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‘Pemburu Utang’: Satirical play takes bite out of politics
Audiences may be weary of the country's political theatrics, but they have still gotten a good laugh out of the satirical play.
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Switcheroo: Indonesia Kita's 'Pemburu Utang' (Debt hunters) is a political satire that often relied on the absurd, such as in this scene, where a pole for hanging a bird cage is "repurposed" for an execution. (JP/Narabeto Korohama)
T
his year has truly been a political one for the country, not just because of the elections, but also because of the ugly scandals and shenanigans that come with it.
Pemburu Utang (Debt hunters), the 34th production of theatrical troupe Indonesia Kita, seems a fitting way to sum up the year's political drama.
Staging three shows on Nov. 1 to 2 at Graha Bhakti Budaya of Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) in Central Jakarta, Pemburu Utang is the troupe's final production for 2019 – and is likely to be the last as it relocates due to the cultural center's planned renovation.
The satirical play is about a nation so greatly in debt that all personal assets are relinquished to the government to pay off that debt, which plunges the populace into poverty.
The politically charged theme was particularly poignant during the play's premiere on Friday night, which minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and other Finance Ministry officials attended.
Nevertheless, the play did not shy away from delivering its jokes at the government’s expense, opening with a dangdut-esque number that belted out: “Kami bukan orang miskin, kami orang yang dimiskinkan (We are not poor, we were made poor).”
Other jabs quickly followed, including several potshots at President Joko Widodo's former election rival and now defense minister, Prabowo Subianto (who was not in attendance), to current political scandals like the Aica Aibon public fund.
