National Figure

ROMO MANGUN
Tribute to a multi-talented national figure

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I met him the first and last time three days before he past away. That was a very special experience in my life; because I could see the figure I had never met. Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya was born on 6 May 1929 in Ambarawa, Central Java, from Catholic parents. At the age of sixteen, during the revolution for independence from the Dutch, he joined the Student Army. The troops’ callousness towards the villagers shocked him. In 1950, after hearing a speech by Major Isman about the harmful effects of the revolution on civilians, he decided to repay his debt by serving the people as a priest.

After studying theology and architecture, Romo (Father) Mangun started his public life in Yogyakarta in the late 1960s. He became a parish priest, lecturer in architecture, practicing architect, essayist, columnist, novelist, human rights activist and social worker. For six years he lived among the poor along the Code River in Yogyakarta, and built a Community Centre for them.

His contribution to this country as a good citizen is participating in general elections and also being active politically in organizations. This comparison below is about the story of Javanese leader (in the traditional story of Wayang) who can be a pattern for modern leader that Romo Mangun was criticized. Although the government claims the elections to be public, the first election in 1976 was clearly going to proceed in its exclusive Indonesian style. On the face of it, this orderly queue of Javanese voters is a good example of communal response to the new order’s implementation of “democratic” values. However, the shape of the queue recalls that of the headdress of two characters from the shadow puppet theater: Bima and his son Gatutkaca. Both were associated in Romo Mangun’s mind with Sukarno. Sukarno saw in Gatutkaca a heroic role model for a modern Indonesian nationalist. The cartoon thus makes an implicit comparison between the early years of independence and 1976. The voters’ closed eyes suggest that, this time, they are blindly obeying orders from above, instead of realizing their potential for shaping democracy. Through this picture, Romo Mangun encouraged ordinary people to become once again politically aware and active.

He also concerned about an educational program for lay people, especially basic education for children. Romo Mangun believed that education was a crucial pre-condition for Indonesian progress. Its aim should be to promote discernment and creativity in individuals. He strongly objected to teaching methods which crushed spirits instead. Most of all, he insisted it was for everyone, not just the elite. In 1993 he founded an experimental school for disadvantaged children in Yogyakarta under the research group Laboratorium Dinamika Edukasi Dasar. He often said: “When I die, let me die as a primary school teacher.”

Romo Mangun looked back to the 1945 revolution as a golden age of Indonesian nationalism. Among his favorite heroes were former President Sukarno and former Prime Minister Syahrir. They are represented in a picture as the Javanese shadow puppets Bima and Yudhistira. According to Romo Mangun, Sukarno resembled Bima because of his tenacity of purpose, his flamboyance and his raw style of expression in the low Javanese language or ‘ngoko’.
Syahrir resembled the more refined Yudhistira because he used knowledge and diplomacy rather than brute force to solve national problems. Romo Mangun himself hated violence. He admired both heroes for their selfless commitment to the national cause.

He died on 10 February 1999, at 01.55 p.m. beside his friend, Mohammad Sobary, while he was attending conference “Meningkatkan Peran Buku Dalam Upaya Membentuk Masyarakat Indonesia Baru” in Le Meridien Hotel at Jendral Sudirman Street, Jakarta. Medically, Romo Mangun had a heart condition and was already using a heart pacer. But, as a believer, his death was as beautiful as he would have wanted, which was hope to died in the midst of his friends.