May 20, 2004

Dear Family, Friends, and Colleagues,

My campaign for a seat on the national legislature as congresswoman from the province of North Moluccas, Indonesia, was a great success. I learned a lot, but no, I didn’t win. Most people think of a party as a time when people gather together for a joyful event. But a political party has a very different meaning. In Indonesia, the elections combine the two meanings. The election is called a great party (“pesta”) to celebrate democracy, with each political party (“partai”) doing their best to attract the support of the people. The campaign period is full of celebrations, gifts, and promises. But it is also a deadly serious competition for power. This “party” will take up most of this year. The congressional elections were on April 5. The presidential election (with six candidates) is on July 5, and the runoff presidential election will be held on September 20, unless someone wins 50 percent of the vote in July.

In the April elections I never had a realistic chance of winning. Like many women candidates, I was in my party’s third position in a competition for three seats against 23 other parties. Some people wondered why I agreed to run. The National Awaking Party (PKB) of former president and life-long human rights activist, Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), nominated me. PKB is very strong in Java but weak in Eastern Indonesia. Gus Dur went outside his normal party structure to find women and Christian candidates. All parties were expected to nominate women as 30 percent of their candidates. PKB was founded by NU, a Muslim organization with 40 million members and a strong commitment to interreligious harmony. A respected Christian leader recommended me to Gus Dur and urged me to accept the nomination to help bridge the gap between the Muslim and Christian communities in Indonesia.

My presence was a surprise to many people. I came as a stranger to the Muslims of PKB, but left a month later feeling part of the family. I was accepted as a Christian sister who shared the love God in a region plagued by civil war. Some of my old friends had doubts about my new position. They knew me as a community worker, educator, and anthropologist rather than as a politician, let alone a politician from a Muslim party. However, many people gave me their warm support. They were eager to see how Christians and Muslims could come together to build this nation. Christians should not compete with Muslims, let alone see them as enemies, but rather work together to overcome our common problems.

The North Moluccas is among the slowest provinces to present final figures on the election. PKB did not win a seat but they gained a dramatic increase in number of votes compared to the last election, with much of the increase coming from Christians. Golkar, the political machine of former President Soeharto, is still the strongest party, followed by PDIP, President Megawati’s party. Unfortunately, corruption and money politics played a large role in Golkar’s success. The Sultan of Ternate is another candidate who apparently won a seat.

The experience of running for office was very profound. It was exciting to visit so many new areas and get to know so many new people. A politician has to be strong physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. With so many people to reach in such a short time and with so little money, we needed to plot a very wise strategy. The exhausting campaign gave me many insights on how good organization can gather meager resources and provide political education to one of the most isolated parts of Indonesia.

After writing five short radio dramas for the campaign I returned to the university inspired to work more on creative means of teaching. I produced and wrote scripts for four short films. One film is entitled, “Where did all the young people go?” Staff from the multimedia center and the theology department did the filming and acting. We hope the film will strengthen the spiritual life and character of our students. Another short film for use in theological training is about how we can learn from the simple people around us. A third film records the activities at our home, Pondok Tali Rasa, including a children’s party in February when we celebrated my birthday and the fifth anniversary of Pondok Tali Rasa. The children performed dances and songs they had learned at our home. Finally we produced a short documentary on women and democratic process that is being shown for voter education around the five districts of Yogyakarta. It is based on the Indonesian Woman’s Coalition elections. All these films were shot on a shoestring budget by amateurs, but they are a start. We hope to stimulate our students and faculty to try new ways of communication.

We are grateful for your friendship and prayers. Both Bernie and I are more and more involved with ways to mobilize Muslims and Christians to unite against the sources of evil in our beloved country. It is a task way beyond our abilities, but thankfully we are not alone. Many people share this vision and are working to make it happen.

Warm greetings from us both,

Farsijana (Nona) and Bernie

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 200