When simple words turn to cursing, watch out!

JAKARTA (JP): "Muke Loe Jauh," literally meaning "Your face is far away", was written on a banner held aloft in a rally staged by relatives of victims of the Trisakti and Semanggi incidents (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 6, 1999). It was addressed to the government, which has been accused of not doing a thorough investigation into the violence as it had promised.

The demonstrators seemed to have been so angry and impatient that they cursed, using words normally uttered by teenagers, to vent their anger.

Conventional words and poetry apparently have not got them anywhere. The authorities still drag their feet in doing what they should have completed ages ago.

Why face?

Indonesians have cursing down to a fine art, with styles being different from one region to another. In general, the names of animals such as dog, monkey, bedbug and snake are among favorite words to call somebody you hate. And if you hate somebody so much that you need to involve more animals, then you can simply say Kebon binatang (zoo)!"

Parts of the human body, mostly the "sensitive" ones, are also popular for the purpose of cursing. Try to say matamu (your eyes) to a Javanese girl. You'll probably end up being slapped on the face. Or if you are in North Sumatra, try muttering "your mouth" in the local dialect and you could very well end up with a broken jaw.

Still in North Sumatra, saying "your mother" or "your father" in the local dialect is considered impolite. Normally you have to addressed somebody's parent as "our mother" or "our father". The same goes for neighboring West Sumatra.

The East Javanese, however, are very flexible in dealing with swear words. The word "your head" could be uttered either by two deadly enemies who are ready to kill each other or by two best buddies who have not met for a long time.

Bangsat (bedbug) is another ambiguous expression that could be taken as a joke or a condemnation. But when Gus Dur muttered it in reference to sneering legislators in the last Special Session of the People Consultative Assembly, he was not joking. He condemned the attitude of the legislators who were smiling and laughing while outside the building, protesting students were killed and wounded in a shooting spree by the military.

Now back to the "face" business. Generally this word is often used in special expressions such as in Saya kehilangan muka (I lose face), bermuka dua (two faced), tatap muka (dialog), etc.

Muke loe (your face), is an old Jakartan expression of anger. Young teenagers (ABGs) incorporate the word jauh. A teenage band has released a song with this expression as its title. I didn't know what it meant at first. But when I saw it on the banner, I asked several teenagers, including street singers who frequently sing the song. The complete meaning is, "Unfortunately, your face is far away. If I could reach it, I would do something to it."

The revival of demonstrations after the general election shows that people are getting impatient with recent events here. The tug-of-war among politicians in the General Elections Committee, corruption cases that have faded into the background, violence used in Aceh and Ambon, and the recent Bank Bali Rp 546 billion scandal said to involve people in Habibie's administration, all have escalated public dissatisfaction. And the authorities' leveling accusations at each other has made people feel like they are in the middle of nowhere.

The Bank Bali case is, again, proof that monetary authorities are insensitive to the economic problems we are facing. The scandal, according to Amien Rais, was made possible by a presidential decree which guarantees all bank deposits and claims. This, he claims, creates a loophole for the occurrence of fraud.

"Presidential decrees to Indonesia are just like bombs to NATO," commented a social observer. "Most of them miss their targets."

Well he can say that again! Only NATO's bombs are aimed at an enemy, while wrongly implemented presidential decrees in Indonesia destroy its citizens.

Like other allegations of corruption and fraud that have been closed or forgotten, the Bank Bali case will apparently be handled in the usual "standard procedure". First the authorities vow (defiantly) to probe the case in accordance with prevailing rules and regulations (Oh, am I tired of hearing this). Then they will ask for evidence (who are they kidding?). Next they will drag their feet in the investigation, waiting for the case to subside or for another case to grab people's attention (Remember the Ghalib case?). Finally, they will come up with an official statement saying there is not enough evidence to take the case to the court. Even if it makes it to a courtroom, there are always ways to make sure the case is thrown out of court. And, voila!

Those who report or unveil the case will end up being the culprits in court (Hold it right there, Teten!).

But watch out!

As far as I can see, the way people now stage protests has reached a dangerous level. Look at the banners, and listen to what they say.

Protesters do not only use words to convey their messages. Instead of uttering swear words, they use chicken, rats, goats and whatever they can come up with to symbolize the performance of the political or governmental institution.

Governmental sensitivity is now required. There is no more time for the "see nothing, hear nothing" game. The truth must be unveiled before protests turn into a raging curse. That is, before protesters bring more animals and spout more names of the human body to curse government officials. We have to realize that cursing is only a word away from physical battle. And we do not want to have a second Trisakti or Semanggi incident.

Do we?

-- Carl Chairul