Jakarta - If anyone should be jolted by the centennial celebration of our National Awakening Day, if would have to be Malaysia, and to a lesser extent Singapore and Brunei. They must have been wondering what their giant and often unpredictable neighbor had up its sleeve when it announced a new slogan to mark the occasion: Indonesia Bisa.
Although we share a common Malay root in our languages, Bahasa Indonesia has come up with its own words and terms, as has Bahasa Malaysia. Unfortunately, among Malaysians, Singaporeans and Bruneians, Indonesia Bisa would be read as "Indonesia (with) Venom". Given the frictions that we have had with Malaysia and Singapore that have often undermined bilateral relations, perhaps we should let them worry and figure out for themselves about the new officially sanctioned slogan.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared the motto at the end of the colossal if not spectacular parade at the Bung Karno stadium on Tuesday night. Of course, it is not intended to taunt our small neighbors, because the correct translation in English is "Indonesia Can", or more precisely, Indonesia is able to do anything it puts its mind into.
It was indeed a colossal evening with more than 30,000 people performing all kinds of things, from traditional and modern dances and songs to martial arts. It was a night intended to remind us of the 100 years of nationhood and of the diversity of the peoples in the archipelago who are collectively now called Indonesians.
While some TV stations claimed the stadium was at full capacity (it seats 100,000), it looked more like half-full.
On one side of the stadium were seated schoolchildren each carrying a giant album of colored papers that they would flash depending on instructions, and together they would send out messages to the audience opposite, including the President and all the VIPs. Messages such as Indonesia Maju Jaya (Indonesia, Progress and Be Great) and Indonesia Bisa were among those frequently flashed, to the applause of the audience.
Colossal maybe and spectacular, but as Simon Cowell says of the mediocre performers on American Idol, it was quite a forgettable show. Despite the fact that the three-hour performance was shown on every TV channel in the country, many people who sat through the entire show would have a hard time describing the highlights of the night.
An acquaintance recalled that the last time a spectacular show like this was put together at the same stadium was for then president Sukarno by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965. This acquaintance was then in primary school in Jakarta and had the misfortune to be selected to help flash the colored papers in Senayan.
The requirement that all TV stations (with no exception) had to air the program is a leftover from the last days of Soeharto. Blessed are those who subscribe to cable services for they at least had a choice of programs.
Even the President`s speech failed to fire up the spirit of nationalism, as he failed to capture the spirit of our founding fathers who managed to free Indonesia from the shackles of colonialism in 1945. Like all speeches since then, Yudhoyono talked about the potential for Indonesia to become a great nation on par with the most advanced nations on earth. Like all speeches before him, it was devoid of any credible road map of how Indonesia could achieve this goal.
When all is said and done the centennial celebration of National Awakening Day will probably be remembered for the wrong things, not for the glory and rekindled spirit of nationalism that the colossal night at Bung Karno stadium was intended to capture.
For one, a few days earlier Indonesia lost the chance to bring home a single trophy from the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup badminton championships, which we hosted in Jakarta. Imagine how memorable the National Awakening celebrations would have been had we won even one of the cups.
Tuesday, a public holiday to mark the Waisak Buddhist holiday, was also marked by massive street protests against the government`s plan to increase fuel prices.
And also on Tuesday, all celebrations were off the moment we heard the sad news of the passing of two legendary national figures: former Jakarta governor and Soeharto`s most ardent critic, Ali Sadikin, and S.K. Trimurthi, a journalist whose husband Sayuti Melik typed up the text of Indonesia`s independence proclamation in 1945.
May 20, 2008, should be dedicated to these two national heroes. That is worth remembering.
Source: old.thejakartapost.com - Endy M. Bayuni (23 Mei 2008)
