http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/04/22/your-letters-more-just-donning-kebaya.html
Taking idle stroll at the shopping
mall, one crowded spot instantly drew my attention. Well...it's long holiday, what
would you expect other than fully-packed shopping malls right? Guess what? If
it's mating season...ops, sorry... I mean wedding season, then women flocking
at the kebaya (Javanese traditional attire) shop is not too alarming. Something
hit me afterwards. Next week, Indonesia will be celebrating Kartini Day. My
office also officially requires its female staffs to wear kebaya. Ehm.. That's
why these women turned the kebaya shop upside down to find the perfect one.
Yes, April 21st, is the
day Kartini, usually referred to by her title Raden Ajeng, was born into an
aristocratic Javanese family in 1879. She lived in an era where education
reserved only for men while discrimination due to gender and colonialism was
vulgarly practiced. Worse, religion along
with obsolete tradition were exploited to
justify polygamy among the Javanese aristocrats and oppress women as socially
inferior. She was a tragic victim of feudalism in the deeply patriarch society.
Kartini fought with her pen. Through
her writing, she poured all her heart out; her liberated ideas, opinions and
dreams for better future for women to be independent, free, liberated and
educated. Through her letters, later on were compiled into a book called “Habis
Gelap Terbitlah Terang” (“Out of Darkness Into Light”) and published posthumously,
she protested against feudalism and any obstacle for the development of
Javanese women.
Her legacy remains strong until today
as Indonesia women are still trying to make their way through a male-dominated
society.
Ironically, as far as I remember,
since my kindergarten, the Kartini Day is always annually commemorated with
women and girls alike donning kebaya and ornate jewelry to schools or offices
with elaborate hairstyle supposedly replicating the image of Kartini. The significance
of the event is reduced to on how stylish we don our kebaya, taking selfie
photos with our friends, and then upload them in the social media. Yes, it’s
all about dressing up to bring out those sunnies and click that stylish selfie.
Sometimes, schools and offices busily
organized activities to observe the day, usually involving best photo contest,
cooking or flower arrangement all of which relate to domestic chores for women
and the beauty to be exposed. Duh! Isn’t a setback for what Kartini has
advocated for life?
I personally think such activities do
not capture Kartini’s spirit as a radical women’s emancipator whose brilliant ideas
and thoughts are vividly captured in her writings. Instead of making the sometimes-artificial
celebrations, I opine it is more in line to Kartini’s cause to discuss her
letters to explore her thoughts and virtues about education, gender equality,
impoverishment and discrimination against women.
Reading her letters, I could not help
but admiring her spirit. The rigid social system, tradition, and religion did
not break her down. Instead, she was committed to emancipate Javanese women to
have equal education as with men. She strongly believes that education is the
key to have freedom, as it would enable women to be independent by securing better
job. Freedom and independence would consequently liberate women to choose a
life they want, and not willingly surrendering their fate into the hands of men.
Often, I could feel her hopelessness and
anguish to be free. She thought marriage was the cruel tool to imprison her
into a lifetime bondage to a man she hardly knew. It was a cage to prevent her
pursuing her dreams. Born into a polygamous family (which was widely practiced by
the Javanese aristocrats during the Colonial era), she knew how bitter to have
such a life. She further shared her thought that she was against polygamy and
that a woman should have the choice to remain single, if she so desired.
I think her thought is so advanced,
progressive and exceptional for a woman of the era when customs and traditions
derived from hundreds of years of male-dominated society still ruled brutally.
Further, not only Kartini criticized
the old customs and traditions of her tribe, she also boldly voiced her
resentment on how the Colonial government did little to improve the life
quality of her people. They mocked their lack of education, yet they disliked
any Javanese who advanced above them. She thought it as an ambiguity attitude.
Although Kartini in the end surrendered
to be married off to the 50 years old Rembang Regent at the age of 24 as his
fourth wife, she did not extinguished her dreams. In exchange to her bondage
and obedient, she requested to have her own school for girls to help them
advanced and liberated.
It’s amazing to read her works in the
early 20th century that still mirrors the reality up to now. Her
frustration with religion and traditions in relation to women’s rights is
still, regrettably, relevant today. After more than a hundred years after
Kartini’s death, even though arranged marriages and polygamous practices are
mostly extinct, religious doctrines are still misinterpreted to serve the male patriarch
society. This issue remains to be a definite handicap for the advancement of
women’s rights in this country.
The cases range from being medieval
to downright ridiculous such as the bylaws and regulations. Anachronistic
regulations against women seem to be in vogue in some regions, especially in
the autonomous province of Aceh. These clearly sexist regulations are clear
setbacks for women’s rights that have been fought so hard by Kartini.
Ironically, during colonial era, Aceh
has produced female heroines who played great significance in the course of
Indonesia history. They led the struggle for independence against the Dutch.
Tjoet Nyak Dien is the celebrated
20th century rebel leader against Dutch colonialism who had great charisma and
integrity. Admiral Malahayati is the first woman sea admiral in world history.
Under Malahayati, the Aceh navy successfully defeated the Dutch in a sea battle
and killed the latter’s leader Cornelis de Houtman in 1559. Malahayati’s 2,000
strong regiment of Inong balee, Aceh’s women soldiers, also courageously
participated in the battlefield. Amazing, isn’t? History has carved their names with golden
ink.
However, hope remains as more and
more intellectual women are coming forward to voice their opinions on gender
equality. Some even hold lofty position either
in the government public posts or in international institutions. Their voices will undoubtedly help shape the
future of the struggle for equality between men and women in Indonesia. Along
with women all over Indonesia, we have arduous tasks ahead to finish Kartini’s
work towards gender equality in Indonesia with the betterment of rights for all
women.
Happy Kartini Day!
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