SEMAR

SEMAR AND THE STRUGGLE OF THE PEOPLES

Wayang is the traditional puppetry and drama in Indonesia, which has been known by people of Indonesia for centuries, beginning since prehistoric times until the present days. Wayang is the famous classical culture that influenced very much by Hinduism.¹ Even though the number of Hindus in Indonesia is very small, Hinduism has a big influence on their life and culture, especially on Sumatra, Java and Bali islands. Around 200 BCE, Jawa Dwipa Kingdom, a large Hindu kingdom was been established in those regions. Furthermore, traders from Gujarat who brought Islam to Indonesia, had been deeply influenced by Hinduism in India.

The syncretism of Hindu, Islamic and animistic religions is what produced the complexity of Indonesian civilization. Wayang, the Shadow Puppet Play, still popular today, is a result of that cultural mix. In wayang, we find the ethos and worldview of Javanese.² Wayang is not just entertainment, but also the symbol of the human life itself.³

A. Semar as the Key Figure in Wayang

1. The Main Characters in Wayang

Wayang or the Shadow Puppet Play⁴ is called so because the puppets which are flat cut-outs of leather, painted in gold, reds, blues, and blacks are made to cast large shadows on a white screen. The color of the puppet usually symbolizes the certain character and emotional expression. The puppeteer is called a dalang and sits on a mat in front of the screen. Meanwhile, a banana tree trunk lies horizontally in from of the puppeteer, each of the puppets is fastened to a tortoise shells handle, each handle is stuck into the tree trunk. When the puppeteer plays the puppet, he takes and replaces the characters from the tree trunk as needed holding them up in either hand over his head and interposing them between the light and the screen. The Shadow Puppet Play is always accompanied by gamelan percussion, the traditional music. The Gamelan percussion orchestra sits behind the puppeteer. In the past, an oil lamp hungs above the puppeteer’s head cast shadows on the screen; electric lights are now used.

Originally, wayang comes from India. The stories, in wayang, are mostly from Indian epic of Mahabarata or Ramayana and placed in a Javanese setting. Clifford Geertz differentiates the characters in wayang into three major groups. (1) The gods and goddesses, headed by Shiva and his wife Durga. (2) Kings and nobles, who represent the ancestors of the present-day Javanese. The two most important groups of these nobles are the Pendawas and the Korawas. The Pendawas⁵ (knights) are the famous five brothers: Bima, Arjuna, Judistira, and the identical twins, Nakula and Sadewa. Meanwhile, the Korawas, of whom they are a hundred are cousins of Pendawas. The batlles between two of them are a major theme of the story of wayang.⁶ (3) Punakawan, the Javanese addition to the Hindu cast of characters who are depicted as servant clowns for the Pendawas (or ‘sidekicks’ for the knights). They also serve nobles and the descendants of the gods. The Punakawan are Semar, Petruk, Gareng and Bagong. Even though the gender of Semar is ambiguous⁷, Semar is the mythological father of them. Semar has a very important and unique meaning in the Javanese’ worldview. This is because Semar, the servant clown, is actually a god—as well as human. This makes Semar very unique, and from a Christian viewpoint, perhaps the key point-of-entry in Indonesian mythology.⁸

2. The Place of Semar in Wayang

The figure of Semar always appears in wayang or shadow puppet play. Sometimes it plays a major role; other plays it just appears in certain scenes. Semar does not play as a main actor in the epics, because it is superfluous to the original Mahabharata or Ramayana stories. Semar always appears in a special scene called goro-goro or critical situation in wayang performance. According to the traditional pattern, this situation is performed at midnight or in the midst of the performance. The story in the goro-goro scene depicts the ksatria, the knight receiving a special duty. He meets many difficulties during his quest. These difficulties bring the ksatria to a critical situation. In this kind of situation, Semar and its sons, Gareng and Petruk, always accompany the ksatria to face the difficulties in goro-goro.

One of the well-known stories in wayang performance is entitled Parta Krama. The story tells about the wedding of Arjuna and Sumbadra. The scenes of that performance are depicted as follows:

The first scene depicts the situation of the Dwarawati kingdom which is peace and wealthy. Also, the scenery is Prabu Kresna’s Palace, which is beautiful, and many officials come and go to meet the king. They are discussing the preparation for the marriage of Sumbadra and Prince Arjuna. Suddenly, King Baladewa, the older brother of King Kresna comes and interrupts the discussion. He informs that another person is eager to marry Sumbadra. The atmosphere of the meeting becomes strained.

The second scene is the situation in the Garbaruci kingdom. King Sindunggarba has a dream that one day he meets Sumbadra and falls in love with her. Therefore, he leaves his kingdom and struggles to find Sumbadra.

The third scene depicts the strained situation in Dwarawati kingdom. The enemy comes to carry away Sumbadra. Then, a war breaks out, but both of them have strong soldiers. Therefore, there is no winner.

The fourth scene depicts the situation in Ngamarta. Yudistira, king of Ngamarta is discussing the preparation for the wedding of Arjuna, his younger brother. In the midst of the meeting, an envoy from Dwarawati kingdom comes to propose the unusual requirements that must be fulfilled if Arjuna wants to marry Sumbadra. Based on that information, they recognize that Arjuna’s plan to marry Sumbadra will face big problems.

The fifth scene depicts the journey of Arjuna in the wild forest to find the requirements needed for his wedding. He goes with Semar and its sons to enter the field of struggle.

The sixth scene depicts the journey of Arjuna to Khayangan (the place of gods) to beg the gods to help him fulfill the requirements for his wedding. Finally, he gets the things as required by Sumbadra’s father. He can successfully get them because he does not struggle alone but his relatives and Semar helps him.

The seventh scene depicts the war between the groups who want to marry Sumbadra. Finally Arjuna wins the war and receives the right to marry Sumbadra.⁹

Based on the pakem (the pattern of the puppeteer), goro-goro or a critical situation always happens in the wild forest. In the story mentioned above, goro-goro begins in the fifth scene. The puppeteer depicts the situation of goro-goro with the beauty of the wild forest. Even though the wild forest looked like a beautiful place, it is dangerous. The strained situation is depicted by the sound of the wild animals in that forest. When Arjuna and Semar enter the scene, the beauty of the wild forest attracts the attention of Arjuna. But Semar immediately reminds the ksatria to keep aware and do not attracted by the beauty of the wild forest. Besides, Semar also reminds its sons, “E..e…, Gareng and Petruk we are now entering the wild forest. There are many dangerous things, so do not walk far away from the ksatria, your master!”¹⁰ In that story, the wild forest symbolizes the challenge that must be faced. Even though the scenery of the forest is beautiful, there are many dangerous things that threaten them. At that moment, Semar makes jokes and delivers its satire to comfort the ksatria and relieve him of stress. There is no uniform pattern of jokes and satire in this scene. It depends on puppeteer and the context of the wayang performance. Interestingly, Semar as the non-commissioned figure, somewhat detached, yet as the servant of the ksatria, can laugh even in the critical situation. Tension and critical situations do not make Semar desperate. The figure of Semar is symbolic of the ordinary people. The ordinary people are accustomed to life in difficult and pathetic situations. For the ordinary people, the critical situation does not make them lose their dynamic spirit.¹¹ Through that style, Semar accomplishes its role to accompany and encourage the ksatria to pass through the goro-goro ordeal successfully.

In the story entitled Semar Mbarang Jantur, Semar had the starring role. This story opens with preparations for the marriage of Wasi Jaladara with Dewi Erawati. But, Dewi Erawati disappears and Arjuna is assigned to find her. On his quest, Arjuna is hungry and asks Semar and its sons to find food for him. Semar and its sons go to

Kademangan Wirakandang and they put on an mbarang (performance)¹² to get food from the people there. Finally, a young lady named Bratajaya gives Semar various kinds of food. Semar asks her to mix all kind of foods in one box, because it will make it easier for Semar to bring it to Arjuna. When Arjuna receives the mixture, he is insulted and goes to Wirakandang to chastise the lady. At that time, Semar reveals that the lady mixed the food as per Semar’s request. Semar was teaching Arjuna that a ksatria (knight) must be a person who has a passion and is able to fast, endure the suffering, and control his emotions when he is on duty.¹³ Semar teaches its master to be humble person and adaptable in all kind of situations. According to the culture of noblemen, Semar has no etiquette in serving and threatening its master. In this case, Semar considers its master as equal and just an ordinary man. For the ordinary people, food is food. The presentation and packaging of the food is not so important. The important thing for the ordinary people is, that food can be eaten gratefully; the ordinary people do not care about the proper presentation of food.

As a servant, Semar obeyed Arjuna’s order to find a food for him. Moreover, to fulfill the request of Arjuna, Semar and its sons beg the mercy of the people in Kademangan Wirakandang through mbarang. So Semar worked very hard to get the food needed by Arjuna. Therefore, Semar educated Arjuna, its master, to respect the effort and the generosity involved to get his food. Semar is not acting as an ordinary servant. Semar is also a mentor who trains Arjuna and guides its master on a right path in fulfilling his mission. Arjuna respects the wisdom of Semar.

This story illustrates the unique position of Semar in wayang. Semar is an extraordinary figure in the Indonesian mind.

3. The Meaning of the Presence of Semar in Goro-Goro (Critical Situation)

A Goro-goro ordeal always happens in a wayang play. Even though the stories used in wayang have been fixed in a traditional pattern, the goro-goro scene veers from the traditional plot and is more relevant to the immediate social context. Semar has the ear of its audience through its jokes or satire on current affairs. When the story enters the goro-goro scene, the puppeteer announces:

“….goro-goro is a tricky and deceitful time. Evildoers get power easily and good people are neglected. Greedy people use tricky actions to fulfill their will. Religious teachings are neglected; young people ignore their parents. The ordinary people become poor and suffer, but the elites become rich and richer. This is a crazy age. If the people do not follow it and be crazy, greedy and tricky, they will lose their chance to enjoy their lives in this age. Justice and Law are meaningless; elites and rich persons can use their money to buy the truth. Many scholars lose their jobs and positions, while the stupid become the elite; but they cannot solve the problem. The elite can only oppress the people. People who have different opinions from the ruler are captured because they are considered an obstacle to fulfill the ruler’s will. In this age, it is difficult to determine which is the ruler and the evildoer…”¹⁴

The words of the puppeteer, which precedes the goro-goro scenes connect the atmosphere of the wild forest in wayang to the real situation in present days. The introduction clues the audience into the goro-goro’s allegorical relationship to the political climate, and the human struggle.

The figure of Semar is obscure. Semar is neither male nor female. Semar is a god who is incarnated as a human, but becomes a servant of the ksatria. The features of Semar are paradoxical and mysterious.

Semar can be called mysterious. Call him a man, and his face will look like woman’s; call him a woman and he will look like a man. What does kyai lurah Semar look like? He has a snub nose which is mrakateni (so charming that is inspires love), watery eyes, puffy cheeks, also comely; he (sic) is fat, but graceful; in short, everything about his person is pleasing. Anyone in Semar’s company therefore wins the love of the gods. Indeed, kyai lurah Semar is a mysterious person, for he is not an ordinary human but a divinity from the Suralaya (heaven), in reality he is the Sang Hyang (venerable god) Ismaya.¹⁵

The values of Semar in the story in wayang are not based on its power as a god or on its power, because Semar is only a servant clown. The body of Semar is not depicted as a manly figure like the common figure of a hero. Semar has no special weapons with which to defeat enemies. But the people who accompany Semar will be blessed and win the love of gods. The power of Semar is never physical but is based on the inner existence of wisdom. The wisdom of Semar is not the wisdom of the noblemen, who always determine their attitude on the etiquette of the priyayi (noblemen) or kingship’s protocol. Semar’s wisdom is based on purity of heart.

The following paragraphs will touch on the various aspects of Semar.

Semar is the accompanist. Based on Semar’s social status, its position does not equal with the ksatria. In the Javanese’s world-view, ksatria is a nobleman, the descendent of gods. Meanwhile, Semar and its sons are common folk. Semar is not only a jester but also Semar is the Sang Hyang (venerable god) Ismaya.¹⁶ Even though the ksatria and Semar are totally different in status and performance, they cannot be separated from each other, especially when they enter the wild forest. The Javanese are a communal society. Humans cannot live alone. They need each other to survive and succeed together.

Semar is an advisor. Semar always advises the ksatria and keeps him mindful of his mission and the dangers that threaten him. An advisor is a person who has a good personality and mutual respect for others. Their relationship is not based upon power, but on a sincere heart. There must be boldness and eagerness to help and cooperate even in complex situations.¹⁷ Semar gives inspiration for the people’s struggle through jokes, satire and folk wisdom.

Semar is the partner in struggle. Even though in wayang performances Semar never joins directly in the battle with the enemies of the ksatria, it does not mean that Semar hides from the situation. Moral support and companionship is always given. No special weapons are used to aid the ksatria. The weapon of Semar is wisdom. The mission and the salvation can be achieved only in cooperation with others.¹⁸

Semar is a faithful friend. Darmawijaya insists that the role of Semar is similar with the poem: “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”¹⁹ The highest value that shown through the presence of Semar in the critical situation is the pure solidarity with the ksatria. Even though no physical help is offered in battle, the presence of Semar in the critical situation is meaningful for the ksatria. This situation encourages the people in their struggle.

B. Semar as Incarnate Wisdom Within the People’s Struggle

1. Struggle as the Characteristic of the Oppressed

M. Hardjowirogo in his book entitled Manusia Jawa (The Javanese Human) says that Javanese are generally fatalistic, as expressed in their proverb, Urip manungso pinasti ing pangeran. The saying translates, “Man may make plans for his/her life, yet God wil finally determine it.”²⁰ In this concept, Hardjowirogo insists that God will determine our destiny makes the people tend to be fatalistic toward life, accepting the given situation and do not want to seek change. This charaterization of the Javanese can be loosely applied to the whole Indonesian people.²¹ However, history has shown that Indonesian people do not easily take for granted the suffering and injustice situation around them. There is an argument whether is it accurate to characterize the attitude of the Indonesian people toward suffering as fatalistic.²² The aforementioned Java War is an example of resistance to domination and manipulation by foreign powers. If there is fatalism, there is also a limit to that people can tolerate.

In order to try to systematically explain the mind of Indonesian people, Kuntjaraningrat divides the Indonesian mentality into three groups, namely: (1) The peasant mentality (50% of Indonesian population), (2) the priyayi mentality (priyayi refers to those who are active as civil servants in governmental and non governmental institution), and (3) the new mentality which has developed since the end of World War II, which reflects the ‘era of doubt.’²³ According to Kuntjaraningrat, the people who have peasant mentality regard themselves and their lives as something banal, sinful and distressing. However, it does not mean that they try to avoid the realities of life or hide themselves in mysticism or ascetisism (as understood by M. Hardjowirogo). In fact, the peasants feel an obligation to be aware of the wickedness of this life by practising prihatin.²⁴ Such practise is designed to keep them mindful of their obligation to do good deeds and resist evil ones. They perceive their life as a very serious thing.

Respecting the Indonesian’s response to injustice, perhaps a term with more nuance than fatalism would be harmony. A. A. Yewangoe quotes the three important Javanese words describing harmonization with reality, namely;

(1)Nrimo (narimo), is an ability to endure a miserable fate, which can be overcome provided people nrimo (accept) it patiently.

(2) Sabar, an ability to accept bad fortune in the conviction that good fortune will come. It is not a passive, resigned attitude. On contarry, the sabar attitude requires concentrated self control which, especially for the priyayi, is expressed in etiquette.

(3) Ikhlas (rila), reflects the value of harmonization with the environment. This concept sugests the annihillation of self in the sense of releasing the self into the greatness of nature. This state is not a passive one. On the contartry, it requires great concentration in order to be annihilate the self.²⁵

Those three attitudes give Indonesian people great perseverance in suffering. Yet it does not mean that they are passive and take for granted their given situation, from simple peasant to highly refined nobles.²⁶ These three different facets of Javanese thought reveal the effort to harmonize their lives with reality. The concept of harmony allows people to perceive suffering as an integral part of being human, it is the basic foundation for struggle against suffering.²⁷ In other words, the concept of struggle from the Javanese perspective consists of two things: (1) A struggle within ourselves to accept suffering as part of reality and (2) viewing suffering and injustice as disharmony. Therefore, the struggle of the people is an effort to create harmony internally and socially. This is the foundation of both their acceptance and resistance.

2. The Paradox of Powerless Action: Power for the People

In the story of wayang, Semar and its sons are depicted as servant clowns. As a servant, Semar must accompany and serves the ksatria. In wayang, the ksatria is depicted as a person who has alus²⁸ behaviour and a high standard of etiquette and politeness. Meanwhile, Semar is depicted has having kasar²⁹ behaviour. That is the reason the figure of Semar is an ugly human. There is nothing praiseworthy about Semar in terms of beauty, form, comeliness, or social graces. Semar is crass and usually abounding in foul smelling flattuence.³⁰ When the ksatrias faces battle, they have a weapon to be used. As ksatrias, they have special skill to use their weapon when they battle against enemies. It is very different with Semar. As a servant, its job is to serve is to accompany its master in all situations. Semar has no weapon or skill to fighting. It’s only weapon is its flatulence.

In another story, it is mentioned that Semar will fart when it is very angry. At this time, nobody can survive. Even the gods are afraid.³¹ This behaviour is analogous to the power of the ordindary people who do not have social status.

When the students protested the otoritarian regime of Soeharto and asked him to resign on May 1998, they did not bring a weapon. They had no fighting skill or stance, but a sniper shot and killed several students. A similar situation happened to Wiji Thukul. He was the son of a becak (pedicab) driver. He had no high position that could overthrow the power of the Soeharto’s regime. He was just a laborer in a furniture company. His only skill was polishing and finishing the furniture. But he wielded the pen. His popular poems irked Soeharto like a foul smell. Todung Mulya Lubis, a jury of Yap Thiam Hien Award³² mentions that:

Even though Wiji Thukul has no high education, and was just a furniture worker, he had the sensitivity and the awareness about human repression issues. He woke the people up about human rights through his poetry and actively enlightened his fellow friends who are oppressed to struggle for their rights.³³

Fighting without weapons, using wisdom— that’s the character of Semar in wayang performance. Semar deconstructs the concept of power.³⁴ One’s humanity is measured by his heart and not by performance. The value of a human is not based on etiquette, education, or social status but based on the heart. A mere servant, bearing no weapons, Semar is more powerful than the gods. Only with the help of Semar can ksatria win the battle. For the poorest and oppresed people, Semar becomes the symbol of the ultimate wisdom of the lowest class.

In the midst of the development and industrialization era, Indonesian government tries to concentrate on economic development but it neglects the plight of the poor. From a purely fiscal perspective the poorer are a burden and hindrance to development. A few days before Easter 2002, a group of poor women who lives in Tandes, Surabaya, East Java were crying. They took off all their clothes before the civil servants who demolished their lean-to houses with bulldozers.³⁵ The civil servants still demolished their houses, even though the women resisted with their last effort: taking off their clothes. The un-permanent houses was the women’s option for shelter. The women lost everything, including their dignity. In the name of development, they lost their shelther. Shindunata, a Catholic priest and cultural observer depicts the situation of those poor women as persons who are on the depths of desperateness.³⁶ In such a situation, those women spoke out through their powerless action. The government failed to do their task of serving their people. The actions of those poor women proclaimed that the present government has no the humane sense anymore.

3. Semar as the Symbol of Mutual relationship

In wayang, the relation of Arjuna, a ksatria, and Semar as his servant clown are inseparable. As the servant clown, the one of the roles of Semar is to comfort the struggle of ksatria, its master. When the ksatria enters goro-goro (critcal situation), Semar always reminds the ksatria to be careful and self-controlled. The advice of Semar keeps the ksatria on the right track in their struggle. When the kstaria are sad, Semar comforts them with jokes. The relation between Semar and ksatria symbolizes the concept of harmony as the Javanese concept of life. One cannot exist without the other.

According to Moertono, the relation between ksatria and their servant, Arjuna and Semar does not point out the strict hierarchical stratification, whether one subordinate the other or one is higher than the other, but the mutual relationship from

the different substance and inseparable relation.³⁷ This kind of relationship is known as the relation kawulo-Gusti³⁸ as the ideal relation. Kawulo-Gusti, ksatria-punakawan, Arjuna-Semar are the functional based relationship and each of them has their own function or role. Besides, the ideal function of the king in Java also comes from this concept. When the king forgets his role to bring welfare and justice to the people, he destroys the order of harmony. It means that the king has failed as he has lost his charisma and power of good.

Under the development era of Soeharto which was known as the New Order Era, Soeharto usually used the idea of harmony as depicted in wayang philosophy to promote his developmental agenda. Soeharto manipulated the idea in wayang to maintain his power.³⁹ In 1985, there was a big dam project built by Soeharto in Central Java: the Kedung Ombo Dam. The government demolished the houses of 5,339 families from 37 villages located in Boyolali, Sragen and Grobogan. Before the project was started, the government sent out public relations officers to promote the project. But in fact, these government staff labelled any opposers as ‘anti-development,’ ‘anti government’ and even ‘PKI members’ (Indonesian Communist Party). When the civil servants distributed the meager compensation, the envelopes were printed with jer basuki mawa bea, meaning ‘achievements are only won through sacrifice.’⁴⁰ Jaswadi H. S., one of the leaders in that area, commented on the process of the distributions of the envelopes:

It is not fair if the people who are living in the poor situation must be forced to sacrifice their properties to build a dam. The government never does something for us, but when they have a will, they always force us. If we refuse it, they stigmatize us as a PKI members. We who resist that project must go to the jungle to save ourselves from the military who search for us. This is our land and the government never has any dialogue with us. Therefore, we still resist and refuse to receive that envelope.⁴¹

The resistance of these people is the struggle for a mutual relationship with the people in power. Even though they are ordinary people, they know their rights. They are aware that they cannot be subordinated by an oppresive power.

There is a well-known prophecy in that area which strengthened them in their struggle. They believe that the abundant period will take place when wader mangan

manggar, it literally means ‘fish consume the coconut flower.’⁴² In normal conditions, that situation could not happen, because the flowers are high in the coconut palm tree. But when the dam operates and the water cover the villages and all of trees, then the fish can easily eat those flowers. For the people around Kedung Ombo Dam, that story empowers them to struggle for justice. They interpret the legend as the opportunity for the people from the lower stratum to defeat the strong and powerful officials.⁴³ Therefore, when their village was inundated by the government, the people understood it as the fullfillment of their ancestor’s prophecy. The wisdom of the local people depicted the spirit of struggle for equality and mutual relationship between the people and government. They proclaim that even though they are only ordinary people, farmers and poor, they are not simply the object of development. The resistance of the local people is also the critique for the government to be more wise with the loan from the World Bank and other International Fund Institutions. The Kedung Ombo Dam raises the question, who will get the benefits from the US$ 360 million Kedung Ombo Mega Dam? The project, which stretched from 1985 to 1993 the people with suffering and problems.⁴⁴

The wisdom of the victims of Kedung Ombo Mega Dam Project can be found in the figure of Semar. Semar gives the new dimension on the wayang philosophy. Even though Semar is only a servant, its existence is needed by the ksatria. All people have their own function in their position to maintain harmony. The ksatrias will encounter misfortune if they neglect the advice of Semar. The figure of Semar calls us to consider and respect the ordinary people with their simplicity. In their simplicity, we can find genuine power and wisdom.⁴⁵

1 Wayang Indonesia, the official Website about Wayang, which is published by Sena Wangi (an institution who specifically in the field of wayang and established in 1975) mentions that in the ancient time, wayang is a ceremony for calling departed spirits by hanging a coconut oil lamp and casting shadows on a wall or stretched white cloth. Then, wayang was developed in Indonesia in the 9^th and 10^th centuries as a media for performance of scenarios with themes from the epic of Mahabarata and Ramayana from India [http://www.wayang-indonesia.com], 16 June 2006.

2 Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Culture (New York: Basic Books, 1973), p. 132.

3 Purwadi, Semar: Jagad Mistik Jawa Semar: Javanese Mystic’ World (Jogjakarta: Media Abadi, 2004), p. 144.

4 In fact, there are many varieties of wayang have developed until now. The formal website of wayang in Indonesia [http://www.wayang-indonesia.com] mentions that there are more than 60 varieties of wayang spread all over Indonesia. Some types of wayang are consisting of two-dimensional puppets made from leather, and the other is three-dimensional carved wooden puppets or the human who play as the actors in wayang. In this case, if I use word wayang, I prefer to point out the wayang as two-dimensional puppets.

5 The Puppeteer usually uses the word ksatria, a literary meaning by which the knight points out these five brothers Pendawas.

6 Due to the relation between Pendawa and Kurawa, Franz Magnis Suseno agree with the observation of G. J. Resink in his book From the Old Mahabarata to the New Ramayana Order. In that book, Resink mentions that the trend of the wayang performance in Soeharto era simply depicted the figure of Pendawa and Kurawa as white and black figure. Pendawa represent the good, white power and Kurawa represent as the bad, black power. This trend reflects the situation in community which easily separates and judges the community into two groups: religious versus pagan; good versus bad; Pancasilaist versus anti-Pancasila. According to Franz Magnis Suselo, this situation has destructed the unique Indonesian culture, which is actually more tolerant with plural sensitivity.

7 Therefore, I prefer to use the pronoun “it” to refer the Semar.

8 Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Culture, p. 133.

9 St. Darmawijaya, Pengabdian: Panakawan atau Hamba Yahwe? Servanthood: Panakawan or The Servant of the Lord? (Jogjakarta: Kanisius, 1989), pp. 20-21.

10 Ibid., p. 23.

11 Ibid.

12 Mbarang is a Javanese word that points to an activity to perform something; it can be music or another talent, to the audience in a public area to get donation or mercy from the people around them who see her/his performance.

13 Esaol Agustriawan, [e_saol@yahoo.com], “Semar,” private e-mail to Pusat Data Wayang Indonesia (Data Center of Indonesia Wayang), [pdwi@wayang-indonesia.com], 15 May 2006

14 Purwadi, Semar: Jagad Mistik Jawa Semar: Javanese Mystic’ World, (Yogyakarta: Media Abadi, 2004), pp.141-142.

15 Resource Wayang, “Semar,” [http://www.semarweb.com/wayang.html], 15 May 2006.

16 Ibid.

17 St. Darmawijaya, Pengabdian: Panakawan atau Hamba Yahwe? p. 33.

18 Ibid., p. 35.

19 Ibid.

20 A. A. Yewangoe, Theologia Crucis in Asia, p. 227.

21 Ibid.

22 When I was working in an URM and had an informal discussion with some wealthy people in the church (especially from the Chinese-Indonesian background) about the poverty in Indonesia, they had the stereotype that the Indonesian people (the indigenous people) are giving up their life to the fate. It means that they easily acknowledge the problem of poverty simply based on the personal situation only and neglect the structural’s reality.

23 A. A Yewangoe, Theologia Crucis in Asia, p. 264.

24 Prihatin is a Javanese word that express an attitude to be deeply concerned with this life.

25 A. A. Yewangoe, Theologia Crucis in Asia, p. 232.

26 Ibid.

27 Ibid., p. 264.

28 Alus is Javanese word means pure, refined, polished, polite, exquisite, ethereal, subtle, civilized and smooth, perhaps somewhat akin to chivalry.

29 Kasar is Javanese word that opposite with alus, they are: impolite, rough, and uncivilized.

30 Franz Magnis Suseno, Wayang dan Panggilan Manusia Wayang and The Call for Human’s Life (Jakarta: Gramedia, 1995), p. 38.

31 Resource Wayang “Semar,” [http://www.semarweb.com/wayang.html]

32 Yap Thiam Hien Award is an award given by the Foundation of Human Rights Study Centre to the persons who has a big role in promoting the Human Rights in Indonesia. The name “Yap Thiam Hien” comes from the name of the Chinese Indonesian lawyer and a Human Rights activist.

33 Pikiran Rakyat Newspaper, [http://www.pikiran-rakyat.com/cetak/1202/11/0105.htm].

34 Franz Magnis Suseno, Wayang dan Panggilan Manusia Wayang and The Call for Human’s Life, p. 39.

35 Limas Sutanto, “Rasa Malu (Shame)” in “Kompas Newspaper” [http://www.kompas.com/kompas-cetak/0204/18/opini/rasa32.htm], 18 April 2002.

36 Sindhunata, “Dari Jurang yang Dalam (From the Depths of Desperateness)” in “Gloria Cyber Ministries” [http://www.glorianet.org/paskah/paskdari.html]

37 Soemarsaid Moertono, Negara dan Usaha Bina Negara Masa Lampau: Studi tentang Mataram II Abad XVI sampai XIX State and State Craft in Old Java: Study of The Later Mataram Period: 16^th to 19^th Century (Jakarta: Obor Indonesia, 1985), p. 52.

38 Kawulo means servant, Gusti means master. In another sense, kawulo-Gusti also points to the relation between “we” and “Lord”.

39 Ben Abel, “A Javanese King Talks of His End” in “Inside Indonesia” (No.54, April-June 1998) [http://www.insideindonesia.org], 1 July 2006. That article is an interview with Ben Anderson, a Professor of Politics at Cornell University, USA, in November 1997

40 The information about Kedung Ombo Dam is based on my discussion with Jaswadi H. S., one of the leaders of the people who resisted the project. The discussion was carried out on 22 June 2001.

41 Ibid.

42 Josef P. Widyatmadja, “A Spirituality of Liberation: A Indonesian Contribution,“ Asian Christian Spirituality: Reclaiming Traditions, ed. Virginia Fabella and others (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1992), p. 56.

43 Ibid.

44 Until now, the victims of Kedung Ombo Dam still struggle to get the proper compensation. They are still living temporary around the dam. Meanwhile, many people who were transmigrated to outside Java island due to this project are also living in suffering, because they were forced to move by the government. At that time, the World Bank did not say anything, even though they knew the Kedung Ombo Dam was built through repression and corruption. Only one day before the World Bank celebrated its 60^th Anniversary in 22 July 2004, Berth Hoffman, Senior Economist of World Bank acknowledged that the World Bank made a big mistake in the case of Kedung Ombo Dam Project. (Indonesian Business, 22 July 2004).

45 Franz Magnis Suseno, Wayang dan Panggilan Manusia Wayang and The Call for Human’s Life, pp. 39-40