Voicing Restlessness through Literature

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.