Oppression and abuses of power
Are too numerous to mention
Stop, stop, don't go on
We're fed up with greed and uncertainty
-- Iwan Fals,
"Demolish", a hit song of 1989
Each period has its own history.
Each period has its own heroes. In 1999, the Indonesianist Benedict Anderson
wrote that what Indonesian people called "reformasi" in 1998 had
actually occurred in early 1900. Since that period, there have been many heroes
who raise the national awakening. Thus, what is happening today is similar to
what happened in the past.
Ben Anderson said that Indonesia had given
birth to many heroes. They are Dr. Sutomo, Natsir, Tan Malaka, Kartini, Haji
Misbach, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Yap Thiam Hin, Sudirman, Roem, Sukarno, Hatta,
Armijn Pane, Sudisman, Haji Dahlan, Hasjim Asj'ari, and more. In his article,
he asked a question: who is the hero in contemporary Indonesia? Which person is
worth admiring in modern Indonesia?
He asked this question to many Indonesian
students in Cornell at that time. He wanted to compare about present and future
figures in Indonesian history. Most of the students didn’t know how to respon
d
this question. Anderson hoped that they will mention one from the many names
that are mentioned above. But he was
questioning when the students mention
ed
Iwan Fals as the
ir hero.
He said:
"Is
not this rather terrifying?"
I assume that not everyone understands
about the contribution of Iwan Fals to social change in Indonesia. Maybe
Anderson did not understand that through Iwan Fals’ songs, Iwan Fals always
talks about the sad social reality of Indonesia. Anderson’s view may reflect
the opinion of many people who think popular music is not important.
As noted by Lockard (1998), there is
always a connection between popular music and the political situation in
Southeast Asia. Lockard believe
s that a singer has a function as a political
actor, especially in the way these performers use music as a
social weapon
or tool – and even sometimes as a call to change, challenge or overthrow the
existing government or socioeconomic condition that they consider as unjust
systems. In this context, Iwan honestly speaks about poverty, prostitution,
government corruption, rising prices, and also
public representatives who always
sleep at the
parliamentary hearing. He also played an important role to kindle
the spirit of reform of Indonesian students during
reformasi period.
I still remember that era in 1997, when I
was a freshmen student at Hasanuddin University at Makassar. At that time,
Indonesia and other Southeast Asia countries were hit by the monetary crisis. Everywhere,
prices soared. In all cities, protests continued, requesting President
Soeharto to step down from the presidency.
Almost every day, I always lead Hasanuddin
University students to demonstrate. Unfortunately, there were not many students
interested to join our demonstration. Most of them just watched
us marching in the streets. At that time, the New Order regime was still
powerful. Many activists were kidnapped and killed by the military. One day, me
and other student activists had an initiative to invite the living legend of
Indonesian music, Iwan Fals, to play.
In 1997, Iwan Fals came to Hasanuddin
University. He came as a member of Kantata Takwa band with the poet W.S.
Rendra, the musician Sawung Jabo, and
the businessman Setiawan Djody. They sang critical songs about the
government. The students hoped that Iwan would sing Bongkar (demolish) and
Bento, two powerful songs that we always sang in our demonstrations.
Then, Iwan sang Bongkar and Bento.
The
songs ignited the spirit of thousands of Makassar students. After that
time, most university students joined us in every demonstration. Hundreds of
students went to Jakarta and joined with thousands of other students to
demonstrate in front of the House of Representatives.
Iwan Fals and his band traveled to many areas and sang his critical
songs. Finally, our effort paid off. On May 21th, 1998, Soeharto resigned as
President of the Republic of Indonesia.
For me, Iwan Fals is a contemporary hero
who inspires many people to be critical of authority. Iwan Fals has always
been the voice of Indonesia's grassroots movement since the New Order era, but
until now, he has preferred not to be its formal leader. He just keeps doing
what he does best - singing and cheering - and maintaining the qualities of his
song and conviction that keeps his fans loyal to him.
In 2002, Time magazine named Iwan Fals as
the Asian Hero.
In this edition, there
were only two Indonesian
s in the list. They were Iwan Fals and novelist
Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Their profiles were put together with the profiles of
other Asian leaders such as the famous Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan, the Burmese
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the Tibetian monk
, Karmapa Lama, and the East
Timorese leader, Xanana Gusmao. Interestingly, Iwan Fals picture became the
Time magazine's
cover. In the article entitled "Iwan Fals Sings a Timeless Message of
Justice for All", Time noted:
Here's why Iwan Fals matters: because boy bands don't take on
dictatorships. They don't stand up when everyone else is hunkering down. They
don't put to song what others are afraid to put in print. Pop stars should give
a damn—when they do, remarkable transformations are possible.
Time also noted that Iwan Fals
concert was the most widely attended concert in Indonesia. Time noted: "He's
the voice of the people. And he has been a thorn in the side of those who would
abuse power."
Another prominent magazine focusing on music,
politics and lifestyle, Rolling Stone, also wrote a comprehensive report
about Iwan Fals. This magazine made a list of the 150 best songs in the
history of Indonesian music. Iwan Fals’ song Bongkar (demolish) became
the best song on the list. Two other songs such as Guru Oemar Bakri and Bento
were also in the top ten. According to Rolling Stone, Iwan was a musician
who inspired many people with the power of his lyrics.
Iwan Fals, nevertheless, is not alone in
the ranks of musicians that voice critical songs in the history of Indonesian
music. In the late 1940s, some
nationalists controlled several radio stations during the Indonesian revolution
and employed that advantage to spread their message. They modified keroncong
as a weapon, with many ‘lagu perjuangan’ (redemption songs) written in this kind of genre
and broadcasted them on revolutionaries-controlled radio
stations. Hence keroncong came to characterize not just lower-class but
also nationalist aspirations. Even today most of these songs are performed in keroncong
style. The nationalist songs are known as keroncong revolusi
(revolutionary keroncong) and deal with issues of freedom and independence. One
of the best-known songs was “keroncong merdeka”
During the 1950s
and early 1960s, Indonesia was led by the charismatic President Soekarno, the
founding father of Indonesian independence. In this era,
Brigadier General Rudi Pirngadie, a veteran of the revolution occasionally
named “General Keroncong”, tried to create a modernized (and somewhat
Westernized) type that could serve as ‘a concrete symbol of nationalist
ideology.’ Sukarno supported Pirngadie’s attempt to create a national music for
international consumption.
During the
unrestrained Sukarno era, however, keroncong gradually faded in fame,
seen by many as overly mellow (even insipid) and –ironically, given its origins
– bourgeois. In this era, a new form of proletarian theater called ludruk became widespread in some cities
in Java; the closely related art form, ludruk was also established in
Madura. The styles were deliberately crude compared to the elite wayang. Mixing
music, comedy, and satire, the ludruk performance generally portrayed
difficulties and issues of modern culture, including social criticism and
problems of slum dwellers.
Under the New Order, control of the arts
and media by the government was mixed and inconsistent, but generally, Indonesia
enjoyed a booming artistic scene –including music. Between the mid-1960s and
1990s, Indonesia established a wide diversity of popular music styles, some of
which proved favorable and supportive to socio-political comments and
critiques. Popular music became a major
constituent of the background for daily life (Lockhard 1998; 78).
I'm interested to see how pop music became a
medium of resistance in the
repressive New Order situation. Through their lyrics, musicians
tried to illustrate their ideas about
politics and corruption. Even
though the music industry was based in Jakarta, there were some
musicians who produced critical songs about government in many regions. The four cities that became
the centers of critical pop music
in Indonesia were Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, and
Yogyakarta. Musicians in these cities became icons
of protest in the era of New Order.
In Jakarta, one of the critical musicians
was Mogi Darusman (1947–2007) Mogi appeared with his song Rayap-Rayap
(termites) and Koruptor (corruptor).
Mogi’s song is a critique of an official of the New Order who became a
corruptor. He wrote this song with Teguh Esha, the author of the novel Ali
Topan Anak Jalanan. The melody of the song is taken from the song The
Cats She Was Too Young that was written by Piet Veerman, one of Mogi’s
friends in Europe. Mogi’s father is a diplomat who spent his life in European
countries. Although his father was part of the New Order, he strongly
criticized the government. The New Order regime placed Mogi in the opposition
side. He was often detained by police. His album was banned. He also was banned
from the stage because the song was considered an insult to President Soeharto.
 |
| From left to right; Gombloh, Leo Kristi, Franky Sahilatua |
In Surabaya, critical pop musicians included Gombloh (1948 – 1988), Leo
Kristi, and Franky Sahilatua (1953 – 2011). They began their presence in the
early of 1980s. Gombloh was a true ballad songwriter who joined with a group
called Leom Trees who paid homage to art rock/ orchestral rock called Lemon
Tree. His music was influenced by ELP and Genesis. Leo Kristi and
Franky Sahilatua also became members of this group. Gombloh often depicted everyday
life through songs like Doa Seorang Pelacur (A Pray of A Prostitute),
Kilang-Kilang (Factories), Poligami (Poligamy), Nyanyi Anak Seorang Pencuri
(The Song of a Thief’s Son), Selamat Pagi Kotaku (Good Morning My City).
His lyrics were considered poetic and mysterious. As a ballad singer, Gombloh
often wrote songs about the environment. One of them is Berita Alam (The
Earth News), more popularly known as Kembalikan Alamku (My
Sustainable Earth). Gombloh also produced love songs that tend to be
"eccentric", much like the work of Iwan Fals or Doel Sumbang. One
example is Lepen (“culverts” in the Javanese language, but here is an
abbreviation of "short jokes").
The theme that made his songs become memorable is nationalism. His
nationalism songs are Dewa Ruci (The God of Ruci), Gugur Bunga
(The Flowers Autumn), Gaung Mojokerto – Surabaya (The echoes of
Mojokerto to Surabaya), Indonesia Kami – Indonesiaku - Indonesiamu (Our
Indonesia-My Indonesia-Your Indonesia), and Bung Karno, the story of
Soekarno as the founding father of Indonesia. His song Kebyar
Kebyar was sang by many students during the movement before the fall of General
Soeharto in 1998.
The idealistic lifestyle
of Gomboh inspired other musicians
such as Leo Kristi. Leo’s musical journey moved even further in 1969,
when he joined in a band called Lemon Trees with musician Gombloh, who was his
friend at the School of Architecture at the Surabaya Technology Institute
(ITS). Then, Leo left this band to launch his solo music career, moving from
one place to another to sing, including in restaurants, the Goethe Institute
and Indonesia-America Foundation (LIA). In 1975, he released his first album, Nyanyian
Fajar (The Song of the Dawn) and over the next 20 years, nine more albums
followed.
Leo Kristi musical concept is
the 'People's Concert'. Although similar nationalist musicians like
Gombloh might have gained more popularity, Leo won cult status. He has many
loyal fans scattered across the country, with many of them founding their own
music groups influenced by Leo’s style. But then how can a musician like Leo
who seldom puts out records (his last album, Tembang Lestari, was
released in 1995) maintain such a solid fan base? Simply, Leo travels a lot,
meets people and interacts with them, which means he builds a certain
attachment among his listeners.
Another
famous musician in Surabaya was Franky Sahilatua. He was one of the activists
who often criticized the government. Although he was born in Ambon, Maluku, in
1953, he started his career in Surabaya. His music was country/ folk music that
was influenced by John Denver and Joan Baez. He started his music career when
he joined with the Lemon Trees with Gombloh and Leo Kristi. Then, he also sang
with his sister Jean Maureen Sahilatua. His name became very popular when he
was asked by the author Teguh Esha to sing the songs in the album Balada Ali
Topan Anak Jalanan (the ballad of Ali Topan, a street child)
Aside from being a singer, Franky was an activist who joined the pro-democracy
movement. Together with Iwan Fals, he has contributed to the process of
denouncing Soeharto as the president of Indonesia. Together, they wrote the
song Di Bawah Tiang Bendera (Under the Flag Pole) in 1997 to describe
the military raid on the office of the Indonesian Democratic Party –Partai
Demokrasi Indonesia. This song was later sang by students in many
demonstrations against Soeharto. Another song with Iwan Fals is Orang
Pinggiran (Marginal People) which highlights the poor citizens’ life.
Franky also collaborated with poet Emha Ainun Najib in
Perahu Retak (The Cracked Boat) that described the Indonesia
situation in the early part of 1998.
In Yogyakarta,
a prominent musician was
Ebiet G. Ade.
Ebiet’s father was a
civil servant (PNS),
and his mother
was a cloth merchant in Banjarnegara,
Central Java.
At first he wanted to be
a religion teacher,
but his
destiny
took him to Yogyakarta to be
active in the Pelajar Islam Indonesia, (Indonesian
Muslim Students -- PII), one
of the leading student organizations.
He joined with several young artist
groups at
Yogyakarta in 1971.
He made friendship with many famous critical
artists such as Emha Ainun Najib (poet),
Eko Tunas (author)
,
and EH Kartanegara (author)
.
At
first, Ebiet wrote poems, but later he became
a song writer. He was looking for
a way to read a
poem in a different way, without
reciting on the stage. He chose and
modified music into a poem lyric. He began to sing a song ballad that
reflected the suffering of the
people.
 |
| From left to right; Bimbo, Harry Rusli, Rhoma Irama, and Iwan Fals |
In Bandung,
there were four musicians who stood out because of
their criticism.
They were Bimbo,
Harry Rusli
(1951-2004),
Rhoma Irama,
and Iwan Fals. Bimbo was a group of musicians that often
worked with the poets. The personnel of this group are all-related. They
are Sam, Acil, Jaka, and Iin Parlina.
During a 40-year career,
they've worked with
a lot of poets such as
Taufik Ismail,
Ramadhan KH,
and Wing Kardjo, but most of their songs were an adaptation of Taufik Ismail poems
into popular songs. A music observer,
Franky Raden, wrote that the most interesting phenomenon in
Bimbo’s songs is a process of transforming religious values through pop music.
Since the
1970's, Bimbo started to criticize the government. They wrote the satirical
song Tante Soen (Auntie of Soen) to describe a situation when many
official government wives used public facilities. The song Tante Soen was banned by the government in 1977. Because of this
song, The Television of Republic Indonesia (TVRI), the only television channel
at that time, banned Bimbo on the screen for several years. Bimbo also voiced
what was happening in the world. One of the more famous songs is Reagen and Breznev to express their
opinion when U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited Indonesia. They also wrote
the song Antara Kabul dan Beirut
(Between Kabul and Beirut) to protest the conflict in the Middle East. They
further criticized the United Nations through the song The Elegy of United Nations. When Vietnam refugees came to
Indonesia, they wrote The Ballad Hue Tran that explained what happened
at that time.
Rhoma Irama is one of the senior critical
Indonesian musicians. Based on various data sources, the number of people who
bought his album and became spectators of his movies were about 15 million or
10 % of Indonesia's population in 1984. Rhoma Irama also introduced dangdut
music, which he called a Malay music. He is one of the most successful
musicians who staged huge concerts. He not only appeared in Indonesia, but has
performed in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Brunei with the same number of
viewers as when he performed in Indonesia.
On October 13, 1973, Rhoma proclaimed a
slogan "Voice of Moslem". He wanted to be an agent of Malay musical
innovation who combined elements of rock music and Malay music. He made an
improvisation upon arrangements, poems, lyrics, costumes, and performances on
stage. He also entered politics. In the early days of the New Order, he had
become an important mascot of Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (The Uni Party of
Development --PPP). After he was despised by the New Order government for
refusing to join
Golongan Karya
(Golkar), Rhoma retreated from politics. Then, he became a Member of Parliament
in 1993. In the 2004 elections Rhoma Irama also appear on stage of The Party of
Justice ad Prosperous (
Partai Keadilan Sejahtera -- PKS) campaign.
Another critical musician was Harry Rusli
(1951-2004). He is the grandson of one of the great literaries from Minangkabau
Marah Rusli. During the 1970's, he was very productive to write lyrics that
contained social criticism. Harry was recognized as an expert of satirical
lyrics that were difficult to digest by the public.
In one of his songs, he referred to
Indonesia as a peacock dog. On the one hand, Indonesia was beautiful like the
charming peacock, but on the other hand, Indonesia was like an an annoying dog.
He wrote the song Ken Arok which refered to the president of the
Soeharto. In 1971, Harry was arrested by the government because of his album
cover Philosophy Gang contained pornographic aspects. He said that the album
cover is a portrait of Indonesia's pathos. He criticized the commercialization
of natural resources and agricultural products of Indonesia.
***
In the midst of the many musicians
who appeared in the 1980's,
why should Iwan Fals
be an icon of Indonesian critical music?
In this article, I
propose some arguments.
First, Iwan Fals is one of the most
prolific musicians in Indonesia. A senior musician from Surabaya, Gombloh (1948
- 1988), who was also known to be very critical of the government, but only
produced six albums during his whole music career. Another musician, Franky
Sahilatua, produced around 15 albums. Iwan Fals himself produced about 45
albums. Until now, he remains consistent to deliver musical albums that are made
in accordance with the spirit of his time.
Bimbo was more productive than
Iwan. Bimbo has released 50 albums. However, the lyrics
of the Bimbo’s songs are based on poems that were
written by Taufik Ismail. If we see from the side of originality, Iwan Fals
was actually more productive because he wrote almost all of his songs.
The only musicians who beat
Iwan Fals is Rhoma
Irama that has issued around 77
albums. But Rhoma Irama has
a different audience with Iwan Fals.
Most of Rhoma fans are coming from low class and those who live in
the rural area, while Iwan
Fals fans are mostly middle-class people who live in urban areas.
In the reformasi period, Rhoma
Irama name was seldom mentioned by student activists because his critical songs
were made in the 1980s. It may also be influenced by the fact that the Rhoma
fans lived in rural areas while the reformasi movement was triggered and
driven by the urban middle class who feel discomfort in government policy. We
can compare the productivity data of critical musicians in the following table:
City
|
Musician
|
Album
|
Prominent Song
|
Jakarta
|
Mogi Darusman
|
6 albums
4 singles
|
Rayap-Rayap (termites)
Puppet on Life
|
Surabaya
|
Gombloh
|
10 album (Gombloh &
The Lemon Tree)
5 solo album
|
Kebyar-Kebyar
Doa Seorang Pelacur (A
Pray of A Prostitute)
Kilang-Kilang
(factories)
Nyanyian
Anak Seorang Pencuri
(The Song of a Thief’s
Son)
|
Leo Kristi
|
4 solo albums
3 festival albums
2 albums with C’Blues
1 album with Guruh
Soekarnoputra
1 album with Contrapunk
|
Nyanyian Fajar (The Song
of the Dawn)
Nyanyian Tanah Merdeka
(The Song of the
Independent)
|
Franky Sahilatua
|
10
solo album
14
duet
(Franky
& Jane)
1 duet album (Franky
& Johnny)
2 album (Franky, Johnny
& Jane)
|
Bis Kota (City Bus)
Musim Bunga (The Flower
Season)
Perjalanan (The Journey)
Kepada Angin dan Burung (To
the wind and the Birds)
|
Yogyakarta
|
Ebiet G Ade
|
19 albums
|
Berita kepada Kawan (A
News for A Friend)
Untuk Kita Renungkan
(For Our Contemplation)
|
Bandung
|
Bimbo
|
51 albums
|
Tante Soen (Auntie Soen)
Abang Becak
Kampanye Pemilu
(Election’s Campaign)
Elegi buat PBB (Elegy for
Uited Nations)
|
Harry Rusli
|
23 solo albums
8 collaboration albums
|
Fraksi Pencuri (A Group
of Thieves)
Ken Arok
Merak
(Peacock)
|
Rhoma Irama
|
23 album (with Soneta
group)
27 soundtrack albums
27 solo albums
25 films
|
Begadang
Pemilu (election)
Darah Muda
(the young blood)
Perjuangan dan Doa
(struggle and pray)
|
Iwan Fals
|
38 solo albums
11 compilation albums
|
Bongkar
(demolition)
Guru
Oemar Bakrie
Bento
Wakil Rakyat (People’s
representative)
|
Second, Iwan Fals has many fanatical
fans who spread his ideas across Indonesia and the world. The fans come from
different social backgrounds, ranging from the upper class, the middle class,
down to the 'grassroots'. Many of them see Iwan Fals as a God. They display Iwan Fals’
poster pictures everywhere. The imagery of Iwan Fals is often illustrated
in their t-shirts. Also, many of his fans made a tattoo of Iwan Fals as a symbol of
loyalty.
In reality, he also has a charisma that
makes everyone willing to attend his show. This
charisma is
a rare power
that is not owned by other singers and musicians. It is not surprising then to
hear that Iwan Fals’ concert in 1990 became the biggest concert with
the largest
audience in Indonesia
.
He made a new history of pop music concerts that were attended by thousands of
spectators.
Compared with other musicians, Iwan Fals
is one of the only singers who formed a massive organization for all his fans
called Orang Indonesia (the Indonesian people -- OI). While other
singers also form fans club like Leo Kristi and Harry Rusli who have many fans,
but the number is much less. Iwan Fals’ fans organization is different compared
to all others. He manages the organization with the goal to empower its
members’ economic background and develop a sense of community. This mission explains
why, on August 2, 1999, he invited thousands of its members to come to his home
in Leuwinanggung, Bogor, to talk about this organization.
A huge
number of fans that have various
backgrounds came to his house. They agreed to make the OI
into a
mass organization. They planned a national gathering which was attended by
thousands of fans. They formed the organization in all cities throughout
Indonesia with an estimated number of members exceeding 500,000 people. The
latest information I have received is the number of OI in Indonesia has reached
over a million people. This number is a fantastic amount for musician fans in
Indonesia. However, this number is not totally true. According to a study by a
student of the University of Indonesia in 2002, Iwan has 46 million fans. In
comparison, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) garnered slightly over 60 million
votes in the 2004 elections to become the country's first democratically
elected president, while the incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri at that time
collected only slightly over 40 million votes in the runoff election
.
Fourth, Iwan Fals is one of the few
musicians who has a strong network with pro-democracy activists. From the
political perspective, Franky Sahilatua choose the same path as Iwan Fals. In
the reform period, both of them wrote songs about the violence which was
created by the military toward members of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
that was led by Megawati. Different than Sahilatua, Iwan was more influential
to the masses.
On the eve of
reformasi, Iwan Fals joined
with the Kantata Takwa, a progressive network of the regime’s challengers,
along with the critical poet, WS Rendra. According to the journalist, Andreas
Harsono, in the 1990s, Iwan Fals often came to Salatiga to meet the prominent
activist and sociologist, Arief Budiman
.
He learned how to understand political issues from Arief Budiman. He also read
and was influenced by the book,
Catatan Seorang Demonstran (Notes of A
Demonstrator), that was written by Soe Hok Gie, the younger brother of Arief
Budiman.
Iwan Fals also often held discussions at
his home in Leuwinanggung, Bogor. He invited speakers such as Budiman
Sudjatmiko
, Sri Bintang Pamungkas
,
Khofifah Indar Parawansa
,
Franz Magnis Suseno
,
and the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Adhyaksa Dault. The discussion
topics were varied, such as religion, love, politics, piracy, violence against
women, AIDS disease, the fuel price hike, corruption, strikes, labor issues,
and the national debt. Through this discussion, he tried to get inspiration and
also built a network with these critical figures in order to learn from them.
Fifth, Iwan Fals’s influence is not only
felt in Indonesia but also in other countries. Mandal (2003) noted that Iwan
Fals influenced many Malaysian artists in their anti-establishment criticisms.
One of them is the famous Malaysian cartoonist, Zunar
.
Similar to Iwan Fals’ lyrics, Zunar creates political cartoons to criticize
politics in Malaysia. Zunar has also written about the collaboration of Iwan
Fals with several artists as an effective force to overthrow the regime. Zunar
gave a strong conclusion, if artists in Malaysia might be able to collaborate
fruitfully to do the same thing.
[22] No wonder when Iwan Fals’
name was mentioned as the Asian hero by
Time Magazine.
Sixth, Iwan Fals songs could explain many
socio-political contexts of the New Order. The songs recorded the events in the
New Order period and also described human interactions that existed at that
time. Prostitutes, the jobless, thugs, underpaid teachers, newspaper vendors,
the homeless and thieves, all of them have their own special place in Iwan Fals
lyrics.
Some attribute his close relations with
the marginalized people to his experience as a busker or street bard in Jakarta
and Bandung from the age of 13. Even after producing four albums from 1979 to
1987, including Sarjana Muda and Sugali, Iwan Fals often
still performed on the streets, especially in the Blok M area in
South Jakarta.
I'm interested to see the relationship
between the music and lyrics of Iwan Fals that relate to social context. Maybe,
the lyrics of Iwan Fals’ songs can help us to better understand the situation
at the end of the New Order. Perhaps, his songs provide more insight into
recognizing the deepen social history of the New Order.
In addition to the above mentioned
questions, I also want to highlight two controversies concerning Iwan Fals. First
is his family background. This history is a very interesting fact to be
explored. Though his songs often promoted grassroots phenomenon, Iwan Fals
actually came from a middle class family. His father was a soldier with the rank of
colonel. If Iwan Fals comes from a military family, why would he make
some lyrics criticizing the military?
Second is Iwan Fals’ close
connection with many businessmen. As part of the upper classes, who made
friends with entrepreneurs, can we say that he was a propaganda tool of
the entrepreneurs and the middle class to topple down Suharto? Given the circumstances,
can we explain the reformasi as an expression of the middle class who
actually wanted social change?
The Short
Biography
His full name is Virgiawan Listianto. He
was born in Jakarta, September 3th, 1961 as the fifth of nine children. His
father's name is Harsoyo who came from Blitar, East Java. His father was a
soldier with the rank of colonel. His mother was Suudiyah Lies, originally from
Solo, Central Java. His mother is a woman of Arab descent.
Information about his father is very
limited. It seems that he very rarely talks about his father. He has a lot to
discuss about his mother; he even created a song about her. But he never
wrote a song about his father. In one interview, he said that he grew up in a
military-style discipline. As a boy, he dreamed of becoming a soldier. He
failed to accomplish his dream later on because he was far more interested in
becoming a musician.
 |
| From left to right: Hj Lies (Iwan's mother), Iwan Fals, Harsoyo (Iwan's father), and Yos (Iwan's wife) |
In an interview with
Tempo, he said that in his childhood, he was very proud to be a
soldier’s child. When one day he fought with the neighboring children, he took
his father's AK
-47 to scare the neighbors.
About his parents, he said:
"My father was a soldier. But he was not a fierce army
man. In fact, my mother was fiercer than my dad. Well, I hope others soldiers
are like him too.”
As usual in the soldier families,
discipline was often enforced in the home. Iwan Fals said that his parents
taught a religious discipline. For example, he should not be playing music
while people were praying. If he keeps playing music, then his father will
become angry. He explained:
"When I was a
boy, I got a piano. Sometimes I played in the house, so it sounded noisy. If it
was time to pray, my father would get angry. My parents were strict in
religion. I've became a winner in azan competition among elementary student in
Jakarta. "
This is an interesting fact to be
explored. Some critical musicians also were from military families. Some of
them are Rhoma Irama and Yapi Tambayong (Remy Silado). Interestingly, despite
being born into a military family, he often criticized the military.
"My father is a soldier. I was taught to be disciplined.
I am a black belt in karate. If you do not discipline, you could not be a black
belt. My parents have always been supportive. They said as long what I believe
is true, do it. My mother regrets for one thing. Why I did not become an
engineer? After she saw my performance, she became endeared to me,”
In several interviews, he refused to
explain his father's high position in the military. Maybe it is because at the
age of 11 years, he moved to Bandung where two of his sisters lived. He studied at
junior high school (SMP) 5 Bandung. Since he didn’t want to live with his sisters, he
lived alone in a dormitory. Apparently, he wanted to be more independent. Maybe, he
felt more freedom without his family.
Subsequently, he moved to Jakarta and then
later became a street singer. He refused to stay at home because his family was
too strict toward him. His life history is similar to the story of Ali Topan in
the novel of Ali Topan Anak Jalanan (Ali Topan A Street Child) that was written
by Teguh Esha. Similar to Ali Topan, Iwan Hals choose to live outside his home,
and became a street busker. There is no clear answer why he became a musician.
He explained his choice in one of his songs.
Aku pergi
meninggalkan coreng hitam
di muka bapak
yang membuat malu
keluargaku
Kuingin kembali
Mungkinkah
mereka mau terima
Rinduku
|
I run away
leaving a black stain
in my father’s face
that shames
my family
I want to go back
Could they be willing to accept
my longing for them?
|
His spirit of resistence began to emerge
when studying in junior high school. At that time, he wrote his first song
called "Aku dan Sekolahku" (Me and My School). The lyrics talk
about the actions of a teacher toward the students. Inspiration came when his
female classmate came to school wearing lipstick. The teacher was angry and
sent her to the bathroom to get water that was put into the bucket, and then
brought to the classroom. In class, the angry teacher wiped her lipstick. The
female student was embarrassed and started crying. Iwan Fals protested through
his song.
Then, he returned to Jakarta. After that,
he followed his brother to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for eight months. His parents
wanted him to have more focus in school in Jeddah. He stayed there for more
than eight months. He described this part of his life as the difficult phase because almost every
day he missed his homeland. The only consolation for him was the guitar that he
brought from Indonesia. He always played two songs; "Sepasang Mata
Bola” (A Pair of Ball Eye) and "Waiya." Finally he
returned to Indonesia. On the way home, he met a stewardess who taught him
about Bob Dylan’s song called Blowing in the Wind.
Returned from Jeddah, he
lived in Jakarta. Soon after, he went to Yogyakarta, and after that he returned
to Bandung. He also went back to school and spent time as a
street musician. At that time, the young generation in Bandung liked the
Rolling Stone's music. Iwan Fals wanted to be different with his friends, so he
started to play his own song. In Bandung, he grew up as a street busker. He
said: "I was singing everywhere. The
songs that I brought were new songs that told the actual problems of our
society.”
In Bandung, he began recording in 8 EH
Radio that was owned by students of the Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB).
Unfortunately, the radio was shut down by the New Order government. His
experience on the streets made him understand about the actual issues in the
community. He also learned to find songs that were compatible with the
conditions and acceptable to the community. Then he moved to Jakarta to start
his new life away from home as a free man.
With respect to Iwan’s experience, there
are two assumptions that can be mentioned here. First, as noted by Shiraishi
(1997)
, what was missing in the New Order family is the sense of
belonging. Children, both young and old, were rarely found in their houses
during the day time when school wass over. They freely moved around the
neighborhood alleys and the narrow space
s between houses.
Second, Iwan Fals grew up in a
middle-class family who enjoyed many facilities and luxuries in the New
Order. But it seems that he choose to leave his home, and then express
himself through his music. In the New Order period, its rapid development program
successfully created a layer of middle-class. Later on, the middle class became
a group that was politically educated about their rights. This group held a
critical awareness and understanding of the complex social reality,
which explains why they began to criticize the government.
After he become more popular with his
protest songs, Iwan Fals formed a new group, Swami, which also included a prominent
vocalist Sawung Jabo. After the Swami
Band, Iwan Fals and Jabo joined in Kantata Takwa with W. S. Rendra (1935 - 2009) and Setiawan
Djody. They were from the high-class background. Jabo graduated from one of the prominent
universities in Australia. He is also married to Suzan Piper, an Australian girl.
Rendra was born in Solo, Central Java. He
is a poet who is often dubbed as the
‘Peacock
’. He founded the Bengkel Theater
in Yogyakarta in 1967. When the theater group
became in disarray because of
political pressure, then he founded the Bengkel Theater in Depok, October 1985.
He was active in writing short stories and
essays in various magazines since he studied in a college. Rendra was a poet
with an international reputation. He also actively participated in festivals
abroad, including the Rotterdam International Poetry Festival (1971 &
1979), The International Poetry Festival Valmiki, New Delhi (1985), Berliner
Horizonte Festival, Berlin (1985), The First New York Festival of the Arts
(1988), Spoleto Festival, Melbourne, Vagarth World Poetry Festival, Bhopal
(1989), World Poetry Festival, Kuala Lumpur (1992), and Tokyo Festival (1995).
Setiawan Djody (born March 13, 1949; Solo,
Central Java, Indonesia) is an Indonesian businessman and guitarist. He was a
Wharton School graduate in 1974 and got the S-2 Philosophy from the University
of California. He is the Chairman of Setdco group in Indonesia. Setdco was
named after his own name. He is also a musician, being listed by Rolling Stone as one of Asia's top
guitarists. The majority of Setdco investments are in the areas of oil
business, the media and agro-industry; including telecommunications. He is
listed in the 150 Richest Indonesians by the Forbes magazine 2007. He is also
active in the business of shipping and has several shipping companies.
Djody is a businessman who is considered
close to the Soeharto family. In 1976, he started an oil and gas business with
Sigit Harjojudanto, the first son of President Soeharto. Through Sigit, Djody
got a contract with National Oil Mining (Pertamina) to transport oil to other
countries. He also owns the tanker business. About his relationship with the
Suharto family, Djody said:
"From the beginning of my business, I was close to Sigit.
We have a partnership. In the 1980's, we had a conflict of interest. But we
became close as a friend. Sometime I have a different perspective with him.
Sometime we talked about the weakness of the New Order regime."
While many Iwan’s fans accused him of being
part of the family of Cendana
,
Djody rejected this premise:
"If the title is my closeness to Cendana's family, I will
not be angry. But when they said that I am one of the cronies of New Order, I
will not accept. I have a painful experience in the New Order era. I can’t
grow. They treated me like a bonsai. For a year I was not able to go abroad. I
was accused of influencing Suharto's children. If I am one of Suharto cronies,
why did I work with Iwan Fals? .... I knew Mr. and Mrs. Tien Soeharto. I respected
them as parents. They acted as a ksatriya of Java. We worship Resi Bhisma, then
going to the war. I'm not Sengkuni. I'm not a Durno the traitor."
After he stopped his business with Sigit,
he collaborated with Hutomo Mandala Putra, Suharto's youngest son, to produce
Lamborghini cars in Indonesia. These facts show the closeness of Djody to
Cendana’s family. What’s Iwan Fals’ opinion about Djody?
"I do not know. I have no idea about political attitudes.
Djody is still my cousin from my father's family. At first, I did not know if
he is my family. When we established Kantata Takwa, I knew this information. I
have a male cousin who often visits Djody’s home. Apparently we are still
brothers. My father knows Djody's father. I do not know if Djody had a political
agenda."
Iwan Fals’ statement is interesting to be
traced. If Djody is one of Iwan's family, then it is very reasonable if Djody
funded the concert of Iwan Fals everywhere. Perhaps, Djody also protected Iwan
from the military in the era of New Order. The question does arise. Did Iwan
Fals worry that Djodi tried to control him
as a critical musician?
"Maybe. He
always said, "Before people say anything about Soeharto, I was singing the
song Bongkar. I also sang Bento." Mas Jody always quote it right?
Is it a hoax? I do not know. Maybe that's a lie. But Djody has the right to
make a friend with me. The song Bento and Bongkar is not about
Soeharto. It is about the persecution. I could be Bento, Djody could be Bento.
Just because it was published by the media, many people say it is associated
with Suharto. There are many abbreviation of Bento. Some say Benteng Soeharto
(The Fortress of Soeharto), Benci Soeharto (the Hateness of Soeharto), and
Benny Soeharto. That's what make it a good selling. I was so proud. It was
written in newspaper. Hahaha... "
Although Iwan Fals did not admit to
Djody’s political influence, he was influenced by Djody. A few years before the
reform, Iwan along with Djody and the personnel of Kantata Takwa performed in
over 100 cities. They raised people’s awareness about the fragile of governance
regime. They strengthened their relationships with pro-democracy activists to
overthrow Soeharto, an important figure to Djody.
From these facts, we can conclude that
Iwan Fals and his group were part of the middle class who were
involved with the New Order government. They joined with other
middle-class alliances to overthrow the Suharto regime.
There are several studies about the middle
class during the New Order. One of them is the study of Robinson (1993) who
said that the middle class was dependent on state protection. Members of this
class were always able to adjust themselves and were closer to the center of
political power to get the development cake. When the political winds moved to
the side of liberalism, they asked the government to protect their vulnerable
resources.
They became spokesmen for the military policy in a centralized political system around the figurehead leader,
and the political economy that relied on
cheap labor and massive exploitation of natural resources. With
this political character, as written by Robison, the picture of the middle-class
in the New Order was difficult to be better described. They were a class
depoliticized, materialistic, and their ideas were driven by authoritarian
ideas more than democratic ideas.
The new middle class began to show an
increasing insubordination, when the New Order regime had difficulty in
fulfilling their interests. Political calculations showed that being behind
Soeharto would not be beneficial for the future.
These political predictions
come true with the exodus wave
of cabinet members led by Ginandjar Kartasasmita in 1998. The
middle class finally became disobedient when many companies
became bankrupt in the economic crisis period before
1998. Together
with the radicalized student
movement, the middle class members joined to start a
rebellion and a demonstration until Soeharto stepped down.
If the journey of Iwan
Fals and his music group is a
representation of the middle class, a question arises. What life phases
affected the music of Iwan Fals? Why did he criticize the military in his
songs? What were the real social situations that he wanted to address through
his outspoken music?
Historical Context
In
sociology, there are many ways to describe the relationship between research subjects
and social context. Some scientists
state that the relationship between the
individual and the context is the
relationship between agency and
social structure.
By applying this concept to studying Iwan Fals’ thought and way of life, we can
better understand how the historical conditions influenced Iwan Fals and appeared in his songs.
Most of Iwan Fals’s albums were released in the 1980s
and 1990s. In the early period of his career, Iwan played folk songs. The
character of each of his songs plus the lyrics made his style often associated
with Bob Dylan. Social criticism appeared
in 16 albums that were produced by Iwan Fals in this period.
These albums are: Perjalanan (The Journey) in 1980, 3 Bulan (Three
months) in 1981, Sarjana Muda (The Young Scholar) in 1981, Opini
(Opinion) in 1982, Sumbang (Disordant) in 1983, Barang Antik
(Antique) in 1984, Sugali (1984), KPJ (1985), Aku Sayang Kamu
(I Love U) in 1985, Ethiopia (1986), Lancar (Smooth) in 1987, Wakil Rakyat (People’s
Representative) in 1987, 1910 (1988), Antara Aku Kau dan bekas
pacarmu (Between Me, You, and your Former Boyfriend) in 1988, Mata Dewa
(The God’s Eye) in 1989, and Swami (1989).
From these albums,
there appears a variety of themes
such as social deviance, authoritarian rule and corruption,
development and social change, inequality and poverty, natural disasters
and humanitarianism.
Iwan Fals criticized the New Order government
that made a statement that Indonesia's economic progress was the goal of
development. One of the songs that
represents this theme is Sarjana
Muda (Young Bachelor) which was
released in 1981. This song
illustrated the difficulty of finding
employment for young scholars. One of the
lyrics said:
Engkau
sarjana muda,
resah
mencari kerja,
mengandalkan
ijazahmu
Empat tahun lamanya
Bergelut dengan buku
Sia-sia semuanya
Seengah putus-asa
Dia berucap, “maaf ibu”
|
You’re young bachelor
anxious to find a job
With your degree
Four years
Struggle with books
Everything is useless
When half despair
He say "sorry mom
..."
|
This
song describes the social
situation in which a college
graduate faced difficulties to find a job. In 1980-1989,
the economic situation was stable enough to run economic
programs. In the early part of New Order,
the Indonesian government launched Law Number 1 of 1967 about foreign investment, then continued with Law No. 12 of 1970 which
opened the flood gate for foreign investment.
The initial process of economic development
that relied on foreign capital started from
the early 1970's. Critique of economic injustice and poverty
also started than because economic development was only enjoyed by a particular
group that was closed to the government. In the early
1980's, Iwan Fals felt the discrepancy
when many people were still poor.
He wrote a song about a teacher named
Oemar Bakrie who, even in this technological age, still had to ride
an old bicycle, while his low wages consistently dropped every month.
....
Oemar Bakrie
(2x)
pegawai
negeri
Oemar bakri
(2x)
40 tahun
mengabdi
jadi guru
jujur berbakti
memang makan
hati
Oemar Bakri
(2x)
banyak
ciptakan menteri
Oemar Bakri
(2x)
professor,
doctor,
insinyur
pun jadi
tapi mengapa
gaji guru
seperti dikebiri
…….
|
……..
Oemar Bakri (2x)
a civil servant
Oemar Bakri (2x)
40th served
as a teacher honestly serve
is eating liver
Oemar Bakri (2x)
create many ministers
Oemar Bakri (2x)
creates professors, doctors, and engineers
but why the wage of Oemar Bakri
seems to be corrupted
……
|
When
Iwan Fals asked, “Why the wage
of Oemar Bakri
seems to be
corrupted? He was making a subtle satire about
corruption that was initiated by
the government. Why
did Iwan Fals create this song? When I asked him this
question, he answered:
“Each song just came to
me.
A song
is a calling.
I used to be a student
in a school, so
I could tell about my teacher.
Many people asked me whether
Oemar Bakrie is
real character or not.
Initially,
I would like to give the name Abdul Gani in my song.
Because I have friend
name Abdul Gani, then I changed to Oemar Bakri.
Hahaha ..
What was the message?
When I wrote the song, I did not know
about the message. I just wrote. After the song was
performed,
I tried to make
analyzes. Maybe
there was a story of simplicity,
innocence,
or something else.
Iwan Fals also talked about his feelings as a parent when his son, Galang Rambu
Anarki, was born. He said in his song:
Galang Rambu Anarki anakku
lahir awal januari menjelang pemilu
galang rambu
anarki dengarlah
terompet
tahun baru menyambutmu
galang rambu
anarki ingatlah
tangisan
pertamamu ditandai bbm
membumbung
tinggi (melambung)
maafkan kedua
orangtuamu
kalau tak
mampu beli susu
bbm naik
tinggi
susu tak
terbeli orang pintar tarik subsidi
mungkin bayi
kurang gizi (anak kami)
|
Galang Rambu Anarki, my son
born in early January before the election
Galang Rambu Anarki, listens
the new year's trumpet welcome you
Galang Rambu Rambu Anarki, remember
Your first cries were marked
by oil price soaring
forgive your parents
if we can not buy a milk
oil price soar
the milk was unbuyable
smart people remove subsidies
probably my infant malnourished
|
The next theme is a criticism of the
authoritarian and corrupt government. Iwan Fals wrote about 13 songs that
criticized the government’ repression of the people. In his songs, he also
considered the government as a corrupt government who did not care to its
people. One of the songs that is quite popular is “Tikus-Tikus Kantor” (Office Rats) in 1986 that described the
corruption in the workings of the government.
In those years, the
repression of the New Order was very strong but not totalitarian. As the
president, General Suharto mixed military and
civilian control and
permitted some limited
resistance but kept
the masses "fluctuating"
- or politically
"neutral" and intentionally omitted the
Marxists. These policies
created stability and mediated the
appearance of an
educated urban middle
class, but at the expense of some
systematic tyrannies of weaker social forces
as well as
the imposition of
a highly manipulated
political structure.
In the
1980's, there were many tragedies
that showed the repression of the people. They included: Tanjung Priok,
when the government applied a single principle
of Pancasila, mysterious shooting
or sniper (petrus), and also
Lampung tragedy. In every tragedy, there
were many civilians killed.
Iwan Fals also suffered serious tragedy when
his performance was banned by the
government. The critical lyrics of his songs soon attracted even more
attention, including a twelve-day interrogation by local police on Riau Island
in 1984, after he helped a student fundraising effort. Iwan
told the story:
"At that time I was
interrogated by police officers for 14 days in Pekanbaru. They accused that I
was insulting the president through the song Rice Democracy and Mbak
Tini. This song is a story about a coffee shop waitress and her husband
named Suhardi. But on stage, I changed Suhardi into Suharto. The song Mbak Tini
is a story about a driver and a maid cafe. The driver was a former thief. They
want to marry. But the driver became a thief again. The woman returned to be a
prostitute. At that time I was young. Maybe I was influenced by the Suharto
because I always heard his name on television. At that time I was confused. I
even cried."
As Fals explained, the song Mbak Tini is about
the struggle of a truck driver laid off by the government. His song reflected
sympathy and criticisms against the human cost of New Order’s socio-economic
fluctuations, such as low paid teachers, shoeshine boys, desperate prostitutes
and unemployed university graduates.
During the 1980s, a narrow multiparty
parliamentary scheme developed, but Golkar, a functional coalition of groups
allied to the military and bureaucracy, dominated state-engineered elections
and the whole country’s political agenda in what has been called a ‘hegemonic
party system.’ The electoral campaigns, routinely but alluringly labeled
‘Festival of Democracy’, were ritualistic and orderly in its rhetoric,
with large numbers of security police. Behind the scenes, the military remained
the main arbiter of power.
In one of his songs, Iwan Fals criticized the
insensitivity of members of the House of Representatives. He said:
Wakil rakyat
bukan kumpulan orang hebat
bukan
kumpulan teman-teman dekat
apalagi sanak
famili
Di hati dan
lidahmu kami berharap
suara kami
tolong dnegar lalu sampaikan
Kami
tak sudi memilih para juara
juara
diam, juara malas, juara hahaha
wakil
rakyat seharusnya merakyat
jangan
tidur waktu sidang soal rakyat
wakil
rakyat bukan paduan suara
hanya tahunya
diam lalu setuju
|
People's Representative is not a group of
greatman
not a group of close friends
moreover relatives
In your heart and tongue,
we put our hope
please listen our voice and speak
We’re not choosing the winner
The winner of silenty, the winner of
laziness,
the winner of hahaha
People's representative should be humble
do not sleep when attending session about
people
People's representative is not a choir
who only knows about being silent and
agreeing
|
Although the New Order had great
achievements in the economy, the freedom of expression was not guaranteed. The
government relied on a strong centralization of power in the hands of President
Soeharto and his followers. Political freedom was suppressed by physical
violence, detention and bans of certain publications or actions.
Political power of the New Order was an authoritarian bureaucracy character
that marked the dominance of the role of the State in all areas and ultimately the
suppression of all opposing political power.
Through his music, the
next theme that Fals wanted to address was a critique of
development and social change. When the development phrase was introduced, many people became the
victims. The government prioritized
modern industrialization more than agricultural development. In
response, Iwan Fals wrote a song “Surat
dari Paman di Desa” (Letters from Uncle in the Village)
that was published in 1981. This song
describes how the village people were evicted for the sake of investors who wanted to
build factories.
He also wrote the song Bento that
was based on the fact that many entrepreneurs built real estates and
bought villagers’ land. Many mass media said that Bento was an abbreviation of Benci
Suharto (Hate Soeharto). Others said Benci Tommy Suharto (Hate Tommy
Soeharto) or Benny Soeharto.
Namaku Bento, rumah real estate
Mobilku banyak, harta melimpah
Orang memanggilku, bos eksekutif
Tokoh papan atas,
atas sgalanya, asik!
Wajahku ganteng, banyak simpanan
Sekali lirik,
oh bisa jalan
Bisnisku
menjagal, jagal apa saja
yang penting
aku senang, aku menang
Persetan
orang susah,
karena aku
Yang penting
asik,
sekali lagi,
asik!
Obral soal
moral, omong keadilan, sarapan pagiku
Aksi
tipu-tipu, lobi dan upeti,
woo jagonya
Maling kelas
teri,
bandit kelas
coro, itu kantong sampah
Siapa yang
mau berguru,
datang
padaku, sebut 3 kali namaku
Bento bento
bento..
asik..
|
My name is Bento
My house is exclusive
My cars are many, money’s no problem
People called me an executive boss
A figure of first ranking, a cut above the
rest, that’s great
My face is handsome, my lovers are many
I just give the girls a wink
and everything‘s OK
My business is to win deals,
whatever comes along
Damn the people if they suffer
because of me
So long as I feel great,
let me say again, that’s great
Summons of morality, talk of justice
That’s my breakfast menu
Scheming, lobbying, and business graft
I’m the champ
Petty thieves and small-time hoods
They’re just rubbish to me
If you want to learn, just come to me
Say my name three times,
Bento, Bento, Bento
That’s great
|
This song is considered by many to be a criticism of Soeharto. This
song was made when the government
was monitoring all media content. The authorities, concerned with limiting the
potential for disorder, considerably restricted the airing of opposing
viewpoints and closely monitored the mass media, most of whom practiced
self-censorship or came under formal or informal government surveillances. The
government at that time viewed the media largely as an unofficial ‘bulletin’ or
‘conveyor belt’ for government information, and most editors promoted close
relationships with members of the ruling elite only to retain their jobs.
By the time when Bento was launched, the mass media speculated that the song was
going to critic Suharto. In fact, Iwan said that he want to denounce the
suppression.
"Many people think that
this song was about Soeharto. Do I really hate him? No. I was tired because his
period was too long. I do not understand politics. I just wanted a new
atmosphere. Maybe the press exaggerated my opinion. At that time, there were a
phenomenon of real estate and new families who live in the housing. And also we
could find corruption in everywehere. Why I use the name of Bento? I thought no
one called Bento. I could use the name Andi, Budi, or any other name. Although
there was a football player from East Timor name Bento, this name became
abbreviations of Benci Soeharto (hate of Sueharto), Benci Tommy (Hate Tommy),
or a Benny Suharto.”
The song that is also most remembered like
Bento is Bongkar (Demoltion) which depicted the suffering of
citizens of Kedungombo village at Central Java.
Kalau
cinta sudah dibuang
Jangan harap keadilan akan datang
Kesedihan hanya tontonan
Bagi mereka yang diperkuda jabatan
Oh oh
ya oh ya oh ya bongkar
Oh oh ya oh ya oh ya bongkar
Sabar sabar sabar dan tunggu
Itu jawaban yang kami terima
Ternyata kita harus
ke jalan
Robohkan setan yang berdiri mengangkang
Penindasan serta kesewenang wenangan
Banyak lagi teramat banyak untuk
disebutkan
Hoi hentikan hentikan jangan diteruskan
Kami muak dengan ketidakpastian dan
keserakahan
Dijalanan kami sandarkan cita cita
Sebab dirumah tak ada lagi yang bisa
dipercaya. Orang tua pandanglah
kami sebagai manusia
Kami bertanya tolong kau jawab dengan
cinta
|
When love is thrown
Do not expect justice to come
Sadness is just a spectacle
For those who was horsed by a rank
Oh oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah demolition
Oh oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah demolition
Patience patience patience and wait
That's the answer that we received
It turned out we had to go to the street
To collapse the devil who rode astride
Oppression and injustice
Are too
numerous to mention
stop it, stop it, do not continue
We are fed up with the uncertainty and
greed
In the street, we put our dream
Because in home, there is no one to be
trusted
Old man, see us as human being
We ask you. Please answer with love
|
The song “Bongkar” was written
when the Kedungombo village was to be forcefully sunk by the government for dam
construction project. Iwan Fals joined with many non-governmental organizations
to protest the project that was funded by the World Bank. The protest was
ignored by the government. Iwan Fals sang his protest song in a music concert
with Rendra and his Bengkel Theater group spectacularly attracted 120,000 to
200,000 to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in 1990, marking it as the largest
concert in the nation’s history.
“The song Bongkar was
created when I lived in Condet, Jakarta, in 1989. What was the message? There
was a story about Kedungombo. I was a little bit upset with the government.
Kedungombo was a village that was submerged by government to make a dam. There
were also the Kacapiring case and Way Jepara in Lampung where
many people became victims. At that time I created this song with Jabo.
Finally, we chose the word "oppression and tyranny.”
Finally, Iwan Fals’ songs demand
democratization and human rights, condemn corrupt power holders in government
and bussines, sympathize with the poor, criticize the hypocrisy of the media
and the blindness of parents.
Iwan Fals particularly has received wide
admiration among the urban youth, including both from the kampungan (villages) and
university circles. Everyday dozens of youth visit the singer’s home, imitating
his fashion brand of blue jeans, long hair, and scarfs. Indeed, in 1990, a
magazine was banned for a survey that listed Iwan Fals (and Soeharto) more
popular than the Prophet Muhammad, who was the eleventh and as a result, devout Muslims
were outraged.
Since 1990, he is no longer creating the
song. He had joined with the pro-democracy movement to awaken many people. For
several years, he continued to sing protest songs, until finally Presiden
Soeharto resigned.
Conclusion
After reading and studying the life
history of Iwan Fals, there are several conclusions that can be learned.
First, the Iwan Fals’ songs, especially
those that were written during the New Order, represent the social reality of
that era. The themes that were written by Iwan Fals are the protest issues such
as injustice, oppression, and critical view of the government. These topics
describe the social conditions of the time.
Second, Iwan Fals’ songs are the forms of
expression of the urban middle class who want to change the regime. The
background of Iwan Fals and other musicians are coming from the middle class,
which got benefit in the era of the New Order. Then, they felt dissatisfied with
the government policy at the end of 1990s.
Third, Iwan Fals’ experience can be a gate
for us to understand the social dynamics and how the people respond to it. For
Iwan Fals, pop music is a tool of resistance to authority. Although he did not
admit it, his songs had a power to raise public awareness about the problems that
were caused by the regime.
Finally, the lyrics of Iwan Fals’ songs don’t
provide detailed information about the history or what happened in the past,
but they can help us comprehend how people understand the history, and how the musicians
articulated their experiences into their songs. (*)
I am grateful to Iwan Fals who agreed to be
interviewed for this article and also thanks to Sony
Teguh Trilaksono, the head of Orang Indonesia (Iwan Fals’ fans club),
who connected me to Iwan Fals.
“Sewaktu kecil, saya sudah punya piano. Di rumah
terkadang berisik, kalau sedang waktu salat sering dimarahi. Orangtua saya
ketat dalam mendidik soal agama. Saya pernah mendapat juara azan tingkat DKI
ketika masih SD.”
“Banyak yang menganggap
lagu ini adalah kependekan dari lagu Benci Soeharto. Apa betul benci? Tidak. Cuma bosan saja.
karena waktu itu terlalu lama. Saya tidak mengerti politik. Saya hanya ingin
ada suasana yang baru. Mungkin juga ini jadi santapan pers untuk
dibesar-besarkan. Waktu itu ada fenomena real estate dan muncul
keluarga-keluarga baru yang tinggal di perumahan. Waktu itu, KKN hal biasa.
Mengapa saya pakai nama Bento? Karena saya pikir tidak ada yang bernama Bento. Saya bisa saja pakai nama
Andi, Budi, atau nama lain. Walaupun ada pemain bola dari Timor Leste yang
namanya Bento. Belakangan muncul plesetan, misalnya Benci Soeharto, Benci
Tommy, atau Benny Soeharto.”
Lagu Bongkar diciptakan
waktu saya tinggal di Condet tahun 1989. Apa pesannya? Waktu itu ada cerita
tentang Kedungombo. Saya agak tersentuh. Kedingombo adalah waduk yang dibentuk
dengan menenggelamkan desa. Ada juga kasus Kacakpiring dan Way Jepara di
Lampung yang banyak korban. Waktu itu saya kembangkan sama Jabo. Akhirnya
muncul kata "Penindasan serta kesewenang-wenangan."
