Gus Dur's Legacy of Inclusiveness in Lampung

It has been more than 13 years since KH Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid passed away. However, the values ​​of humanity and justice that Indonesia’s fourth president fought for continue to be nurtured by young people.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

Gus Dur taught various messages about tolerance at the supplication in memory of Gus Dur's passing in Bandar Lampung, on Tuesday (10/1/2023).

Children's chatting broke the silence soon after the supplication in memory of Gus Dur's passing had been served inside the hall of the Growing Hope Special School (SLB), a school for children with disabilities, in Bandar Lampung on Tuesday (10/1/2023).

The school’s pupils were participating in a coloring activity as part of the commemorations for Gus Dur’s 13th anniversary held by an interfaith community of young people. These were members of the Gusdurian Lampung Network. Gusdurian refers to advocates of Gus Dur’s teachings and insights about interfaith relations and nationalism. University students, religious leaders, district heads, military officers and activists from various social organizations were present at the event.

Seated and with their heads over their desks, the children were engrossed in scratching their colored pencils on drawing paper distributed by the teachers. Some worked on their drawings on the floor. They were physically impaired in hearing, mentally with down syndrome or autistic.

Also read:

> Gus Dur's Reincarnation

> Gus Dur, Humor and Democracy

Some guests approached the children and joined in the coloring. Among them were Rasyidah Al Ganiyat, 20, a seventh-semester student of sharia business management, Raden Intan State Islamic University, Lampung. She offered herself as a companion for Fitriyana, 14, who had a hearing impairment.

While coloring together, Rashidah tried to communicate with Fitriyana through body language with the help of a teacher. Rasyidah used fingers to impart a message to Fitriyana.

"I [meant] to say she was a beautiful child," Rasyidah said. Fitriyana replied with a smile and signaled a gratitude for the compliment.

Rasyidah, who traveled about 10 kilometers from her residential area to the venue, was not yet born when Gus Dur was president. She said she had learned about Gus Dur from her parents' stories as well as through reading about him.

Communication

For Rasyidah, the morning's event was more than just a get-together for coloring activities. Engaging for half an hour with Fitriyana, she felt the firsthand experience of going through the constraints in body-language communication. She said it had given her more awareness that a group of society was unfortunate to have “different abilities” to cope with and distinct ways of communicating from people in general.

It was these values ​​of caring and empathy for different groups of society that Gus Dur truly strived for throughout his life. Apart from advocating for peace and brotherhood, Gus Dur was also known as a staunch fighter for human values, justice and tolerance. "The figure of Gus Dur taught me about tolerance and mutual respect for fellow human beings," she said.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

The coloring activity with children with disabilities was held as part of a series of events for the supplication in memory of Gus Dur's passing which was held by the Gusdurian Lampung Network, Tuesday (10/1/2023).

Among the attendants was her fellow university student Husen, 28, a student from Yala Province, Thailand. He is currently studying the history of Islamic civilization. He said he was familiar with Gus Dur as one of the influential figures in spreading the values ​​of tolerance and peace in Indonesia.

Born and raised in a conflict area in southern Thailand, Husen said he was inspired by Gus Dur and was determined to promulgate his value teachings of tolerance and peace.

"The value of tolerance promoted by Gus Dur is very relevant to current conditions. People are prone to conflict because they have failed to respect each other," he said.

Regardless of your religion or ethnicity, if you do something good for everyone, people will never bother [about] your backgrounds.

When he returned to Thailand, he said, he wanted to introduce the figure of Gus Dur to young people there. He hoped the conflict in his area would end soon.

As for Alentinus, 27, a young Protestant Christian who joins the Lampung Gusdurian Network, he said he had learned from Gus Dur’s teachings about the importance of interfaith respect. For his cause, he said, Gus Dur was loved not only by students and Muslims, but various groups of different religions, including religious leaders, statesmen, politicians and human rights activists.

"Regardless of your religion or ethnicity, if you do something good for everyone, people will never bother [about] your backgrounds," he said, adding that it was what he remembered about Gus Dur's advice.

More inclusive

Gus Dur died on 30 Decemer, 2009. Lampung Gusdurian Network coordinator Yogi Prazani said the coloring activity for the children with disabilities had been chosen as one of the Gus Dur commemoration highlights to get children with disabilities in Lampung to know more about the national figure of pluralism.

"Hopefully, this is the first step to creating a social movement for more inclusive government policies. We want children with disabilities to ingrain the value of inclusiveness," he said.

SLB Growing Hope founder Maria Novitawati gave her appreciation to the young people grouped in the Lampung Gusdurian Network in interpreting the values ​​that Gus Gur had strived for. She said people might see it a small event but the coloring activity for children with disabilities would be able to serve as a valuable lesson for everyone who attended it.

Also read:

> Searching for a Rarity

> Feel Free to Laugh before Laughter Is Banned

”Everyone present [at the event] must have a deep impression. They learn empathy, cooperation, and tolerance from this simple activity," she said.

She was hopeful that the children at the school would learn about the value of tolerance taught by Gus Dur. Without being provided with complicated narratives, she said, children with disabilities were expected to be able to practice the manifestation of love, protection and mutual respect.

The young generation should continue to uphold the values ​​taught by Gus Dur, starting with simple things in their diverse environment because the existing diversity is the true strength for Indonesia.

This article was translated by Musthofid.