Kamis, 12 Desember 2013
Kekakuan Bahasa dalam Terjemahan Al-Qur'an (Part 1)
Tujuan utama dari kegiatan penerjemahan adalah untuk menginformasikan pesan yang tersimpan dalam satu bahasa kepada pihak yang tidak memahami bahasa tersebut dengan cara mengalihkan pesan itu kedalam bahasa lain yang dimengerti oleh pihak tersebut. Paling tidak itulah tujuan yang paling umum dari kegiatan penerjemahan. Teks-teks yang mengalami proses penerjemahan tentu saja sangat beragam baik dari segi genre, bidang ilmu, maupun dari sasaran yang diinginkan. Salah satu teks yang cukup signifikan dalam kehidupan masyarakat manusia adalah tek kitab suci. Teks ini biasanya pertama kali tertuang dalam bahasa tertentu. Kitab Taurat tertulis dalam bahasa Ibrani, Injil tertuang dalam bahasa Latin, Kitab Al-Qur’an menyampaikan pesan-pesan ilahiah melalui bahasa Arab, dan Wedha termaktub dalam teks berbahasa Sansekerta. Namun demikian, kitab-kitab tersebut umumnya tidak membatasi sasaran pembacanya hanya pada orang-orang yang memahami bahasa pertama itu. Naskah-naskah kitab biasanya berlaku umum pada semua manusia, karena konsep dan ide-ide religi yang ada memang diperuntukan secara universal kepada manusia.
Ketika kitab-kitab itu menyebar seiring dengan penyebaran faham agama ke berbagai negara, maka dilakukanlah kegiatan penerjemahan kitab suci. Sasaran utamanya adalah agar memahamkan masyarakat pemeluk satu faham agama mengenai ajaran-ajaran yang menyangkut kehidupan beragama. Kitab Al-Qur’an sebagai kitab suci umat Islam pun mengalami proses serupa. Kitab ini diterjemahkan ke berbagai bahasa agar para pemeluknya dapat memahami firman-firman Tuhan yang tertuang dalam bahasa Arab. Indonesia dan Malasyia merupakan dua negara dengan pemeluk agama Islam yang paling besar di wilayah Asia Tenggara. Kitab Al-Qur’an di kedua wilayah ini juga tersaji bersama dengan teks terjemahan yang berbahasa Indonesia dan bahasa Melayu.
Dari kajian yang dilakukan sebelumnya, penulis mendapatkan adanya bentuk-bentuk kekakuan bahasa dalam teks terjemahan Al-Qur’an ke dalam bahasa Indonesia. Temuan tersebut kemudian mendorong penulis untuk melihat teks terjemahan Al-Qur’an dalam bahasa Melayu, sebagai bahasa yang terdekat familinya dengan bahasa Indonesia. Adapun fokus kajian kali ini diarahkan pada kekuan berupa redudansi dan kejanggalan urutan kata. Analisa akan dilakukan dengan membandingkan dan mengkontraskan. Perbandingan dilakukan dengan memparalelkan kedua versi teks terjemahan, yang kemudian keduanya dikontraskan dengan teks asli sebagai acuan penentuan kategori-kategori penerjemahan yang baik dan benar.
Analisa dan Pembahasan
Hasil analisa menunjukkan bahwa kekakuan-kekakuan yang terbaca dalam teks terjemahan Al-Qur’an versi bahasa Indonesia juga ditemukan dalam bahasa Melayu. Perbandingan dari kedua versi tersebut tersaji dalam Tabel 1. Data yang tersaji tersebut tentu saja tidak bermaksud untuk menjadi representasi dari teks-teks terjemahan Al-Qur’an yang terlampau banyak untuk dibahas secara memadai dalam ruang sempit ini. Namun demikian, data ini dapat menjadi preview mengenai kualitas penerjemahan Al-Qur’an dipandang dari prinsip-prinsip penerjemahan.
a. Redudansi
Redudansi atau pemborosan elemen bahasa merupakan fenomena yang banyak ditemui sebagai faktor yang menjadi kebahasaan teks terjemahan Al-Qur’an tidak begitu luwes. Redudansi ini meliputi elemen-elemen kata ganti, objek tak langsung, klausa, konjungsi, dan kata keterangan. Hal ini ternyata berlaku baik pada bahasa Melayu maupun bahasa Indonesia. Sebagai contohnya, berikut kutipan terjemahan dari dua versi itu, dengan titik tekan pada unsur kalimat objek tidak langsung (dicetak tebal).
Tabel. 1
Komparasi Teks Terjemahan Al-Qur’an
Indonesia-Melayu
No
Unsur
Bahasa Indonesia
Bahasa Melayu
REDUDANSI
1
Objek tak langsung
(2:3)….dan (mereka) menafkahkan sebahagian rezki yang Kami anugerahkan kepada mereka,
(2:102) Dan mereka mempelajari sesuatu yang tidak memberi mudharat kepadanya dan tidak memberi manfaat.
(2:121). Orang-orang yang telah Kami berikan Al Kitab kepadanya, mereka membacanya dengan bacaan yang sebenarnya , mereka itu beriman kepadanya. Dan barangsiapa yang ingkar kepadanya, maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang rugi.
(2:3). Iaitu orang-orang yang beriman kepada perkara-perkara yang ghaib dan mendirikan (mengerjakan) sembahyang serta
membelanjakan (mendermakan) sebahagian dari rezeki yang Kami berikan kepada mereka.
102...Dan mereka mempelajari sesuatu yang memberi mudarat kepadanya dan tidak memberi manfaat.
121. Orang-orang yang telah Kami berikan Al Kitab kepadanya, mereka membacanya dengan bacaan yang sebenarnya, mereka itu
beriman kepadanya. Dan barang siapa yang ingkar kepadanya, maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang rugi.
2
Kata ganti
2: 27. (Dengan sebab keingkaran mereka), Allah mematerikan atas hati mereka serta pendengaran mereka dan pada penglihatan mereka ada penutupnya dan bagi mereka pula disediakan azab seksa yang amat besar.
2: 29 Mereka hendak memperdayakan Allah dan orang-orang yang beriman, padahal mereka hanya memperdaya dirinya sendiri,
sedang mereka tidak menyedarinya.
3
Konjungsi
(2:205) Dan apabila ia berpaling, ia berjalan di bumi untuk mengadakan kerusakan padanya, dan merusak tanam-tanaman dan binatang ternak, dan Allah tidak menyukai kebinasaan.
(3:87) Mereka itu, balasannya ialah: bahwasanya la’nat Allah ditimpakan kepada mereka, la’nat para malaikat dan manusia seluruhnya,
205. Dan apabila ia berpaling (dari kamu), ia berjalan di bumi untuk mengadakan kerusakan padanya, dan merusak tanam-tanaman dan binatang ternak, dan Allah tidak menyukai kebinasaan.
87. Mereka itu balasannya ialah bahawa mereka ditimpa laknat Allah dan malaikatNya serta sekalian orang-orang (yang beriman).
4
Keterangan
(2:25)… bahwa mereka disediakan syurga-syurga yang mengalir sungai-sungai didalamnya. Setiap mereka diberi rezki buah-buahan dalam syurga-syurga...Mereka diberi buah-buahan yang serupa dan untuk mereka didalamnya ada isteri-isteri yang suci dan mereka kekal di dalamnya.
25. Dan berilah khabar gembira kepada orang-orang yang beriman dan beramal soleh, sesungguhnya mereka beroleh Syurga yang mengalir di bawahnya beberapa sungai; tiap-tiap kali mereka diberikan satu pemberian dari sejenis buah-buahan Syurga itu, ... dan mereka diberikan rezeki itu yang sama rupanya (tetapi berlainan hakikatnya) dan disediakan untuk mereka dalam Syurga itu pasangan-pasangan, isteri-isteri yang sentiasa bersih suci, sedang mereka pula kekal di dalamnya selama-lamanya.
5
klausa
(2:6) …sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir, sama saja bagi mereka, kamu beri peringatan atau tidak kamu beri peringatan, mereka tidak juga akan beriman.
(2:6) Sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir (yang tidak akan beriman), sama sahaja kepada mereka: Samada engkau beri amaran kepadanya atau engkau tidak beri amaran, mereka tidak akan beriman.
PERISTILAHAN DAN URUTAN KATA
6
Istilah
(3:178) Dan janganlah sekali-kali orang-orang kafir menyangka, bahwa pemberian tangguh Kami kepada mereka adalah lebih baik bagi mereka. Sesungguhnya Kami memberi tangguh kepada mereka hanyalah supaya bertambah-tambah dosa mereka; dan bagi mereka azab yang menghinakan.
3:178 178. Dan jangan sekali-kali orang-orang kafir menyangka bahawa Kami membiarkan (mereka hidup lama) itu baik bagi diri mereka; kerana sesungguhnya Kami biarkan mereka hanyalah supaya mereka bertambah dosa (di dunia) dan mereka pula beroleh azab seksa yang menghina (di akhirat kelak).
7
Urutan Frasa
(2:102) Maka mereka mempelajari dari kedua malaikat itu apa yang dengan sihir itu, mereka dapat menceraikan antara seorang dengan isterinya.
(2:107) Tiadakah kamu mengetahui bahwa kerajaan langit dan bumi adalah kepunyaan Allah? Dan tiada bagimu selain Allah seorang pelindung maupun seorang penolong.
102. Maka mereka mempelajari dari kedua malaikat itu apa yang dengan sihir itu, mereka dapat menceraikan antara seorang (suami) dengan istrinya.
107. Tiadakah kamu mengetahui bahwa kerajaan langit dan bumi adalah kepunyaan Allah? Dan tiada bagimu selain Allah seorang pelindung maupun seorang penolong.
Bahasa Indonesia (BI)
(2:121). Orang-orang yang telah Kami berikan Al Kitab kepadanya, mereka membacanya dengan bacaan yang sebenarnya , mereka itu beriman kepadanya. Dan barangsiapa yang ingkar kepadanya, maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang rugi.
Bahasa Melayu (BM)
2-121. Orang-orang yang telah Kami berikan Al Kitab kepadanya, mereka membacanya dengan bacaan yang sebenarnya, mereka itu beriman kepadanya. Dan barang siapa yang ingkar kepadanya, maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang rugi
Kedua versi terjemahan ini sama, tanpa beda apapun baik dari segi gramatikalnya, pilihan kata ataupun peristilahannya. Hal ini bisa difahami karena Melayu dan Indonesia merupakan dua bahasa yang sangat dekat. Dengan kesamaan tersebut, maka redudansi yang muncul juga sama. Dalam bahasa yang lazim, kata ”kepadanya” sebenarnya cukup disebutkan pada awal, yakni pada klausa pertama. Atau bahkan tidak perlu sama sekali, karena kata kepadanya mengacu pada subyek pasif. Makna itu pada klausa-klausa berikutnya menjadi unsur elips, yang tetap bisa ditangkap oleh pembaca. Dari segi penerjemahan, teks terjemahan ini merupakan bentuk terjemahan harfiah, dengan menuangkan semua unsur gramatikal yang terdapat dalam bahasa Arab, teks Al-Qur’an.
Alladziina Ataena Hum ulKitaba
Orang-orang yang telah Kami berikan Al Kitab kepadanya
Kalimat terjemahan di atas sebenarnya cukup ditulis, dengan ”Orang-orang yang telah Kami berikan Al Kitab.” Tanpa ada kata ”kepadanya,” makna yang dimaksud sudah jelas, karena subyek pada kalimat pasif seperti sudah menjadi ”obyek tidak langsung” secara semantis. Penerjemahan semacam ini timbul, karena penterjemah terlalu ketat mengikuti tata gramatikal bahasa sumber. Ungkapan ”Alladziina” dalam bahasa Arab berarti ”orang-orang yang,” ”Ataena” bermakna ”Kami berikan,” ”Hum” berarti ”mereka” dan ”ulKitab” yang artinya ”Al-Kitab.” Dari rincian ini, produk terjemahan yang ada merupakan hasil dari proses penerjemahan secara harfiah dengan menampilkan seluruh realitas kebahasaan dari bahasa sumber. Sebagaimana diungkapkan oleh Suryawinata dan Hariyanto (2003:48) berikut ini.
”Terjemahan yang sangat berpihak pada teks Bsu adalah terjemahan harfiah. Terjemahan jenis ini berusaha untuk mempertahankan bentuk (gaya) dan makna yang ada di dalam teks Bsu di dalam terjemahannya, tanpa memperhitungkan apakah bentuk atau gaya bahasa itu wajar dalam Bsa, apakah pembaca teks Bsa-nya bisa mengerti terjemahan itu dengan mudah atau tidak.”
Tentu, teks terjemahan di atas tidak sampai menyulitkan pembaca dalam memahami teks, tetapi lebih pada ”ketidakwajaran” teks itu bagi persepsi pembaca Indonesia. Hal ini pun berlaku bagi bagian lain dari penerjemahan ayat yang sama, yakni perulangan kata ”kepadanya” hanyalah manifestasi dari keberadaan kata ”bihi” dalam teks asli yang secara harfiah memang selalu melekat pada akhir klausa dalam ayat di atas.
Hal yang serupa juga berlaku pada redudansi pada elemen kata ganti pada data dalam Tabel 1. Teks terjemahan Ayat (2:27) memperlihatkan adanya kata ganti milik yang terus disebut-sebut bersama properti yang dimiliki: ”Allah mematerikan atas hati mereka, serta pendengaran mereka, dan pada penglihatan mereka ada penutupnya.” Dalam ujaran bahasa Indonesia yang lazim, kata ganti milik ini diucapkan atau dituliskan setelah rangkaian benda yang dimiliki itu disebutkan. Jadi, akan berbunyi seperti berikut: ”Allah mematerikan hati serta pendengaran mereka, dan penglihatan mereka ditutup.” Teks terjemahan semacam ini juga timbul karena faktor keharfiahan metode yang diterapkan. Begitu juga dengan pada terjemahan ayat (2:29), dengan redudansi kata ganti subyek, ”mereka” yang berulang hingga tiga kali, dengan mengulang subyek yang sama pada tiga klausa aktif yang memiliki subyek serupa. Semestinya kalimat yang lazim akan mengelips subyek pada klausa kedua dan ketiga, karena maknanya sudah terwakili dari klausa pertama.
Penerjemahan pada ayat (2:205) juga memperlihatkan kesamaan. Kali ini yang menjadi korban adalah konjungsi ”dan” yang dimunculkan empat kali. Fungsi ”dan” pada teks itu adalah untuk menyebutkan perincian, yang biasanya dalam teks bahasa Indonesia hanya diwujudkan dengan tanda koma; kata ”dan” muncul sekali sebelum rincian terakhir disebutkan. Bila kita tengok pada teks asli, kita akan mendapati kata ”wa” memang selalu mengawali klausa-klausa dalam kalimat panjang pada ayat ini.
Penterjemahan yang terlalu kaku mengikut bentuk kebahasaan teks sumber juga tampak jelas pada pemunculan konjungsi bahwa pada teks terjemahan ayat (3:87). Hal ini berlaku pada kedua versi, yang memang sama persis, kecuali perbedaan bentuk ”bahwasanya” dan ”bahawa.” Kata itu merupakan terjemahan dari kata ”Anna.”
Ulaaika Jazaauhum Anna Alaihim Laknatullah
Mereka itu balasannya ialah bahwasanya la’nat Allah ditimpakan kepada mereka (BI)
Mereka itu balasannya ialah bahawa mereka ditimpa laknat Allah (BM)
Kata ”bahwasanya” muncul sebagai pengganti kata ”anna” dalam bahasa Arab, teks sumber. Padahal secara normal dengan adanya kata ”ialah” sudah cukup mewakili makna yang ingin disampaikan. Begitu juga dengan subyek kalimat yang berputar-putar antara kata ganti subyek, yang diaposisikan dengan kata ganti milik. Mestinya bisa disederhanakan dan lebih jelas dengan langsung menyebut kata ganti milik, ”Balasan mereka.”
Bila kita telusuri lebih lanjut pada versi bahasa Indonesia, ada redudansi kata benda milik dari beberapa subyek yang berbeda, ”laknat.” Maksudnya, kata ini cukup disebutkan sekali di awal, kemudian diikuti dengan subyek pemilik. Bila kita kontraskan dengan teks asli, cara ini sangat berlawanan dengan fakta sebelumnya. Teks asli hanya menyebutkan kata ”laknat” hanya sekali saja sebelum subyek ”Allah.”
Laknatallahi Walmalaaikati Wannasi Ajmaiin
Teks di atas dengan demikian diterjemahkan tidak secara harfiah, karena teks asli hanya menyebutkan satu kata ”laknat”. Tetapi teks terjemahan menyebut kata itu tiga kali. Dalam hal ini, versi Melayu bisa dikatakan lebih konsisten dalam menerapkan keharfiahan terjemahannya. Nilai lebih dari versi Melayu pada teks terjemahan ayat ini juga tampak dari susunan kalimat pasifnya.
La’nat Allah ditimpakkan kepada mereka (BI)
Mereka ditimpa laknat Allah (BM)
Versi bahasa Melayu tampak lebih simpel dan lebih mudah dipahami, karena versi bahasa Indonesia terasa berputar-putar dan memunculkan banyak redudansi unsur –unsur yang mestinya tidak perlu hadir. Dengan demikian, akan lebih luwes, bila ayat (3:87) diartikan dengan, ”Balasan mereka adalah mereka ditimpa laknat Allah, para malaikat dan manusia seluruhnya.”
Redudansi klausa pada teks terjemahan ayat (2:6) yang menunjukkan dua klausa sejajar dengan makna serupa.
A’andzartahum Amlam Tundzirhum
...kamu beri peringatan atau tidak kamu beri peringatan...(BI)
...engkau beri amaran kepadanya atau engkau tidak beri amaran... (BM)
Dua klausa dalam teks terjemahan memang merupakan representasi dari dua klausa yang juga terdapat dalam teks sumber. Lagi-lagi keharfiahan adalah alasan di balik kemunculan teks yang redudans ini. Walaupun versi bahasa Indonesia kali ini juga akan menyimpang dari keharfiahan, karena kata ”kepadanya” tidak muncul. Teks asli menyebutkan morfem atau kata ”hum” yang bermakna ”mereka.” Secara kaidah penerjemahan yang baik, makna ”mereka” sudah terimplikasi dari subyek pada klausa sebelumnya, sebagaimmana tampak pada kutipan berikut.
…sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir, sama saja bagi mereka, kamu beri peringatan atau tidak kamu beri peringatan, mereka tidak juga akan beriman (BI)
(2:6) Sesungguhnya orang-orang kafir (yang tidak akan beriman), sama sahaja kepada mereka: Samada engkau beri amaran kepadanya atau engkau tidak beri amaran, mereka tidak akan beriman (BM)
Dengan demikian terjemahan yang lebih tepat untuk dua klausa sejajara di atas adalah ”kamu beri peringatan atau tidak”—sebuah bentuk kalimat yang lebih berterima bagi pembaca Indonesia dan Melayu sebagai sasaran dari teks terjemahan ini.
Kamis, 18 Juni 2009
BEING WEST AND BEING EAST: THE EFFECTS ON JAVANESE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Lp7tcHSirOX5sB9VN064PD9GjvlN9isBoJlYfB3U0yE4yutFvp1MBiP9Z1fMrAQpy-_9ddL4W5SbYGBRhm3PH5TCC29HCoS-lJX2qrHDYMRl1sv_c9N_F9hnJ11ovfhP2ayBj7IrK4g/s200/kontras.jpg)
By
Khristianto & Widya Nirmawalati
Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto
Mobile: 085227737495, E-mail: rezalx@yahoo.com
Introduction
The reality has proved that the different culture brings a typical social behavior, including the different strategy in a daily communication. An aspect of reality may be considered important to be verbalized in a certain culture, but it is just meaningless and ignorable for another. A culture may see gratitude as something normally manifested in verbal expression, that it has many expressions to represent the sense of “gratitude” like “thanks” in English or “terima kasih” in Bahasa Indonesia. Another culture may manifest the same feeling in another way than the verbal media. This is also the case other kinds of feeling of which a certain culture has its own way to realize in its own cultural context and situational context.
In Indian culture for example, as in most eastern cultures, the familial linkage, the occupation, and the age are the significant factors determining the way they communicate. This fact, then, reveals in a form of honorific addresses to refer someone with one of those properties: familial link, being older, or having an honorable profession. A person in India will address someone they respect by transforming into plural. An Indonesian takes another to do that; he or she will apply kinship terms, like “bapak”, “ibu” , “mbak”, “mas”, “kang,” and etc, according to the age of the respected persons. If he/she is in an age older than a speaker, and deserves to be older brother or sister, the terms “mbak/mas” (meaning “sister” or “brother”) will be chosen.
A research has been done by Supardo (2006) to discover the addresses applied by an aristocratic Javanese family. The interlocutors as the data are father, mother, children, and servant. It is found out that each interlocutor has his/her specific addresses as talking to another member of the family; the address applied by each individual is determined by his/her relation to the addressee. The lord of the house, for example, is addressed with “mas” by his wife, “rama” by his children, and “ndoro” by the servant.
Another investigation is done by Pujiyatno (2008) who tried to cover the kinship terms among the common people in a Javanese community. It is found out that the community uses the familial addressee not just limited to their extended family. They don’t only function to show the blood relationship, but also to respect the others. Then, the terms are used to address anyone who is respected. For example, the term om “uncle” which originally means to refer someone who is sibling to father/mother can be used to say om satpam or om (the toy peddlers). It is impossible for Javanese to call by name to someone older.
Greetings: An Interpersonal Function
Functional in Halliday’s view is simply the language in use. He declared that the existence of language is always in the context of practices made by its corresponding speakers. It is those practices that evolutively develop a language system (1985: xv). In other words, Saussure believed that paroles (the empirical practices of language use in any kinds) which are produced by human community in each social interaction is the only empirical entities and experiences of the langue, the rules of language that is actually preserved in human mind (Ahisma-Putra: 2005).
Language is not other than a means to serve human’s needs—functional, pragmatically practices. Greetings and addressing are a part of the interpersonal aspects of language function. It means the terms or forms of expression in those social domain emerge as the manifestation of relation among the individuals as the social creature. Alip (2006:79), quoting Widdowson (1997) and Aitchison (2003), stated that among interpersonal function is the use of language for social relation, taking place in phatic communion within which language is used to promote good relationship between the speech participants.
Discussion
Western and Eastern Culture
It seems that the cultural system as the context of language use is inadequately affects much the forms and the functional aspects. The egalitarian atmosphere and the non-existence of extended family or in another way the individualism and/or the not very significant meaning of family in the individual life in the western are the values which are contrast to the eastern.
This, then, raises the differences way the community have in seeing others, the elders and/or the members of the family. The eastern call the persons by the kinship terms. The terms are brought wider to include other person beyond the family as the symbol to respect them. The parents will hush, as their son calls the name for a friend deserve to older brother by the age.
For the eastern, being old means to be respected, for the younger generation. This, then, results in the respecting address, even for the unknown person, as he or she looks older then ego, an individual should be addressed with the respecting address, drawn from the kinship terms to accord the age and the appropriate rank in the familial link.
The western will address others by names, ignoring the age of the addressee. If the persons are close, they will directly call their first names. In other situation, they will use “Mr., Mrs., Ms, DR,” followed by their family name. The addresses in the Indonesia include the kinship terms like Bapak, Ibu, Saudara, Tuan, Nyonya, Mas, Abang, Om, Tante, that may be followed by the name. This terms are not only for the person having a familial relation, but also others who the speaker intends to respect, even for a person that is just encountered in public space in a bus or in the bench of football stadium. Kinship terms are a bridge to address someone as the speaker has not known his/her name, replacing just “hi” or “hello” in English context.
Adressing Terms
Indonesian English
Bapak, Ibu, Saudara, Tuan, Nyonya, Mas, Abang, Om, Tante, names, adik, paman, pak-De
Mr, Sir, Mr., Mrs, DR, Madam, girls, guy, budy, you, names.
Eastern Ethics: Polite Esteem
The application of the kinship terms in eastern culture, Indonesia and other local languages is a sort of internalized value and it is the standard way in addressing someone older. An individual will call by name as the addressee is at the same social level, or at the same age. In a situation in which the addressee is a foreigner, Javanese or Indonesian will find an appropriate terms like, om, mas, pak, and etc. Again the terms are taken from the familial setting. If one violates this rule, others will view the behavior to be unethical.
English has no equivalents for the term. The languages just has terms with no meaning of familial link: ”Mr, Mrs, Miss” which in bahasa Indonesia may be the same as ”Tuan,” ”Nyonya” and ”Nona” used in a very specific situation, and hard to find in a daily communication. This is evidence that there is a significant cultural gap between the east and the west, especially on the addressing.
Compromising Eastern Culture in Western Code
The addressing terms which are realized in the daily social interaction of the eastern culture are inevitably lost as the interlocutors speak English. This is due to inexistence of the parallel terms in English marking a respect to the second person we talk to. The problem is how to make the politeness in our communication is verbally delivered? Or is there a way to make an English communication take place by keeping the Javanese ethics in place?
Teachers may put this point into their consideration. The real example of how the kinship terms are applied in social communication is in the movie imported from Hong Kong or India. It may reflect the real situation as they have English as second language. They apply the terms ”brother,” ”sister”, ”uncle” or ”aunt” as the replacement of the kinship terms which do not only function to show the real relationship of the family, but more about the way to show respect or politeness. In a gangster movie, the member of the gang may call their senior, with “Brother Hung” or “first brother”, “second brother”, “uncle Chow”, and etc.
The translated terms into English are actually not so sufficient to represent whole terms used in an extended family of eastern culture. Is it acceptable to our eastern thought if we just left the politeness code? This is very important if we have an ideal to put English as our communication media, to bridge the social communication in the context of Javanese culture. Or is it possible to attach the terms in our English utterance to naturalize the situation, and to escape from the ethical doubt to call the name for the person we actually want to respect.
Mbak, do you have the book?
Mas, could you tell me where it is?
Mas Yus, I really need your help.
In our context, we will say like this:
Apa Ibu mau ini?
This addressee is directed to the second person who is actually there with the speaker. The normality of grammar says that the second person is kamu/you. However, the ethics says another. It is impolite to address to someone we should respect by “kamu”. We should change the kamu into the kinship terms, according to the appropriateness to his/her age. In this case, a mother will be upset, and suggest the child not to call her “kamu”.
*Mah, roti ini separonya buat kamu ya…*
Or in another situation, a girl will address her senior like below.
Mbak Wid, mau nitip?
which will not be normally transferred into English into?
“Mbak Wid, do you want me to buy some?
The expression of politeness in Javanese culture is really hard to realize as we communicate in English. This case is similar with the addressing somebody in higher position. It is hard to write “mu” (your) in an SMS to mean “panjenengan” or “bapak/ibu” in Javanese or Indonesia.
“Sir, I lost my book, Could I borrow yours.”
The egalitarian tone is obviously seen in this text. While in Javanese, we actually want to pack this expression in a very polite tone. Seeing the case above, English will only show its respect tone via a vocative tool, like the examples below.
Mom, do you want it?
When a person will address to someone he/she respect, he must accompany the second person: you” by the vocative tool of politeness. This will also include when it comes to possessive “you”. For the case of the specific term like mbak, it seems that we can keep it to include in our communication in eastern context. This part may be a style of Indonesian English.
To replace “you” in Javanese social communication with English code, it is possible to make our utterance is mix of English lexical code and Javanese social ethics, by putting the kinship terms in the utterance. This way will keep our politeness verbal expression and enable us to communicate in English way. Perhaps, this will create some odd in our expression, but this is a kind of middle way to bridge the egalitarian nature of English, and our typical ethics as Javanese interlocutors. Thus, we may consider these expressions.
1) Could Ibu come to the office? (“Could you come to the office”)
2) Are they Bu Nur’s sisters? (Are they your sisters)
3) Prof, we are waiting for Bapak’s presentation material. (Prof, we are waiting for your presentation material)
4) Mbak, do Embak have the book? (Mbak, do you have the book)
5) Mas, could Mas Arif tell me where it is? (Mas, could you tell me where it is)
6) Mas Yus, I really need Mas Yus’s help. (Mas Yus, I really need your help)
There is always a sacrifice in any form of compromised way. Just like Purwo (2009) said that there is a sacrifice of our cultural value as we communicate in English. And one of them is the politeness value which is just lost as we talk in English. In fact, we still want to verbalize the politeness but English is not so sufficient in terms of politeness verbalization.
Final Remarks
The paper is only an initial step to consider some cultural gap which influences our communication. The middle way above is only a hypothesis that we may take, and there are more possibilities to propose in the future with more consideration. At least, this brief view have touched our subtle part of English communication which so far has been left in our ignorance, seeing the fact that there are more considerable matters that should addressed in the context of English learning in our country. However, an attention should be paid for the matter, as well, at least by the individuals who share the concern.
References
Ahimsa-Putra, Heddy Shri. 2005. Strukturalisme Levi-Strauss. Yogyakarta: Keppel Press.
Alip, Fr. B. 2006. Language and Peace. Journal Phenomena: Journal of Language and Literature Vol.10. No.2-October 2006. Yogyakrta: Dept. of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
Halliday, M.A.K. 1985. Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold.
Purwo, Bambang Kaswanti. 2009. The Development of Language Study. Informal Lecture for 1st COTEFL May 1-2, 2009.
Pujiyatno, Ambar. 2009. Istilah-Istilah Kekerabatan Masyarakat Kabupaten Kebumen: Sebuah Kajian Etnolinguistik. Jurnal Leksika: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra dan Pengajarannya Vol.3.No.1. Pebruari 2009. Purwokerto: Fakultas Sastra, UMP.
Supardo, Susilo. 2006. Addressing Terms in Javanese Aristocrat Family. Jurnal Leksika: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra dan Pengajarannya Vol.1.No.2. Agustus 2006. Purwokerto: Fakultas Sastra, UMP.
Article: Noble Values in Tradisional Games
Seeking the Great Values behind the Marginalized Javanese Games
Khristianto,S.S.
Faculty of Letters
Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto
Jl. Raya Dukuwaluh Po.Box202, Purwokerto
rezalx@yahoo.com, mobile: +62 85227737495
Abstract
The games for kids don’t only function to entertain, but also takes a role in shaping the personality for the young. The Javanese ancestors had created many kinds of traditional games to play, as the media to play fun, to socialize with others, and also to practice the psychomotor skills for the children. Unfortunately, the games start to fade out from the view, since fewer kids play the games, leaving most to choose the modern, western games, or just get entertained by watching the black box in the living room. This matter must be a concern for the natives of the Indonesian local cultures in general. Thus, it will imply to an extinction of a part of the cultural treasure.
This paper tries to explore the spirit, by revitalizing the values behind the games. It will seek the red line linking many types of traditional games, and goes deeper to formulate the local geniuses within them. By finding the great values, it is expected there will be shared awareness of the importance in the piece of culture for development of human resources.
The result of analysis shows that Javanese games have some common characteristics, those are: well-opened, stimulating psychomotor skills, massive or involving many players, natural setting and environment-based. And the values behind the games are the closeness to the nature, the spirit of togetherness, and the spirit of hard work.
Key words: games, Javanese, local genius.
Introduction
Oktavianus (2008:2) in his paper is concerned on the change of Minangkabau language and culture.
The strong invasion of Indonesian language reaches all regions. Some people even begin to socialize Indonesian as the first language of their new generation. This phenomenon has the impact to the existence of figure of speech. Meanwhile, figure of speech may contain local genius constructed through the ecology of culture and the nuance of Islam characterized Minangkabau people.
There are many things about traditional closing to their extinction. In Oktavianus’ context above, Bahasa Indonesia is a threat which has put many local language elements on the edge. This paper focuses on the similar concern above, which may have a common root problem. The traditional games are now going to an obvious ending, as their generation left them out. The young of today, who should be the practitioners, have more interests on other kinds of games. The modernity in some aspect has contributed to the extinction. A night with a full moon used to be a party for the kids. The fun atmosphere was strongly felt in the kid’s mind of the past. And they were waiting the moment so much. The day was always play time outside the house. The rainy day meant running like horse in the middle of the drops. Running in wet sounded so heroic. In another, it meant a harvest time for the fruits in the neighbor’s house yard. The sunny day was the time to hunt a good trunk to play kathik, or it was the best time to play oglong, gerobak serbu, or bacean.
All the fun of the games now concludes with the products of modernity. The electricity has put down the values of the full moon in the modern mind. Being to be lighted is usual. It is a normal to have lights in the dark night. This grabs the fascination of the full moon. The charm of invitation the moon has now extinct. This fact is worsened by the TV box. The kids prefer to enjoy the TV programs to the socialization with others by playing traditional games. They refuses other’s summoning to play, as they have a favorite program shown in TV.
As they come to play, it is not the games their parents know. Most games are new imported games with many degrading values. Some games really have gone from the view. Others are rare choice to play. In fact, many social functions are there behind the activities of the games. This paper is a further exploration on the traditional games to find the great values behind them.
The Games and their Function
Games, dolanan, are part of the creative expressions made by a community of culture. Behind the creations, there are some ideas of the culture. Within the creation are many ideas and wisdoms. The design of the games with tools, rules, instructions of what to do and what to say is not just made instantly like a magic. They were designed considering many aspects of education and care to build a good physics and mental.
The culture of Central Java, or that of Javanese in general, has a unique cultural treasures, the traditional games, which used to be the option to take in free time not just for the children but also for adult. The traditional games like petak umpet, bola bekel, engklek, dakon, bacean and many more have sort of historical fun. They do not only function to entertain but also to maintain the social relation among the individuals in society. Monks, et al (1987:117), quoting a Russian sociologist Ljublinskaja, said that games are the reflection of the reality. They are a first knowledge acquisition. The games surely are determined by the factors of cultures as the context. This argument goes well with the statement of Timmy Hartadi dalam Wahyuni (2007): "Traditional activities for play including games, songs and toys are the result of a structural transaction between human beings and the environment. They create a pattern of social interaction that involves the deepest depths of the human.”
Taking the ideas of Buytendijk, Monks et al (1987:118) further enlist the characteristics of the games. Those are: tool, interactive relation, dynamic, turn taking, simultaneous, massive (involving many individuals), rules, and court to play.
By playing the games, the persons involved will get fun and at the same time maintain the social relation to others, and the children, in particular, will have a strong social bond with each other until they have grown up.
Adisasmito (2008:83) stated that the games as the product of culture stimulate the activities of body and mind. She said that the games are similar to the art as the product of human creation. In the process of playing games, there are beauties and preoccupation, like an art which absorbs the concentration of the artist, and makes the on lookers fascinated.
The togetherness and the massiveness of the games lead to the involvement of many persons or players. This is just right media to support the stages of the social development among the children. As it is stated by the Development Team of MKDK IKIP Semarang (1991:166), the social development of a child includes four stages:
1. A stage of education him/her not to make trouble to others, and can appreciate others;
2. A stage of education to make him/her obey the rule and able to adapt to the social norms.
3. A stage of education to train him/her to think comprehensively in the social interaction based on the principle of”take and give”.
4. A stage of education to practice him/her in understanding others.
The characters of the traditional games obviously promote the stages of child development.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Here are the games collected and recorded by Wahyuningsih and Nur Alim (2008) in their research. The list is surely not the whole complete recording of the traditional games owned by the Javanese culture. There should be more than the list below, as it is found by other researchers in Central Java context. The Development Center of PNFI Jayagiri identified 43 traditional games. Another investigation by Zaini Alif of HONG, a Study of Bandung Folklore Game, collected as many as 186 games in Central Java. They believed that the traditional games have moral and cultural values and philosophical meaning. Unfortunately, many of the games are abandoned and forgot by their owners. (Iskandar & Wahyuningsih: 2008).
By seeing 11 games with their characteristics, we can draw some great values and lessons from the games. These values are also accorded from the function of the game as it explained the previous section. The characteristics in the games are well-opened, stimulating psychomotor skills, massive or involving many players, natural setting and environment-based. And the values behind the games are the closeness to the nature, the spirit of togetherness, and the spirit of hard work.
Table 1.
Traditional Games in Central Java
No Name of Game No of players tool Court Usual Time
1 Bacean > 3 little pieces of soil made roof
outdoor Day
2 Kathik > 2 Wooden stalk (short and long)
Outdoor Day
3 Banthan > 2 and even more Stone and Court on the ground
outdoor Day
4 jamuran > 5 No tool
outdoor Day/Night
5 sarunggeng > 6 No tool
outdoor /wide indoor Night
6 Gerobak serbu > 4 (even) No tool
outdoor Day/Night
7 Kethikar_kethikur > 3 Small pieces of stalk leaves of cassava tree
Outdoor/indoor Day
8 Tungkup Madu > 4 (even) No tool
outdoor Day/Night
9 Semut-semutan > 3 Blindfold of scarf or sarong indoor Day/Night
10 Bantha (Panggalan) > 2 Gasing, a piece of rope to rewind
outdoor Day
11 Oglong > 2 Piece of soil roof and the court on the ground outdoor day
THE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRADITIONAL GAMES
Traditional games are always in open format, widening chances to anyone who wants to join, without any criteria but willing to comply with the agreed rule. There is no requirement to play, unless the individual must have tool for it. And the tools are usually the natural things which can be found easily in the environment. For example, if a kid wants to join the games like banthan or kethikar-kethikur, he/she just needs to find a stone or the leave stalk of cassava picked from the garden. In few minutes, he can start playing the games with other friends.
Indeed some games, such as bantha panggalan (gasing) or kathik, require the modified tools. The wooden gasing is usually made with the stem or root of the tree trunks of selong or lantoro. The making process is difficult enough for a child. The father or teenager, then helps to create it. However, the toy is a plaything with long durability, since the wooden material make it not easily broken. It is possible the same gasing can be played from one season to another. Therefore, the complexity of the tool making can be compensated with its durable nature. Traditional games are often run seasonal (ungsum) or trend. The context of the weather and climate seem to influence what game to be the trend.
The open nature is in a line with the next character i.e., involving many people. Traditional games always involve at least two people who must compete each other to achieve victory. The two can be expanded to as many people as possible. Concerning the number, another factor that influences the nature of the game is the type of individual or group. When the game is a game of individuals then the number of players will not be limited, unless there are limitations in the arena game that need some adequate space. The games like this require that the number of groups of players must always be complete, considering each group must have same number members. Games such as gerobak serbu can involve a lot of people without any limit, as long as it is even.. The game gerobak sodor requires the existence of a court in the ground, so this game is usually only involve between 5-7 people in one group or the overall number of players is 10-14 people.
Most of the traditional games is actually more flexible in terms of groups or individuals. This means the game can be played in both groups and individuals. Games like this can be played by two people only, for example tungkup madu (petak umpet, hide and seek), bacean, and banthan. However, if the players are more than 2, then the game is better for groups. This is usually caused by the nature of the game: the simultaneous or turn taking or wait and see. The simultaneous games make all players can play together. While the turn taking ones make a group must wait their turn to play, according to the mistake made by the competitors. Instead of the natures, the traditional game holds a lot of people, so that a group of children can play games together, and when there is a child passing and wanting to join, the game still welcome him/her. And the more players only mean more fun.
Environment-based and the natural setting is other natures of the traditional games. Environment-based means the games can be run easily by applying the existing arena and natural instruments around us. This seems to apply to the village environment, with the lands of wide area. The lack of enough space for a traditional game practice factor seems to be a factor of its marginalized, especially in the city. As disclosed by Wahyuningsih and Iskandar (2008), the traditional games, Kaulinan Baheula as they mentioned: "The basic infrastructure such as yards or gardens with wide are reduced. For example in the city of Bandung, Standard need for the ideal garden is 3.5 square meters per person. However, with a garden now reached 1,226,335.54 m2 to 2.8 million residents, the ratio of parks in the city of Bandung is only about 0.43 square meters per person. Indeed it is not very adequate, and the games all require open space." So, it can be more understood that the children of the city had never be seen to play many of the traditional games. Unfortunately, this social phenomenon is not only the case for the towns and cities in Indonesia. The children of the villages appear to imitate the city culture. This is also related to the marketing through the medium of television, which strengthened the flooding of imported toys which are often associated with kid movies. The Children imitate the form and character in the story of the film, and buy toys that are marketed into the village areas by the toy peddlers.
The instruments of the traditional games can easily be found in our environment. The Children who need to play just have to get to know about nature and find the tools there. When they went to the river for a bath, they go home with a rock-hard stone used to play bantha. Or when they walk through the housing, they can collect a small piece worn roof, talawengkar, oglong , and bacean. When they go through the garden with plants of cassava, they can pluck leaves for the stem taken a tool to play kethikar-kethikur. Or when they want to play kathik or panggalan, they just only need to find a garden wood, and collecting devices play. Or they do not need to do anything, other than to gather and share the group when they play gerobak serbu or gerobak sodor. It is really perfect, indeed.
Natural setting means the games do not require any setting, in addition to the arena that may need to be prepared with simple lines on the ground, such as oglong, banthan, or gerobak sodor. Others are simply played and remain in the surrounding environment. The players are in a quite natural setting for the play can get a preoccupation. This game is very different from the modern game-which usually requires the existence of infrastructure and setting that is not natural, which culminate on consumerism. For example, chess, football, play station, pistol toy, car toy, car-racing toy, and others.
Another characteristic which can be identified by the writer is a training of mental and physical. Traditional games require the players to have a dynamic creativity and psychomotor skill. Besides, the players need to be able to identify the weakness of the opponent, location map, and strategies to be the winner of them. In addition, it always has the physical ability as the most prominent feature, with the players should rely on their own body as the main instrument. The Physical nature of this trick is the lack of the modern game-playing. For example oglong game, which requires players to jump around with one foot, with a variety of body positions? In addition, coordination between the senses and coordination of the parts of the body are also a requirement for a successful play.
THE NOBLE VALUES BEHIND THE TRADITIONAL GAMES
The values behind the games which can be recognized by the writer are the closeness to the nature, the spirit of togetherness, and the spirit of hard work. Surely, many other values are there, in need of deeper exploration related to other cultural values and philosophical foundation in the Javanese. However, those three should lead to awareness that the games are beneficial as part of education on our children, and we should do something to protect and revitalize them.
The Closeness to Nature
As they are carefully viewed, the traditional games are a form of solicitation on the human to be always close to the nature. This is evident from the materials used as equipments in the games. All are only about the things in nature. The kids just need to seek in nature directly, and then apply instantly in them, such as stone for bantha game, and also talawengkar, or tile in a bacean. Or they need to do a few modifications to the materials obtained from nature, such as the stem and stick in a game kathik, or panggalan which need be shaped from the root or trunk. The equipments are obtained with the involvement of children with nature as a form of naturalistic education, as the opponent of the materialistic, which is always looking for the answers for the problems of living in money. Games of children on this day always be on the nature of consumerism, pragmatism, which are culminated in the reluctance to try on the self and become an independent person.
The case includes the urge for kids to explore the nature and to stay close with it, if they want to play. The court on the ground with a modification of motor skills or the understanding of the places in the surrounding environment as the most strategic position to hide are all manifestation of the game to make players closely attached to the nature. Children are also required to utilize materials from nature to get around finding the equipment of the play. This is a good teaching that nature is the entity that provides many benefits for them. Thus, they can be more internalized with the mutual relation between human and nature, as well as an encouragement to love and protect the environment.
The Spirit of Togetherness
Other values that we can find in a traditional game is the beauty of togetherness. Traditional games always involve a lot of people, players will become increasingly more and more exciting as more people are involved. In nature, the message to interact socially with others is nurtured from the childhood. In addition, a togetherness, and not individualistic, is also an element which is very important and effective. Children through fun learn how to play live together and manage their personality for the running well of the game. Just compare to individual games of the modern coming from other cultures, such as play station, robots, or pistol. The games require new player to buy things to join. And it takes much time and cost to have the instrument. The traditional games is just a gate of togetherness, accepting anyone who want to join as long as complied with the agreed rules.
The traditional games are the medium of small society for children in which they socially interact to each other. In the bond of togetherness with many individuals, they are trained to recognize the characters of others, and how they should behave to adapt with them. In addition, the adaptation and the submission to the game rules and penalties for violations are the early nurture for kids to prepare the life of being adult. In a real society, there are also rules to obey and its violation has some unpleasant consequent, with an implication for the loss on others.
The Value of Hard Work and Self-Reliance Spirits
There are values of the nurturing of self-reliance spirit and the hard work culture, by practicing the children mentally and physically. The children are put into a habit of working to gain thing. They have to do something before they start playing. Why is it so? The traditional games are the contextual games accorded to the nature. This will make them easy to find the tools around the environment. They can rely on themselves to fulfill the demands required for playing them.
The children just observe the nature to search for materials to be modified as a play instrument. Sometimes they also need to cultivate the skills to make the tools such as kathik or panggalan games. Initially, they may only learn their brothers create equipment. In time, they will start learning to create their own tools for use using their own skills. Such skills are also needed to win a game.
The values above are also disclosed by Adisasmito (2008:84) saying many positive attitudes are actually attributed planted through the games. She states “the activities such as games, especially in the form of art, will imply on the psychological condition of sincerity, independence, creative power, mental balance, and spiritual attitude.” Of course, the values can still be more explored by referring to more cultural theories about the local culture, or directly finding the views from the cultural experts, who have not had time to give their attention on the part of the cultural phenomenon.
Closing Remarks
In line with the developments of the era and the technology, the games are now rarely played the more traditional and more marginalized. Children prefer to play the games using the modern technologies such as play station, video game and even on-line video game that can be accessed via the internet. It is rarely seen the children spending time by going to the traditional games. Therefore, the efforts to revitalize the traditional game have so wide meaning. This step is the effort to get our children back on the games which are the original products of the Javanese ancestors.
An alternative way is by including the games in the school context, especially in elementary, kindergarten and playgroup. The values in the games can be the media to nurture the noble attitude on the kids. In another, the games can be modified into media to learn English, just like what Wahyuningsih and Nur Alim (2008) did. This goes in line the statement of Baker (2003) : In a child’s world there is no distinction between playing and learning. Play is the means by which the child makes discoveries and learns about the world. Learning in general and a language in particular, through enjoyable, interesting and stimulating activities, enables the child to learn in a way that is natural and full of fun for her/him
References
Adisasmito, Nuning Damayanti. 2008. Education of Art as a Process of Innovative and Creative Cultural Heritage in the Indonesian Society. Jurnal Educare, Vol.1. No.1, August 2008. Bandung: ASPENSI, IKA UPI Bandung dan FKIP-UMP.
Maskowitz, Gertrude.1978. Caring and Sharing in the Foreign Language Class: A Sourcebook on Humanistic Techniques. Massachussets: Newbury House Publisher, Inc. Rowley.
Monks, F.J., Knoers, A.M.P., & Haditono, Siti Rahayu. 1987. Psikologi Perkembangan: Pengantar dalam berbagai bagiannya. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press.
Oktavianus. 2008. Figure of Speech in Minangkabau Language. National Seminar on Language, Literature and Teaching. Padang: Fakultas Sastra, UNP.
Tim Pengembangan MKDK IKIP Semarang. 1991. Dasar-Dasar Pendidikan: Semarang: IKIP Semarang Press.
Titik, Wahyuningsih, & Nur Alim, Condro. 2008. Permainan Tradisional sebagai Media Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris. Laporan Penelitian-DIKTI 2008
Internet Sources:
Baker, Carol. 2003. Learning at Play English. http://www.playenglish.it/En/en_ourSchoolPD.htm
Iskandar, Harris & Wahyuningsih, Sri. 2008. Kaulinan Baheula Sebagai Media Pembelajaran pada Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini. “Festival Kaulinan Barudak Baheula” Bandung, 14-20 Desember 2008. Bandung: Pusat Pengembangan Pendidikan Non Formal dan Informal Regional Uayagiri, Ditjen PNFI Depdiknas
Wahyuni, Sri. 2007. Full Moon Festival Helps Revive In Traditional Toys. Jakarta: JakartaPost. www.jakartapost.com
Sabtu, 28 Februari 2009
CALL FOR PAPER ON TEFL
CONFERENCE ON TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
CALL FOR PAPERS
1-2 May 2009
Teaching English in
A good quality of English teaching is a prerequisite in all education levels. Those who get involved in English teaching should update the newest issues in order to fulfill both academic and practical needs. This is to assure that the learning will reach its ultimate success.
The topics dealing with the matter will be addressed by some experts of TEFL. This will be supplemented by a lot of papers written by practitioners from high schools and universities sharing their knowledge and experience in learning practices and researches in various contexts and background.
Theme
The conference puts a main theme of Teaching English as Foreign Language, divided into some sub themes:
v Cultural Factors in TEFL
v Method and Media for TEFL
v Researches on English and its teaching
v Teaching English For Young Learners
v Literatures in English Teaching
v Computer Assisted Language Learning
v Other related topics
Invited Speakers
Prof. DR. Bambang Kaswanti Purwo (Catholics
DR. Jufrizal, M.Hum (
DR. Furqanul Aziz, M.Pd. (
Papers
Abstract in 250-300 words should be sent to rezalx@ymail.com as an attachment, bearing name, institution affiliation, phone number, and postal address.
The paper must be :
v Original and has not been presented anywhere else.
v 5 pages including the recent bibliography.
v Paper size: A4
v Program: MS Word
v Font : Times New Roman 11 pt
v Margin Left: 2½ cm, right – up – bottom = 2 cm
v Space: single
Important Dates
March 25, 2009: deadline of abstract submission
March 30, 2009: notification of acceptance
April 25, 2009: deadline of paper submission
April 25, 2009: deadline of registration
April 27, 2009: deadline of presentation material
May 1-2, 2009: conference days
Senin, 26 Januari 2009
Ibu, Karang dan Aku
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-JdzjikHBuhmH2uu2U1nAMCEwASeUnJv7hv0c5vxr4T4d6_1pgPWnbNGY8Qv3selfpreKHieXcuItLCePHqQkWUFDx460IL-FWG768MjTO9aD_4yCkJyqfXoP9a0S7kWMxNKerpJvAw/s200/kanker2.jpg)
Sebenarnya tidak...sudah hampir 3 tahun, tubuh kecil ini tidak lagi banyak tergantung pada sosok ibu—yang normalnya merupakan seorang yang selalu menjadi pendamping sekaligus model dari seorang anak. Tapi...beliau hanya terkulai lemah. Selalu begitu. Memoriku tentang ibu tidak lain adalah wajah pasi, tubuh kurus kering, dan suara mendesis serta mata yang terpejam menahan sakit yang tidak tertahan. Aku biasanya tidak kuat melihat semua itu. Lalu tanpa bersuara, mendekap tangan-tangan tulang itu, menaruhnya di dadaku dan aku tertelungkup di atasnya, air mataku mengalir deras...dan tanpa suara. Aku tidak merasakan apapun secara fisik. Tetapi robekan hati itu tidak kepalang rasanya....”Ibu...maafkan Fari ya?”
....Kepala dengan rambut jarang dan sangat kusut itu pun tidak kuasa mengangguk...tapi aku yakin bahwa mengiyakan permohonanku...kini mata cekung itu yang melelehkan air mata....”Ibu...jangan menangis...!”
Drama sedih harian itu menjadi semacam hiburan rutin dalam panggung kehidupan. Ironis memang. Tapi begitulah. Yang aku yakin bukan hanya menimpa aku seorang diri di belahan bumi Indonesia. Aku serta ibuku masih beruntung. Sangat beruntung. Sosok tinggi besar andalan kami selalu menemukan cara untuk menunjukkan ikhtiar yang layaknya dilakukan. Aku pun tahu itu. Bapak harus ke sana ke mari untuk mencari pinjaman. Penghasilan bulanan serta honor-honor yang ia peroleh untuk kerjanya di luar kantor masih jauh dari mencukupi untuk menutup biaya pengobatan ibu.
Tapi begitulah bapak. Tiada beban. Menjalani segalanya dengan senyum. Meski aku yakin ada kepayahan yang mendalam bukan hanya secara fisik—yang aku heran badannya tetap segede itu—dan seribu kelelahan psikis. Beliau selalu menyapa ibu dengan senyum. Biasanya seusai membiarkan aku mencium tangan ibu. Badan besar itu akan membungkuk, dan mengecup kening, terus kedua mata cekung ibu yang berbalut selaput kulit yang begitu kering. Tangannya menggenggam tangan ibu erat. Mencoba menyalurkan kekuatan untuk jasad yang terlampau lelah dan kesakitan itu.
Sisi lain dari keuntungan kami, dan ibu tentu, adalah kesabaran serta KESETIAAN yang tak berbatas. Hatinya adalah lautan energi positif. Lautan yang sepanjang penangkapanku tiada sedikit pun berpolusi. Ingin rasanya aku menulis surat pada GreenPeace bahwa mereka boleh berbangga karena di sini masih ada lautan yang betul-betul bersih tanpa polusi. Mereka tidak perlu khawatir tentang ikan atau lobster yang terkotori oleh polithylen dari materi-materi plastik. Di sini, dalam diri pria berbadan tegap nan besar. Ayahku.
Soal kesetiaan itu. Hai! Para laki-laki para penguasa patriarkis, di sini berdiri seorang dari kaummu yang memiliki seribu alasan untuk menikah lagi, tetapi ia tidak melakukannya. Cintanya utuh, dan makin tumbuh berakar demi melihat sosok yang didambanya semakin menyusut dihisap kesegaran serta keanggunannya oleh sel-sel kanker di tubuhnya. Semenjak ibu terdeteksi oleh dokter bahwa penyebab frekuensi kencingnya yang begitu hebat yang diikuti dengan gelembung perut yang makin besar adalah tumor kandungan empedu, bapak mulai tidak bisa berkonsentrasi pada pekerjaan-pekerjaannya. Ia hanya fokus pada bagaimana memulihkan kesehatan ibu. Maka, aku menjadi biasa melihat Bapak yang segera menghilangkan bekas-bekas tangisnya sebelum langkah pertama membuka kamar perawatan Ibu. Paska pengangkatan ovarium itu, ibu harus menjalani kemoterapi untuk memastikan bahwa sel-sel kankernya betul-betul mati dan hilang dari tubuhnya. Zat-zat sitotoksik mulai masuk ke tubuh ibu yang tampak selalu dalam kondisi kesakitan. Namun baru mendapatkan dua kali obat kemoterapi, kondisi ibu sudah tidak berbentuk lagi. Kecantikan yang aku kenali dari foto-fotonya betul-betul amblas total. Kecantikan itu berubah menjadi sosok kurus, tulang berbalut kulit, dengan kepala yang hampir pelontos. Seluruh tubuhnya lemas, lunglai, badan seperti terbakar, nafsu makan hilang, bau makanan menjadi sumber rasa mual yang tidak tertahan. HB darahnya turun drastis.
Dan karang kesetiaan itu makin kokoh memapah ibu. Menjadi pendamping yang selalu tersenyum. Meyakinkan bahwa keindahan bahtera akan bisa diraih kembali. Itulah sinyal-sinyal verbal yang aku yakin tidak salah menangkapnya dari pandangan serta isyarat tubuh dari setiap perilaku bapak, saat menemani Ibu setiap kali ia menyelesaikan tugas-tugasnya untuk menafkahi aku serta ibu dan menjamin bahwa perawatan yang mahal itu tetap bisa ia tangani.
Aku tahu bahwa bapak selalu menyembunyikan tangisnya dari aku dan ibu. Selama hampir 3 tahun itu, aku sering mendapati bapak tidak ada di sampingku. Terdengar sesenggukan dari sebelah kamar. Ruang shalat di rumah kami. Tampaknya selepas tengah malam, pria bertubuh besar itu menjadi lelaki cengeng di hadapan Tuhannya. Ia memasrahkan segalanya, termasuk nasib ibu padaNya. Kadang saat ia kembali ke pembaringan, sesenggukannya masih terbawa. Sekali lagi, aku pun menjadi lelaki cengeng, yang munafik. Aku menangis tanpa suara. Tanpa air mata.
***
Malam lengang. Angin terasa kehilangan energi untuk bergerak menunjukkan keberadaannya. Langit pun serasa senyap tanpa sedikit cahaya. Kerlip bintang-bintang kecil di langit jauh sana, tak kuat menembus horison-horison kota yang mandi gemerlap cahaya. Syukurlah! Malam yang sempurna. Setidaknya listrik tidak mati hari ini. Tragis memang kisah negeriku ini. Negeri nan kaya yang dulu begitu bangga dengan kekayaan dan limpahan karunia yang tertuang dalam berbagai syair dan nyanyian. Kini kebanggan itu tersisa hanya dengan kenyataan pahit bahwa Ibu pertiwi tidak sanggup lagi menyangga kebutuhan anak-anak bangsa. Ia begitu kepayahan meladeni teriakan dan tangisan para Ibu yang khawatir dengan anak-anak dan bayinya di rumah, yang bisa saja kelaparan seharian. Mereka harus berebutan demi 2 liter minyak tanah untuk memastikan bahwa ia adalah ibu yang bertanggung jawab atau meyakinkan diri bahwa ia tidak gagal dan menemui suaminya yang menunggu di rumah dengan bersungut-sungut, dan menghabiskan menikmati sajian-sajian hiburan di kotak hitam di rumahnya, dan kepulan asap rokok yang tidak berhenti menjadi polusi, bukan hanya untuk tubuhnya tetapi juga rumah seisinya. Atau, si bapak akan tanpa ragu mendamprat dan mengarahkan tapak tangannya yang sangat kasar ke pipinya. ”Wanita bodoh!!” sambil beranjak dari kursinya, dan membawa uang yang sedianya untuk membeli minyak, untuk pergi ke warung dan menikmati sajian perut lapar itu sendiri, melupakan nasib orang-orang yang ia tinggal dan meyakinkan bahwa uang itu adalah mutlak haknya.
Ya. Lampu benderang. Ibu pertiwi malam ini masih sangat sayang. Dan aku pun maklum ketika tiga hari ke depan, kotaku gelap. Itu berarti Ibu pertiwi tengah melepas lelah. Sambil mengurut dadanya yang naik turun kembang kempis. ”Ibu, itu bukan salahmu. Sama sekali. Ada beberapa raksasa serakah di negeri ini. Tetapi kau masih menganggapnya sebagai anak yang harus kau lindungi.” Begitulah jiwa seorang ibu.
Serasa sebuah malam yang disebut sebagai lailatur qadar, malam dimana Tuhan menurunkan malaikatnya yang paling penyayang untuk memberikan cinta dan kasih sayang, menjawab segala doa yang dibisikan oleh bibir taqwa di malam gulita. Tapi, aku sendiri hanya terkapar sambil merenungi kisah-kisah tentang ibu di pembaringan. Aku ingin memastikan ibu tidak merasa terbeban secara mental. Aku tidak ingin ada rasa bersalah karena tidak merawatku dengan sempurna. Atau tidak menjadi istri yang dapat memenuhi kebutuhan batin seorang laki-laki, suaminya. Aku pun memastikan diri untuk bisa melaporkan hal-hal hebat yang aku lakukan di sekolah di depan teman-teman dan ibu guru. Tentang lomba-lomba mewarnai yang aku bisa taklukan dengan mudah. Tentang kontes pidato atau storytelling yang aku selalu ada menjadi peserta, meskipun hanya berkutat pada tingkat lima besar. ”Ibu, aku hebat kan. Itu karena ibu. Otak dari genetis ibu. Buktinya, Ibu kan yang bisa menggambar dan mahir berbahasa Inggris....Dan kehebatan itu ada padaku. Berkat engkau ibu...” Bisikan-bisikan itu kusampaikan di pembaringan ibu, sambil menunjukkan penghargaan yang aku terima. Bibir lemahnya pun mengecup mataku dengan lembut. Ia tersenyum. Tak urung air matanya pun tetap luruh...
”Far, kau akan lebih hebat dari ini. Jauh lebih hebat...seandainya ibu tidak begini. Kau akan memenangkan peringkat tertinggi dalam kontes itu, andaikan ibu menjadi audiens yang menikmati kisah-kisah bahasa Inggrismu. Menjadi lawan bermain dalam kontes pidatomu.” Mungkin itulah kata-kata yang tertuang dari buliran-buliran air mata dari dua bola cekung yang sangat mencintaiku. Sungguh realitas lebih kaya akan kata-kata. Satu citra kadang musti dituangkan dengan berlembar-lembar kisah. Sebagaimana campur baru antara cinta, permohonan maaf, kasih tak terbatas, ribuan rasa dan emosi yang tiada batas yang tertuang dengan genggaman tangan, kecupan lembut, dan luruhan air mata.
Malam sepi itu ternyata adalah kata pamitan yang disampaikan oleh tubuh lemah ibu. Aku berkeyakinan bahwa malam bak lailatul qadar itu adalah wujud pelayanan alam terhadap seorang manusia yang sekian lama menderita, dan berupaya menghadirkan kesedihan, permohonan maaf serta cinta yang mendalam kepada aku, bapak, dan orang-orang yang akan kehilangan sosoknya. Aku yakin bahwa lengang itu berupaya meyakinkan bahwa ”cintaku kepada kalian kan terbawa hingga pertemuan berikutnya, dan berikutnya lagi.”
Pagi itu, aku mendapati bapak bersimpuh. Karang itu begitu rapuh. Badan besarnya limbung. Ketegaran-ketegaran itu terlihat luntur. Aku sendiri tidak berani menghampirinya. Tubuhku lunglai dalam pelukan eyang putri, yang juga tiada kuasa membendung air mata. Bukan karena tubuh ibu yang sudah kaku. Kami sudah terbiasa menelan derita kesakitan ibu tiap kali efek dari sel-sel kanker itu menunjukkan sifat jahatnya. Sel yang teramat kejam. Aku membayangkan sosok sel kanker, seperti komando prajurit Mongol dalam kisah Mulan. Pedang besar, badan lebar, dan cambang mengerikan. Yang ada dalam otaknya adalah memenggal dan menumpahkan darah.
Eyang menangis demi melihat bapak yang seolah kehilangan nyawa. Energinya yang maha hebat seakan terserap seluruhnya oleh duka kepergian ibu. Matanya yang selalu berkilat penuh semangat kini tampak kuyu. Eyang makin mendekapku erat, mencoba meyakinkan bahwa semuanya kan baik-baik saja. Bahwa bapak akan kembali meraih semangat hidupnya. Atau paling tidak bahwa eyang akan sanggup menggantikan peran bapak, andaikan ada sesuatu yang menimpa. Aku pun membiarkan air mataku membahasi pundak eyang. Aku ketakutan. Aku kasihan pada bapak. Aku takut dia kenapa-napa. ”Tuhan berikan kekuatanmu sekarang. Karang itu membutuhkan tiang semangat baru untuk menopang hidupnya.”
***
Aku masih terpekur, komat-kamit menyelesaikan doa terakhirku. Pagi masih sangat ranum. Aku bersujud mencium bagian atas pusara ibu. Kubayangkan itu adalah pipinya, yang aku yakin sudah cantik kembali. Tepat di bawah karang bunga besar yang sengaja aku pesan dari tiga hari uang lalu, untuk menemani doaku, air mataku pun luruh kembali, memburai tiada terbendung. Air mata yang selama ini kutahan hampir 20 tahun. Tangisku berakhir dengan sesenggukan panjang, kepalaku menoreh-noreh pasir, mataku terpejam, larut dalam kesedihan yang sengaja kupendam dalam. Hampir 30 menit, sujud tangisku membuncah di atas pusara ibu. Seandainya, bukan pusara, ibu pasti akan mendelik karena bajunya sudah kuyup oleh air mata.
”Far, hari sudah siang...sebentar lagi kita harus bersiap,” tangan kekar itu menarik pundak. Dan membantuku berdiri. Dia tidak sebesar dulu. Malah sekitar dua senti di bawahku. Aku pun mendekap tubuh kekar itu. Yang sekarang sama kekarnya denganku. ”Terima kasih, bapak...” Kami pun meninggalkan pusara itu, dengan berdekapan, meninggalkan pusara dengan karangan besar bertatakan bunga-bunga kuning dan daun pandan. Tertulis dengan jelas, ”Selamat dan Sukses atas Dilantiknya Dr. Fahri Buwana, SpOg(K).”
Rabu, 07 Januari 2009
Wax and Wane of the Indonesian Women
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupZORr9r7gsvR2WlOt5-_mt0rUXDFmYz1D_mWdhObTxuWcgUnkwVwVKVKHQQjh0qb98eaJuAJEHizwr1nKsVVb2vpRs-sXJzgNt3SsMGVLqQuDclZmPq77wBMqNM2ecbSIK8kbU2bcJg/s200/guru.jpg)
The Power of Discourse and The Discourse for Power
Khristianto
Introduction
The woman stand in public is not only questioned by religion institution. History has shown in real evidences that female is really the marginal and seen just to be the male’s subordinates. The fight against the male domination has long encountered the barriers of social rules. As stated in Udasmoro and Nurwidyohening (2007:148), the woman, since the beginning, has been put in the domestic areas (being a nature), while the man is regarded as the agents of the culture, who works to think, create and apply the properties of the public domain. This can be seen from the evidences of negative views about the woman. The woman is valued lower than man. Quoting Jean Delameau, the writers point out that in some period of time, the western culture had viewed the woman as the source of the problem, the trouble makers, or the common cause of social problems.
As we turn to the history of human creation, genesis, we will find the similar ideas. The fall of Adam from Heaven is of the woman factor. Eve, his spouse, persuaded him to follow what devil (or snake) asked. Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit and God finally ordered both to get out from the place. It is the original sin, which was then followed by first murder. This was also done by man because of the woman reason. The stimatization of the different sex by the male continues to the eras of philosphers positioning the woman in the negative stand. In this postmodern period, the female is still the questionable human being—their capability is frequently put in doubt just because the fact that they have a different sex. This case occurred in Indonesia. Megawati had to take a curving road to reach her presidency, in spite of the victory her party won. The reality of her sex forced her to face the strong barrier in our democratic country in which people must judge the person according to what he or she does, not to who he or she is. It doesn’t mean to ignore other possible factors, but the woman issue is the most prominent behind the reason of her refusal for president at that time.
The refusal was made of the discourses by the master. Who is the master of discourse? Khak (2007) said that they are the capital owners and the officials og the legislatives and the executives. The capital owners put their power of the discourse through the products they manufacture and market to the public. The legislatives and the executives manifest their hold on the language in the forms of the rules, the regulations, and the law. They also poured down their disourse power in the media in which they are the source of information for the public. By the language they use, they influence the public on how to speak and express ideas. They are models for the public in using a language. In this sense of model, the celebrities are very contagious to their fans.
Through the language, the disourse owner also manages and control others to have a certain view, behave in a some manner, to do like what he or she wants. That is why language can be the useful method to analyze and to constitute an ideology (Djatmika and Rarastesa, 2007: 15). The approach applied to search for the meaning of discourse here is the critical discourse analysis (Fairclough: 1997). Fairclough stated that the discourse analysis, including media discourse, necessarily involves two alternating focuses: communicative events and the order of discourse. The focus for the objective of the study is just the communicative event. Further, Fairclough explained that there are three aspects of any communicative event, i.e. text, discourse practice, and sociocultural practice. And the language instrument analysis will be taken through the systemic functional grammar (Halliday: 1987), especially the labelling (cf. Djatmika and Rarastesa: 2007). They said that the labelling is the tool to see the ideology effectively. Labelling used by the subject accurately indicates the ideology.
The result of analysis is then interpreted critically with Fairclough view, and discussed in terms of theory of power and discourse proposed by Foucault (Power/Knowledge). The source of data is the news and the opinion of the media collected from the Internet. They are all about the issue of woman presidency surrounding the general election in 1998.
Discourse and Power
Hidayat (2004:236) elaborated Foucault’s view on the relation between the discourse and knowledge. The knowledge produce a power as power results in knowledge. The power will only exist by the knowledge, and the knowlodge will never come without power. There is a mutual co-existency among the both. Further, Foucault argues that the power is just negative and repressive (in the form of prohibition and obligation) as formulated in the juridical concpets of power. The power runs in positive and productive way. The implementation of power continuously creates knowledge, and the knowledge goes in time to produce the effects of knowledge. It is impossible the power can be run without knowlede, as it is the case for the knowledge to escape itself from power (Panimbang: 2006, Hasbullah: 2007). Hasbullah (2007) concludes that there is a functional relation between knowledge and power. The power is inclusive in the willing to know.
The perspective is just right with Foucault’s proposition about ’regime of truth’, like what Irvine (2005) implied the truth as an entity in this world can exist after it takes through hurdles, and it is a part of the power’s influence. Truth is related to the circular relation of the power system by which it is produced and defended. The effects of power include and extend the truth. Foucault sees the war and the competition in many disciplines in deciding the knowledge and the turth are just a form of power conflict, and not the scientific debate.
Green (1997) describes that each society has its own truth, the general politics of truth, i.e. the disocurses which accept and make it function to be the truth. Foucault believes that the discourse is the instrument and the effect of power, but discourse is also a hurdle, a contesting point, and the first step of the strategy to resist. Thus, the knowledge and the power constitute the “creation rule” of the truth. The existence and the quality of something in reality is just the product of the construction process in the form of discourses. The effect of the construction process is manifested through the artificial bordering to the discourse.
Discourse on Mega : Ulema’s Verdict on Woman President.
The biggest vote PDI Perjuangan won in the 2008 election did not automatically put Megawati as its candidate to be the president. The flow of religious disscourse countered the first woman candidate, and the flow was larger after her party’s victory, putting Mega in the first list to hold the power. It seemed that she would be the top at the time. As it was diclosed in the media.
seperti kita ketahui bahwa PDI-P yang menang di (kalau tidak salah) 12
Propinsi mengantongi 154 suara dengan asumsi solidnya dukungan PDIP terhadap capresnya sendiri ditambah utusan daerah yang setidaknya dari propinsi yang suaranya didominasi oleh orang orang PDI-P di DPRD tersebut hampir dapat dipastikan bahwa PDI-P akan mendapatkan tambahan 60 suara dari utusan daerah. jadi setidaknya sudah ada 214 suara yang di pegang PDI-P tidak termasuk kemungkinan dukungan oleh PNI SUPENI, PKP dan beberapa partai kecil lainnya serta utusan golongan maupun TNI dengan 39 suaranya.
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/indopubs/1999/08/31/0079.html
Some opponents, then, made use the fundamental issue to avoid Mega from the top list. The ulema verdict on the prohibition for woman to be a leader of state went fast and wide. The discourse came from the opposition faction in the house of representative. The declaration of the verdict was stated by Hamzah Haz, “Poros Tengah tak mungkin mencalonkan Megawati, karena sesuai fatwa ulama, menolak wanita jadi pemimpin. Ini bukan masalah gender, tapi hanya ingin melaksanakan fatwa ulama. Jangan tuduh kami isu gender dan agama” (http://www.minihub.org/siarlist/msg03314.html). This is obviously a religious claim to the tricks undertaken by a group of people in the representative body, who named themselves Poros Tengah. The statement implied that any person or party going against their stand will violate the God’s rules. History has clearly noted that the manouver is really potent. Megawati, a woman candidate, with the democratic and logical reason to be the president had to go under the blind man whose party was just on the sixth position of the election vote. She was, then, put in the insignificant second position as the compensation gift.
There were three important issues to keep Mega away from the presidency. First, the discourse quoting the verse of Koran saying that the man is to lead the woman, and not otherwise. It is interpreted that the woman has no right to be a chief for man. It is usually lined with the fact that woman cannot be the leader (imam) in the prays. In this logics, then, the woman is prohibited more to be a leader of the country. This is strengthened by the proposition of the prophet (hadist) saying that a country will destroy, if the people give the power to a woman. Mega, then, is impossible to be the president before Islamic rules to which the majority of Indonesian people adhere. It means Mega was just born not to be a president because of her sex. In this religious proposition, any woman in whatever condition cannot be a president.
Besides those two discourses resulting in the same conclusion, another is about the questioning of Megawati’s religion. The point is that it posed if Mega was moslem or not. This is realized in the appearance of her picture in the media showing she practiced a ritual in another religion. The validity of the photograph is of course debatable. This completes a package of discourses to hinder Mega from the president list, despite the fact that she was democratically the most deserved person to be incharged.
The flow of religious proposition against woman president and the doubt of her Islamic religion is a stigmatization. The labelling of “woman must be led by man, and not otherwise” and the association of “woman leader” to “the destruction” are a deviation of reality to make the contraproductive effect to the stand of Mega as the candidate for the presidency. Another negative labelling for Mega is of course the floating idea about the religion Mega holds. The seemingly charge that Mega is not moslem is a real character assassination for her in the country with moslems as the majority. Her moslem supporters may even draw their votes, as they know about the fact. This is just a real blow for Mega, sending to the canvas, if it is boxing fight.
While, the very positive branding is tagged on the discourse creator, Poros Tengah (central axis). With its etymology, the name has wide arrays of positivity. Seen from the background of the constuting parties, the name are just another word for moslem, as stated in the Islamic proposition that moslem is the moderate people (ummatan wasyathan-umat yang berada ditengah diantara dua ekstrim). This is very potential naming regarding to the religioun-related discourses they produce to go against Mega.
This creative terms also implies the condition at the time. Hamzah has declared that “Untuk itu dinamakan sebagai Poros Tengah, yakni mengambil jarak dari kubu yang saat ini tengah bertarung merebut kursi kepresidenan, yakni kubu PDI-P yang mencalonkan Megawati dan partai Golkar yang mencalonkan Habibie sebagai presiden” . The faction is like the moderating brigde to link the two oppossing parties. Again, the brigding function puts this faction in a noble stand. It seems the group just fights for the wisdom and fairness to ensure the smooth run for the country.
The negativizing system targeted to Mega as the strongest candidate for presidency at the time, and the positive label on the issuer of the discourses is not more other than a sort of representation process. The representation is determined by the ideology, for like what Irvine (2005) says that “ideology is …a function of disourse.” What considered right or wrong is just a matter of the underlying interests. Three negative labels associated to Mega at that time seem to be just right. It is like the true reflection of the reality.
In fact, the discources has blurred the truth. It has reduced, violated and deconstructed the realities about the aspects of Mega for the president. The declaration of the proscribed female president is frequently contested by the arguments taken from the same verse by presenting it in a complete version. The verse’s full meaning is in contrast to the clipped version. There is reduction and violation to the true meaning of the verse. The same case is also found in the second discourse where the arguments to resist is by revealing the reason behind the prophet’s proposition. It means the representation done by the discourses has corrupted the reality.
The third issue about Mega’s religion is another corruption. It has deconstructed the true reality. Without some real evidence, the issue has spread and seems to represent the right thing. The later evidences have convincingly proved that Mega is moslem, and this isactually the common belief of the people. However, the emerging of the issue has put the public in doubt—the condition which is then abused effectively by Poros Tengah. Thus, the subject of the discourse is the ultimate judge to determine what’s right or wrong, who’s guilty or freed—the decision here is again about the matters of interests.
Another Face of Reality
The different condision reveals after some time Gus Dur led the country. Those refusing Mega turned sharply and expected her to replace the incumbent leader. Poros Tengah, then, was changed into another label, Poros Penyelamat Bangsa (the Axis of Nation Rescuer). This group once again played the same card to lift Mega into her presidency, and forced Gus Dur to resign because he was regarded to be incapable to manage the government.
The waves of demonstration go to tide preceeded Gus Dur resign. We must still remember how the public smiled and laugh a fool to see their president in shorts went out from his palace to expel the demonstarting student out of his sight. For the public in general, He is a controversioal top figure whose many statements put the public mind in puzzled. Among them is his arguments against MUI’s (Indonesian Ulema Board) verdicts about a prohibited product.
The discourses to promote Mega as the new president are started with the unofficial meeting conducted by the elites of big parties at the time. As it is reported by Irawan (2001) “pernyataan dari motor penggerak Poros Tengah, Amien Rais yang mengatakan bahwa pertemuan silahturahmi itu telah menghasilkan ”unspoken conclusion” (kesimpulan yang tak dikatakan) tentang suksesi kepemimpinan dan mempersiapkan masyarakat untuk menerima bergulirnya suksesi tersebut.” Implicitly, it is obvious that the discussion done by the Poros Tengah and the parts of big parties had concluded that the solution of the problems in the country was to reform the leader. There are many political statements as the legitimatization to force Gus Dur to resign. This paper will only focus on the statement based on the Islamic proposition to support Mega to come into the palace.
The following is the religion-based statement taken in the news issued in www.Indo-News.com. which much quoted the acuses of Amien Rais.
"Saya kira dalam Syariat Islam selalu ada fleksibilitas tetapi yang lebih dari itu, dalam pandangan Islam lelaki atau perempuan sederajat, persis sama," katanya.
"Setahu saya dulu, sebagian ulama PPP memang membuat fatwa seperti itu. Tetapi kata Pak Hamzah Haz sendiri, ulama yang sama telah melihat bahwa ternyata dalam keadaan darurat tidak ada salahnya samasekali,"
"Jadi kalau ada yang menyatakan perempuan tidak boleh jadi lurah, bupati atau Presiden maka ia menantang nats Al-quran," (www.Indo-News.com)
There are some significant key words contained in the statements above: fleksibilitas (flexibility), keadaan darurat (emergency state), and menantang Al-qur’an. Flexibility is indeed another facet of some religious rules in Islam, for exaple how the obligation to take a fasting during a month may change by the condition of a subject. The point here is the flexibility is proposed as the instrument of dicourse to win the political card. The flexibility is made use to be in right with their inconsistent stance, and it is even contrasting attitude to the possibility of woman leading a state. The tagging of “flexible” is a positive labelling, which impressed to associate with the religious rules, while in fact it is attached to their inconsistency.
The flexibility is taken into option for a condition which was believed to be an emergency. The state of emergency is again another kind of imbalance representation. The state of ‘emergency’ is actually still under many questions. The labelling of ‘emergency’ to the condition of state at the time is really debatable: is it true to the definition declared in any working documents or laws of the country? In concluding so, what kind of perspectives applies to judge, and who are the subjects behind the view? However, the questionable conclusion then becomes the truth of the reality. The Foucault’s proposition about the regime of truth is obviously proved here. The truth is just a quality which can be reconstructed in any way for the shake of power’s interests.
The third label, to challenge the Koran, or in other words to go agains the Islamic rule which is now associated to the action of prohibiting a woman to be the president is a real paradox to the propositions to refuse Mega at first time. The question is why this knowledge did not come at the time as Mega stepped into her presidency. This is actually just the reduced part of the religious propostion concealed by the Poros Tengah to construct the reality as they wanted. It is actually an unfair and violated representation.
The later positive labelling of woman presidency, Megawati, is not other than a reconstruction of discourse to defend and to resist the power. The discourse here is the point of contestation among the political parties as their political interests perceived to be not well accomodated by the incumbent power. The religious propositions in the grey area become the commodities viable to any recharge and discharge relative to any stand the subject takes. The remodification of the religious rules is to convince that their later tricks are based on the religious as well, that it is not a sinful thing. In other words, the strategy is also another form of the implementation of God’s commands.
Conclusion
Based on the discussion above, the discourse about the woman presidency is actually about the political interests. Poros Tengah, as the agents, made use (abused) the religious propositions to refuse Megawati as the president. Later on, the same agent took other religious proposition to open widely the possibility of woman to be the president. The reconstruction of discourses is to produce the truth about the reality in the form of representation which is selected according to what interest held by the agents. The creation of corrupted truth to be the real truth is aimed at claiming and resisting the power. The agents construct and reconstruct the face of reality to keep their power.
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