•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

When 22-year-old student activist Sondang Hutagalung set himself on fire last week in front of the Presidential Palace in an extreme act of protest, his action led to a storm of controversy. While some Indonesians have shown an overwhelming amount of sympathy and compassion for Sondang, who later died from his burns, many others have strongly condemned his actions.

The Jakarta Globe talked to five people from different walks of life to hear their thoughts on the tragedy.

Manneke Budiman, 46, lecturer at the University of Indonesia

[What happened to Sondang] is sad, it’s tragic. But I’m deeply disturbed by comments that try to portray his suicide as coming out of desperation. Sondang had conviction and courage, but he was not a lost soul by any means.

Why self-immolation? This country has seen a spike in protests, to the point that they have lost their significance. Those in power no longer give a damn about street protests or manifestos. Sondang’s fight was a fight against silence — the silence of a political elite that has turned a deaf ear to the people’s cries against injustice.

To be silent is to take part in the ongoing violence, and this is what the ruling elite has been doing. Sondang’s act was meant to end that silence, and hence the violence to which the elite has blinded itself.

I’m not trying to romanticize his death, but at this point, let’s be honest, what else can we do to make the government see that there is something very, very wrong in this country right now?

As for me, I long ago ran out of options [for protesting], and I’m in danger of becoming totally indifferent. I feel powerless and it is paralyzing. I think many people share this feeling, and the number is probably growing by the day.

Do you see now why I think Sondang was a person of courage? Because he refused to surrender himself to indifference and powerlessness. He refused to succumb to paralysis like the rest of us. It was his last act, but it was loud.

It’s what we refer to when we use the adage “fighting till the last drop of blood,” which used to sound abstract to me, but suddenly has become very real with Sondang’s death. His death is a very strong political statement.

This crisis is not nearly as serious as the financial crisis of 1997-98. This is more of a moral crisis than an economic or political one. There are no institutions like the IMF or World Bank that can help save you from a moral crisis. So in that sense, I’m rather pessimistic. But as long as we have young people with courage and integrity like Sondang, then I’d say we have a chance.

He provided everybody with a moral example. I mean, his self-immolation demonstrates that the ruling elite has failed miserably. He gives us hope, so to speak.

Dulhari, 53, taxi driver

Even now, I still don’t understand why [Sondang] chose self-immolation. Even though it was supposed to be a sacrifice, didn’t he still take his own life? I think it was a bit too much. Can such an isolated sacrifice change how our leaders govern? I don’t think it will.

Of course, you can protest to show your displeasure with the government, but I believe there are still a lot of other ways to do that. The best way [to change the way the government runs the country] is probably by demanding that the laws be changed. But I know it isn’t possible for us, the common people, to do that. Who are we, anyway?

To tell you the truth, I have never thought about how I could protest the government. Our leaders are too busy thinking about themselves. Once they are in power, we are no longer on their agenda. Corruption is endemic in Indonesia and is destroying the nation.

This administration is worse than the last. Even Megawati was much better. Suharto was even better at governing the country. He was certainly not a perfect leader, but when he was in power, prices for staple foods like rice were stable. Today, you can’t really expect that. Things can go up and down at any time. Those House meetings never seem to go in our favor.

Sarah Fitrisia Panjaitan, 22, consultant

I just disagree with this kind of protest. Sacrificing your life by setting yourself on fire does not guarantee the government will clean up its act.

Sondang’s suicide by self-immolation, however, has focused people’s, especially young people’s, attention on our corrupt government. His action reflects the extreme desperation within our society.

Personally, however, I’m not the type of person who protests. Rather, I would look at myself first and see if I am part of the problem. Then I would work toward improving myself.

I’m sure if we all start to fight corruption within ourselves, it will ultimately help create a better society.

But if I were to protest, I would probably do it by writing in newspapers or magazines. By contributing my opinions, perspectives and proposed solutions to the fight against corruption, I believe I could provide hope and inspiration to others.

Bruman Palete, 35, humanitarian worker

It was an extreme act. I respect his desire to spotlight the government’s failings, but we should not express our grievances like this, even for political reasons.

There are two reasons why he would do this: First, he could have been brainwashed. Second, he realized what was happening to our society and understood the government was not going to do anything to fix the nation.

I am not certain what I would do, but if I were to protest I would send a message to the president by giving him a call. Or I would probably write my thoughts in a newspaper column or join a street demonstration. But I would not set myself on fire or do any other dangerous act.

I am confident that Indonesia will recover, but I just don’t know when.

Dewirini Anggraeni Subijanto, 25, human rights and peace activist

For me, as a young Indonesian, I felt sad that Sondang thought this was the only way to get the government’s attention. As an intelligent university student and youth activist, he could have set a better example for other young people. Anything but self-immolation.

I hope our nation’s young people can do positive things to make Indonesia better, rather than just demonstrating.

Take our national heroes, like Sukarno and Hatta. They opted for discussion and ultimately won public support for Indonesia’s independence movement by inspiring like-minded people.

I think that we still need to appreciate Sondang’s desire to spotlight our government’s failings, given that most young people are politically apathetic, but again, it is not the proper way to protest against the government.

As young Indonesian leaders, we have to be role models. That’s what my friends and I have set out to do through the Indonesia Youth Forum. We just held an International Interfaith Youth Meeting in Yogyakarta from December 8 to 11 with the goal of preventing anarchism and promoting global peace.

I hope young people can learn that violence, self-immolation or other extreme acts are not the way to protest, and that we can get the government’s attention through public discussion.

I believe if we try this in good faith, we will make progress toward our goals.