REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, YOGYAKARTA — There was something unique at the discussion event held at Taman Makam Pahlawan (TMP) Kusumanegara, Yogyakarta, last Thursday (8/2/2024). If usually a discussion event is colored with loud arguments against each other, then the discussion held by the artist Eko Bebek yesterday was held in a 'silent' manner because it presented the blind and the deaf.

The discussion event, which is open to the public and free of charge, uses a silent system. Participants must wear wired headsets provided by the discussion committee in order to communicate with the participants, who are mostly deaf and visually impaired.

“Why should I be silent? Because the participants of this Silent Discussion are dumb and deaf. Ladies gave another colour in a noisy political year with this Election. I want people to have an awareness of the state emblem,” Eko Bebek said at a press conference titled 'Silent Discussion: Glorifying Garuda Without Talking Much' on Thursday.

The background of this event departed from the anxiety of Eko Bebek who wanted to communicate the emblem of the country through the Garuda bird. “During this time, friends of the blind, deaf and homeless were rarely given rights but many were given obligations by the state. I had anxiety about this, and it ended up being one of the backgrounds of this activity,” said Eko Bebek, who has been known as the MC and comedian.

The founder of Garuda House, Nanang Garuda, added that the reason this Silent Discussion raised about Garuda is because he thinks that the symbol of the country that is considered cool has been taught incorrectly in the school curriculum so far. Even Pancasila was briefly absent for 19 years because it was covered by Pancasila Moral Education (PMP) subjects.

“Many people are right when asked who is the creator of the song of Indonesia Raya or the dressmaker of the Red and White flag, but it is often wrong to be asked who designed the emblem of our country. Pancasila during this time even counted only the number of its feathers but its philosophical meaning was forgotten,” Nanang said.

Meanwhile, singer Nugie, who also celebrated the event online, also said that many Indonesians cannot look further into the values of the Garuda bird emblem that is clearly emblazoned on the walls of schools. According to him, Indonesians like to import values from abroad but rarely want to dig into the identity of the nation.

“So from today I am committed to inviting myself and others to better promote the way of thinking of our ancestors, which has so far been covered up for a variety of interests,” Nugie said.

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