By Yohanes Manhitu
(Vegetius, Epistoma rei militaris)
There, in another corner of the archipelago, in Kupang, on the same day university students had no classes. I remember the day when most of the students of my faculty, Faculty of Teacher Training and Educational Sciences of Nusa Cendana University, left the classrooms towards the campus yard and gathered there. I had never seen such a large number of students gathering. It resembled to a large group of bees waiting for orders from their queen before acting. It was a sudden holiday.
In front of us there was a old wooden podium where some vocal lecturers stood up one by one and spoke to the crowd in a very loud and fully spirited voice, and the students, in turn, applauded them and shouted �Step down Soeharto� �Go to hell New Order�. Another shouted, �Go to hell corruptor�. No-one would be able to identify the persons shouting aloud because the voices came from different directions. It was indeed a good time to shout.
The day was very hot, even hotter that the previous day. There were no enough big trees to protect us from the burning sun heat. In spite of this, the students, who mostly dressed up in their blue university jackets, continued to stand up and listened to the campus orators. Not only lecturers, but also some student senators spoke to the crowd in turn. These young people tried as much as possible to steer the crowd�s emotion and �burn� their dim spirits. There was neither food nor drinks but nobody has complained. Some of us even smiled and laughed as the orators said funny things. In spite of the hot day, a small group of students sang aloud every time an orator finished speaking. What an emotional moment!
I stood near the white painted wall surrounding a sandalwood tree that had served as the university�s symbol of fertility. While listening to the orators speaking, I took a sheet of thick white cartoon and wrote down these words �Step down Mr. Soeharto�. I made the letters as big as possible so that they would be easily read. As it was ready, I hold it as high as possible and hoped that people would see it clearly. Actually, it was not only I who wrote such thing because many students were busy writing the same things.
It was the first time I had taken part in such an activity that had been considered taboo for many years and it might be the last time to do such thing. I am not sure about it. Personally, I hate politics because, in my opinion, politics remains a dirty business. In politics, as we are aware of, either good or bad things seem to have balanced opportunity. Let us say fifty-fifty. It is always very possible that the Devil turn to god and vice versa. An enemy can be a friend and on the other hand, a friend can be an enemy, depending on the situation and the deal. In many political cases, money is worshiped. Sometimes, money becomes more valuable than the verity which is believed to be the voice of the Almighty God. What a terrible matter! Where are the truth and justice? No money, no truth.
After a half-day oration at the campus yard, we began to move down Soeharto Street, one of the biggest streets in the tropical city, named after the president, leading to the south. The day was even hotter. It was about two o�clock. From the campus we marched to the office of the House of Representative, located on Eltari street while yelling �Viva students�, �Viva teachers�, �Step down Soeharto�, and �Go to hell New Order�.
The numbers the student demonstrators suddenly increased because the students from the other four faculties had just arrived in several wooden trucks to join us. We saw the city streets being full of students marching in a very great number. Most people had closed their shops and houses. Some stood up near the streets we passed by but many stood up behind their windows while looking out without saying any single word. Some children who were playing in front of their houses were forced to get into their houses as quick as lighting.
A number of police and military force members were present at a number of intersections keeping their eyes on the fully spirited moving demonstrators. Neither of us was afraid of being shot nor beaten by the police, but greeted them instead. Suddenly, I heard a friend walking in front me yelling �Viva the Indonesian Police and Army� and other followed. Being praised, the police and soldiers smiled, but these brave men uttered no single word. They might have thought that silence was golden.
As soon as we arrived at the office of the House of Representatives, the crowd yelled and asked the chief of the Representatives to come out and meet us. Three half-aged men went down from the stairs towards the crowd. As soon as they arrived, a demonstator representative stepped forward and read about ten long statements that had to be responded immediately, other the city would be made �black and white� within twenty four hours.
After the reading, we moved back to the street and jumped into the wooden trucks that had been provided for our half-day movement. From there we went around the city while yelling and singing. The city was dead and hot. There were neither city transports nor personal vehicles. It was like a real catastrophe, a very sudden one.
Although it was very tiring, I would say that it was a great day because I met a lot of friends from the other faculties. Moreover, many of us were very happy because we had no classes and homework due to the orations and demonstration. Some might even hope that we had another demonstration the next day. The next day a great news came, announced by all televisions, radios, and the newspapers, that the dictator stepped down after being forced by the students having demonstrations throughout the country, especially in the capital city, Jakarta. And, his place was taken over by Mr. Habibie, his vice president, who did not make any significant changes after the end of his time. It was on his presidency that our motherland had to say good-bye to one of her provinces. Good bye, East Timor! May God bless you!
Demonstration had been something most hated and prevented by the thirty two-year regime, but later, at a very precise moment, became a deadly weapon to defeat this very powerful regime and replace it with a fresh one.
Yogyakarta, 12 August 2002
Copyright @ 2002, Page Design by John Manhitu
(Yogyakarta, Saturday, 16 November 2001