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Does Indonesia Know How to Use Its ‘Soft Power’?

As part of National Batik Day on Sunday, models in Solo wore traditional batik outfits during a fashion show. Across the country, people celebrated the wax-resist dyeing technique, which was named a Unesco world cultural heritage in 2009. (JG Photo/Ali Lutfi)

Isn’t the world a big, scary place? As planet Earth meets its seven billionth inhabitant, violence and wars continue to take the lives of thousands of innocent people and sadly, little is gained from blood-spilling measures. Only the powerful seem to reap the rewards. The rest? They suffer.


But it’s only natural that nations are fighting for the spotlight. They want to be the richest, the strongest and the country with the most influence. Is it possible to eliminate the bombs and the guns?



According to an interview with American scholar Joseph Nye in the British magazine Monocle, nations can adopt more “soft power” measures, which can be used as a type of subtle cultural (and ultimately political) pressure to obtain goals without violence or military-driven exertions. Nye said, “[During the Cold War] Western hard power deterred Soviet aggression, but the soft power of ideas went through the Iron Curtain and undercut the views of the Soviet elite.”


In the context of my argument, soft power can be defined as a country’s cultural attributes that are imported to other nations and act as de facto ambassadors.

Being the biggest country in Southeast Asia, Indonesia should have the upper hand in soft power. We all know that Indonesia has an extensive lineup of delicacies, hand-crafted products and various types of traditional, gorgeous fabrics. We have quite a massive arsenal of soft power.


Unfortunately, most Indonesians only care about that heritage when someone (or let’s just say Malaysia) is trying to take it away. From batik to reog Ponorogo to tari pendet, we don’t want to lose them, but we fail to embrace them. The thing is, culture and art are not merely entertainment, and the gorgeous fabric may very well be mightier than the sword. These cultural treasures put Indonesia on the map in subtle ways.



Monocle has made a list of 30 countries with great soft power, and Indonesia is nowhere to be seen. Maybe one day we can walk the walk, and make Indonesian culture more useful for the nation in this big, cruel world. In the meantime, here are five countries whose soft power has gained our support. And sometimes we don’t even notice that we, in a way, have taken sides.


United States


Hollywood. Ask anyone on the streets of Jakarta (literate or illiterate) and chances are they know what it is. The US movie industry is worth billions of dollars. When there are no Indonesian movies playing in the cinema, only a handful of people take notice. But when US superhero movies and “Harry Potter” were having a hard time finding their way to Indonesian screens because of the tax brouhaha, local movie buffs were furious.


And remember, movies are not the only ammo the United States has. It also boats hip-hop, MTV, the Kardashians, McDonald’s, and the list goes on.


Britain


Football. Who doesn’t love football in Indonesia? Boys love the game, girls love the players. The English Premier League is the world's most watched sporting league, being broadcast to more than 600 million people in over 200 countries worldwide. The league has the most famous players, and for Indonesian football fans, waking up at 2 a.m. isn’t a problem as long as they can watch their favorite EPL team on TV.



And don’t forget Kate Middleton! Magazines endlessly talk about her clothes, hair and makeup. Women, including those from Indonesia, adore her. How about Nurastuti Wijareni, the youngest of the Yogyakarta sultan’s five daughters? Does anyone pay the same kind of attention to her?


France


Fashion and language. If French were easy, it might be as big as English because many people WANT to be able to speak the language. But for some, it’s probably just too hard. So, they watch French movies and listen to French songs because “it sounds so pretty.”



France is also the capital of fashion. Chanel? Louis Vuitton? Hermès? Do they sound familiar? More women in Jakarta carry bags by those luxury brands (if not always original) than carry their own babies. Luckily for France, having people from all over the world buying those brands is definitely a financial gain for them.


Australia


Education. According to Monocle, Australia is “educating Asian students, which earns itself 16 billion Australian dollars annually.” This is so true for Indonesian students. If you meet young Indonesians on Jakarta’s streets and they speak English well, chances are they studied in Melbourne or Sydney.  


Many Indonesian parents with extra money want their children to study abroad, but don’t want them to be too far away. So, instead of shipping their children off to New York University, they send them to RMIT University.


Japan


Anime. I bet the Japanese don’t even realize how much its anime has taken over the minds of Indonesia’s youngsters … and adults. Every now and then, Jakarta hosts a costume play party, comics bazaar or gaming competition, not to mention sushi-eating competitions, if you’ve had your fill of anime. Fewer people are reading Indonesian literature these days, while Japanese comics have invaded not only bookstores, but also online forums.



Indonesians just can’t get enough of Japanese goodies. Recently, Singapore became the home of Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo. I wonder how many of the customers come from Indonesia?

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