Literacy is a process of acquiring knowledge or developing skills in a specific domain. Literacy extends beyond the traditional realms of reading and writing. It pervades our daily activities, including our formal educational processes in classrooms and attending socialization events aimed at enhancing student skills. These are all diverse facets of literacy.
Post-independence, Indonesia has experienced three significant eras or ‘ordes’. Each orde had its distinct set of policies and regulations. The first era is referred to as the Old Order, followed by the New Order, and finally, the Reform Era. The focus here is the transition from the New Order to the Reform Era.
The New Order was a dark period for Indonesian literacy. During this era, the nation was under the authoritarian regime of Soeharto. This era is referred to as a dark period for literacy as writers who dared to criticize the Soeharto regime were suppressed. Those who dared to defame the regime were hunted down as criminals, leading most thinkers to choose silence over persecution. This situation arose due to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia (ABRI) leaning towards the Soeharto regime, effectively turning the ABRI into a powerful weapon against its own people, when their primary duty should have been to protect the citizenry and provide safety.
The Reform Era marked a period of drastic changes or improvements across all fields in the country. This era began after the fall of Soeharto’s government in 1998 and continues to this day. During this time, freedom of speech was permitted, leading to the emergence of many creative and talented writers. This period has seen the birth of great authors like Joko Pinurbo, Taufik Ismail, and Seno Gumira Ajidarma, thus earning this generation the moniker ‘the golden generation’.
Presently, the importance of literacy is being emphasized to engage the budding talents of the nation, bringing more color and diversity to Indonesian literacy. This has been pursued with the intent of nurturing quality writers. The infrastructure for literacy development has been assessed as quite adequate. These platforms are utilized to foster and nurture the potential talents of the current generation in the field of literacy, while simultaneously providing a space for them to express their critiques and perspectives on various issues. This is especially true in this modern era, where we can easily discover written works from all groups, be it students, graduates, or scholars from various universities.
As mentioned, literacy is not confined to reading and writing activities but extends to classroom learning conducted by students. Socialization of issues involving the wider community is also an integral part of literacy.
Reflecting on the New Order, education during this era was focused solely on infrastructure, merely building a large number of schools and colleges without improving or enhancing the quality of education (curriculum). However, the Reform Era has seen balanced and comprehensive development across all educational aspects. As a result, the freedom of speech has empowered the public to enthusiastically express their criticisms or suggestions to the government without fear, knowing that their freedom of speech is protected by law.
The advancement of technology in the Reform Era has facilitated the literacy movement in the country. The advent of mass media or social media has been instrumental in promoting literacy to a broader audience. During the early years of the Reform Era, writings from critical thinkers and works of literature could only be published through print media due to limited technological development.
Hence, with the advancements in technology we see today, we should be more enthusiastic about literacy-related activities. Why so? Because today, we are no longer reliant solely on print media like newspapers or magazines for disseminating literary works or scholarly pieces like opinions, but the emergence of mass media makes it easier for us to publish our works and express our views on various issues.
With all the advantages and conveniences that we have experienced, it seems likely that we will witness the emergence of young literary talents who will succeed their predecessors. If their predecessors could create remarkable works amidst various limitations, why can’t the successors become legendary like their predecessors with extraordinary determination?