Popular Culture Review Vol. 14, No. 1, February 2003 | Page 106

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Popular Culture Review

agenda is the goal of ending the military’s right to appoint thirty-eight of its mem
bers to the otherwise elected members of Indonesia’s House of Representatives
(DPR). Although a law to do this has been passed, it will not take effect until 2009!
Seats and Money
The man pictured in Gun Gun’s Figure 6 cartoon and the category of persons
he symbolizes is clear to anyone who recognizes the distinctive architecture of
Indonesia’s parliament building, the silhouette of which is outlined on his lapel
pin. Although his eye-catching teeth may at first glance appear to be covered by
metal braces, a closer look indicates that they are plush chairs. This is confirmed
by the cartoon’s title, which translates as “Seat, Seat, Seat...” A close inspection of
the man’s necktie reveals a second point the artist is making about the members of
Indonesia’s new parliament. The Rp letters on it are the abbreviation for Indonesia’s
currency unit, the rupiah. That the cartoonist fears that the two main things that
these politicians will care about are keeping their seats in paiiiament and the money
they can make by selling their influence and their votes is confirmed by what the
youth is saying to I Brewok: “I hope that they are not like this.”
Unfortunately, press reports indicate that several politicians who won seats in
Indonesia’s historic June, 1999 elections have sold their votes. One states that the
campaign managers seeking to get Habibie elected president by the 700 members
of the MPR in October of 1999 were offering up to U.S.$200,000 per vote (351 of
which were required for victory). Another reports that Megawati sacked twentyeight members of her party who allegedly sold their votes to rival parties. It quotes
her as saying she had questioned some of them and “wanted to slap their faces.”
The article goes on to report that the amounts paid for votes ranged from ten mil
lion to one hundred million rupiahs (about U.S.$1,()00-$10,(X)0).
Four Types of Victims
The title of the Figure 7 cartoon translates as “I Brewok, victim of the mon
etary crisis”. Krismon is the acronym for the monetary crisis that began in 1997
and continues today. It led to a drastic devaluation of Indonesia’s currency which
made it impossible for Indonesia’s government and private borrowers to continue
to make the payments on their loans that are denominated in foreign currencies.
The amounts of these twin (government plus private) foreign debts were about
U.S. $70 billion each. Consequently, Indonesia found it necessary to submit to
some very painful (both politically and economically) International Monetary Fund
conditions in return for a U.S.$43 billion bailout program.
The first bed contains a child victim of dengue fever, which is also known as
breakbone fever because it is so painful. He is receiving a transfusion which will
help rehydrate him and reduce his pain.