The importance of national cultural strategy

So far we have most of the time talked more about the national unity, ranging from the collapse of fortification of ideology that leads to the destruction of political system to the degradation of national economic system. At this point, we need to raise matters dealing with the collapse of both ethics and aesthetics in the course of art and culture. This scene has been enthusiastically applauded by liberal groups and of course been such a concern for religious figures and artists themselves.

Since the reform era, the government and the censorship board have had no power in facing the fact that exposures to pornography and violence have so far coloured a wide range of Indonesian art products being voiced in the name of business in nature. Whereas, the exposures have, admitted or not, violated the principles of art, namely aesthetics. Due to the pornography and violence, the sublime aesthetics was increasingly degraded as a primitive, unworthy appetite as if men and women have never obtained progress in the course of having high aspir<>ations.

The products being regarded to have devoted themselves to aesthetics have basically put aside it. They were the people whose unworthy aesthetics. They were lazy in creating and experimenting. They then attracted people with the most effective medium by trading beautiful women’ breast and thigh. In turn, there was no total comprehension to the sublime aesthetics for many artists have no such capability to attain it. The greed for wealth and popularity have worsen the condition. They worked little but wanted to get much advantages by exploiting the artists of course. The unworthy arts have been roughly treated.

Laziness and stupidity were then legitimated by freedom. It means that there was a freedom to be lazy, freedom not to think and freedom without any experimentation. Take a look a work that whose no worldview and logic. Artists could no longer see behind reality, the true reality they did not know. They could only capture pseudo reality. The aesthetics was then unworthy from its literary, action and expression. The existing art expression was not ethical culturally and aesthetic artistically.

A civilized nation must be in need of critics over the art morality and aesthetics to pursue development and dignity of art works. What is strange is that many liberal artist groups whose no much money have no insightful total comprehension to both aesthetics and morality. They reject any critics being considered to have restricted their unworthy arts. They are of view that the restriction based on morality and power is considered to have restricted developments. Whereas what restricting development and dignity of human civilization is again an unworthy art appetite both ethically and aesthetically.

Prior to the fact NU circles have firmly rejected any form of pornography and violence. And even, the Chairman of the NU Media Watchdog H Said Budairi has identified the declining. He has all out taken control and responded to any feature exploiting pornography and violence. So it is so strange if within the Nahdliyin (NU followers) circles there are some supporting and letting the pornography in the name of freedom of expression. Or there are some viewing the rejection would restrict women to express their beautiful parts of body. For Muslims it is clear that there is what called as aurat, the rejection of pornography based on Islamic jurisprudence principles dealing with the aurat. Another thing being foundation of the challenge is that the pornography is a medium of capitalism to expand the capital accumulation.

Respecting the fact, General Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) KH Hasyim Muzadi has called for the settlement of the National “Front of Pancasila” to defend the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. It should be a strategic measure. Indonesia with its all social, economic, political, and cultural aspects should be safeguarded from the liberal groups trying to hand over the nation to imperialism in the name of freedom, namely the freedom of selling the nation and its all assets and human capital.

It is impossible a nation is settled without both ethic and moral. Law itself constitutes the crystallization of moral value. Law without moral is the same as body without soul, it would be empty and useless. The ethic and moral could only be beautified with aesthetic values as the principles of life and civilization. The liberal groups would always struggle for freedom for themselves without social responsibility because of the lack of moral and religious awareness. These groups differ from the big one like the NU and any other religious communities paying more attention to both ethics and aesthetics. They are people educators whose prophetic tasks to settle ethical and harmonious society.

For that reason, it is absolutely necessary to soon formulate what called as a national cultural strategy to make the beloved country of ours find its expected directions in developing its culture. in turn there would be no overlapping between constitutions that may be anytime threatened by the liberal groups to be changed without selection criteria and considerations. The nation is now in need of a clear direction that is so-called as a cultural strategy paving the way toward the direction of the nation’s movement. (Abdul Mun’im DZ)