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Documentary: Indonesians on being Indonesian
Optimism: Alfin Budi Pramono in Yogyakarta (left), Agung Susilo in Jakarta (center) and Endang Sri Wahyuni in Medan talk about their memories, hopes and dreams in Words of a Generation: Indonesia
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Optimism: Alfin Budi Pramono in Yogyakarta (left), Agung Susilo in Jakarta (center) and Endang Sri Wahyuni in Medan talk about their memories, hopes and dreams in Words of a Generation: Indonesia. (Wordsofageneration.co) (left), Agung Susilo in Jakarta (center) and Endang Sri Wahyuni in Medan talk about their memories, hopes and dreams in Words of a Generation: Indonesia. (Wordsofageneration.co)
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span class="inline inline-none">Optimism: Alfin Budi Pramono in Yogyakarta (left), Agung Susilo in Jakarta (center) and Endang Sri Wahyuni in Medan talk about their memories, hopes and dreams in Words of a Generation: Indonesia. (Wordsofageneration.co)
When numbers fail, words of the people can best describe Indonesia.
'[Indonesia] is like a dysfunctional family, but we can still put the fun in the dysfunctional,' said Vanessa, 37, a freelancer who lives in Jakarta.
Vanessa is one of 10 middle-class Indonesians who were in their teens during the change of regime in 1998.
They were interviewed for the Words of a Generation: Indonesia documentary series, where they talked about their memories, present struggles and their hopes and dreams.
The interviewees poured out their thoughts on being Indonesian in their own words.
'I'm proud of being Indonesian. We're a great nation, a great people. We have our flaws, but we are what we are,' said Vanessa, who studied in the US.
The documentary, which consists of seven episodes: 'Work', 'Consume', 'Connect', 'Love', 'Play', 'Explore' and 'Dream' may not be a reliable source of information about the young democracy, but is enough to present a big picture of present day Indonesia.
Four women and six men were interviewed at their homes in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Medan, North Sumatra.
Most of them own businesses, including Dian Sukmawati, 31, a single mother in Makassar.
Among the interviewees are a driver, an IT engineer and a homemaker.
Some of them were involved in the student movement that led to the end of the authoritarian Soeharto administration, for its failure to address the financial crisis at that time.
Most thought life was better in the past, but that their children enjoyed better opportunities in the Reformasi era.
Dubbed the 'Generation of Change', they shared the same disappointment over the unexpected direction of the new democracy, but acknowledged Indonesia had become more financially and politically stable.
They said Indonesians were forced to survive within their own means, with the rich becoming richer and the poor poorer, while attempts to eradicate corruption had not been as promising as expected.
'People of my generation should all open their own businesses, creating job opportunities,' said Andi Muhammad Alwi, 33, a Makassar entrepreneur.
In the near future, the interviewees ' who claimed they never missed casting their vote ' would like to see either a president with strong character, like former Armys Special Forces (Koppasus) commander Prabowo Subianto, or a humble leader that sides with the people, like Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, the Jakarta governor.
The documentary, available for viewing at wordsofageneration.co, is one of six installments produced by worldwide public relations firm Edelman about the vast, emerging market and business hubs of China, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and India.
According to Edelman Indonesia CEO Stephen Lock, the interviews were filmed long before the announcement of presidential candidacies and there was no hidden political agenda in the documentary, despite the release being in an election year.
The interviewees were picked from the company's data bank, collected from a series of surveys conducted in the past six years.
He said the documentary had the theme of a generation enjoying choices in the new era of democracy but which also did not have a road map for a future Indonesia.
'What connects each of them is this huge, strong sense of nationalism and family values,' he said after the premier screening of the documentary on March 25, where invitees and the media watched the 'Dreams', 'Consume' and 'Explore' episodes of the series.
'This generation still doubts that democracy has touched all levels of society. It's a crucial issue for the future of democracy and it needs to be addressed by the campaign teams of presidential candidates,' Lock said.
Social media strategist Shafiq Pontoh corroborated the findings in the interviews during the discussion that ensued, saying he also found that Indonesians using social media showed a paradox in their characters.
'Indonesians are traditionalists when it comes to God, religion and family, but at the same time they are liberal in other issues, such as in their consumption habits.'
Cornelia Kunze, Edelman vice chairman for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, said the series was made to make Indonesian voices be heard, so the international community could see what changed a nation and how they could make a change themselves.
There was also a more practical reason why Edelman had produced the videos.
According to Arie Rukmantara, a senior specialist for health and human services of the local branch of the company, it was a way of understanding Indonesia and helping clients and businesses to market products for Indonesian consumers.
Historian Bonnie Triyana, however, advised that the generation depicted in the video should not be taken as being representative of Indonesia.
'They belong to a generation that forgets, not because it has forgiven the past mistakes of the government but because the people are still in the grip of hegemony over their collective memories.'
