Rosihan Anwar about being a journalist
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Arriving at a big old house in Menteng, Central Jakarta that afternoon, I was not sure if I had come to the right place.
The gate was left open and unguarded -- making it possible for anyone to enter the front yard. Two old cars were parked there. The noise from the traffic on Jl. Surabaya was quite disturbing.
The original color of the old house had faded. I doubted whether veteran journalist Rosihan Anwar -- who had become a chief editor of an influential daily back in 1948 -- really lived in that old house.
Then I spotted him sitting on a chair, reading a newspaper behind an open window. I greeted him and he invited me to come in.
A caricature and a painting of himself hung on the wall. Two wooden cabinets containing ceramic tea sets decorated the room.
A small painting of a Balinese dancer also hung on the wall but it was too small to attract any attention.
Despite his long, bright career as a journalist, Rosihan Anwar, 83, now lives a modest life.
Had he accepted an offer of an ambassadorial post in Hanoi in 1970, Rosihan would today be enjoying a more comfortable life or at least receive a regular pension.
But, perhaps an easy life would have killed his writing skills -- his only source of income today.
Rosihan rejected an offer by then president Soeharto for the ambassadorial post in Vietnam, because of the war between the Vietcong and U.S. soldiers.
He did not regret his decision although he lost the opportunity of getting a pension from the state.
As an former chief editor of Pedoman daily, a great newspaper of that era, Rosihan receives no pension. The Pedoman daily was closed down twice -- by Sukarno in 1961 and Soeharto in 1974.
Now, Rosihan continues writing not only to earn money, but also as "an intellectual exercise".
"This is another side of my life. I have to write. I seek money not to make me rich, but to maintain myself," he said.
"It is a sad story. It is also a reflection of the poor condition of our state. I am a senior citizen, but there is no social insurance from the state," he added.
This has forced Rosihan to write and write. He is a regular columnist for an economic bulletin Business News, a gossip tabloid Cek & Ricek, morning daily Waspada in Medan, North Sumatra and Pikiran Rakyat in Bandung, West Java.
He has been writing for Business News for more than 30 years while he has written for Cek & Ricek for the past six years on various themes.
"It is a gossip tabloid, but I have a serious column in it. I write on various topics. Through writing, I intend to provide an example to younger journalists and scholars on how to write articles that attracts readers," he said.
According to him, many academicians write in the mass media in a way that fails to attract readers. The content is good, but it is unreadable.
Rosihan is also known for his writing of obituaries of prominent figures. This is made possible because he is a man with vast social connections. A collection of his obituaries have been made into a book In Memoriam; Mengenang yang Wafat (In Memorial; Remembering the Dead).
Although he has vast connections, some say that Rosihan is arrogant. Responding to this perception, he wrote in one of his books that he is a shy person by nature. In order to conceal this, he often acts in a way that people perceive as arrogant.
Many young journalists that attend his class acknowledge that Rosihan is a tough task master. They need courage and fortitude, otherwise his stinging remarks make them cry during class.
Rosihan, who has been a mentor for young journalists for about 15 years, often criticizes his students sharply. He acknowledges this, saying that it was his technique to improve the capability of the journalists.
He does not deny that he does not like small talk. He speaks few words and is sometimes rude. Perhaps this reinforces the impression that Rosihan is really arrogant.
Rosihan was recently honored by the Algerian government for his contribution to the Algerian struggle against French colonialism.
The award was handed over on Friday, May 27, to Rosihan and 12 other Indonesian figures some of whom were given the award posthumously.
Among the recipients were founding president Sukarno, former ambassador to the United States Soedjatmoko, former foreign minister Ali Alatas, economics guru Soemitro Djojohadikusumo and former prime minister Muhammad Natsir.
Rosihan recalled that his contribution to the Algerian independence was due to history. The atmosphere in the 1950s was the spirit of the Asia-Africa Conference, namely to liberalize the colonized country.
"As the chief editor of Pedoman, it was natural for me to support the independence of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. In short, the journalists of my generation were driven by idealism. I don't know if the present-day journalists can take a lesson from it or not," he recalled.
For a person of his age, Rosihan is very fit.
He wakes up daily at 5 a.m., does his pre-dawn prayers and walks around his house and exercises on the veranda before having a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper.
After a quick read, he takes a nap in his library for less than an hour before starting his day.
"I usually sleep at 1 a.m. after watching the news on CNN or Deutsche Welle channel, that is why I have to sleep in the morning as compensation," he said.
He added that before going to bed, he usually drinks red wine which he says is good for his health.
Since he has no office to go, Rosihan usually reads foreign magazines or books he borrows from his colleague. He said he could not afford books.
"I try to enjoy life, I read books which I borrow from colleagues. For me the books are too costly. I try to keep abreast with current literature," said Rosihan, adding that he also is given the wine by his colleagues.
It seems that Rosihan has to spend very prudently. This possibly explains why during the interview he did not serve any snacks but just a glass of syrup-flavored water.
The syrup was served only when his wife returned home after paying her respects to the mother of Jakarta deputy governor Fauzi Bowo who lives a block away.
He said he would continue writing until publishers rejected his articles.
"If I am paid Rp 400,000 for an article, I will say thank you. Of course, it is nothing, it is peanuts, compared to the Rp 3 million to Rp 4 million an MC gets from an event," he added.
For Rosihan, his writing also helps him to maintain his stamina.
He emphasized that writing requires preparation and research and this stimulates the brain. This keeps his mind healthy, said Rosihan who was born in Kubang Nan Duo, Solok, West Sumatra on May 10, 1922.
Aside from writing, Rosihan is also a member of the Academy of Jakarta, an organization of people who are concerned with developing the arts and culture here.
He is also an honorary member of the Indonesian Historical Society. Very few people have been given honorary membership.
They are, among others, former defense and security minister the late Gen. Abdul Haris Nasution, former foreign minister the late Anak Agung Gede Agung and author Ramadhan KH.
Asked if he had any interest in collecting literature or art works, Rosihan emphasized that he did not have the money to purchase things and to conserve them.
"I have no painting collection. If anything, I only purchase books that I think are important. Sometimes, I donate books to certain institution to create more space in my house," he added.
He said that he just donated a box full of books to Guruh Soekarnoputra, the youngest son of former President Sukarno, for the collection of the Bung Karno Library, which is scheduled for inauguration on June 6.
Married to Siti Zuraida Sanawi, the couple have three children. None of the three are interested in journalism. His two daughters are doctors and his son work works in financial affairs.
Responding to the current situation, Rosihan said that his current thoughts were more or less the same as four or five years ago.
There are no signs of improvement emerging in the country. On the contrary there are more natural disasters and corruption cases being uncovered.
Quoting a phrase from his colleague the late Suardi Tasrif -- the chairman of a lawyers association and an editor of the Abadi daily, Rosihan said that "this country is beyond help".
"To state an extreme opinion, this country is beyond help. Let's look at corruption, there is no concrete result. We know there are reports on the questioning of suspects, but the outcome is unclear."
"So is the investigation into the murder of rights activist Munir, the embezzlement at Bank Mandiri and the General Elections Commission. There is an investigation, but it leads nowhere. This nation is totally crushed," he said.
Although painting a bleak picture of Indonesia's future, Rosihan said that the Indonesian people must not surrender.
Rosihan may be angry at the Indonesian leaders who cannot bring improvement, but he is able to restrain his emotions. Sometimes, he is irked by sermons at mosque which teach fundamentalism, but he can hide his resentment.
He said old age had taught him self-restraint.
"People at my age often think about birth and death. They become forgiving and accept differences," he said.