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In a time of national outcry over the country’s rampant corruption, citizens are struggling to express their condemnation of tainted officials.

Indonesia Kita (Our Indonesia), a group that stages cultural performances around the country, aims to express its dissatisfaction with the state of affairs by presenting a satirical parody at the end of the month. The script, by veteran playwright Agus Noor, tackles the problems of weak law enforcement, widespread corruption, collusion and the practice of nepotism.

Agus said his newest play, titled “Kadal Nguntal Negoro” (“Lizards Swallow the Country”), centers on a fictional country that enjoys peace and prosperity, but is overwhelmed by corruption, with those involved enjoying protection from law enforcers. And then one day an official publicly announces that he is corrupt.

“The admission is out of the ordinary; all the state officials are involved in corruption, but they don’t talk about it. So when someone claims to be corrupt, he’s accused of attention-seeking and violating the corruptors’ code of ethics,” Agus said.

To address the confession, a trial is “engineered” to maintain the reputation of the corruptors. The official who caused the firestorm, played by Susilo Nugroho, a veteran actor from Yogyakarta’s Teater Gandrik group, is charged with disturbing public order.

“Judges, prosecutors and police distort the facts. They agree that the basic issue is an affair between the official and a golf caddie,” Agus said. “Since there is no loss to the state, the defendant is acquitted.” But Susilo’s character is exhausted by his own crookedness and insists that he be sent to prison.

The caddie angle will ring true with observers of Indonesia’s own legal system. Antasari Azhar, the former antigraft czar, was convicted in the murder of a businessman in what the prosecution said was a love triangle gone bad, involving Rani Juliani, a caddie. But there has been much speculation, never proved, that Antasari was set up to keep him quiet.

Butet Kartaredjasa, coordinator of Indonesia Kita, said the satirical drama depicts the crux of the nation’s problems — namely the culture of corruption.

“The forum tries to reflect on issues of nationality through arts and culture,” Butet said.

He said the group’s earlier performances this year tackled a number of important themes and ideas. “Laskar Dagelan” was about revitalizing the country’s culture, he said, “Beta Maluku” encouraged peace, “Kartolo Mbalelo” talked about empowering people, “Mak Jogi” encouraged tolerance and “Kutukan Kudunga” was about the environment.

For “Kadal Nguntal Negoro,” Djaduk Ferianto, a musician and one of the creative team members, will lead the Sinten Remen Orchestra on the stage.

“Sinten Remen will be the center of attention, since we will be in the middle of the stage to act and play keroncong music. We will polish the play to be a tonil-style drama,” Djaduk said, referring to Indonesia’s own brand of musical comedy.

One of the songs, “Lagu Mulut” (“Song of a Mouth”), is adapted from a poem by Mustofa Bisri, popularly known as Gus Mus, a well-known religious leader from Rembang, Central Java, who also heads the advisory board of the nation’s biggest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama.

“I wrote the poetry long before the play,” Gus Mus said. “However, Djaduk thinks that the poem has a strong message about human behavior. From the mouth comes identity; we can issue pearls or garbage. From the mouth of a corruptor, of course, the words that come out are lie after lie.”

Agus, the playwright, said Indrojoyo “Indro” Kusumonegoro, from veteran comedy group Warkop DKI, would star in the play. “As a senior comedian, Indro will enliven the satirical drama in his role as a hilarious lawyer,” Agus said.

Indro said he was asked to be in the play by Butet when they served as fellow judges at a stand-up comedy competition in Jakarta. Although seasoned by a long career in comedy, Indro said he was nervous and excited to be in the play. “Since my two group mates [Dono and Kasino] passed away, I haven’t really been on stage with other comedians. So we’ll see,” he said.

Indro said he decided to take on the role because he liked the idea of exploring the theme of corruption through satire. His hope is that the play will help Indonesians view corruption in a different light.

Asked why he chose to use the lizard as a symbol of corruption, Agus said that rats were no longer sufficient to represent those involved in the crime.

“The behavior of rats involves gnawing, while the corruptors in this country are doing more than just undermining the country’s wealth,” he said. “They have outsmarted the rules, laws and morals of our nation at their whim. In Javanese terminology, it’s called mengkadali [to outsmart the sly].”

‘Kadal Nguntal Negoro’

Oct. 28-29, from 8 p.m.

Graha Bhakti Budaya
Taman Ismail Marzuki, Cikini
Central Jakarta