Indonesia Raya: Reasons to be proud?

Julia Suryakusuma ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 08/27/2008 10:26 AM  |  Opinion

When Indonesian Independence Day rolls around on Aug. 17 of each year, the most I usually manage is to watch the flag-raising ceremony at the Presidential Palace on TV. But this year, I was there in person.

I was accompanying my husband Tim who was one of 32 people -- scholars, journalists, business people, former state officials and activists -- from 27 countries worldwide invited for the new Presidential Friends of Indonesia program, which revolved around Aug. 17 Independence Day celebrations.

For Tim it was a dream come true. Ever since he first came to Indonesia as a 13 year-old schoolboy living with a host family in the Central Java town of Purwokerto, he had hoped that one day he might see the flag-raising ceremony at the Presidential Palace.

Well, it finally happened, but he was worried he'd get all teary when they played the national anthem "Indonesia Raya" (Indonesia the Great). I sometimes think my husband is overly sentimental about Indonesia -- do Indonesians get choked up listening to the national anthem? Hah! Not me, that's for sure!

I was virtually weaned on flag-raising ceremonies, playing and singing "Indonesia Raya" as a child at school and as a diplomat's daughter at Independence Day celebrations at whichever Indonesian Embassy my parents were posted to, so you can understand that I might be a bit blasi about these things.

But this year as I listened to the national anthem at the State Palace I was surprised to find myself being moved, too. What's going on here, I thought? Am I going all sentimental in my old age? And it made me curious too: Just what is it about national anthems which inspires all these emotions?

So I checked it out on the Internet. Some national anthems are classical and even operatic (European Union, South Africa, Welsh). Others are boringly repetitious (don't ask which ones!). The national anthems of Tajikistan, Ukraine, Bellarus, Maldovia, Armenia, Lithuania and Cuba for me are bombastic and militaristic, as you'd expect of Communist heritage states, but so is Italy's (well, it was once fascist after all). And I was surprised how melodious are those of Estonia, Latvia and even Germany (just ignore the Deutschland uber alles bit). The Irish anthem is pretty cool too, while the Australian one is, well ... okay (just).

So what exactly makes for a good national anthem? Above all, it should be capable of arousing emotions (even for foreigners such as Tim). While both national flags and anthems are clear visual symbols for the country, national anthems are auditory, which means they can have a more direct impact on the emotions.

They should have a strong melody and not be dirge-like, and they should sound good when either played by a brass band or sung by a choir.

In fact, Americans are obsessed by their national anthem, and play it at virtually all major sporting events -- and even at minor events too, such as kindergarten sports day. And wherever, when the Star Spangled Banner is played, the inevitable audience is starry-eyed men and women, arms across their chests, faces full of emotion.

While the French national anthem, "La Marsellaise", is considered to contain racist elements (the stuff about "pure blood"), it's also undoubtedly one of the best anthems around. It's been adopted and adapted by an army of musicians, including Django Reinhard, Michel Sardou Serge Gainsbourge (Aux armes et caetera), The Frog Princess (!) in "The Divine Comedy", and The Beatles, who used it to open "All You Need is Love".

And "God Save the Queen"? This dirge-like anthem became the inspiration for the Sex Pistol's extremely controversial punk-rock band version, where in the lyrics, they compare the Queen to a fascist regime. They claimed they wrote it as a defense of the working class and because they loved the English race. Riiiight!

In any case, they soon had a hit on their hands, proving that even if the UK is a monarchy it's completely democratic too. Just imagine if someone tried giving "Indonesian Raya" that kind of treatment! The only thing they'd be hit with would be a jail sentence!

While not popularized the way the "Star Spangled Banner" and "La Marsellaise" are, I have to admit the Indonesian national anthem is probably another one of the best (what, me biased?). Yes it's rousing, but it's also melodious in parts. Before Independence Day this year, I hadn't given it much thought, but it does sound like a national anthem ought to sound, and it inspires -- well, nationalistic feelings and pride in one's country.

The question is, do we have reason to have pride in our country? Definitely! Indonesia is a great country, one that I love deeply, with its rich and ancient cultures, its extraordinary flora and fauna, its bountiful soil and natural wealth and, above all, its diverse and creative peoples. It is still very far from perfect but we should not judge it solely by its very obvious flaws: Its corrupt politicians, chaotic parties or incompetent leaders.

I think it's the gap between Indonesia's good and bad sides that moved me so much when the Indonesian anthem played at the Palace on the Aug. 17. In fact, it made me very sad that Indonesia is such a rich nation, yet it is the land of the poor; that so many have sacrificed, and yet so few receive what is due to them; and that Indonesia has reformed itself but is still so far from being a meritocracy.

So why should we keep on playing "Indonesia Raya"? To remind ourselves that the struggle is not over, but there is room for hope, that we are a sovereign state with the power to make ourselves a better society and that even through small advances and frequent backsliding we are slowly but surely making real progress.

The writer is the author of "Sex, Power and Nation" She can be contacted at jsuryakusuma@gmail.com

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