Hallucinatory Disruption

ABK

Azyumardi Azra

What is happening to the people of Indonesia? Several incidents early this year indicate the growth of a baffling phenomenon that has gained a rather large following.

One can say that some Indonesians are optimistic about Industry 4.0, even the fifth industrial revolution (5IR) that relies on reason and empirical facts. However, as artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) grow amid the economic, educational, sociocultural and religious divides, more and more Indonesians are experiencing disruption, dislocation, and disorientation.

People can also talk about the millennial generation, which is seen as the backbone in advancing the country to become the fourth or fifth largest economy by the centenary of Indonesian independence in 2045.

On the other hand, there is another phenomenon of ill-advised citizens yearning to return to the past. Returning to the past should foster a drive for future progress. History is for the future. The phenomenon takes a nativistic, hallucinatory, delusional and utopian view of returning to the past. Some people have gathered around certain figures who are pushing for a return to a past they perceive as "restoring glory" or "purity and perfection".

These phenomena can all be called disruptive hallucination. They can arise from the information technology gap; financial strife, poverty and unemployment; uneven distribution of political power and aims; ethnic inequality; and psychological escape from real-life problems that cannot be solved.

In the framework of Frank Laroi et al. (2014), a variety of environmental factors (including political, economic and psychological) can make people vulnerable to hallucinations. In fact, certain sociocultural aspects can also provide fertile ground for disruptive hallucinations. The meeting of religion and culture in doctrine and eschatological concepts also leaves room for disruptive hallucinations, as seen in the phenomena of Imam Mahdi, messiahs, and Ratu Adil in certain religious and cultural traditions.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A motorcyclist stops at the gate of a residential compound in Berjo Kulon hamlet on Wednesday (15/1/2020) in Sidoluhur village of Godean, Sleman, Yogyakarta. The house has been leased to Toto Santoso, the self-proclaimed king of the so-called Keraton Agung Sejagat empire.

This is how disruptive hallucinations have become latent in the lives of Indonesians. The more acute the problem, the more disruptive hallucinations grow. This can then interfere with and disrupt the security, political-economic, sociocultural and religious spheres.

This phenomenon can be seen in the emergence of groups with different disruptive hallucinations that have caused a public stir and preoccupied security forces. Groups of the first typology include the Keraton Agung Sejagat Purworejo, the Keraton Jipang Blora in Central Java, the Sunda Empire in Bandung and the Selacau Sultanate in Tasikmalaya, both in West Java. These groups want to restore the glory of nativist government systems like the Majapahit kingdom (real) or the Sundanese Empire (imaginary) and the Pajajaran.

This first typology comprises groups that have departed from eschatological frameworks of theology and religion. Some are based on a literal understanding of the holy verses, while others are based on an eschatological understanding of messianic figures, Imam Mahdi and Ratu Adil.

The second typology comprises those groups that want to attain wealth, renown or specific religious goals in an instant. These kinds of groups seem to have quickly lost their reason and area easily swayed by offers that are too good to be true. The emergence of groups such as MeMiles, First Travel, and Abu Tours can be understood within this framework.

KOMPAS/ADITYA PUTRA PERDANA

A hat and other royal regalia are displayed as evidence on Wednesday (15/1/2020) at the Central Java Police headquarters in Semarang. The police have declared TS, 42, and his wife FA, 41, as suspects in the fraud case related to their declaration as the “king” and “queen” of the so-called Keraton Agung Sejagat empire in Pogung Jurutengah village of Bayan district, Purworejo, Central Java. The couple had asked their “subjects” to pay between Rp 3 million and Rp 30 million.

So far, these disruptive hallucinations in Indonesia have not cost lives, as in the case of David Koresh, who led his followers (Davidian) to mass suicide in 1993 in Waco, Texas. This was because the leader of this disruptive and hallucinatory group did not have the time to develop his group into a cult, and also failed to develop as a charismatic figure that commands the absolute obedience of his followers.

The biggest loss still relates to wealth. The leaders of these groups promise their followers instant wealth through certain positions in the imaginary kingdom. In other cases, they offer certain top-up applications and social programs like cheap umrah (minor pilgrimage) and haj packages. These leaders are therefore none other than con artists that attract people using various lures, tricks, and gimmicks.

Although these latent disruptive hallucinations have caused only financial losses in Indonesia – and not the loss of life – the central and local governments need to address the source of the problem, such as widespread social inequality

KOMPAS/ADITYA PUTRA PERDANA

Journalists photograph evidence from the Keraton Agung Sejagat fraud case on Wednesday (15/1/2020) at the Central Java Police headquarters in Semarang. The police have named as suspects TS, 42, and FA, 41, who declared themselves the “king” and “queen” of the self-proclaimed empire in Pogung Jurutengah village, Bayan district, Purworejo, Central Java.

The government has tried to overcome inequality in various areas, but the results still fall short of expectations. Prioritizing the development of physical infrastructure clearly cannot solve the phenomenon of hallucinatory disruption. For this reason, political, economic, sociocultural, educational and religious infrastructure must all be strengthened. It is necessary to create more conducive environments and spaces for the growth of non-physical infrastructure in order to resist the latent phenomenon of hallucinatory disruption.