“And we have here our young students from University X, all oh so beautiful, handsome…”
“Yeaaay!”
“…and of course they represent the hope for our nation; it is they who will…”
“Yeaaaay! Yeaaay!”

—Bukan Empat Mata, just name which episode, on whatever date



EXT. A BUILDING YARD - NOON
Two students, ACIL and ICAL, are sitting on the edge of a garden, seemingly waiting for something under the searing sun. Ical seems apathetic, drinking tea in a clear plastic from a straw, while Acil is talking to him.


ACIL
It’s May already. It’s the month for students like us, Cal. In 1998, students initiated a great change. Doesn’t it make you proud?

ICAL
Proud? Why? May 1998 is commemorated as the time when Indonesia changed direction, and also as a time of ambiguous tragedy. More in that direction, really. It’s not about the students. Don’t get puffed up.

ACIL
Gee, man, don’t belittle yourself! We students are agents of change, aren’t we? We’re lucky to have good education, so it’s normal to say that we have the moral obligation to defend the people.

ICAL
Here we go...

ACIL
See Soekarno and Hatta. They had been activists since they were students, right? And see what they’ve achieved? Indonesia was born as a nation.

ICAL
(interrupts) Wait a minute. Mention the battles that we students have fought; ones that you can be proud of.

ACIL
Hmm... Wait, wait… In 1966, when…

ICAL
When the students prepared the groundwork for the New Order Regime?

ACIL
Oh, don’t be so sarcastic. The students back then were still very idealistic; they didn’t know that the movement would be hijacked, used for the interest of the power holder. That was why in 1974 the students mustered up again.

ICAL
And then were accused of being subversive. And were subsequently oppressed. And from then on the NKK/BKK policy rendered political lives in campus ineffective.[1] From then on, students were told to study, study, study, and to focus on being future obedient workers.

ACIL
Gee, you’re so bitter, aren’t you? Well, Cal, that’s why I consider 1998 to be a landmark. That was a pure movement on our part. It was truly a movement to end tyranny, and we succeeded. What’s more, that was the first time we had wide and sympathetic media coverage, through the TV! The impact was felt nationally, Cal!


Ical takes a deep breath. The plastic is empty; there is no longer any tea. It will be useless for him to try to take another sip.


ICAL
Here’s the thing, Cil. First of all, we’ve got a lot to discuss about the “pure movement” that you’ve just mentioned. But that’s another story. I want to focus more on the TV-thing. The TV coverage about the students’ movement at the time was more like a double-edged knife. Students felt the impact as well.

ACIL
But that’s exactly when we start to have such a good public image!

ICAL
Correct. Or perhaps it’s better to say that from then on, students become celebrity! Because we have such a good public image, there’s the impression that every time we’re on TV, it’s because we’re fighting for the people.

ACIL
Well, what of it?

ICAL
Well, it’s true that we’ve gained better image thanks to the TV. Think how romantic it all is: the young, concerned intellectuals and rebels. But I’m afraid the TV’s like a deceiving promoter.

ACIL
What do you mean?

ICAL
Well, ever since students become celebrity, something went amiss. Perhaps it’s the students who became so puffed up, or perhaps it’s the TV politics involved in selecting coverage. Gradually, the students’ image changed.


Ical takes another sip of tea, and realizes that there is no longer any tea in the plastic. He throws away the plastic.


ICAL
From being the defender of the commoners, to being the scourge of the commoners. Holding demonstrations everyday, smashing up things, burning car tires. As if by screaming out loud and holding orations, they show their concerns for the people. Well, what’s clear is that they perform it all in front of the camera. The TV stations are happy to be provided with such free performances. Gradually, when the demonstrations have subsided, it’s more interesting to cover the students’ brawls. Again, the TV stations are quite happy with this, covering it all by commenting negatively on the negative exploits.


Acil is silent. He seems restless; he wants to argue with his friend but he does not know what to say. Ical seizes the opportunity to keep on talking.


ICAL
See, in the midst of such shift, there’s actually a new phenomenon, which might even be positive. Taking advantage of the students’ celebrity status, TV stations invite the students to come to their shrewd, smart, and usually political debates and talk shows—for example the Republic BBM in its heyday.
(He takes a breath)
But gradually the current changes. It’s precisely to create an impression of intelligence that the students are placed in the programs. If I remember correctly, in 2005, there was the program of Lepas Malam on Trans TV, which tried to copy the American late night shows. Simply by using students from such and such university, it gained the impression of being a smart show, although it simply presented risqué jokes.

ACIL
Still, it doesn’t mean that the students are losing their significance, right?

ICAL
No, not really. The students can still play a part, for example to fill up the studios for TVOne’s political shows, or for the lighter programs: Bukan Empat Mata.

ACIL
Man, that doesn’t make any difference. How can being in the audience of Bukan Empat Mata serve as the standard?

ICAL
Yeah, sorry, perhaps I’m too cynical. Honestly, though, lately we don’t hear much from the students. There are just the students who come forward as a naïve bunch of people, for example during the Century debacle. You’ve seen how easy it is to direct the students to support one group and hold demonstrations again, burning tires?


Acil looks upset and thinks in silence for quite a while.


ACIL
Geez, man. Does this mean that the students are running out of strong ideas?

ICAL
Well, yeah, it’s important to have strong ideas. I hope there are still good, strong ideas out there. Perhaps it’s just because we haven’t discovered the right channel. Demonstrations have become a thing of the past. In the world of mass media that has become more chaotic and full of images, I’m afraid even the brightest ideas from any one group would be drowned amidst all the yelling.

ACIL
What, then? We can’t afford to be mere bookworms when it seems so easy to make us move in a certain direction, right? Can we only study diligently, merely to eliminate our own poverty?

ICAL
No, not really. Behind the chaos, I’m sure there are a lot of us who are working hard for a greater common good, using other ways. There are, for example, the students who’ve designed new learning methods, or those who’ve found effective technological solutions, or who’ve performed brilliantly in international forums. I’m sure people like them are more valuable; they retain their concerns but it doesn’t mean that they’ll become poor or used politically. As to why the TV stations don’t cover them, well, ask why. Or, perhaps it’s more appropriate to say: why ask?

ACIL
Hmm. (Pauses) But that doesn’t mean you come to the conclusion that it’s the TVs that have made us shallow…

ICAL
No, not entirely, no. The shallowness is the result of the loss of direction and meaning as we proceed as a nation. It’ll be too complicated to dissect it all here. The TV stations might play a role, but I think they’re merely annoying passengers in the flux.

ACIL
All right, then. As the dubbed Japanese would say: “stay afire!”
(pauses)
Say, Cal, in what category would you put yourself? Are you the kind of student who enjoys being engaged in the political maneuvers, or those who would study diligently for your own good?

ICAL
I’m in… the third category. One who still needs money to sustain himself. But I refuse to sell myself short; I don’t watch programs that take advantage of the students’ celebrity status.

ACIL
Exactly! That’s why we don’t want to come to the programs that show students donning their alma mater suits, whatever the objective.

From inside the building, ELI appears, a woman in the early thirties with a smart appearance, wearing some rather clashing accessories. She claps her hands.


ELI
Halllooooo, Dahsyat Live is about to start! Come in quick! Otherwise I won’t pay you!

ACIL
Come on in.

ICAL
Yep. We can use the money for lunch.


They stand up and enter the building.


THE CURTAIN COMES DOWN.





[1] NKK/BKK was the New Order’s policy to forbid university students to be engaged in politics. This was a measure to reduce students’ militancy, as the Students’ Board (Dewan Mahasiswa) at the time opposed Soeharto’s re-election after the 1977 general election. The Students’ Board was thus abolished in 1978. —translator’s note