WARISAN INDONESIA / Bhrahu Pradipto
Well before the bustling news about the plan to remove Pancasila and Civics Education (PKN) class from schools had arise, ballad singer Franky Sahilatua—before he passed away on 20 April 2011—had hinted a message within one of his last song, “Return to Pancasila”.
Apart from the song “Return to Pancasila”, there is another song Franky wrote that is quite controversial called “Pancasila Our Home”. Through the song he wanted to show how important it is to comprehend the meaning of Pancasila in Indonesia’s life as a nation and as a state. He was reminding Indonesians to take shelter under the Pancasila.
We can find both songs in the album Pancasila Our Home containing his last 12 songs. Franky gave the album CD to me when I visited him in his house in Pelangi complex, Bintaro, Tangerang. He was already ill at the time, before he went to Singapore to get treatments for his spinal cancer. The packaging of the album is simple, but when we see the cover surely we would be curious. It pictures five eggs laid on straw (susuh in Javanese).
“You have to listen to this song,” he said quietly. “Also listen to the song ‘I am Papua’,” he added still in a low tone. “I asked in the song, Papua is rich, yet in reality why do the people live in poverty.”
Anxiety appeared in his face when he handed me the album. He was anxious when he saw what happened with Indonesian people today. “True, it is not easy to be Indonesians. Just as it is not easy to be the leader of this country,” Franky said as he lied still on his bed. (WI/Endi Aras)
— Full article is available on Majalah Warisan Indonesia Vol.01 No.07 —
