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