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Jakarta Post

Politics on poets' mind

A. Kurniawan Ulung (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, October 9, 2017

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Politics on poets' mind Wiji Thukul, a poet and activist has been declared as missing since 1998. (tempo.co/Idon Heryatna)

Freedom of expression is something worthwhile that we have to keep.

Prolific writer and poet Sitor Situmorang, who died in 2004, was arrested in 1967 and imprisoned without trial for eight years at Salemba penitentiary in Jakarta during Soeharto’s authoritarian New Order regime for his eyebrow-raising works, such as his essay called Sastra Revolusioner [Revolutionary Literature] in 1965. 

Poet Widji Thukul, who was a vocal anti-Soeharto poet and raised his voice through poems such as Bunga dan Tembok [Flower and Wall], has been missing since 1998, the same year the dictator stepped down after ruling for 32 years.

The fate of those poets proves that a poem is not just a bunch of words. Poems have the power to shift our political consciousness, make strong statements and trigger a movement.

Poems can shake the world.

In a recent talk, four young writers — Aan Mansyur, Rosyda Amalia, Marius Hulpe from Germany and Hariz Fadhilah from Brunei Darussalam — shared their views on politics in literary works.

“Writing is a political action,” said Aan, who stepped into spotlight after drama flick Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2 [What’s Up with Cinta? 2] featured poems from his poetry collection book, Tidak Ada New York Hari Ini [There is No New York Today].

Because of the book, many people labeled the 35-year-old as a hopelessly romantic writer. However, he is not offended by it.

He said he understood if Tidak Ada New York Hari Ini was deemed to be a love poem, which tells of someone who misses his or her lover somewhere far away. However, many people have yet to realize that the poem has a political message.

Aan explained that he chose the words New York to encourage his readers to imagine how it feels if New York, which many see as the center of the world, no longer holds that title, something that he defines as political. 

“I want to show a strong relation of what people deem the First World and Third World,” he said. 

This year, Aan republished his 2009 poetry collection book, Cinta yang Marah[Angry Love], to remind his readers, especially young people, about the New Order’s fall in 1998.

In Cinta yang Marah and Tidak Ada New York Hari Ini, he said, he did not explicitly talk about politics as a strategy to get the attention of young people, who can be easily lulled by love stories.

“When director Mira Lesmana asked me to collaborate for AADC, I told her that I did not want to write poems for the movie. I wanted to write a book that would be read by many young people who previously did not read poems,” he said.

For him, a writer must participate in raising political awareness especially in a country where people are oppressed and do not have freedom of speech.

Rosyda agreed with Aan. She herself became interested in observing political phenomenon after reading Baju Bulan: Seuntai Puisi Pilihan [Moon Shirt: Selected Poem] by Joko Pinurbo.  

Among other issues, corruption has interested the budding writer the most.

“Writing poetry is a good way to talk about political and social issues in society,” said the 21-year-old Gadjah Mada University student, who recently published Belajar Keagungan Tuhan dari Alam [Learning God’s Majesty from Nature].

Meanwhile, Hulpe, who has published his poems, essays and prose in newspapers and magazines since 2002, said that in Germany, where freedom of expression is guaranteed by the constitution, writers did not always talk about politics. Their inspiration could come from non-political things, which actually have a political 

impact.

As for Hariz, the freedom of speech enjoyed by his colleagues in Indonesia and Germany remains a luxury.

Hariz, who joined the ASEAN-Japan Residency program in Jakarta, admitted that he was jealous because in Brunei Darussalam people could not speak freely.

“I don’t have a chance to raise my voice in my country, but Indonesia accepts the criticism,” he said. “Society in Brunei is quiet about corruption and [there is a] lack of freedom of speech.”  

Author Faisal Tehrani has seen six of his books banned by the Malaysian government, which also does not allow freedom of expression.

His 2012 novel, Perempuan Nan Bercinta [The Beloved Lady], was the first to be banned in 2014 for allegedly ridiculing the hadith on discrimination against women. A year later, Sebongkah Batu di Kuala Berang [A Stone in Kuala Berang], Karbala, Tiga Kali Seminggu [Three Times a Week] and Ingin Jadi Nasrallah [Want to be Nasrallah] were also banned for allegedly promoting Shia Islam.

In Indonesia, although the constitution has provided for freedom of expression for nearly 20 years, many young people still turn a blind eye to politics, said Aan, who manages a small self-owned library Katakerja, where people come to meet or discuss various topics.  

“I know exactly how difficult it is to attract senior high school and university students to think about politics or to read poems about it,” he said.

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