Lessons from the lives of Gus Dur and Frans Seda

We haven’t seen such an enormous outpouring of grief and sympathy for years as that following the death of former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid and former minister Franciscus Xavier Seda at the end of 2009.
This alone was testament to their greatness as leaders. Muslims and non-Muslims alike united in prayer for Gus Dur in cities across the country. Catholics in several cities prayed for Frans and Gus Dur.
How these two leaders, who were close friends, could pass away almost together (Gus Dur on the afternoon of Dec. 30, Frans less than 12 hours later) is a mystery. One can attribute it to a mere coincidence of health failures.


For one, it damped the festive spirit of New Year by turning New Year’s Eve parties into religious ceremonies. It was as if Gus Dur and Frans wanted the nation to usher in the New Year in a more subdued tone, in accordance with the myriad problems facing the nation.
Still the close timing of the departure of these two great leaders was like a painting from God.
Gus Dur, who died at 69, was a household name in the country, adored not just by Muslims but by non-Muslims too. His life exemplified one envisioned by our founding fathers. He was a modern Indonesian happy to embrace his compatriots regardless of their religious, ethnic or racial background or ideological leaning.
Frans was a leader to whom younger ministers would go for refuge and advice throughout his 83-year lifespan. His rich experience as a five-time minister in the Cabinets of Sukarno and Soeharto certainly qualified him for this role. Less visible in public than Gus Dur, his influence on the government never waned up to his last days.
Frans, who was close to all five presidents of Indonesia, was like a torch whose light kept on illuminating the ups and downs traversed by this nation.
The emotional outpouring and sympathy for the deceased are both human and to be commended.
Nevertheless, reading the eulogies, it is often hard to resist the picture of Gus Dur in shorts waving as he left the Presidential Palace in 2001.
He was ousted from the palace only two years into his presidency, following a decision by the People’s Consultative Assembly in an extraordinary session that ruled he was less than competent to serve as president.
Coming from a lineage of revered Muslim leaders and freedom fighters, Gus Dur’s life was like a rollercoaster compared to the relatively stable but no less colorful life of Frans. Like many of his compatriots, Frans was a freedom fighter during his student days.
When life was hard, he worked as a carter, carrying furniture for people moving house in Yogyakarta during the Dutch colonial era, and earning all of Rp 2.50 a day. Afterward, he departed for the Netherlands to study economics.
All in all, Frans’ life encompassed the Dutch and Japanese colonial eras and a good 64 years of an independent Indonesia.
If the past is any guide, eulogies, prayers and appeals to emulate the lives of the deceased will have little substance. Pick up names randomly from a list of this nation’s greats who have shuffled off this mortal coil, as the bard put it, to see just how short our memory is.
What is needed is to question ourselves over the past experiences these great men went through
that set them apart from their compatriots.
Dutch colonialism was evil, but its silver lining was the chance for people like Frans and Gus Dur to get acquainted with foreign culture. Until his death, Gus Dur was an aficionado of Western classical music and Frans once quipped that his stint in the Netherlands was one of the best experiences of his life.
Gus Dur, often seen as the champion of pluralism, died during a week when many churches were being guarded by security officers against possible attacks.
Frans left a nation struggling to unveil the multi-trillion-rupiah Bank Century fiasco that possibly had links to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s presidential campaign funding.
Corruption continues to dog the nation. In recent months it was laid bare that the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office had tried to frame the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
So daunting is the scale of corruption that high-ranking police officers may have bank accounts with Rp 800 billion (US$80 million), as reported by this paper in November.
These were clear signs that the fight these two men fought for democracy, good governance and a more humane Indonesia is far from over.
After all the emotions have been vented for our loved ones, it may be good to ponder concrete actions translated into government policies. One would be to introduce into the national education curriculum the study of foreign language and literature, as well as comparative studies in religion. This is a far-fetched plan that may seem unrealistic today. It will be met with fierce resistance as it will require a fundamental reorientation on the part of the government, particularly the education ministry.
It is also very unlikely to happen under the current president, whose sheer obsession to protect his own public image is blinding.
Still, the fact was Gus Dur and Frans were introduced to foreign languages and cultures from a tender age. We have to emulate their lives by putting them in a system made available to young Indonesians. It is a work that will yield fruit after a very long time.
It is difficult to think of another approach. For the time being we will be wrangling with problems such as the banning of trumpets on New Year’s Eve or the stoning to death of adulterers.


Harry Bhaskara, The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.
Opinion The Jakarta Post, January 5, 2010