As for the Malays, they lived like puppets—controlled by a small and comical but very powerful puppet master called a siren. At seven o’clock every morning,
the stillness shattered. The siren roared from the PN central office. Immediately, PN coolies bustled about, emerging from every corner of the village to line up
along the side of the road, jumping and jamming themselves into the backs of trucks which would bring them to the dredges.The village fell quiet again. But
moments later, an orchestra emerged as the women began crushing their spices. The sounds of pestles pounding against wooden mortars incessantly echoed
from one stilted house to another, but when the clock struck five, the siren shrieked once again. The coolies dispersed to go home like ants fleeing a
burning anthill. And that’s how it went on, for hundreds of years. TRT: 42
It shows how the natives are always controlled by the company. The company’s existence becomes the standard of power, it is able to control many aspects of the
natives’ life. Not only in economic but also in social aspect. The natives are described as puppet that has being controlled by the company’s siren.
Since mostly natives work as a coolie in PN Timah, the siren becomes the sign when they have to begin to work and when they have to finish their work.
The main character shows that the natives of Belitung never free from colonization. The colonial rules are only has done by different colonizers:
After three-hundred-fifty years, the Dutch said “good day” and the Japanese yelled “sayonara”. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the happy ending for us, the
natives of Bellitong. For we were to be occupied in another way. Our land was seized once again, but in a more civilized manner. We were freed, but not yet
free. TRT: 40
Thus, after the Dutch and the Japanese, PN Timah as the state-owned company of Indonesian government occupies the natives. The company is represented as the
controller and the ruler for Belitung-Malays people “in a more civilized manner” . The company siren’s roar that control the natives Belitung who work as a coolie,
then becomes one of the more civilized manner on controlling their daily life.
4. The Education Accessibility
Although PN Timah is seen as the extension of colonial rules that control and dominate the Belitungese, ironically, the company also becomes the role
model for them. The Belitung-Malays appear to admire the lifestyle of PN Timah
staffs that are wealthy and also have the privilege in gaining an appropriate education. To consolidate the accessibility in gaining an appropriate education,
one of the facilities that the company provides for its staffs and executives is a school called PN School.
Ikal says that the center of excellent in Belitung is PN School: “The PN School was in the Estate compound, and it was a center of excellence, a place for
the best. Hundreds of qualified students competed at the highest standard at this school… “TRT: 35 Therefore, the natives’ parents want to believe that education
will possibly give their children better future than them. Thus far, they can only afford to send their children to village schools affordable for their income.
Next, it is because most parents are illiterate, their work only gives them low income. Furthermore, when they join PN Timah, they only require a coolie
position, unlike PN staffs that are mostly graduated from universities in Java and abroad. Therefore, being well-educated becomes the aspiration of the natives.
They see the well-educated company people who are able to gain high position in the company with which their salary is also high as to enable them to live in
prosperity. Parents, thus have aspiration to send their children to school for the sake of making their family’s future better. Ikal despises parents who do not have
the same aspiration, saying “These parents weren’t convinced that their children’s education, which they could only afford up to junior high, would brighten their
families’ futures.”TRT: 2 The novel shows that, in order to overcome the fee problem, parents
choose Muhammadiyah School because the payment is the cheapest. It becomes
their choice to let their children get into proper education. For Ikal, Muhammadiyah School is similar to many poor schools in Indonesia:
It isn’t very hard to describe our school. It was one among hundreds—maybe even thousands—of poor schools in Indonesia that, if bumped by a frenzied goat
preparing to mate, would collapse and fall to pieces. TRT: 17 The atmosphere inside the class could be described with words like these:
underutilized, astonishing, and bitterly touching. … It was a pathetic fixture completely void of content because no government officials wanted to visit our
teachers, there were no graduates to be proud of, and we certainly hadn’t achieved anything prestigious yet. TRT: 19-20
His description strengthens the poor and decrepit school condition. Furthermore, he says that there are not any achievements that can be proud of in relation to
increasing the school’s prestige. Compared to PN School that he calls the center of excellence, the natives’ inaccessibility to PN School make them unable to have
a chance to get qualified education. Moreover, because of their parents’ profession, the only school they can enroll to is Muhammadiyah village school.
PN School with its complete facilities and achievements that they can be proud of is also discriminating:
The PN School was Belitong’s most discriminating club. That school only accepted children of the Staff who lived in the Estate. There was an official rule
that regulated which rank of employees could enrol their children at the PN School. And of course, on the gate hung that warning not to enter unless you had
the right. This meant that the children of fishermen, pipe carriers, daily paid laborers or
hard laborers sifting tin, like our parents, and especially native children of Belitong, didn’t have the least opportunity to receive a good education. If they
wanted to go to school, they were forced to join the Muhammadiyah village school, which if caressed by just a little bit of strong wind, could fall apart.
TRT: 37
Through such regulation, Ikal can only afford village school with its lack of facilities. To compare the school condition, he uses PN School as the standard in
terms of facilities and school’s achievements. To provide a qualified education, a school should be like PN School. Therefore, Ikal describes his Muhammadiyah
School by using the standard of excellence applicable to PN School.
From the comparisons above, Ikal defines himself based on the school that he entered. He envies PN School as the centre of excellence that can provide a
qualified education with all resources in it. With his poor school, it seems that there is no chance to offer for the best education due to the lack of facilities and
achievements. Consequently, Ikal is also influenced by what the native people know
about the company people’s education background. Then, he is beginning to believe that education is the solution to confront the poverty condition in
Belitung. Therefore, he is eager to attain high education. Moreover, his father, a PN coolie, always supports him:
Since the first time he sent me to the first grade of elementary school in Muhammadiyah, his proudly smile was never erased from his face. Now I
completely understood the meaning of my father’s smile. The years before, since the moment I enroled in a poor Elementary School Muhammadiyah, he has
assured that one day I will get a higher education scholarship. Even once, he was never stop on believing his son.
74
[My translation]
The support from his father encourages him to pursue education as a way out of the entangled poverty web, in order not to become like his illiterate father with his
poor wages. Muhammadiyah School which lacks of facilities and achievements is able
to take him to enroll at prestigious high school in East Belitung. Different from his previous school, that he calls as poor Muhammadiyah School where he studies
from elementary until junior high, he enrols at the State Senior High School. The state school is called as the symbol of enlightenment and an ivory tower of
excellence for Belitung-Malays people. Ikal’s way in pursuing education to
74
Sejak dulu ia mendaftarkanku masuk kelas satu di SD Muhammadiyah, senyum bangga itu tak pernah terhapus dari wajahnya. Kini aku mengerti sepenuhnya arti senyum ayahku: bahwa sejak dulu, sejak aku masih sekolah di SD miskin
Muhammadiyah, ia telah yakin suatu hari nanti aku akan mendapaatkan beasiswa pendidikan tinggi. Ia tak pernah sekali pun berhenti meyakini anaknya. Andrea Hirata, Sang Pemimpi Yogyakarta: Bentang Pustaka, 2006 p. 271; All
subsequent references to this work, abbreviated SP, will be used in this thesis with pagination only.
confront his social class is achieved through his success to join a prestigious senior high school.
He feels proud because he is able to enter a prestigious school and excited because his access and chance to get better education through better school than
before is enhanced. Economically, he includes himself as a village poor boy that belongs to the lowest class. Nonetheless, he is able to enter a prestigious school in
his environment. It shows that his prestige is not the same as mostly natives who belong to the lowest class who usually can only afford to a village school.
Therefore, education through a prestigious school becomes his ladder to improve his social rank.
Inspiring by his teacher in the State Senior High School, Mr. Balia, who says about the Europe’s charm, encourages him to cherish an aspiration: study in
France. Then, Ikal works hard to embrace that aspiration which he says more as a dream, as he states:
At that time, I, Arai, and Jimbron crystallized our great hope in one ambitious statement: study in French was our ideal We wanted to take a step on the sacred
altar Sorbonne, wanted to explore Europe till Africa. Later, these expectations were haunting us everyday. Our aspiration is so high. Considering our poor
condition, it was more appropriate to say it as only an empty dream. However, in front of this charismatic man as Mr. Balia, everything would seem possible.
75
[My translation]
Therefore, after he studies in a prestigious school, he begins to harbor a dream which is different from mostly native. Although he remains the poor and the
lowest class, his aspiration is no longer restricted by his social rank. “Take a step on the sacred altar of the greatest alma mater of all time: Sorbonne” SP: 73,
becomes his intention.
75
Pada saat itulah aku, Arai, dan Jimbron mengkristalisasikan harapan agung kami dalam satu statement yang sangat ambisius: cita-cita kami adalah kami ingin sekolah ke Prancis Ingin menginjakkan kaki di altar suci almamater Sorbonne,
ingin menjelajah Eropa sampai ke Afrika. Harapan ini selanjutnya menghantui kami setiap hari. Begitu tinggi cita-cita kami. Mengingat keadaan kami yang amat terbatas, sebenarnya lebih tepat cita-cita itu disebut impian saja.Tapi didepan
tokoh karismatik seperti Pak Balia, semuanya seakan mungkin. SP: 75
He also has known one of the company staffs who graduated from Europe:
Flo’s father was a great man, an educated person. He was the best graduate from Technische Universiteit Delf, faculty of Werktuiqbouwkunde, Maritieme
techniektechnische materiaalwetenschappen in Holland. The simplest to say it in Indonesian is jago teknik or an expert engineer.
76
[My translation]
Thus, studying abroad becomes his target to confront with his social class. By following the lifestyle of the highest class, Ikal decided to study abroad for
becoming an expert. He also wants to prove that although he belongs to the lowest class but his achievements will be equal with the highest class.
Ikal’s effort finally pays off by obtaining the scholarship. He achieves his ambitious dream, and fulfills his teacher’s hopes. He studies in the sacred altar of
the greatest alma mater of all time: Sorbonne University in France. It is the institution that Mr. Balia claims, where people who can change civilization
studied. Thus, the celebration of the life that he wants to be proud of is by achieving his ambitious dream.
As a village poor boy who graduated from Sorbonne University, Ikal feels that he has succeeded on addressing his lowest class by making his ambitious
dream comes true. Then, he has something to be proud of in his life. Since for the mostly natives, it cannot be easily achieved. He overvalues himself because of his
education background and overseas experience. It is proven when Ikal returns home and meets Bang Zaitun, a driver:
I was blushing and tried to fix my broken confident. Bang Zaitun looked at me anxiously. It seemeed that he said, “What can I say, Boi, that is the truly
meaning of you.” However, I appreciated his honesty. It was pathetic, I have overvalued about myself. Since the truth was, I only a man with a dangdut face,
not even more than that.
77
[My translation]
76
Bapak Flo adalah orang hebat, seseorang yang amat terpelajar. Ia adalah insinyur lulusan terbaik dari Technische Universiteit Delf di Holland dari Fakultas Werktuiqbouwkunde, Maritieme techniek technische materiaalwetenschappen,
yang artinya kurang lebih: jago teknik. LP: 47
77
Aku sendiri, tersipu-sipu mengumpul-ngumpulkan percaya diri yang remuk berserakan. Bang Zaitun memandangku prihatin, apa boleh buat, Boi, itulah maknanya. Namun, aku menghargai jujurnya. Menyedihkan, rupanya selama ini aku
telah menilai diri terlalu tinggi, overvalued. Lelaki berwajah dangdut, demikianlah kebenaran yang hakiki tentangku, tak lebih tak kurang. Andrea Hirata, Maryamah Karpov: Mimpi-mimpi Lintang Yogyakarta: Bentang Pustaka, 2008 p. 79;
All subsequent references to this work, abbreviated MK, will be used in this thesis with pagination only.
Ikal is confident of his achievements that is different from the natives. He thinks people will treat him differently. However, Bang Zaitun treats him the same as he
was before, a Belitungese with a dangdut
78
face. Thus, he plays dangdut music at his car as a welcoming song for Ikal. No matter what he has been through before
he came home, it does not influence Bang Zaitun’s judgments about him. He is truly a Belitungese.
However, Ketua Karmun or the village leader gives different judgment.
Ikal represents a well-educated native, thus Ketua Karmun asks him to arrange a welcoming party for the first dentist in their village:
That afternoon, Ketua Karmun visited my mother’s house. Unfortunately, his intention was not welcoming me, but he wanted to discuss something that he
described as: an important enhancement that will free our village from jahiliah era.
“Ikal, I give you an honour to become the coordinator of a welcoming party for the new dentist arrival.” Ketua Karmun showed that he was giving order than
asking. “You have just graduated, your knowledge is still fresh, do not under estimate
yourself by rejecting this honourable duty, do you understand?”
79
[My translation]
Ketua Karmun sees him as the right representative for the native who is no longer jahiliah. Therefore, he becomes the role model who will free them from the
jahiliah era to the enlightenment era. Jahiliah is an Arabic word. The root of that term is jahala, which means “to be ignorant or stupid, to act stupidly”.
80
Ketua Karmun uses that word to show the traditional life of the society. Then, if
referring to the root of the word, it confirms stupidity because they are backward.
78
A genre of Indonesian music that combines elements of Arab, Malay, and Hindi music. www.omnlilexica.com. Previously, dangdut is identical with rural community and working class people. Therefore, having a dangdut face means
he belongs to the lowest class and a villager.
79
Ketua Karmun, sore itu datang ke rumah ibuku sama sekali bukan untuk menyambutku, tapi ingin membicarakan sesuatu yang disebutnya sebagai: sebuah kemajuan penting yang akan membebaskan kampung kami dari zaman jahiliah.
“Ikal, kau kuberi kehormatan menjadi ketua panitia penyambutan dokter itu. Ketua Karmun lebih menunjukkan sikap memerintah daripada meminta. Kau baru pulang sekolah, ilmumu masih panas, jangan rendahkan dirimu sendiri dengan
menampik tugas mulia ini, mengerti? MK: 99
80
Arne A. Amro and Stephan Pochazka, A Concise Dictionary of Koranic Arabic Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2004 http:en.wikipedia.org. Accessed: 1172014, 13.00
Thus, Ikal’s struggle on pursuing his ambitious dream makes him having different achievement with mostly people in his society. In my opinion this is
what he calls as life that can be proud of, life that is different from mostly native who belong to the lowest class and backward. Furthermore, that is also how he
confronts inequality by neglecting the natives’ lifestyle, which is marked as jahiliah or backward.
He has confronted his social rank by having different lifestyle from mostly natives. He leaves his hometown to pursue better education. Studying abroad is
the peak of his life achievement that makes him into well-educated person. As has been showed by Ketua Karmun’s statement, “You have just graduated, your
knowledge is still fresh, do not underestimate yourself by rejecting this honourable duty, …”
81
[My translation] He sees Ikal as a fresh graduate and the right person to ease backward era in their village. He is different from mostly
natives who are not well-educated and conventional. Ketua Karmun affirms that Ikal represents a well-educated native because
of his educational background. Hence, it creates a distance and exclusiveness between Ikal and mostly natives in his environment. He has something to be
proud of in his life, namely becoming the educated person and having overseas experience. Those achievements are different from mostly natives, but similar to
the company staffs as the highest class. Therefore, that is the way he confronts inequality, by gaining different achievements with mostly natives and following
the company staffs’ lifestyle.
81
Kau baru pulang sekolah, ilmumu masih panas, jangan rendahkan dirimu sendiri dengan menampik tugas mulia ini, … MK: 99.
Different lifestyle of the haves and the have-nots influence the natives on defining themselves and confronting their poor condition. Following the haves as
the highest class becomes the choice to avoid getting entangled in poverty web. That is the way inequality as the product of modern colonialism constructs the
natives’ attitude by defining themselves as the poor and the lowest class and then confronting it by following the highest class lifestyle.
Conclusion
The main character portrays inequality in relation to modern colonialism practice through economic restructuring and constructing the attitude of the
native. Inequality is portrayed through the economic imbalance as the consequence of restructuring the economic of the colonized. Economic control is
one of modern colonialism ways on producing inequality. Inequality that is emerged is to strengthen the colonial domination through class system. Class
system divides society into the highest and the lowest class based on their wealth. By building the tin mining company, the colonizer influences the economies of
the natives. Different occupation and income level creates a gap between people who
live in poverty as the lowest class and who live in prosperity as the highest class. However, the economic strength is always controlled by the company people, and
the native is always become the oppressed and the lowest class. The native should compete with the migrants after the Dutch left. The migrants are people who work
at the company, the Javanese; and who were ever being brought by the Dutch to work, the Chinese. Therefore, PN Timah as the extension of colonial rules
dominates and controls the natives of Belitung. As a result of the domination is
economic imbalance that produces inequality. The portrayal of inequality is represented in class system.
Inequality also influences the natives on construting their attitude. The natives’ attitudes are constructed to confront with different lifestyle between the
haves as the highest class and the have-nots as the lowest class. The different lifestyles are captured in the condition of the settlement area, the table manners,
the daily life and the education accessibility. The PN Timah people’s attitude becomes the role model of the haves lifestyle with their luxurious place to live,
solemn table manners, the controller for the natives who work as a coolie, and also the privilege to gain appropriate education. The confrontation process is
taking the native into a complex relationship. From the main character’s description, it is a kind of paradox, on one side he is mocking and complaining on
the company’s discrimination attitude, but on the other side, he admits their lifestyle as more elegant, solemn and also powerful than the natives.
Thus, he defines himself as a poor village boy who belongs to the lowest class in Belitung. Then, to confront with his social class, he pursues education.
Since he knows the company staffs are well-educated people, pursuing education becomes his choice to avoid getting entangled in poverty web. Therefore, the
main character follows the company people on shaping his “self” by achieving his ambitious dream to study in Europe and gain overseas experience. Then, gaining
different achievements with the mostly native, where he is originally part of them, becomes his measure of life that can be proud of.
CHAPTER IV COLONIALIST IDEOLOGY IN
