Preserving the Pearls of Independence

DOKUMENTASI BBY

Fine art exhibition by Nasirun, Sunday (16/8/2020), at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta.

In preparation for Indonesia’s 75th anniversary celebration, masked mannequins filled the exhibition room of Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta cultural space. Artist Nasirun painted on the mannequins. On a wall, a 14-meter-long painting by Nasirun was displayed.

If there was no Covid-19 pandemic, lots of people would have watched the special exhibition. However, this time, there was nobody. The place was quiet. This was deliberate. This year, Independence Day is celebrated solemnly.

In the face of the unseen coronavirus, we, these human giants, are rendered helpless. We are reminded that we are mere dust that can perish from the onslaught of the coronavirus, which is smaller than a thousandth of a dust particle. This warning arrives at a very appropriate time. We have been arrogant with our seemingly boundless progress and prosperity that we end up destroying our environment.

Also read : Independence as Empowerment

We are glorifying our own self-righteousness, turning politics into horse-trading and turn our democracy topsy-turvy as if we are living in a dynastic rule. We exalt our own religion that we forget that humans, whoever they are, are equal, with equal rights before God.

It is with this arrogance and exaltation that we fill our independence. This is what has been happening in the past decade. We often are not aware of this, in spite of this leading to our own country’s downfall if continued. How stubborn we are!

Even when the coronavirus is right before our eyes, we believe that we are all-powerful and cannot be affected by it. Now, we have been freed from this arrogance and all-powerful feeling: the coronavirus has reverted us into our true selves, nothing more than perishable dust.

Our lust for progress and prosperity, which led us to exploit our nature, has been ceased. Our political arrogance has been silenced. What does our political greatness even mean when we have lost the idea and initiatives to help those who are sick? Even the majesty of our religions have withered. Houses of worship are deserted and holy sermons are meaningless in the face of congregants crying for their daily struggles to get even a spoonful of rice. We really need to contemplate this and have an introspection while we are celebrating our country’s 75th anniversary.

As we are facing the coronavirus, we are forced to define our independence not exclusively as “political independence” but as “human independence” that frees us from our self-egoism, self-righteousness and self-exaltation. We are facing the demand that we will only become independent humans when we no longer live for ourselves and when we care for others, no matter who they are and regardless of their religions.

No matter their health and safety, we are asked to be sensitive for those who are old and weak. Even in health, we can bring disaster to the weak and the old if we are not careful in adhering to health protocols. Today, our independence is defined in simple terms: we are free if we can freely give ourselves to others in order to collectively safeguard the nation’s life in its wholeness.

Like it or not, the coronavirus has put us in a crisis.

We need to contemplate that it will be impossible for us to be independent as a nation if we are not free as humans. If we are not careful, we can put our self-freedoms at stake in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Like it or not, the coronavirus has put us in a crisis. Writer Volker Resing said that viruses were clearly authoritarian. Everyone, regardless of their positions in life, kowtows before it.

Truly, we must first protect our health in order to face the virus. However, let us not forget to protect freedom, democracy and our humanity image against the authoritarian threats. This is because everyone today longs for a protective authority.

Also read : Welcoming Golden Indonesia (Anxiously?)

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Bogor City Population and Civil Registry officers wearing hazmat suits while recording electronic ID card data at the house of Suhanah (82), a resident of Kedung Jaya Village, Sareal District, Bogor City, Tuesday (21/7/2020).

In normal times, we always criticize such authorities. In times of crisis, we can easily surrender and submit ourselves to any authority so long as we feel the authority can protect us. This is understandable as humans fundamentally wish for safety, security and comfort. If there is an authority that can provide this, they will submit to it.

The risk is that such a submission can turn into a normality, even when we have passed this health crisis. Unconsciously, we can make way for a new authoritarianism after we escape this authoritarian coronavirus. Therefore, even today we must protect ourselves and prevent our loss of freedom, even as we need a strong authority to protect us.

Also read : Learning to be Scared

We also must recognize that we are in fear and anxiety. Any authority can abuse this, not to help but instead to shackle people in authoritarian doctrines and false hope. Unsurprisingly, during times of great crisis throughout history, messianic and radical movements emerged and promised the arrival of a Messiah that will restore justice and safety. Behind such promises, there is always authoritarianism that demands blind obedience.

Examples in modern history show that the state may extremely intervene the economy, as it wishes to provide salvation for the people in a time of crisis. It is never easy to erase traces and legacies of such intervention, even when things have returned to normalcy. Therefore, if we are not careful, the state can continue doing business even during normal times. This is despite its duty at first has been a political duty to salvage the nation. When politics is intermingled with business, that is where the real plague begins even after the coronavirus has left us.

This is why, no matter how much we need safety, security and comfort in this Covid-19 era, we must always strive not to lose our freedoms. Therefore, we must dare to take risks – even those unrelated to our health threats.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Sindhunata

If we continue to fear risks, this is a sign that we are losing our freedoms. We must not let fear take away our freedoms due to the coronavirus. Our freedoms are the pearl of our independence that we must preserve amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sindhunata, Journalist