Superiority Versus Inferiority COLONIALIST IDEOLOGY IN

CHAPTER IV COLONIALIST IDEOLOGY IN

THE LASKAR PELANGI QUARTET After discussing inequality as the poor product of modern colonialism with which the natives’ attitude is shaped to confront, this chapter attempts to answer how The Laskar Pelangi Quartet reveals colonialist ideology. Said’s Orientalism 1991 provides a way to reveal the main character’s view and attitude towards the society, himself and his relation to others which is influenced by the Western thinking, namely, the European thinking. Then, the way he expresses his view and attitude about the Belitungese as the natives and the company people, which is influenced by colonialist thinking, is explained in Tyson’s concept on colonialist ideology. For that reason, the discussion observes how the main character is described as harboring colonialist thinking. This chapter is divided into two sub chapters: the first is superiority versus inferiority, to dig out how the main character asserts his resistance to the natives’ tradition. The second is Europeanized “native”, to find out how the main character is taking the West, particularly Europe, as his absolute pole.

A. Superiority Versus Inferiority

Seeing the condition of the natives, Ikal has potrayed the inequality in Belitung from the perspective of Orientalism. He describes the company people lifestyle that he is familiar with by referring to Europe, such as through: their compound’s design, the table manners, and their education accessibility. His description shows how the natives as the colonized use the discourse which is generated within the society and cultures of the colonizers. Thus, colonialist thinking is manifested in the mind of the main character, as the native. The way he describes the native’s local values is based on the colonizers’ assumption of their own superiority, contrasted with the inferiority of the native. Having the colonialist attitudes on seeing the native, Ikal has done othering process. Othering is not only to create the others but also to build their definite image as the result of naming in its process. Based on Spivak, debasement and wordling are two examples of othering. 82 Therefore, how he, as the natives, asserts his resistance to Belitung-Malays’ tradition indicates debasement and wordling in othering process within the native. Since controlling a people’s culture is to control their tools of self-definition in relationship to others 83 , as part of the natives he performs himself in the opposite manner. The native’ culture does not become his tools of self-definition to define himself and his relationship to others. When describing the origin of his name, Andrea Hirata, the author of the quartet, also implies his being different in relation to other Belitungese. He explains about the significant meaning of a name on their Belitung-Malays tradition: In the other hemisphere, one might ask what’s in a name. For Malays like us living in the hinterlands of Belitong, names are highly significant. Names are everything to us. A name is associated with one’s religion and is considered a source of aura. Take Din, it comes from Dienul Islam: the Islamic religion. Nearly every male Malay villager has a name ending in—din. If there were something wrong with a child’s disposition, its name would be first thing to be investigated. My father closely held to that old wisdom. 84 82 Spivak gives those two examples of othering in a reading of Colonial Office dispatches between Captain Geoffrey Birch, his superior Major-General Ochterlony and his superior the Marquess of Hastings, Lord Moria. The first is a process of worlding whereby Captain Birch, riding across the Indian countryside, can be seen to be “consolidating the self of Europe”. The second is an example of debasement whereby the hill tribes are described by General Ochterlony in terms of “depravity”, “treachery”, “brutality”, and “perfidy”. Spivak, p.253-255 83 Thiong’o, p.16 84 Andrea Hirata, Edensor Yogyakarta: Bentang Pustaka, 2011 pp.19-20; All subsequent references to this work, abbreviated EDE, will be used in this thesis with pagination only. Therefore, a name is related to someone’s religion and source of aura. The same is true with the main character’s name. Ikal’s father who believes in that tradition, named his son Aqil Barraq Badruddin. The meaning of that name is explained at length: “Aqil, in Arabic, means wisdom. Barraq means shining brilliantly, it’s from the formal language used in Yemen,” said my Mom. Badruddin, or full moon of religion, is used because Malay boys’ names always end with -din. EDE: 19 However, the name does not represent his behavior because he becomes a naughty boy. He states, “Aqil Barraq Badruddin was a little too weighty for me. The name just didn’t fit. The bearer of a name like that would have to have an elegant personality, and I clearly did not.” EDE: 23 Because his father believes in the important meaning of names, he decides to change the name into: Wadudh. It refers to his father adoration to people wearing uniforms that represents smart people. Moreover, that name is a title to honor the most highly ranked nomads in Samia. Ikal’s parents have a hope, by using that name, that their son will become a model santri, a religious Moslem. Nevertheless, he is mocking that by saying, “Wadudh? Must be those nomads who wear kafiyeh and like to drink goats milk” EDE: 25 Furthermore, his naughty behavior does not change. Conversely, he becomes naughtier: Unfortunately, the wise, skilled nomad of Samia transformed into a robber. Not long after being given the grand name, I lead a gang of students in raiding the tambul, a between-meal snack that the community would provide the mosque during Ramadan. “Chief Wadudh,” that’s what my classmates called me. EDE: 25 By having a name which is based on Belitung people’s tradition, he becomes a naughty child and makes his parents worry. Then, his father has completely drained to deal with his son’s behavior and to choose a good name for him. Then, his father lets him to find his own name: “Alright boy, just pick yourself a name …” EDE: 30. Surprisingly, Ikal chooses an Italian name that he finds from Current magazine, as he says: I was in the middle of leafing through Current magazine. In one of the columns, I read some old news about how the Italian police had some trouble with a crazy lady who had climbed up a telephone pole and threatened to cast herself off if Elvis Presley didn’t reply to her letters. Her name was Andrea Galliano. “Father, how about Andrea?” EDE: 30-31 A Western name that does not show his origin as Belitung-Malays becomes his choice. His mother opposes his choice by saying, “Aih What kind of name is that? That’s not the name of a Muslim” EDE: 31 Her disagreement represents the importance of a name for Belitung-Malay. For the male, they usually put the word –din at the end of their name as the representation of their identity as a Moslem. However, his father who already gave up on his son lets him use the Western name. Moreover, he also tries to convince his wife that Ikal choice is a good idea and persuades her by saying, “Yah Ni, there are no Malay names like that. That’s a Western name. They don’t care about names and anyway that one’s for a girl.” EDE: 31 Since she really wants to have a daughter, finally she gives a hint sigh of agreement. Therefore, his name becomes Andrea whereas Ikal, is his nickname because of his curly hair style. His father always backs him with his choice of a Western name. However, his naughty behavior when he has Malay names represents his resistance towards the tradition. Since he has choosen Andrea as his name from the Italian name of Elvis Presley’s fans, Andrea Galliano, his behaviour changes: I studied the Qur’an with devotion. Taikong’s glasses slipped down, his jaw dropped. He hurried over to meet my parents. “I’ve never seen Ikal act like this. Pak Cik, he’s so calm now. What did you do with him?” My father looked surprised, beaming. My mother looked dumbfounded. “Most holy God Dear, can you believe it?” My mother was still floored. “So what do you say about that Italian name” EDE: 36 His father believes that the changes of his son’s behaviour are because of his new Italian name. From the narrative of the main character’s name origin, it is an example of debasement whereby the tradition of choosing a name is described as a fruitless attempt to build children’s positive character. It is proven, for he becomes a naughty boy when his father gives him a name based on Malay people tradition. Although the meaning of the names that have been given reflects positive characters, his behaviour is the opposite. Nevertheless, actually his mother still holds on the Malay tradition on giving his son a name. Ikal never realizes it, until his mother tells him when she gets really mad with his attitudes: “Repeat your last name fastly, fifth times” I felt astonished, but it was impossible to defy her because she had got really mad. “Hirata, hirata, hirata, hirata ……” “Faster” “Hirata hirata hirata hirata hirata.” She threatened me, I was afraid that she would threw the pestle and mortar stone. “More faster” “Hirata hirata ahirat ahirat ahirat.” Awkward, after I repeated my last name faster, miraculously it turned into akhirat. It was strange. “So, do you hear it? That is the meaning of your name. I tried hard to arrange your name. Hence, you will always remember akhirat, the place where you will return someday after your life in this world, the immortal place” 85 [My translation] 85 “Coba kau ucapkan cepat-cepat nama belakangmu itu, lima kali Therefore, despite his resistance of a Malay name, his mother actually gives him a name relates to their religion as Belitung-Malay’s tradition believes. She changes the word –din as the usual ending of a name for a male Malay Moslem identity into another word. She takes akhirat to represent the religion and modifies it to hirata. His mother does not want his son to forget his Moslem faith and his origin as a Belitung-Malay. Thus, she modifies it by using the word akhirat, as part of Moslem’s believe about the place after the death for all human who are mortal to replace –din. As for Ikal, he thinks that the name Hirata has different meaning from his mother’s intention. He tells his contemplation: […] For many years I had been carrying the name Hirata, but in this day I understood the real meaning of that name. Before today, I assumed that I got that name as my last name because my parents wanted me to be a smart person, like the Japanesse. Otherwise, Hirata was a catchy name, an advanced and modern one. I often guessed that it was taken from a Japanesse hero, an art maestro, […] Unfortunately, it was the same as my judgement about my face when I just arrived and rode home on Bang Zaitun’s car. My judgement about my name was also overvalued. Realizing akhirat closely attached to my name, my heart pounded. 86 [My translation] The criteria of overvaluing are related to advanced, modern, and well-educated taste as the values. Therefore, although he admits himself as part of the natives, he Aku merasa heran, tapi tak mungkin Ibu kubantah karena ia sudah muntab mustajab. “Hirata, hirata, hirata, hirata…….” Kurang cepat Hirata hirata hirata hirata hirata. Ibu bersikap mengancam, aku takut alu lumping batu melayang. Kurang cepat Hirata hirata ahirat ahirat ahirat. Ganjil, rupanya setelah diucapkan cepat-cepat, nama belakangku hirata itu secara ajaib berubah menjadi akhirat, aneh betul. Nah, kau dengar itu?Itulah kalau kau mau tahu arti namamu. Aku bersusah-susah mengarang namamu hirata agar kau selalu ingat pada akhirat MK: 280-281 86 Sepanjang hari aku melamunkan kejadian dimarahi Ibu pagi tadi. Puluhan tahun aku menyandang nama Hirata, baru hari ini aku mafhum maksudnya. Selama ini aku selalu menduga nama itu dilekatkan pada nama depanku karena orangtuaku ingin aku pintar seperti orang Jepang. Atau karena Hirata bagus kedengarannya, tak ketinggalan zaman, modern. Sering pula kusangka nama itu diambil dari seorang Jepang pahlawan, seniman maestro, atlet pencetak rekor, seorang ilmuwan discoverer yang menaklukkan Kutub Utara atau seorang inventor—penemu obat tangkal bengek, seorang dokter hebat, atau professor penemu magic jar, alat penetas telur, peninggi badan, atau paling tidak pencegah botak. Rupanya, seperti sangkaku akan wajahku dulu, anggapanku akan nama pun telah mengalami overvavalued. Menyadari akhirat lekat dalam namaku, begitu dekat, aku berdebar-debar. MK: 283 does not want to be included on their tradition. His judgement about his last name shows his resistance of the name based on the natives’ tradition. It is ironic that his debasement to resist from the negative effect of the natives’ tradition disproves by his own mother. A woman who never goes abroad and only gets basic education in Belitung, but brilliantly modifies the Belitung’s value on giving a name. Despite the non-existence of –din at the end of her son’s name, she chooses akhirat and modifies it into hirata. No matter what he does, whether it is a good or bad thing, he is truly part of Belitung-Malays people. That is the way his mother reminds him about his origin by giving him “Hirata” as his last name, his origin as the Belitungese who is a Malay and a Moslem. Another debasement is reflected when Ikal observes negative attitude of the natives according to the life of young people Belitung-Malays. When he is in senior high school, he finds that young people in his environment give him bad influence towards his youth spirit to struggle. Since that time, he has built his ambitious dream to study at the greatest alma mater, Sorbonne University, in France, and he works hard to pursue it. Conversely, he also realizes the impossibility to reach it because of his poor condition. Therefore, it makes him to be more realistic. Supporting that view, he judges the life of mostly Malays teenagers as follows: Living in the Malays teen’s environment, which toiled endlessly, and heard their view about future, and then saw how they finally ended up, were gnawing at me gradually. Those affected me on judging my situation realistically. However, I never realized that being realistic was a dangerous attitude, as it had a linear relation to pessimistic thinking. Therefore, being realistic often blocked people’s hopes. 87 [My translation] 87 Berada dalam pergaulan remaja Melayu yang seharian membanting tulang, mendengar pandangan mereka tentang masa depan, dan melihat bagaimana mereka satu per satu berakhir, lambat laun mempengaruhiku untuk menilai situasiku secara realistis. Namun, tak pernah kusadari sikap realistis sesungguhnya mengandung bahaya sebab ia memiliki hubungan linear dengan perasaan pesimis. Realistis tak lain adalah pedal rem yang sering menghambat harapan orang.” SP: 144 He thinks that Malays teenagers’ environment supports him to alter from being realistic into pessimistic person. To be precise, he judges them as: toil endlessly but end up without future and without hope. Then, he realizes that their plight of poor condition will take them into pessimistic thinking about their future. His judgment is a debasement whereby the life of Malays youth is presented as without future and hope. In my opinion, Ikal concludes the youth of Malays is without future and hope, because he makes his ambitious dream as the measurement of better life and life that to be proud of. On the contrary, for the Malays youth, the hard work to fulfill their primary need while supporting their parents’ economic burden is a better life that also to be proud of since they can support their family and help their parents. Moreover, hard work is the positive character of the Malays teenagers. Nevertheless, Ikal sees their ending is not better and cannot be proud of based on his view of life on future and hope. Those two examples of debasement show othering process that the main character has conducted. He reduces the value of Belitung-Malays tradition on choosing names and the life of the youth. It is to confirm his choice to resist the value of the natives’ tradition. Emphasizing the negative effects and ignoring the wisdom of the local values are his way to reduce the value of Belitung-Malays tradition. Another way of othering in this case is a process of wordling whereby Ikal, choosing Andrea from an Italian name, can be seen “consolidating the self of Europe”. Europe is seen as the centre and the absolute pole of address for him to pick a name for a Belitung-Malay boy that transforms him into a good child, for using a Malay name has made him becoming a naughty child. When he has an Italian name, which is referring to the European names, he transforms into a good boy. Hence, it indicates his side to consolidate the self of Europe, when unintentionally devalues the meaningful sense of Malay name. It shows that European self-construction of the natives does not easily diminish along with the formal independence of the country. As Said states that “Orientalism spills over into the realm of self-construction” 88 , which is Eurocentric by consolidating the self of Europe. Also about his aspiration that is well supported by his teacher in the senior high school. The teacher tells him about the luxurious and glorious Europe with their scientists who are able to change civilization. It also consolidates the strength of Europe as the centre of culture, knowledge and even civilization. Then, Ikal crystallizes it deeply on his mind, as he admits: 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 was so high. 89 [My translation] Therefore, he sees the youth in his environment as young people without future and hope because they work hard for nothing. It is nothing because for Ikal, his measurement about having better and proud life is directed to the glorious Europe. Therefore, othering is his process on confessing the natives’ inferiority which also admits the colonizers’ superiority, especially Europe. As part of the natives, he opposes the local values because it does not support his intention to 88 Said, p.12 89 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. SP: 75 have better and proud life. Through confessing his origin, he admits himself as part of the inferior natives with their culture. As a result, his resistance to the natives’ culture shows his attitude to fight against his own origin for his better hope and future. Referring to Thiong’o that “to control a people’s culture is to control their tools of self-definition in relationship to others,” 90 the main character uses the colonizers’ assumptions as the tool to define his self and Belitung-Malays people. Thus, he finds that the natives’ culture is inferior. Then, as part of the natives he does not want to be part of the inferior culture which is defined as conventional, pessimistic as well as without hope and future. To confront that inferiority, he asserts his resistance to the natives’ culture.

B. Europeanized “Native”