Shamanism and 2014 Election

Some people would look at Indonesians’ love of gadgets, technology consumption patterns, and social media utilization rate as indicators of the country’s modernity. But that’s only one dimension of Indonesia. Access to technology does not always mean departure from antiquated traditions or beliefs. Some Indonesians still believe in mysticisms and consequently the power of shamanism. We have covered this topic in relation to consumerism before. But today, we’ll look into the role of shamanism in politics, especially in relation to the politics of 2014.

For the “gifted”, the 2014 election year is a business opportunity. They are known by the masses as dukun politik or political shamans. Think of them like doctors with specialization. Political shamans help their clients — politicians — win the election with the help of those we cannot see. Recently a few local news outlets reported that many politicians contending in 2014 legislative election were seeing political shamans in Solo, Semarang, and Pandeglang in order to win the election. These types of mystical services do not come cheap.

On Tuesday (Jan. 28), we spoke to Ki Ageng Prabu Langit, or Ki Ageng as he is known, to understand the nature of the business and the rituals performed to could influence the outcome of the election. The 58 year old, self-proclaimed political shaman is based in Bekasi City, just in the outskirts of the capital city of Jakarta. Ki Ageng has been a shaman for more than 25 years. He opened up shop after his return from meditation in Mount Srandi, Central Java. He claimed that many of his clients are businessmen from all over Java as well as Senayan politicians (the House of Representatives is located in the Senayan area).

Ki Ageng’s clients typically seek for spiritual advice. They also purchase talismans with the hope that it would help them win the election and/or maintain their position of power. Ki Ageng told us he did not set up a specific price list for his clients; it depends on how much they want to pay him. That said, his clients would pay him at least 5 million rupiah per visit. They would come to visit him once or twice a month.

Other than giving spiritual advice, Ki Ageng would instruct his clients to perform rituals, such as fasting, meditation in sacred places, and making an offering in the form of Ayam Cemani (Swedish Black Chicken). For your information, one would have to spend over 5 million rupiah to purchase an Ayam Cemani chicken. Other varieties of Ayam Cemani could cost more than 50 million rupiah. So this is not just any other chicken. After the performance of the ritual, Ki Ageng would give his clients a talisman as their source of supernatural power. The talisman can be in the form of agate rings, small kris (traditional javanese blade) or a simple stick. Each talisman comes with different sets of benefits. Here are some examples of talismans and its benefits:

KRT Permadi Satrio Wiwoho, a politician from Gerindra party admitted that he and other politicians he knows obtained talismans for supernatural purposes. He himself owns a few in the form of agate rings. And, reportedly, the First and the Second President of the Republic — Soekarno and Soeharto — liked to perform traditional rituals in some locations believed to be sacred. Both of them also had talismans as their source of supernatural power as well as charisma. According to a media report, President Soekarno owned a talisman in the form of baton made of wood, ivory and silver. President’s Soeharto’s talisman, on the other hand, was his wife’s hairpin, which somehow disappeared when she died. Some believe that that’s the reason why Soeharto fell from power.

Shamanism, in my view, is nothing more than a mind game that targets people who are vulnerable, sensitive and/or in need of quick fix. The shamans are the only ones who benefit from this arrangement, because at best, these so-called powerful men are nothing more than dispensers of (false) hope. Even President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono believes in such a thing. He wrote it himself in his latest memoir where he talked about his family being haunted by black magic. Rumor has it that the most powerful man in the country has his own talisman in the form of a necklace.

Well, the government is planning to purchase the latest generation of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighter to replace the old F-5 Tiger fighter aircraft, I wonder if our military really knows how to operate these fighters, or do they believe that some unseen spirit will help them fly. What do you think?

By Elisabeth Oktofani

Copying, redistributing, and retransmitting this article is strictly prohibited.