May monument won't wipe away grief, pains of riot victims
May monument won't wipe away grief, pains of riot victims
Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta
Much thought and energy is put into the design of any
monument. Thus, those who planned a structure to mark the May
1998 tragedy went through several discussions, including those
with survivors and their families, before deciding on the
"Brotherhood Monument" commissioned to the renowned sculptor
Nyoman Nuarta.
Yet, somehow the monument's design brings about a sense of sad
detachment from the experience of the survivors and their
families, and indeed, the mark on the nation itself.
The design portrays two men, supposedly one indigenous and the
other of Chinese descent, holding up a big, heavy national symbol
of the garuda (eagle) bird bearing the coat of arms of Pancasila
state ideology and the slogan, "Unity in diversity".
All is well, everyone's happy now and living in harmony.
But since when was everyone so happy?
In the riots of May 13 to May 14, 1998, violent gangs set
shopping centers on fire, killing almost 1,000 people in a number
of cities, raping and murdering their own fellow citizens. We
know they are all still out there, along with those who
masterminded the series of incidents, who remain protected under
impunity.
Successive governments have failed to follow up on the
recommendations of the official fact-finding team for further
investigation. So, while there is a bitter consolation in the
team's conclusion: that the riots were likely organized, and thus
not likely to happen any day; the fact remains that ordinary men
and women are not entirely safe in their homeland, depending on
the whim of some evil people.
In May 1998, it was those of Chinese descent who were
assaulted. They had no idea why their homes were razed or why
they should be gang raped. The urban poor were another group of
convenient, disposable "objects" -- like the women victims, they
are unseen and unnamed in the "May monument" design. Another
time, another place, mindless people, even though a handful,
could again be mobilized against any other suitable, innocent and
silent target.
The Chinese minority was such an easy, silent target, more so
their women apart from the poor who were burnt alive in stores
and stigmatized as "looters". But was the May tragedy, which
followed the May 12 shooting of students in Jakarta, really a
conflict between indigenous Indonesians and Chinese Indonesians?
How could one proclaim that everyone has forgiven and
forgotten, when nothing has been done to relieve the grief of
hundreds of families who lost their loved ones in building
infernos, or the pain of rape victims, some who even got pregnant
and refused to undergo abortion for fear of God.
What kind of nation can claim to be civilized when scores of
its people are yet to overcome their trauma, in the absence of
signs of any investigation let alone a sign of anyone brought to
accountability for what they endured?
Although the organizers of the ceremony marking the site of
the future monument acknowledged that one victim's story did not
represent all of them, the monument design seems to reflect the
message of the booklet distributed at the commemoration. It is
the message from victim Iwan Firman, who after surviving major
burn injuries, had attempted suicide a number of times. He
describes how he slowly manages to live in peace with himself --
and it this feeling which seems to have been recklessly
generalized into a "forgive and forget" attitude.
Many people could learn from Iwan. But a more broad
deliberation on the design might also have revealed other
distinctive feelings of citizens who were not as directly
affected as Iwan -- such as shame, disbelief and anger at the
occurrence of such a sick incident in the heart of the capital,
and the fear that it might not be the last. At a discussion last
week on the May riots, speakers said that answers were absolutely
needed on what really happened and why, and who was responsible.
No wonder President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the May 13
ceremony in downtown Jakarta saw no need to comment on the
nagging questions of who should be held accountable, and when,
for those dark days. Activist Sandyawan Sumardi immediately
accused the President and organizers from the Chinese Indonesian
Reform Movement (Parti) of "a systematic attempt at historical
amnesia", Kompas daily reported.
Monuments either aim to commemorate, celebrate -- or, indeed,
as in many instances of history writing -- to wash away history.
Any monument genuinely wanting to serve as a testimony and/or
reflection of a national tragedy would involve a lengthy,
thoughtful deliberation of a broad scope.
Hence the scores of entries for the belated Vietnam Veterans'
Memorial before it was decided to have the names of servicemen
and women who died and went missing in action in the Vietnam War
engraved along a black granite wall, now on display in Washington
DC.
And in Choeung Ek in Cambodia, a big lump forms in your throat
at the sight of thousands of skulls, silent witnesses to
unbelievable cruelty at the hands of the victims' fellow
countrymen -- just like the victims of our horrible May legacy.
The above shrines seem to try to provide a means of
contemplation and healing for all those affected, and for others
who may find a lesson from the tragedies.
Yet the design of the "May monument" which "celebrates
reconciliation" brings to mind the typical attitude of members of
the elite, as seen in other cases of the violation of human
rights in the country -- just forgive, forget and don't open old
wounds that may sting those who can still wield influence and
power.
Ati Nurbaiti is a staff writer of The Jakarta Post.