BOREDOM IS CONTAGIOUS. SO, ALSO, IS HOPE
A New Vision for the Kraton
Surakarta in the 21st Century
Boredom is contagious, I thought to myself as I watched the
abdi dalem (servant of the king) sit motionless in the
Kamandungan of the Kraton Surakarta. I could barely notice
him breathing. For one brief moment I considered the
possibility that he had died in that position days ago and no
one had noticed. Then one of his hands moved ever so slightly
to brush away a fly. He was alive, though barely. Exhausted
from the strain of brushing away the fly, the abdi dalem
sank into an even deeper comma.
It wasn’t just this one tired
man that caught my attention that day. As I looked around the
palace, I noticed that everything and everyone connected with
the Kraton seemed so utterly exhausted. I was able to see
this clearly for the first time because I had been away for so
many years. I had been away studying and living in Europe and
America, and my time there had helped me shake the dust from
myself and become young again. America has many faults and
problems, but it is not tired. America is a place of great
energy and momentum. And energy is also contagious. When I
returned to Java, I saw clearly for the first time the depth
of the Kraton’s defeat, and what that had done to the
character of the place. At that moment of clarity, I also saw
my first glimpse of what needed to be done to move us forward.
It was in 1946 that the newly independent Indonesia took vast
quantities of land and property from the Kraton Surakarta.
Yogyakarta was given a special territorial status that
permanently made its Sultan the governor over his territory.
To this day, Kraton Yogyakarta retains political and economic
power which the Kraton Surakarta does not enjoy. For
Surakarta, this was a defeat so great that it was tantamount
to a death. A court that had once governed most of Java was
now reduced to utter impotency. Over the years the sting of
this defeat turned into grief. Slowly this grief devolved
into lethargy, and lethargy eventually became boredom. The
once great palace of Surakarta, with its glittering
intellectual, cultural and political life, has sunk slowly
into a stupor so low that its pulse can hardly be found.
While I have great sympathy for the anguish of this defeat,
and feel it quite personally, it is time to summon the courage
and energy to move forward. The widow has worn her mourning
clothes for too long. The dreariness of defeat must be buried
with the dead. It is time to scrub our faces and put on our
brightest batik.
This is a time of new beginnings.
At the start of the 21st century, we’re awaiting
the coronation of a new Susuhunan for the Kraton Surakarta.
It is a joyous time, pregnant with possibilities. It is also
the appropriate moment to ask ourselves, what is the relevance
of the Susuhunan in our time? It is the right juncture to
consider a fresh, new course that will serve the needs of the
Javanese people in the 21st century. If the new
Susuhunan and his court sit in their crumbling palace and
dream of the glory of the past Majapahit kingdom, and
wistfully fantasize about its return, then the Kraton will
continue its slide into vestigial irrelevance. Its now faint
pulse will vanish completely by the end of this century. At
this momentous time, we would do well to consider the American
expression, “There is nothing sadder than a missed
opportunity.”
With this new coronation comes a great
opportunity for all of us. I believe the Kraton could once
again be a vital and relevant force in the life of the
Javanese people. Indeed, its most glorious days could be
ahead of us. What might such a 21st century Kraton
look like? How might the Kraton open its doors and let in the
fresh air needed to make itself truly useful again?
There is a couple that lives down the street from me in the
village of Cokrobedog. They sell rice and chicken for only Rp
2.500 in their warung. One day I asked them, “Where is the
profit in selling your chicken and rice for only Rp 2.500?”
They answered, “The profit is in feeding as many people as
possible.” In this simple wisdom lay the answer for all of
us. What food has the Kraton to offer the Javanese people
today?
There are many kinds of food which the Kraton has in
its abundant storehouses. Let us begin with the literal
meaning of the word. The work of feeding people is entirely
relevant. Charity should be at the center of the Kraton’s
mission. Much has already been written about the corruption
that pervades the Kraton’s current charitable efforts. I
won’t spend many words on that subject today, except to say
that cleaning up this corruption is possible. Among the
members of the Kraton family are people of integrity. With
the right family members at the helm, and with an oversight
board that is truly independent of the Kraton family, I
believe that a high level of honesty and accountability is
possible. What’s needed is the vision and commitment to get
us to that level of honesty and accountability. Giving up is
not an option. There is too much human need that cries out to
be addressed. What a joy it would be to see the new Susuhunan
make this a major priority.
The possibilities for charitable work are far beyond anything
the Kraton as yet tried. The royals of Europe are a far from
perfect examples, but they have collected billions of dollars
for the poor by cleverly using their prestige to inspire
people to open their wallets and give. Here in Java, the rich
and powerful are very interested in aligning themselves with
the Kraton Surakarta. The prestige of the Kraton is a
powerful tool. So far, this tool has been used in ways that
produce little benefit for the Javanese people. But this new
Susuhunan could use the allure of the Kraton to inspire a
great era of generosity. In turn, that generosity must be
wisely used to reach those in greatest need.
In addition, let us remember that money is not the only
component of charity. Princes Diana of England was so popular
in part because she turned her considerable energy to more
direct help for the poor and needy. She didn’t just give
money, she literally took food to the poor with her own
hands. She also spoke movingly and persuasively on their
behalf. Such hands-on charitable work did not diminish her
status as a member of the royal family. It was her charitable
work that gave genuine meaning to her role. How powerful it
would be to see the Kraton’s new Susuhunan go into the slums
of Surakarta and listen to the needs of real Javanese people.
An honest Sultan could put integrity back into the Kraton’s
charitable work. So much could be done by those with the
vision, honesty and commitment to make it happen.
Most of the initiatives I have suggested, and those I am about
to suggest, have one thing in common, they require money. I
am constantly reminded that the Kraton has little of it. We
are currently limiting ourselves by looking at the balance in
our bank account. More to the point, we are limiting
ourselves by our lack of imagination. We are the victim of
our own small thinking. We are capable of far more than we
have even begun to dream. The Americans Steve Jobs and Bill
Gates started their computer business working out of a small
garage. Out of that humble effort has grown Apple and
Microsoft computer companies. They started small with little
money, but they had a vision of where it could take them. So
must we. The horizon is only the limit of our sight.
There are other kinds of food that feeds our hungry minds and
spirits.
The richness of Javanese culture is food indeed for
a starving people. The wisdom of our ancestors, the rich
poetry and traditions of our past are not simply relics of the
past, they can put our lives into context. They can help us
answer the most basic questions. Who am I? Where did I come
from? What is my purpose in this life? It is difficult to
answer the large questions without a firm grasp of our history
and culture. Can we know where we are going if we don’t know
where we have been? Javanese literature is the food we have
packed for the long journey ahead of us. Will we starve along
the way, or have we packed enough for our journey?
Many Javanese, astringed from their mother tongue, have no
idea of the value of Javanese literature. The Javanese who
only speak Bahasa Indonesia often cannot see a good reason for
preserving the language of Javanese. If you are one of those
who has lost touch with the language of your ancestors, then
you don’t know what you are missing.
A culture is greatly
defined by its literature. Without literature, society
develops a kind of cultural amnesia. Javanese literature is
the memory of the Javanese people. Through the pages of our
great authors, the shape and trajectory of civilization is
mapped, pondered and recorded for generations. Javanese is
the true voice of our people. If you have lost it, than you
have lost touch with the soul of our people. It is not too
late for you. This is exactly the dilemma that the Kraton
needs now to address. We are loosing our language and with
it, much of our identity. We need books, books by old and new
authors of the Javanese language. We also need a major new
initiative to promote Javanese literacy for the young and the
old. The Kraton has influence in the halls of power. The
Kraton could be a significant force in reviving the Javanese
language.
I would be thrilled to see a new publishing house grow out of
the Kraton. Kalatida by Ronggowarsito, Wulangreh by Pakoe
Boewono IV, Wedatama by Mangkunegara IV, and other important
works should be presented in clean, readable, modern
editions. Of equal importance, new works of Javanese poetry
and prose should be published.
It would also be marvelous to
see the Kraton become a kind of college for Javanese studies.
They could offer courses of study that deal with both the
classical art and literature of the past, and with our ever
evolving identity. While the Kraton does not currently have
the funds and resources to accomplish this on its own, in
cooperation with the UNS and STSI, the Kraton could offer
diplomas in Javanese Art, Literature, History, Cultural
Anthropology, Philosophy, and other subjects. Its library and
resources could greatly augment the facilities of these
universities. The result would be a richer learning
experience for the students and, in turn, for society as a
whole. By publishing and more actively teaching and promoting
Javanese literacy and culture, the Kraton could be once again
at the center of Javanese intellectual life. In a sense, this
was its role for centuries. Though not literally a college,
in the time of the Sultan Agung, the Kraton was at the center
of intellectual life. The court of Sultan Agung did not sit
around dreaming of its glorious past. It lived in the present
and helped shape the future.
If the Kraton really wants to
reclaim its glory, it will only do so by living in the present
and putting its unique seal upon the future. The prestige of
the Kraton could make this happen.
We should also stop and ask ourselves what, if anything, about
the structure of the royal family needs to be reconsidered.
From personal experience I can say that the Kraton is at odds
with the very nature of family. The children of Pakoe Boewono
XII had little contact with their father. If PB XIII were
more directly involved in the day to day raising of his
children, this would be better for his children, and better
for Java as well. A sensitive father would be more in tune
with the needs of real people. The very act of raising
children makes one more patient, loving and wise in the ways
of humanity. Are these not the attributes of a good Susuhunan?
Children are not the only members of the Kraton family to
suffer under the current system. Women are used and then
discarded as if their only true value is to produce children.
Perhaps this seemed to make sense in the 17th
century. Today, it seems rather bizarre and unhealthy.
The
dignity of women and their potentials are being largely
ignored by the Kraton. It’s time to change that. The
histories of Russia, England, Spain and many other countries
have shown women to make effective and powerful monarchs. In
our own history, Tribhuwana Tunggadewi of Majapahit and Ratu
Shima of Kalingga were powerful rulers. A greater role for
women is right and proper, as well as historically and
culturally appropriate for Java. We should begin to accord
women the respect they deserve. We should work toward an
equal inclusion of women in the Kraton.
The royal family, both sexes and all ages, is being
underutilized. Family squabbles between different Queens have
produced a situation where everyone promotes their own
faction, and disregards the potential of other family
members. This is largely true of all the Queens and their
offspring, and it is greatly impeding our progress.
Among the Gustis (sons of the king) there are experts in a variety of
fields including computers, journalism, politics, linguistics,
art and history, to name only a few. Daughters of the Pakoe
Boewono XII, as well as cousins and members of the extended
family, represent an even greater untapped resource. If we
could generously reach out to each other, we could easily
assemble a formidable body of thinkers and experts to address
our problems and set a meaningful agenda for the future of the
Kraton Surakarta. My little ideas could be magnified and
improved by a family that is energized to work together. At
the moment, we are not. This is an unforgivable waste of our
human potential.
We call members of royal house, bangsawan (nobility).
From what does this nobility derive? Are they noble because
they wear courtly clothes? There is a Spanish expression, “Aunque
la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda” (A monkey dressed
in silk would still be a monkey). A crown does not make for
nobility, neither does nobility derive from wealth or
palaces. Many non-royal people have wealth and palaces far
greater than the Javanese royal family. Crowns, palaces,
titles, none of these earthly elements will make a person
nobility. Nobility derives from purpose. If one has a noble
purpose and works diligently at that purpose, nobility is the
inevitable outcome of such work.
In the past, the Susuhunans
derived their nobility from the exercise of government. To
govern wisely and justly, this is a noble pursuit. It is
concern for the people that has at times made Susuhunans
worthy of the title nobility. The measurement of nobility is
much the same today. While the current Susuhunan do not
govern, their concern and care for their people is still the
measurement of their success. Today, the Royal House of Surakarta will deserve a noble status only to the extent that
they put the needs of their people first, and tirelessly work
to help them. Through such work, they may indeed be called,
bangsawan.
I hope and pray that Pakoe Boewono XIII will take us in a
dazzling new direction. The Javanese people deserve boldness
of action. There are many ways to make the Kraton relevant to
the Javanese people in the 21st century. What we
cannot do is simply sit still. Boredom is contagious. But so
is hope. Courage, conviction, and even youth itself can be
contagious. This moment makes me want to dance with
giddiness. How often do we have the opportunity to start
afresh? With this new Susuhunan, we are surrounded by that
most precious of all commodities, hope. The American poet
Emily Dickinson wrote, “Hope is a thing with feathers”. The
potential of this moment should inspire us all to dream, and
then turn those dreams into the answers we so desperately
seek. With hope, we could fly. We could soar higher than
ever before. Or, we could continue to sit in the courtyards
of our palaces, moving only when it is necessary to brush away
the flies. In this great moment, given a choice, I choose
hope.
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