What constitutes heroism these days?

In this fast-paced era of media blitz and imagery, Indonesia's young generation is often criticized for being unresponsive to the lauded ideals of national heroism. Fabricated commercial icons are becoming heroes of the day for the country's future leaders. The Jakarta Post's reporters Prapti Widinugraheni, K. Basrie, Junaidi, Benget Simbolon, Arief Suryobuwono and Oka Budi Yogaswara, look at this phenomenon of heroism and its meaning 51 years after Indonesia's independence. More stories on Page 6 and Page 9.

JAKARTA (JP): Today is National Heroes Day and people will flock to heroes' cemeteries across the country to pay tribute to the fallen forefathers of independence.

At 8 a.m., people across the nation will bow their heads in silence to remember their heroes.

The minute's silence is meant to recall past days of misery, struggle and oppression. Many people, especially those who were young in the 1940's, know how to remember and honor this country's heroes.

But what will today's younger generation think about when they bow their heads during the minute of silence?

Most Indonesian children hear about "heroes" at school, so we can assume their understanding comes from history lessons or Pancasila-courses.

Seneng Rahayu, a teacher of Pancasila courses, said her lessons adhere strictly to standard teaching methodologies provided by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

"The standard definition of a hero is someone who has fought for the country's independence," Seneng said.

She admitted that, unfortunately, the lessons on heroes -- all of whom have died -- often turned into a monotonous monologue by teachers.

"We must be creative in handling our material so students remain interested in the topic," said Seneng, who was once chosen as the best teacher at the Tourism High School where she works.

Taufik Abdullah, a research professor and historian at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, said the concept of heroism was loaded with subjectivity.

"There is no objective criteria to measure heroism. But we can say there are two kinds of heroes. First, the formal heroes which are selected by the ruling government through bureaucratic procedures. Second, the heroes selected by a group in society according to their cultural values," he said.

The first kind of heroes are chosen to function as a symbol of values and political interests that must be maintained by the elite to maintain their power.

The second kind of heroes are those who give cultural satisfaction to certain groups of people.

"For example, the heroes of the Batak people in North Sumatra will be different from the heroes of Java," he said.

"Of course, there is a possibility that people who are regarded as heroes by a group of people can be considered national heroes through bureaucratic procedures," Taufik added.

Determinant

Bureaucracy, Taufik said, was the strongest, if not the only, determinant of those called national heroes. And becoming a "formal" hero is not easy because it means a person should be flawless according to bureaucratic standards.

Ali Amran Taher, the Ministry of Social Services' director for heroes and independence-fighters affairs, said that apart from conferring the title of "national hero" on a selected few who fought for independence, the government also awards outstanding citizens honorary medals and Satya Lencana awards.

"If a citizen is worthy, he or she can become a national hero. If not, that person may be given the first or second highest honorary medals, which are the Republic star and the Mahaputra star," Ali said.

A candidate for national hero status can be proposed by any individual or group in society. The proposal should be discussed and assessed by historians, experts and officials, before it is brought to the regency, provincial and central offices of the Heroes Promotion Board.

The central office of the Heroes Promotion Board in Jakarta is headed by the Ministry of Social Services.

The Office of the Presidential Military Secretary, the State Secretariat, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Armed Forces personnel, national archives' staff, historians, experts and academics advise the central office.

The names of proposed candidates are brought before the President's Board of Honorary Tokens, which is headed by the coordinating minister for political affairs and security.

"This board is the final 'filter' for candidate heroes and has the power to drop the candidate in spite of earlier approvals," Ali said.

"The Board involves members of the state intelligence agency, so new things, which were not known before, may come up," he pointed out.

Some candidate heroes have failed to pass this last step. They have been awarded the Mahaputra star as consolation.

"A national hero must have no flaws and should have led a consistent struggle against colonialists," Ali said.

Taufik said the government's hero-making process worked well.

"The (heroes supervisory) agency comprises competent historians because they must select heroes from different backgrounds and professions," he said.

This year, Indonesia awarded the "national hero" title to the late Mrs. Tien Soeharto, who died last April.

Ali said the decision to confer the title to Ibu Tien was not based on regular procedures, but on "the minister of social services' response to some 50 proposals submitted by various groups".

About sixty hero candidate proposals are sitting at the Ministry of Social Services awaiting to be processed. The government has conferred the national hero title on 102 citizens, and has awarded 8,778 Satya Lencana honors to veteran fighters, Ali said.

Although the government is still dealing with deceased independence fighters and veterans, it may someday confer the national hero title on academics.

Arbi Sanit, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia's school of social and political sciences, said that scientists, environmentalists and democracy activists might be chosen one day as national heroes.

"Although physical combat has ended, the country needs to be developed, and for this, we will still need heroes," he said.

"People who sacrifice their souls for other people, for their community or their country deserve to be called national heroes," Arbi said. (team)