Priest turns his pen to politics

Priest turns his pen to politics

Politik Hati Nurani (Politics of Conscience);
By Y.B. Mangunwijaya;
Grafiasri Mukti, Jakarta 1997;
xii + 119 pp;
Rp 8,000

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Many have branded politics as contemptible.
Ethics, they say, are in short supply, if not entirely absent
from the dirty dealings in the halls of power.

Others counter that ethical choices depend on the scruples of
the politicians.

As in every dimension of life, in politics the involvement of
one's conscience is vital. The conscience deserves to be heard
and considered thoroughly in order to exert control over reason.
Easier said than done; only those who continuously examine their
conscience can deem whether something is improper or unethical.

Getting involved in practical politics in a bid for power is
hardly a speciality of Father Yusuf Biljarta Mangunwijaya (known
as Romo Mangun) as a Catholic priest. He is interested in
politics or, rather, moral politics related to public welfare.
This is a type of politics of responsibility that transcends all
borders of ethnicity, religion and social class.

His selected writings are expressions of his concern about
democracy in Indonesia, touching on subjects such as the outlawed
People's Democratic Party (PRD), East Timor and the related
controversy of the Nobel Prize awarded in 1997 to Bishop Carlos
Felipe Ximenes Belo and East Timor's independence campaigner
Ramos Horta.

Among his 25 articles are some which most of the mainstream
media did not dare publish, but which were accessible on the
Internet.

These deal with the PRD, and were sent to the Internet and
downloaded by the interactive news publication, Siar, and the
student tabloid of the Bandung Institute of Technology,
Boulevard, in the second week of November 1996.

Others include Bishop Belo, Politics and Morals of the
Faithful and Priests Are Not Allowed to Conduct Politics.

The other writings have been published in various media such
as the Kompas and Jawa Pos dailies, and the Hidup Catholic
magazine.

Language in his writings is simple, straightforward and with
deep and critical meaning. He speaks his mind; in disturbing
matters, no self-censorship is apparent.

Mangunwijaya, also a well-known novelist, is conscious of his
audacity. "They (the media) run greater risks than I. I have
nothing to lose," he is quoted as saying by journalist Ignatius
Haryanto.

Mangunwijaya's writings place the media in a dilemma in the
past. While it would be a pity not to publish such articles,
their publication would directly place the media company in
conflict with the censors who for years had free rein to ban
publications, such as the magazines Tempo and Editor, and the
Detik tabloid in 1994.

The editor notes Mangunwijaya's response to the July 27, 1996,
storming of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters in
Jakarta and the violence that ensued, until the bestowing of the
Nobel Prize on Belo, was through a prolific outpouring of
writing.

"Sometimes in my reflections I see myself as a guerrilla, like
in the war of independence. If there is tension in the air, I
feel I am alive," the priest is quoted as saying.

East Timor is a subject of particular attraction. Of the 26
articles, 14 are on East Timor, through which Mangunwijaya says
he wants to give voice to the voiceless.

Followers of his writings know he is not just a head-in-the-
clouds idealist, but an architect of principle who practices what
he preaches.

He managed to halt the eviction of residents along the Code
River in Yogyakarta, and he assisted villagers of Kedung Ombo who
had to make way in the name of development for a dam. He helped
designed more architecturally sound houses in Flores so the
islanders would not relive the death and destruction of a 1992
tidal wave.

This book gives readers a close look at Mangunwijaya's
personality and concerns. The priest, born in Ambarawa, Central
Java, 68 years ago, invites the reader to use the power of his or
her conscience in each step of life, including the maligned arena
politics.

When the conscience is allowed to speak, the dirt of unsavory
political practices will be shouted down.

-- E. Dapa Loka

The writer is a freelancer based in Yogyakarta