In May 2006, Emha and Kiai Kanjeng were invited to headline proceedings for the birthday celebrations of Indonesian national newspaper Rakyat Merdeka, which means ‘the free people’. The main event, a concert led by Kiai Kanjeng, was to be held in the ballroom of Jakarta’s Mulia Hotel on Friday, 28th April.
Cabinet ministers in attendance included Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil and Minister for Social Affairs Syaifullah Yusuf. Other prominent national figures included head of the Constitutional Court Jimly Asshiddiqie, Governor of the National Resilience Institute Muladi, Chairman of the National Consultative Assembly (MPR) Hidayat Nur Wahid as well as Chairman of the People’s Representative Assemply (DPR) Agung Laksono.
Media figures present included head of Kompas Gramedia Jacob Oetama, head of Transtivi Ishadi SK as well as former head of the National Press Agency (Antara) and now chief representative of the UNDP in Indonesia Mohammad Sobary, a firm friend of Emha and the Kenduri Cinta movement. Other notables present included members of parliament Theo L Sambuaga, Permadi and Ade Daud Nasution, as well as the Deputy Governor of Jakarta Fauzi Bowo. Seated close to former head of the Armed Forces Gen. (retired) Wiranto were senior lawyers Adnan Buyung Nasution and Ruhut Sitompul, as well as number of academics and other figures such as Effendy Ghazali, the paranormal Suhu Acai and TV soap opera czar Raam Punjabii. Writer Ian L. Betts sat with a number of representatives from foreign embassies who had been especially invited.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, though in the middle of his umroh or minor pilgrimage to Mecca (an act of worship similar to the Haj but conducted outside the Haj season), managed to send an address via video link to the Rakyat Merdeka celebrations. In his congratulatory remarks, the President encouraged Rakyat Merdeka to continue to make its contribution to the democracy of the nation of Indonesia. "Express the voice of the people and protect their interests above all else," said the President.
On the conclusion of the President’s address, Kiai Kanjeng began their performance, including a number of surprise guest appearances, none more surprising than Gen. Wiranto himself who was invited on o the stage and not only sang one number in Javanese but managed a faultless segue into the song originally made famous by The Righteous Brothers but which found greater fame still when it was adopted as the theme to the hit film, Ghost, starring Demi Moore, “Unchained Melody.”
The newspaper ran an article on the event on May 1st entitled ‘Cak Nun Mengkritik, Wiranto Menyanyi, Kalla Tersenyum’ which means Cak Nun (Emha) Criticises, (General [ret.]) Wiranto Sings and (Vice President) Jusuf Kalla Smiles: Kiai Kanjeng and Emha Ainun Nadjib Entertain the people and the Nation’s Highest Officials.
But the highlight of the evening was the appearance of Emha Ainun Najib. Aside from singing, this writer, known for his rich understanding of culture, is clearly also an excellent comedian who can launch fresh jokes, casuing some in the audience to wince but most to laugh aloud. At one point Emha invited Muhammad Sobari on to the stage to conduct a dialogue with a guest from South Korea who was involved in helping Indonesian migrant workers who had gotten into difficulties there. "This is just to prick the conscience of those in power so that attend to the problems of the people like these, problems which can actually be overcome quite easily with a will,” said Emha.
The article described how no-one really seemed to be sure how the high officials in attendance would react to Emha’s provocative comments. Would they be angry, or would they laugh? It depends on the context of course, and how the remarks are taken. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, a number of cabinet ministers as well as other high officals simply laughed on hearing Emha’s remarks. No-one was upset; all were entertained.
Emha had been talking about an occasion when an airplane on which he had been scheduled to travel was diverted at the last minute fore use by the Vice President, who was due to return from a trip to China. The audience were in stitches; The Vice President himself was all smiles.
It was a warm and lively event on the theme “The leadership Works and the People Watch”. Emha was on top form and his customary monolgue contained a combination of razor-sharp wit and criticism. Despite the potential for embarrassment, the officials present took it well. The Vice President was laughing, as did too retired General and former Commander of the Armed Forces, Wiranto.
Emha launched his monolgue, full of caricatures, jokes and pointed criticism, for the invited audience of 1,000. It was a true example of critical delivery. Emha noted a number of world records held by Indonesia. On the positive side, there was the record for the greatest act of democratic choice, which led to the election of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla. On the other hand, there were records for the worst natural disasters in the world. Others still, Emha said, “I’d better not mention”.
It was all proportionality. Emha’s barbs were precisely measured. While critical, no-one was left to feel unduly embarrassed. The reactions of the elite in the audience, including Jusuf Kalla, were proportional too. Retired General Wiranto is generally known as a ‘hard’ man. On this evening however he became an artist in his own right, joining with Kiai Kanjeng in renditions of several songs. There was no sign of the ‘hard as nails’ general in his performance and his warm greetings to the invited audience and Jusuf Kalla (Wiranto had been a presidential candate, beaten in October 2004 by Kalla and his running mate, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono). Wiranto sang not as a presidential candidate, but as a friend who wished to entertain his friends.
Jusf Kalla himself seemed to be enjoying Wiranto’s voice and his favourity songs, though he may not have understood one of them, as it was sung in Javanese. What came across though was Wiranto’s goodness of heart and friendly warmth. Wiranto sang two songs and received gracious applause and praise from the audience, including from Jusuf Kalla.
Kiai Kanjeng were joined in an outstanding and rousing performance by Novia Kolopaking, singer Bertha, Wiranto himself, street singer, entertainer and Kenduri Cinta regular Mbah Surip and a performer from The Philipines. It was a tremendous blend of the ethnic and the modern, the east and west, criticism and entertainment. Kiai Kanjeng were truly a musical breath of fresh air. Emha’s monologue only added to the versatility of the group.
Emha explained the philosophy behind the song “Gundul-gundul Pacul”. This song, he said, is a message from the Guardians of Islam (the nine wali who brought Islam to Jave centuries ago) to their children but meant for their leaders.
'In this song the leaders are tasked with carrying the basket of rice as a symbol of their taking care of the welfare of the people. They must share its contents with the people. If the basket falls, the contents will be lost, explained Emha to the audience. However, he continued, bringing laughter from the audience, there are leaders who enjoy the contents of the basket while they are still carrying it.
In his address, Vice President Kalla said that those who wished to criticise the government were welcome to do so, but don’t resort to insults. ''We have to understand one another and not resort to insults,'' he said. The head of Rakyat Merdeka, Margiono, said that what the newspaper does is nothing less than raising the national spirit. ''We will continue to strive to remain within the framework of the interests of this nation and state”, said Margiono in his address.
Kiai Kanjeng’s impressive performance ended at 10pm. When it was over, the audience looked as though they had just finished watching a good film at the cinema. There were points to discuss and there was “something” that would be taken home.
Cabinet ministers in attendance included Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil and Minister for Social Affairs Syaifullah Yusuf. Other prominent national figures included head of the Constitutional Court Jimly Asshiddiqie, Governor of the National Resilience Institute Muladi, Chairman of the National Consultative Assembly (MPR) Hidayat Nur Wahid as well as Chairman of the People’s Representative Assemply (DPR) Agung Laksono.
Media figures present included head of Kompas Gramedia Jacob Oetama, head of Transtivi Ishadi SK as well as former head of the National Press Agency (Antara) and now chief representative of the UNDP in Indonesia Mohammad Sobary, a firm friend of Emha and the Kenduri Cinta movement. Other notables present included members of parliament Theo L Sambuaga, Permadi and Ade Daud Nasution, as well as the Deputy Governor of Jakarta Fauzi Bowo. Seated close to former head of the Armed Forces Gen. (retired) Wiranto were senior lawyers Adnan Buyung Nasution and Ruhut Sitompul, as well as number of academics and other figures such as Effendy Ghazali, the paranormal Suhu Acai and TV soap opera czar Raam Punjabii. Writer Ian L. Betts sat with a number of representatives from foreign embassies who had been especially invited.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, though in the middle of his umroh or minor pilgrimage to Mecca (an act of worship similar to the Haj but conducted outside the Haj season), managed to send an address via video link to the Rakyat Merdeka celebrations. In his congratulatory remarks, the President encouraged Rakyat Merdeka to continue to make its contribution to the democracy of the nation of Indonesia. "Express the voice of the people and protect their interests above all else," said the President.
On the conclusion of the President’s address, Kiai Kanjeng began their performance, including a number of surprise guest appearances, none more surprising than Gen. Wiranto himself who was invited on o the stage and not only sang one number in Javanese but managed a faultless segue into the song originally made famous by The Righteous Brothers but which found greater fame still when it was adopted as the theme to the hit film, Ghost, starring Demi Moore, “Unchained Melody.”
The newspaper ran an article on the event on May 1st entitled ‘Cak Nun Mengkritik, Wiranto Menyanyi, Kalla Tersenyum’ which means Cak Nun (Emha) Criticises, (General [ret.]) Wiranto Sings and (Vice President) Jusuf Kalla Smiles: Kiai Kanjeng and Emha Ainun Nadjib Entertain the people and the Nation’s Highest Officials.
But the highlight of the evening was the appearance of Emha Ainun Najib. Aside from singing, this writer, known for his rich understanding of culture, is clearly also an excellent comedian who can launch fresh jokes, casuing some in the audience to wince but most to laugh aloud. At one point Emha invited Muhammad Sobari on to the stage to conduct a dialogue with a guest from South Korea who was involved in helping Indonesian migrant workers who had gotten into difficulties there. "This is just to prick the conscience of those in power so that attend to the problems of the people like these, problems which can actually be overcome quite easily with a will,” said Emha.
The article described how no-one really seemed to be sure how the high officials in attendance would react to Emha’s provocative comments. Would they be angry, or would they laugh? It depends on the context of course, and how the remarks are taken. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, a number of cabinet ministers as well as other high officals simply laughed on hearing Emha’s remarks. No-one was upset; all were entertained.
Emha had been talking about an occasion when an airplane on which he had been scheduled to travel was diverted at the last minute fore use by the Vice President, who was due to return from a trip to China. The audience were in stitches; The Vice President himself was all smiles.
It was a warm and lively event on the theme “The leadership Works and the People Watch”. Emha was on top form and his customary monolgue contained a combination of razor-sharp wit and criticism. Despite the potential for embarrassment, the officials present took it well. The Vice President was laughing, as did too retired General and former Commander of the Armed Forces, Wiranto.
Emha launched his monolgue, full of caricatures, jokes and pointed criticism, for the invited audience of 1,000. It was a true example of critical delivery. Emha noted a number of world records held by Indonesia. On the positive side, there was the record for the greatest act of democratic choice, which led to the election of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla. On the other hand, there were records for the worst natural disasters in the world. Others still, Emha said, “I’d better not mention”.
It was all proportionality. Emha’s barbs were precisely measured. While critical, no-one was left to feel unduly embarrassed. The reactions of the elite in the audience, including Jusuf Kalla, were proportional too. Retired General Wiranto is generally known as a ‘hard’ man. On this evening however he became an artist in his own right, joining with Kiai Kanjeng in renditions of several songs. There was no sign of the ‘hard as nails’ general in his performance and his warm greetings to the invited audience and Jusuf Kalla (Wiranto had been a presidential candate, beaten in October 2004 by Kalla and his running mate, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono). Wiranto sang not as a presidential candidate, but as a friend who wished to entertain his friends.
Jusf Kalla himself seemed to be enjoying Wiranto’s voice and his favourity songs, though he may not have understood one of them, as it was sung in Javanese. What came across though was Wiranto’s goodness of heart and friendly warmth. Wiranto sang two songs and received gracious applause and praise from the audience, including from Jusuf Kalla.
Kiai Kanjeng were joined in an outstanding and rousing performance by Novia Kolopaking, singer Bertha, Wiranto himself, street singer, entertainer and Kenduri Cinta regular Mbah Surip and a performer from The Philipines. It was a tremendous blend of the ethnic and the modern, the east and west, criticism and entertainment. Kiai Kanjeng were truly a musical breath of fresh air. Emha’s monologue only added to the versatility of the group.
Emha explained the philosophy behind the song “Gundul-gundul Pacul”. This song, he said, is a message from the Guardians of Islam (the nine wali who brought Islam to Jave centuries ago) to their children but meant for their leaders.
'In this song the leaders are tasked with carrying the basket of rice as a symbol of their taking care of the welfare of the people. They must share its contents with the people. If the basket falls, the contents will be lost, explained Emha to the audience. However, he continued, bringing laughter from the audience, there are leaders who enjoy the contents of the basket while they are still carrying it.
In his address, Vice President Kalla said that those who wished to criticise the government were welcome to do so, but don’t resort to insults. ''We have to understand one another and not resort to insults,'' he said. The head of Rakyat Merdeka, Margiono, said that what the newspaper does is nothing less than raising the national spirit. ''We will continue to strive to remain within the framework of the interests of this nation and state”, said Margiono in his address.
Kiai Kanjeng’s impressive performance ended at 10pm. When it was over, the audience looked as though they had just finished watching a good film at the cinema. There were points to discuss and there was “something” that would be taken home.
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