A Letter from Faiz to Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Do you know Abdurahman Faiz, an 8-year old who sent a poetic letter to the former President of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri? This third grade student of an elementary school, SD Negeri 02 Cipayung, Jakarta Timur, has sent a poetic letter as well to the new President, Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Born on November 15, 1995, the son of a reporter, Tomi Satryatomo, and a writer, Helvy Tiana Rosa, is very sensitive to the surrounding circumstances such as social, politic, and economic life. Not wanting to have the reply sent by someone else just as the one by Mrs. Soekarnoputri, Faiz requests that the reply should be sent directly to his residence by Mr. Yudhoyono himself. The reason is very interesting, so that the new President knows how it feels to live in a house like his, not just to live in the State Palace.
Below is the letter of Faiz to Mr. Yudhoyono in Bahasa Indonesia:
Surat untuk Presiden Baruku
Kepada Yang Terhormat
Bapak SBY
Di tempat
Assalaamu`alaikum.
Apa kabar, Pak? Aku berharap Bapak baik-baik saja seperti aku saat ini.
Bapak, namaku Faiz. Sekarang aku duduk di kelas III SD. Aku suka sekali membaca dan menulis. Alhamdulillah aku sudah menerbitkan dua buku. Tahun lalu aku mengirim surat pada Ibu Presiden. Kata orang, suratku lucu. Ibu Mega sempat juga membalasnya.
Bapak sayang, selamat ya sudah dipilih rakyat sebagai Presiden Indonesia yang baru. Selain bersyukur, aku tahu Bapak pasti deg-degan. Soalnya menjadi Presiden itu kan susah. PR-nya banyak sekali, lebih banyak dari PR seluruh murid sekolah di dunia ini.
Aku tahu juga sedikit tentang PR itu, Pak. Misalnya PR bagaimana membuat rakyat tersenyum. Kan susah ya Pak. Kalau semua harga mahal, untuk makan, berobat dan sekolah saja susah, bagaimana rakyat mau tersenyum? Apalagi cari pekerjaan pun sukar sekali. Kudengar di luar negeri banyak tenaga kerja kita yang disiksa. Terus juga PR untuk membuat negeri kita lebih aman. Agar jangan banyak orang jahat berkeliaran, apalagi bawa bom segala. Kami takut sekali.
Kalau bisa nanti negeri kita tidak mendapat rangking I lagi untuk korupsi. Sedih kalau ingat itu. Padahal teman-teman kecilku banyak yang harus berjuang di jalanan. Padahal negeri kita kaya. Makanya aku harap Bapak bisa peka dan tegas. Mimpiku sih ingin punya presiden yang dekat sekali dengan rakyat. Tidak malu makan di warung, sering jalan ke tempat kumuh, ngobrol dengan orang kecil seperti aku dan sering tersenyum.
Bapak yang ganteng dan pintar, betapa berat menjadi presiden yang tumbuh dari duka lara rakyat. Apalagi rakyatnya selalu berharap terus seperti aku. Ya, seperti yang Bapak bilang, Bapak tak bisa berjuang sendirian, tapi bersama kita bisa! Aku yakin itu!
Aku juga ingat kata Bunda, kalau kita menjadi orang baik dan punya hati yang bersih, kita akan dicintai tidak hanya di bumi tapi juga di langit. Makanya aku berdoa semoga nanti tak ada lagi air mata duka. Hanya ada pelangi di mata kita. Seperti lagu yang sering Bapak nyanyikan itu loh.
Selamat berjuang, Presiden baruku. Aku akan selalu mendoakan Bapak. Tapi kalau Bapak salah, biarpun Bapak Presiden, Doktor dan Jenderal berbadan tegap, aku boleh menegur ya? Dan Bapak jangan marah ya, sebab itu aku lakukan karena cinta.
Jakarta, 21 September 2004
Salam hormat
Abdurahman Faiz
Kelas III SDN 02 Cipayung, Jakarta Timur
Below is the translation of the letter in English. I try to pick words that usually appear in a mind of an 8-year old.
A Letter to My New President
To Mr. Yudhoyono
Assalaamu`alaikum.
How do you do Sir? I hope you`re fine just like I am.
Sir, my name is Faiz. I`m now a third grader. I love reading and writing. Alhamdulillah (praise the Lord), I have published two books. Last year I sent a letter to Mrs. President. People said that my letter is funny. Mrs. Soekarnoputri has replied it.
Dear Sir, congratulation for being elected as the new President of Indonesia. Besides you`re grateful, I know you`re scared. Because being a President is very tough. You have a bunch of homework, even more than the homework of kids in this world.
I know just a bit of your homework, Sir. Example, the problem of how to make people smile. It is tough, isn`t it Sir? If everything is expensive, and it is hard to eat, to buy medicine, to go to school, then how would people smile? Also, getting a job is more difficult, I heard so many of our labor forces who work abroad are being tortured. And then the problem of how to make our country more secured. So that no more evil people running around the street, especially those who carry bombs. We are very scared.
I would love not to have our country as the most corrupted country in the world. It`s very sad if I remember that. You know that lots of my friends are working on streets (as paperboy, street singer, or even beggar). But our country is very rich. That`s why I hope that you can be more sensitive and firm. I dream of having a President who is close to his people. Not embarrassed to eat in small restaurant, walk in the slums, talk with people like me, and smile a lot.
The handsome and smart Mr. Yudhoyono, it is very hard to become a President on the people`s mourn. Especially if the people keep on hoping just like me. Just like what you said, you can`t fight alone, but you can fight together with us! I`m sure of it!
I also remember of what my Mom used to say, if we become good people and have a sincere heart, we will be loved not just on earth but on heaven. That`s why I keep on praying so that there`ll be no more painful tears. Only rainbow shines in our eyes. Just like the song that you used to sing.
Good luck my new President. My prayers will always be with you. But if you make a mistake, even though you`re a President, a Doctor, or a General with a strong body, I will always remind you, can I? And please don`t be mad at me, because I do it for love.
Jakarta, September 21, 2004
Best regard,
Abdurahman Faiz
3rd grade, SDN 02 Cipayung, Jakarta Timur
Source (in Bahasa Indonesia):
- Otista
Born on November 15, 1995, the son of a reporter, Tomi Satryatomo, and a writer, Helvy Tiana Rosa, is very sensitive to the surrounding circumstances such as social, politic, and economic life. Not wanting to have the reply sent by someone else just as the one by Mrs. Soekarnoputri, Faiz requests that the reply should be sent directly to his residence by Mr. Yudhoyono himself. The reason is very interesting, so that the new President knows how it feels to live in a house like his, not just to live in the State Palace.
Below is the letter of Faiz to Mr. Yudhoyono in Bahasa Indonesia:
Surat untuk Presiden Baruku
Kepada Yang Terhormat
Bapak SBY
Di tempat
Assalaamu`alaikum.
Apa kabar, Pak? Aku berharap Bapak baik-baik saja seperti aku saat ini.
Bapak, namaku Faiz. Sekarang aku duduk di kelas III SD. Aku suka sekali membaca dan menulis. Alhamdulillah aku sudah menerbitkan dua buku. Tahun lalu aku mengirim surat pada Ibu Presiden. Kata orang, suratku lucu. Ibu Mega sempat juga membalasnya.
Bapak sayang, selamat ya sudah dipilih rakyat sebagai Presiden Indonesia yang baru. Selain bersyukur, aku tahu Bapak pasti deg-degan. Soalnya menjadi Presiden itu kan susah. PR-nya banyak sekali, lebih banyak dari PR seluruh murid sekolah di dunia ini.
Aku tahu juga sedikit tentang PR itu, Pak. Misalnya PR bagaimana membuat rakyat tersenyum. Kan susah ya Pak. Kalau semua harga mahal, untuk makan, berobat dan sekolah saja susah, bagaimana rakyat mau tersenyum? Apalagi cari pekerjaan pun sukar sekali. Kudengar di luar negeri banyak tenaga kerja kita yang disiksa. Terus juga PR untuk membuat negeri kita lebih aman. Agar jangan banyak orang jahat berkeliaran, apalagi bawa bom segala. Kami takut sekali.
Kalau bisa nanti negeri kita tidak mendapat rangking I lagi untuk korupsi. Sedih kalau ingat itu. Padahal teman-teman kecilku banyak yang harus berjuang di jalanan. Padahal negeri kita kaya. Makanya aku harap Bapak bisa peka dan tegas. Mimpiku sih ingin punya presiden yang dekat sekali dengan rakyat. Tidak malu makan di warung, sering jalan ke tempat kumuh, ngobrol dengan orang kecil seperti aku dan sering tersenyum.
Bapak yang ganteng dan pintar, betapa berat menjadi presiden yang tumbuh dari duka lara rakyat. Apalagi rakyatnya selalu berharap terus seperti aku. Ya, seperti yang Bapak bilang, Bapak tak bisa berjuang sendirian, tapi bersama kita bisa! Aku yakin itu!
Aku juga ingat kata Bunda, kalau kita menjadi orang baik dan punya hati yang bersih, kita akan dicintai tidak hanya di bumi tapi juga di langit. Makanya aku berdoa semoga nanti tak ada lagi air mata duka. Hanya ada pelangi di mata kita. Seperti lagu yang sering Bapak nyanyikan itu loh.
Selamat berjuang, Presiden baruku. Aku akan selalu mendoakan Bapak. Tapi kalau Bapak salah, biarpun Bapak Presiden, Doktor dan Jenderal berbadan tegap, aku boleh menegur ya? Dan Bapak jangan marah ya, sebab itu aku lakukan karena cinta.
Jakarta, 21 September 2004
Salam hormat
Abdurahman Faiz
Kelas III SDN 02 Cipayung, Jakarta Timur
Below is the translation of the letter in English. I try to pick words that usually appear in a mind of an 8-year old.
A Letter to My New President
To Mr. Yudhoyono
Assalaamu`alaikum.
How do you do Sir? I hope you`re fine just like I am.
Sir, my name is Faiz. I`m now a third grader. I love reading and writing. Alhamdulillah (praise the Lord), I have published two books. Last year I sent a letter to Mrs. President. People said that my letter is funny. Mrs. Soekarnoputri has replied it.
Dear Sir, congratulation for being elected as the new President of Indonesia. Besides you`re grateful, I know you`re scared. Because being a President is very tough. You have a bunch of homework, even more than the homework of kids in this world.
I know just a bit of your homework, Sir. Example, the problem of how to make people smile. It is tough, isn`t it Sir? If everything is expensive, and it is hard to eat, to buy medicine, to go to school, then how would people smile? Also, getting a job is more difficult, I heard so many of our labor forces who work abroad are being tortured. And then the problem of how to make our country more secured. So that no more evil people running around the street, especially those who carry bombs. We are very scared.
I would love not to have our country as the most corrupted country in the world. It`s very sad if I remember that. You know that lots of my friends are working on streets (as paperboy, street singer, or even beggar). But our country is very rich. That`s why I hope that you can be more sensitive and firm. I dream of having a President who is close to his people. Not embarrassed to eat in small restaurant, walk in the slums, talk with people like me, and smile a lot.
The handsome and smart Mr. Yudhoyono, it is very hard to become a President on the people`s mourn. Especially if the people keep on hoping just like me. Just like what you said, you can`t fight alone, but you can fight together with us! I`m sure of it!
I also remember of what my Mom used to say, if we become good people and have a sincere heart, we will be loved not just on earth but on heaven. That`s why I keep on praying so that there`ll be no more painful tears. Only rainbow shines in our eyes. Just like the song that you used to sing.
Good luck my new President. My prayers will always be with you. But if you make a mistake, even though you`re a President, a Doctor, or a General with a strong body, I will always remind you, can I? And please don`t be mad at me, because I do it for love.
Jakarta, September 21, 2004
Best regard,
Abdurahman Faiz
3rd grade, SDN 02 Cipayung, Jakarta Timur
Source (in Bahasa Indonesia):
- Otista
<< Home