Remember Hiroshima

Remember Hiroshima

I read with grief the news article captioned 'Hiroshima
commemorates world's first atomic bombing' on page 16 of The
Jakarta Post of Aug. 7, 1995. I cannot help but feel grateful to
The Jakarta Post for the concern and compassion it demonstrated
by printing on the front page the picture of the famous Atom-bomb
Dome of Hiroshima, in front of which a mass "die-in" was staged
by hundreds of young pacifists. It was reported that about
100,000 people attended the 50th memorial service held on Aug. 6,
1995, in the picturesque Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

I was fortunate to be seated with two Indonesian former
schoolmates and other friends from The Philippines, Malaysia,
Brunei and Myanmar, who were invited to the ceremony by Hiroshima
City Mayor Takashi Hiraoka. The two from Indonesia (a corporate
lawyer and a former member of State Advisory Council), one from
Malaysia (now a professor of Japanese studies at the University
of Malaysia) and one from Brunei (now a businessman and a former
Prime Minister) happened to be survivors, called hibaku-sha in
Japanese, of the Hiroshima atomic holocaust.

The summer heat was almost unbearable, as the commemorative
ceremony proceeded. Yet everyone paid tribute to the occasion in
graceful solemnity.

Among the speakers were the Mayor, the Prime Minister, the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court and a representative of the UN Secretary General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

But, frankly speaking, I didn't care much for the almost
similar speeches of the politicians. As by way of testing the
validity of their statements, my thoughts drifted to the horrors
and cruelties happening in Bosnia, Palestine, Jerusalem and to
the disaster that will shortly devastate the environment on an
atoll in the South Pacific. Power politics or the German
realpolitik still holds sway in full ardor. This is an undeniable
fact.

I was more impressed by the declaration titled "Commitment to
Peace" read out by a sixth grade girl from Hiroshima City Shiya
Elementary School, Miyuki Kubo. She spoke as the children's
representative. She vowed that the tragedy of Hiroshima must
never be repeated, and that thoughtfulness and kindheartedness
toward each other are of utmost importance to achieve peace and
cooperation with all the people of the world.

The climax of the immaculate memorial ceremony, the large
mixed chorus of schoolchildren singing the Hiroshima Peace Song,
to the accompaniment of a brass band, was most impressive. The
melody was highly enchanting and appealing.

The first stanza translates "(Hear) the bell tolls; and by
this Bell of Peace let the echo reverberate high up to the limits
of the sky, to east and west, where the white clouds hang over
our place. Now let us rise bravely and here (on this earth) build
prosperity."

Witnessing the affluent society of Japan today, there is no
doubt to a foreign observer that the Japanese have lived up to
their vow.

Finally, highlighting the 50th commemoration of Hiroshima
atomic tragedy, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to pay
homage at the grave of Nick Yusof of Malaysia (known as "Malaya"
when a student) situated on the hill of Kozenji, Hiroshima. His
compatriot, Sayed Omar, is buried nearby on the quiet, bamboo
covered hill of Enkouji, in Kyoto. Both foreign students
heroically managed to survive the catastrophe, but later
succumbed in unparalleled agony to the first atomic bomb ever
dropped on a city.

SAM SUHAEDI

Jakarta