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Shadow Boxing 185
final image of "Lengsernya Rahwana." On this occasion the monkeys are specifically
aligned with the pro-Reform university students:
Every time that the monkeys who represent nature are oppressed and forgotten,
at that very moment Rahwana will be capable of shoving aside the three
mountains that are pinning him down, and come back and resume his absolute
rule unhindered. It's just the same with the students: if they are oppressed and
forgotten in their every effort to bring about reformasi, at that very moment
reformasi will be transformed into deformasi. 112
Martin appears to suggest that the role of the monkeys in bringing about reformasi (and
then ensuring that the gains of the reformasi movement are carried through to their
logical conclusion) is crucial to the social development of the Indonesian nation.
Furthermore, Martin is also warning us that Dasamuka, a metaphor for dictatorship
and repression, can come back at any time if the "monkey masses" of Indonesia are
not vigilant.
"Anoman Obong"
Both Martin Suhartono's and Sindhunata's focus on the monkeys in their reworking
of the Ramayana epic has been complemented by the efforts of other writers, who have
chosen to fictionalize other characters of the Ramayana, such as Rahwana, Rama,
Sinta, Hanoman, and Wibisana. This by no means downgrades the monkeys' role as
representations of ordinary Indonesians, and their role as discursive counters to
Suharto's symbolic authority. Indeed, many Indonesians felt that Suharto's days were
numbered from the very moment the catchy Javanese pop song "Anoman Obong"
(Anoman Alight) appeared in 1996. The title of the song refers to one of the core
classical episodes of the Ramayana epic, in which Hanoman slips into Rahwana's
palace in Alengka in search of Sinta. In the words of the song itself,
Anoman the white monkey
Came to Sinta's prison to take her home
Captured by Indrajit and the Chief Minister
But Anoman was not a scared monkey. 113
Unable to rescue Sinta, Hanoman is captured and condemned by Rahwana to be
burned at the stake as a spy. Although the captive Hanoman is put to the stake, and
his tail is set alight, he uses his supernatural powers to break his bonds. As he springs
into the sky, the sparks from his burning tail burn all the roofs of Alengka, setting the
whole city on fire. The 1996 song "Anoman Obong" was composed by the Javanese
comedian Ranto Edi Gudel, initially recorded by Kawulo Alit, a group of buskers
112 "Setiap saat kera-kera yang mewakili alam ditindas dan dilupakan, saat itulah Rahwana akan mampu
menyingkirkan ketiga gunung yang menghimpitnya dan kembali berkuasa merajalela, sama halnya bila para
mahasiswa ditindas dan dilupakan dalam setiap usaha reformasi, saat itulah reformasi bakal berubah
menjadi deformasi." Ibid.
113 Anoman si kethek putih/ Sowan tamane Sinta diajak mulih/ Konangan Indrajit Ian Patih/ Ning
Anoman ora wedi kethek.