Voicing Restlessness through Literature
Ketika Jurnalisme Dibungkam, Sastra Harus Bicara (When Journalism is Repressed, Literature Should Speak Up) By Seno Gumira Ajidarma Bentang Budaya Foundation, Yogyakarta, October 1997 120 pages ISBN 979-8793-35-8
JAKARTA (JP): The closing of print media through the revocation of publishing licenses has long been a nightmare for most people in the Indonesian media world.
The strength of the government's hand in regulating journalism should never be underestimated. In 1974, 11 newspapers and magazines were closed following the so-called Malari, the Jan. 15 anti-Japanese riots. Two decades later, three weeklies, Tempo, Editor and DeTik, suffered the same fate.
Besides facing prohibitions and restrictions from the government, the press is also often forced to bow to external vested interests, including those of proprietors. In this atmosphere it is difficult for journalists to realize their ideals or to reflect the true sociopolitical dynamics of society in working toward the betterment of the people.
How can journalists cope with this situation? How can they maintain their calling to voice the truth amid such strong press constraints?
Seno Gumira Ajidarma, deputy editor of the Jakarta Jakarta magazine, gives answers to these questions in Ketika Jurnalisme Dibungkam Sastra Harus Bicara (When Journalism is Repressed Literature Should Speak Up). The 120-page book recounts the journalist's experiences in struggling against press censorship.
The closure of the Monitor tabloid in 1990 traumatized the Kompas-Gramedia Group, the biggest media entity in the country that has interests in many media, including ownership of Monitor and Jakarta Jakarta. Since then the group has exercised extra precautions and excessive self-censorship.
When Jakarta Jakarta pulled few punches in reporting the Dili incident in November 1991, Ajidarma was reprimanded by the military. This warning frightened the senior management, which took further measure by temporarily transferring him and two other colleagues to other departments.
Ajidarma, however, refused to surrender to this repression (page 33). Being a long-standing poet and writer, he turned to literature and wrote several short stories to "expose the incident, as a kind of resistance" (page 82).
For Ajidarma, the recipient of the 1997 Southeast Asia Write Award, his interest in literature was born not from any preoccupation with artistic language but from an intense involvement in life. "Each short story, in fact each literary work, was born from an obsession, form something that incessantly haunted the mind" (Page 37).
When, for instance, he was troubled by the despotic nature of the 1983 mysterious killings, Ajidarma wrote several short stories which were later collected in Penembak Misterius (Mysterious Killers).
Similarly, when confronted with the brutality of the Dili massacre and the arrogance of the authorities who, at that time, tried to hide the facts and heavily censor the press, he again channeled his restlessness through literature. Thus his collection of short stories Saksi Mata (Eyewitness) was born.
As a personal recollection of the writer's journey in writing and performing his journalistic tasks, Ketika Jurnalisme Dibungkam Sastra Harus Bicara is interesting. It provides both an insight into the creative process of the writer as well as a brief glimpse into press censorship in Indonesia.
It is also easy to read, being written in a story-telling style. Here and there, however, readers might be disturbed by the language, which may appear too emotional and a bit too harsh. Despite this, for both aspiring writers and journalists this book is well worth reading.
-- Lucia Esti Elihami
The reviewer, a kindergarten teacher, writes short stories. Her works have been published in local media.