Pram Who Knows About The National Vision

Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Pramoedya Ananta Toer is a writer with a special view of nationalism. His works are inspiring, with ideas of progress. Pram has been loyal in criticizing the nation's leaders - especially after Soekarno - and correcting them, including about the national insight. For Pram, without a national insight, Indonesia's dream to become a developed nation is just a dream.

Nationalism and national insight are two things that cannot be separated. Both refer to the awareness of the importance of a nation state. This concept is ideological in nature, which also provides provisions for all Indonesian people to live and have a state.

In other words, the national insight is a form of awareness of each person and the ability to think as a nation. Ideally, the national perspective should raise awareness of loving the country, with fighting power, which adopts the character and nobility of the nation.

In this context, the nationalism insight functions as a means of struggle to defend colonized, poor, and helpless humans under the crotch of the rulers. Pram's understanding of the national insight is very important. Goenawan Mohamad testified that Pram practiced this in his daily life.

Pram and Journalist Rüdiger Siebert (Source: WIkimedia Commons)

For example, Pram, who is Javanese, bravely rejects 'Javanese'. Pram prefers Indonesian (nationality). Pram chose the father of the national press, Tirto Adhi Soerjo (1880-1918) as the hero of his life. The form of his love for the newspaper founder, Medan Priaji, is described by Pram in the book Sang Pemula (1985).

For Pram, Tirto Adhi Soerjo is the main figure when talking about national insight. The thoughts of Tirto Adhi Soerjo, which go far beyond the times, are proof that Indonesians can be reliable in all fields.

"For Pramoedya, Tirto Adhi Soerjo is a reformer in many ways. He introduced modernity to his colonized people. With regard to what I want to say here, he (Tirto) "is one of the first generation with national insight ..." said Pramoedya, "who has left ties of culture and blood." That insight, Pram said, "has gone beyond the conventional-traditional, reaching the Indies as a whole," said Goenawan Mohamad in his writing in Koran Tempo entitled Pramoedya (2006).

Another example of the national insight revealed by Pram can be seen in another fictional novel, entitled Bukan Pasar Malam (1951). In the novel, Pram straightforwardly presents a father character who is willing to sacrifice many things for the independence of his nation.

Even though he must be far from his children, the father character shows the reader that the sacrifices in the revolution cannot be understood only with logic alone. Moreover, independence is a common goal. There must be tradeoffs between the diversity of interests.

"But dad is rarely right at home. But his departure during the occupation was not just a gamble. My father continued to fight for the life of the republic, ”writes Pram's novel.

Pram's criticism of the national insight

Young Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

For Pram, apart from Soekarno, there was no longer a national leader who was able to lead the Indonesian state towards the ideals of a great nation. Pram argued that every leader after Soekarno did not show an understanding of the Indonesian insight that had in his soul. Take for example when Soekarno was replaced by Suharto in the 1960s.

Pram described the second president of Indonesia as a figure who only relies on intuition and an obsession with power. Therefore, the result is only abundant personal wealth. Meanwhile, Indonesia has lost all of its national pride and there is no satisfactory achievement.

Soeharto actually destroyed everything that Soekarno had built. Due to Soeharto's obsession with power, future generations must pay dearly for everything that was undermined by the corrupt behavior of the New Order era.

The second President of the Republic of Indonesia Soeharto (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

“In my opinion, Soekarno's government is still the best in Indonesia. But he has many enemies from Western countries, because he is anti-colonialism, anti-capitalism, and anti-imperialism. He already suspected that the West only wanted to turn this world into their dollar field, "said Pramoedya Ananta Toer in an interview with Andre Vltchek & Rossie Indira, quoted in the book I Burned Amarah Sendirian (2006).

The lack of national insight became more evident with the emergence of the violent tragedy in East Timor - the Santa Cruz Tragedy - in 1991. Pram called the attacks and repressive actions of the apparatus as forms of outrageous ignorance.

In Pram's eyes, Indonesian leaders do not want to learn from the past. Indonesia actually stood against colonialism. At that time, Indonesia, which had become a quite large country, was in fact colonized.

"Embarrassing! How come fighting against colonialism continues to colonize? That's stupid, "Pram.

Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

Pram added, if it was true that Indonesia's post-Soekarno leader was Pancasila, then in the East Timor dispute, this figure should have acted wisely. Help the people of East Timor with funds, experts, then let East Timor become independent.

It is East Timor's right. If the leadership's national perspective was qualified, then the continuous war and killings - up to 1/3 of the East Timorese population were slaughtered - would not occur.

Even with the leaders after Soeharto. For example, the environment in Indonesia is being destroyed every day. However, not a single Indonesian politician or presidential candidate was willing to carry out large-scale environmental actions.

In fact, our forests are being looted every day. And why is it that neighboring countries get so much benefit. So they don't have to destroy the country's forest. It is enough to invest in Indonesia.

Still from a series of interviews with Andre Vltchek and Rossie Indira - which took place from December 2003 to April 2004 - at his residence in Jakarta, Pram presented other bitter facts.

"So I have to say that the colonial government was better than the current government. It's not really nice to hear, yes, but just look around you. Who can be elected as a presidential candidate? No one has Indonesian insight, and no one has individual achievements, ”Pram.

"All they can do is talk nonsense. There is no real campaign, because there is nothing they can talk about. To me, they are all clowns," Pram added.

* Read other information about HISTORY or read other interesting writings from Detha Arya Tifada.

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