Saturday 25 July 2009

A Farewell Bow For A Man I've Never Met

There was a man that I've never met, but he had influenced my way of seeing the world. Yesterday he passed away...I knew it from the printed Kompas today, July 25, 2009. (Read Pahlawan Dirgantara Itu Telah Tiada)

I've never really know him, never really met him. But his story made a deep scratch in my memory. I was in Junior High School when I've met his youngest son, one grade older than me. I saw how he had to survive the stigma of being the son of Omar Dhani (especially if every year we had to watch the film about the 30 September Movement). He was proud of his father, very proud of him...that was how I knew more about his father's name...and how I learned that politic can also "kill" someone's life.

I've read in Boediardjo's book "Siapa Sudi Saya Dongengi?" (I wrote about this book for wikimu, with the short explanation why I write about it here), in one chapter there is the story about how Omar Dhani's wife did not even know what is going to happen to her husband...

I think as children we'd sensed something unfair. That's why we were not really care who was Omar Dhani, we respect him as his son did. I think it was in quite the same way the adoration for Soekarno planted in my generation's heart. It was not because of knowing Soekarno, or ever listening to his speech...but mostly because we could sense the unfair treatment he had after he lost his power as a president.

A book mentioned in the article in Kompas, "Tuhan, Pergunakanlah Hati, Pikiran, dan Tanganku"...may be this book is worth reading...an outlet of Omar Dhani's explanation.

One by one...real witness of what was happening were almost all gone...the secret is still a secret. Lots of suffering were clouding this country, yet the real story was never came out. Perhaps we should just forgive whoever plotted the scenario...and let God, the Great Judge, work on His way...and in His own time...

For now, I'd like to bow as a farewell respect for a man who had once served this country...

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