any defensive soul with residual nationalistic fervor.

This does not mean, however, that Allan tones it down when depicting or commenting on events during that time, which often reflected deep-seated sentiments long held by Indonesians of various ethnic groups. If you are an adherent, or at least an aficionado of Jungian philosophy, it is easy to believe that these sentiments have been subliminally passed on for generations.

If Jakarta Jive were a painting, the background color would be Allan's interactions with a number of recurring characters, who become his informants as well as sounding boards for his own ideas. These multidirectional communications spark up colorful, insightful and often painful stories, which make this book hard to put down.

We make the acquaintance of Monica, an ethnic Chinese economics student turned professional photographer-cum-social activist, whose is determined to find out the truth behind the reports of mass rapes.

We also follow Allan and his partner Siti's experiences with their housemate Adam, an American academic specializing in Javanese gamelan music. Adam's curious adoption of Javanese aristocratic mannerisms inevitably causes tension and difficulty, not only with the house staff, but with Allan and Siti themselves. This is told in tones ranging from humorous to full of exasperation.

There are also touching stories about a young couple, Heri and Yani, Pak Trisno, Pak Ade, Pak Tatang and Inem, while the author's loyal friend, Farid Baskoro, is never far in the background.

Trying to explain how he came to write this book, Allan recounts how after he witnessed the riots of May 1998, he had found it difficult to explain to a Canadian radio reporter what was going on in one or two sentences. This reductionist attitude common among journalists chasing a hard-hitting story -- in turn pursued by deadlines -- drove him to write Jakarta Jive.

What Allan has written is certainly not an academic thesis on the sociopolitical background of the fall of Soeharto. However, it has sociological elements without being ponderously analytical. In some parts, it is unpretentiously hard-hitting. What is more, it is extremely readable.