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span class="inline inline-left">JP/Blontank PoerMuhammad Sunjaya was coughing when I rang him on Tuesday afternoon. I wasn’t sure how to tell the veteran stage actor about the passing of his old friend Murtidjono that Tuesday, but I did it anyway.

“I’m sad, but I don’t think I can make it to Solo due to my health. [Murtidjono] was a hero for the artworld,” said Sunjaya, better known as Kang Yoyon.

Kang Yoyon wouldn’t be the only one to whom Murtidjono is a hero. Under Murtidjono’s leadership, Taman Budaya Jawa Tengah (TBS) has become the center of progressive Indonesian arts in the 1990s, evident in a string of controversial performances held there.

Take, for instance, Ratna Sarumpaet’s play Marsinah, Nyanyian dari Bawah Tanah (Marsinah, an underground song). The play, which was inspired by Marsinah, a female laborer in Sidoarjo allegedly killed by a military officer, was allowed to take center stage at TBS despite pressure from the authorities.

All thanks to Murtidjono, the former head of TBS, who always fought for freedom of expression in the face of the Indonesian military regime under Soeharto. Although by right he was a government servant, he was never one to keep silent when it came to social and political critiques of the ruling government.  

In doing his job as a government servant, too, Murtidjono always pushed the envelope. He encouraged his staff, most of whom were artistically inclined, to find outlets outside their nine-to-five jobs and make money.

“Artists can’t be asked to do administrative jobs. It’s better for them to find an outlet where they can unleash their artistic aspirations,” he once said.

Under his leadership, TBS gave subsidies to many aspiring artists. He even let some young artists use TBS’ performing stage for free.

“Pak Murti’s way of doing things was ahead of his time. His support for the art community was tremendous,” said theater actor and choreographer Djarot Budidarsono to The Jakarta Post.

But times were tough for Murtidjono when the central government decided to decentralize and the rule of each province was to be entirely controlled by its local government.

The local government in Central Java, with its limited budget, wasn’t able to subsidize the operational costs of TBS. Fortunately, with help from other artists such as Goenawan Mohamad, Sitok Srengenge, WS Rendra and “Komunitas Utan Kayu” folks, TBS managed to survive.

Apart from his remarkable support of the underground art community, Murtidjono also made his mark in the mainstream art world. In 1994, he organized “Nur Gora Rupa”, a fine arts and performing arts exhibition that involved celebrated Indonesian artists.

Then in 1995 there was “Refleksi Setengah Abad Indonesia Merdeka” (Half-a-centry post independence reflection), a monumental exhibition in which thousands of dancers, stage actors, artists and musicians from all over the country participated.  

Born in Salatiga, Central Java, on July 10, 1951, Murtidjono was himself an artist.

He continued his support for the art world even after retiring from his post at TBS in 1997. In fact, he became a more active participator in promoting the art world after his retirement; he penned several cultural essays, works of poetry and books, and formed a band called Rock Gaek in which he was the vocalist.  

In early 2006, Murtidjono gathered a thousand dancers in an effort to veto the pornography policy that would have a negative impact on the art world.

The eccentric Murtidjono passed away due to leukemia, which was discovered four months ago. He
left behind a wife, a daughter and two sons.

So long, Pak Murti.