From Empire to “Emperan”

FOR us members of Subud Indonesia, a national congress is a moment that goes beyond mere organizational matters. Indeed, the national congress is considered essential, because it is in this event that the work programs of the national committee and the national helpers dewan are put together, up to the appointment of new regional helpers and new chairpersons of wing bodies who will replace those who have completed their tenure.

The majority of members, however, who deliberately paid a lot of money to be able to attend a congress, treated it a place to stay in touch, to gather to share their longing to meet their distant brothers and sisters. Oddly called “penggembira” (cheerers) by the organizing committee (OC), the term actually refers to “those who come just to have fun with each other, regardless of the true purpose of the event”.

Cheerers usually pay for the cheapest registration package—at the 30th National Congress in Surabaya, East Java, 3 to 5 February 2023, the package was called the Festival Package, with each participant paying 300,000 IDR for three days and only got a name-tag!

Cheerers are usually just excited to attend the opening ceremony. Before the pandemic, Ibu Rahayu was usually present at the opening ceremony, because the congress was held on or close to the birthday of PPK Subud Indonesia, where Ibu would cut the yellow cone-shaped rice and give a little speech.

Reportedly due to Ibu Rahayu’s absence, the number of participants was somewhat reduced. But the enthusiasm remained high, because it was the first time members in large numbers could gather since social restrictions had been greatly relaxed.

This year’s Subud Indonesia National Congress was quite disappointing, especially due to poor coordination among the OC members had cost a number of participants who paid in advance to get rooms in the three hotels provided. The organizing of committee’s, helpers’, and wing bodies’ meetings too was hampered by the committee’s performance which was seen as violating the bylaws of PPK Subud Indonesia.

However, the participants’ anxieties were greatly relieved by what arose outside the congress venue. A joke spread among the participants, that while the official congress was held at a four-star hotel in downtown Surabaya, called the Grand Empire Palace Hotel, the “true congress” was actually held at the “Grand Emperan”. “Emperan” is an Indonesian word for “sidewalk” or “porch”.

Hanging out in coffee shops or street food stalls, sitting cross-legged on mats on the ground or on long wooden benches, members from many parts of the country joined in for the informal, laid-back, boisterous atmosphere—a mix of two-way talks on experiences with the Latihan, chatter filled with jokes followed by bursts of laughter, and sing songs spoofed on Subud themes.

Those moments at the Grand Emperan gave congress participants a distinct and unforgettable impression, which instilled in most of them the belief that this is how the Subud brother- and sisterhood should be.©2023

Pondok Cabe, Tangerang Selatan, 10 Februari 2023