Story on labor leader marsinah to be on stage at TIM soon

JAKARTA (JP): The sufferings of labor activist Marsinah will be brought to life in a striking performance of Satu Merah Panggung at Teater Arena of the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center, Central Jakarta, from Sept. 16 through Sept. 20.

The play, entitled Marsinah, Nyanyian Bawah Tanah (Marsinah, the Song from the Underworld), is directed by Ratna Sarumpaet. It will present the tragedy of a female worker in a watch factory in Porong village, Sidoarjo, East Java who died mysteriously after a labor dispute with the management last year.

Marsinah was a prominent figure in a conflict between the factory management and workers in May l993, where the workers -- mostly females -- went on strike to demand a daily wage higher than the minimum Rp 2,250 (US$1.08) set by the government.

But Marsinah disappeared on the previous evening after telling her friends that she was going to buy food for supper. Her badly mutilated body was found the day after in Nganjuk, 90 kilometers west of Sidoarjo. The news of Marsinah's death sparked protests and her case hit newspaper headlines nationwide.

Sarumpaet said the play is not just about Marsinah's death but more on the sufferings of "the oppressed in our society."

"Marsinah is a symbol of the struggle of members of the marginal community who are always treated unequally and cruelly by the more powerful groups," Sarumpaet explained.

There are many 'Marsinahs' in the country, she added.

"Nobody has the right to kill a man or a woman who fights for a better future," she commented.

Sarumpaet makes use of an underworld setting in the play. The protagonist of the play is a spirit of a woman called Tokoh, who keeps on questioning the injustice she and her friends experienced during their lives.

The play, said Sarumpaet, is also supported by contemporary music composers Slamet Abdul Sjukur and Roedjito. (raw)