The Representation of National and Urban Conditions in Indonesian

and Singaporean Science Fiction Short Stories

Paramita Ayuningtyas

and Azis Kariko

English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Bina Nusantara University, Jakarta, Indonesia 11480

Keywords: Phenomenon, Indonesian, Singaporean

Abstract: In the 20th century, science fiction was considered cheap literature and not included in the high literary

canon. However, this genre is highly acclaimed in the 21st century for its capacity to discuss the 21st

century society and its specific issues. Not only in Western countries, but science fiction is also currently on

the rise in Asia, especially after Liu Cixin won the prestigious Hugo Award in 2016. To investigate further

about this current literary phenomenon in Asia, this research discusses science fiction short stories from two

countries in South East Asia, namely Indonesia and Singapore. The data of this research are taken from four

short stories (two from Indonesia and two from Singapore). The short stories are qualitatively analyzed

using representation theory from Stuart Hall and other theories related to elements of science fiction. The

result of the analysis shows how with its specific characteristics, science fiction is a powerful and effective

genre to portray the dynamics of the two countries, Indonesia and Singapore.

1 INTRODUCTION

In the 20th century, science fiction was not

considered a part of high-brow literature because

they were printed in niche-marketed magazines,

accompanied by striking illustrations. They were

labeled as cheap fictions and not included in the

literary canon. On the other hand, the 21st century

witnesses the rise of science fiction. Ref (Pflueger-

Peters, N., 2017) in his article “Why Science Fiction

is The Genre of The 21st Century” explains why

science fiction suddenly regains recognition and

high popularity. The 21st century is an era signified

by a rapid progress and heavy use of technology and

the internet. The internet has been around for

decades; however, the invention of smartphones that

enable people to access internet anytime and

anywhere has tremendeously changed the way

people live. This cultural and technological

phenomenon seems to be in line with the spirit of

science fiction as a technology fiction and a

literature of change. Thus, science fiction can

represent the digital era better than any genre.

Not only in Western countries, but science

fiction is also a rising genre in Asia, especially in

China after Liu Cixin won the prestigious Hugo

Award in 2016 with her science fiction trilogy

entitled The Three Body Problem. Ref (Feng, E.,

2017) has an explanation regarding the relation

between science fiction and reality in China. Science

fiction stories could function as an escapism for the

readers since the setting in science fiction can be

totally different from the real world. It is because as

a genre science fiction has a special characteristic

called cognitive estrangement. Cognitive

estrangement is “the sense that something in the

fictive world is dissonant with the reader’s

experienced world.”

Furthermore, (Hall, S., 2013) also explained why

China has become the sci-fi powerhouse in Asia. It

is mainly because of the help of the internet. She

also noted how science fiction has “roots extending

far back in Chinese literary history” when science

fiction stories from Jules Verne were translated to

Chinese. Chinese readers have always been

interested in science fiction genre as it contains

themes of science and technology, which are aspects

of modernity that China as a nation has always been

pursuing.

Meanwhile, science fiction literature in Indonesia

has not received enough appreciation. A number of

Jules Verne’s books (such as Around The World in

80 Days) have been translated to Indonesian, but

science fiction is still not a best-selling genre in

Indonesia. Not many authors explore the themes of

518

Ayuningtyas, P. and Kariko, A.

The Representation of National and Urban Conditions in Indonesian and Singaporean Science Fiction Short Stories.

DOI: 10.5220/0010023100002917

In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social Sciences, Laws, Arts and Humanities (BINUS-JIC 2018), pages 518-523

ISBN: 978-989-758-515-9

science fiction in their works. One notable example

is only Dewi Lestari with her Supernova series (first

published in 2001). In order to increase the

popularity of science fiction in Indonesia, a

community of science-fiction fans decided to create

an online magazine called Serana 42, dedicated

especially to science fiction stories. The short stories

published in Serana 42 try to capture the

development of science and technology, but what is

notable is, the stories are characterized by

Indonesian local colors and contexts.

Besides in Indonesia, science fiction also starts to

receive more attention in Singapore, especially after

the publishing of Lontar, a magazine that specializes

in speculative fiction (including science fiction).

Thus, this research will not only discuss science

fiction in Indonesia but also in Singapore. The short

stories chosen as the primary data of this research

are Suara Mesin, Suara Rakyat by Muhammad

Rivai, Buyan by Utiuts, Blind Date by Melissa de

Silva, and Big Enough for The Entire Universe by

Victor Fernando R. Ocampo. The four short stories

are chosen because they manage to capture the urban

and national issues from the two countries through

the elements of science fiction. It is expected that the

result of this research can help to identify national

and urban issues and concerns as portrayed in the

short stories and contribute new perspectives and

understanding in dealing with them.

To analyze the data in this research,

representation theory of Stuart Hall (Roberts, A.,

2006) will be used. Hall stated that there are three

approaches that can be used to explain how

representation of meaning through language works.

The first approach is reflective approach, which

means “language functions like a mirror” (Roberts,

A., 2006). It has a function to reflect the existing

world. Next is the intentional approach that believes

that meaning is imposed by the speakers. The last

approach is constructionist approach that basically

proposes that human beings construct meaning,

using representational systems namely concepts and

signs. According to this approach, there should be a

separation between the material world and “the

symbolic practices and processed through which

representation, meaning and language operate.”

(Roberts, A., 2006) It is not the material world that

conveys meaning, but the language system.

The simple explanation of representation is the

important part of the process “by which meaning is

produced and exchanged between members of

culture.” (Roberts, A., 2006) This process involves

the use of languages, signs, and images that are used

to represent things. According to constructionists,

“meaning is produced within language, in and

through various representational systems.” and it is

“constructed through signifying – i.e. meaning

producing - practices.”

In order to gain a better understanding about

characteristics of science fiction, a number of

sources will also be used, including books and

academic journals. According to Suvin (in

(Anderson, J., 2016)), science fiction is a literary

genre “whose main device is an imaginative

framework alternative to the author’s empirical

environment.” In this definition, Suvin highlighted

the differences between the world in science fiction

and the author’s real environment. In addition,

Mendehlson (in Feng, E., 2017) stated that a special

characteristic of science fiction is cognitive

estrangement. It means that the fictive world in

science fiction is something unfamiliar for the

readers. Thus, there is a sense of wonder when

readers encounter the world in science fiction.

Furthermore, (Morse, D., E., 2006) explained that

the setting in science fiction, by nature, is often very

different from contemporary life, and that difference

helps readers to temporarily escape.

However, Anderson also argued that science

fiction still has a connection to the real world

experienced by the readers. Many science fiction

stories are “inspired by, and often mirror,

contemporary events and troubles” (Morse, D., E.,

2006). The distance (and at the same time

connection) between science fiction stories and

everyday life is one special appeal of science fiction.

Morse added that although the setting of science

fiction is somehow strange, science fiction is a genre

that “reflects in varying degrees the times during

which it is written.” (Rivai, M., 2017) For example,

in the 1950s, Americans were still shocked by the

aftermath of the first nuclear bomb against civilians.

In his writing “Sterile Men and Nuclear-Powered

Vacuum Cleaners: The Atomic Bomb and Atomic

Energy in 1950s American Science Fiction”, Morse

discussed that this concern was reflected in science

fiction stories published during that era. In

conclusion, with its unique intrinsic elements,

science fiction has the ability to portray the

conditions and problems of the contemporary

society.

2 RESEARCH METHOD

This reseach uses a qualitative method in analysing

the data. The primary data will be taken from four

short stories from Indonesia and Singapore. The

The Representation of National and Urban Conditions in Indonesian and Singaporean Science Fiction Short Stories

519

short stories are Suara Mesin, Suara Rakyat (2017)

by Muhammad Rivai (Utiuts, 2018), Buyan (2018)

by Utiuts (DeSilva, M., 2017), Blind Date (2017) by

Melissa de Silva (Ocampo, V., F., R., 2017), and Big

Enough for The Entire Universe (2017) by Victor

Fernando R. Ocampo (Ocampo, V., F., R., 2017).

The two Indonesian short stories (Suara Mesin,

Suara Rakyat and Buyan) are written in Indonesian,

while the Singaporean short stories (Blind Date and

Big Enough for The Entire Universe) are in English.

In the analysis later, the English translation for the

Indonesian short stories are provided. Since the data

of this research are short stories from two countries,

a comparative textual analysis will be conducted.

The intrinsic elements highlighted in the research are

characters, setting and theme. Furthermore, in order

to conduct a deeper analysis and answer the research

questions, the data are analysed with support from

representation theory from Stuart Hall. Other

theories related to science fiction are applied too

since science fiction is a genre with specific

characteristics.

3 ANALYSIS

3.1 The Analysis of Two Indonesian

Science Fiction Short Stories

The first short story which is going to be analysed is

Suara Mesin, Suara Rakyat (The Voice of Machine,

The Voice of People) written by Muhamad Rivai.

This short story is the first winner of the second

short story writing competition held by Serana42.

Suara Mesin, Suara Rakyat cleverly discusses

political issues of Indonesia with two major

characters, ‘I’ as the narrator and Aini, the girl

whom he secretly loves. Although the story is set in

the future, it is relevant to the current condition of

Indonesia, in which politics becomes the topic

mainly discussed in public, particularly because

Indonesia is scheduled to have a national general

election in 2019.

Suara Mesin, Suara Rakyat starts with a

quotation from a book entitled Demokrasi Mesin:

Sebuah Pengantar (An Introduction to Machine

Democracy) that is being read by ‘I’. The quotation

basically explains why in the future machine

replaces people in the system of democracy. It is

because based on the previous events in the past,

power tends to corrupt:

“ … Oleh sebab itu, untuk mewujudkan suatu

demokrasi langsung yang adil, bersih, dan efisien,

kita membutuhkan suatu alat yang mampu

mengelola, mengkalkulasi, dan mengeksekusi

aspirasi tiap-tiap warga negara dengan rasional,

cerdas, tegas, ringkas, tanpa bias, dan tanpa faktor-

faktor emosional yang membatasi seorang manusia.”

(“Therefore, to create a direct democracy that is fair,

clean, and efficient, we need a tool to manage,

calculate, and execute the aspirations of every

citizen rationally, intelligently, strictly, briefly, and

without bias and emotional factors.”) (Utiuts, 2018)

Different from human beings who have emotions

and subjectivity, machine is considered to be more

rational, unbiased, and effective. Therefore, it is

believed that a just and prosperous society can be

achieved through the system of machine democracy.

However, the two main characters, ‘I’ and Aini,

have different perspectives about the system.

‘I’ essentially believes that machine democracy

is the best system for Indonesia. He even compares

it with the election system in the past when people

still used a ballot paper and a nail to choose their

president, vice president, and the members of House

of Representatives. According to him, the previous

system is corrupted, and it is a right decision to

replace people with the machine. On the other hand,

Aini questions the validity of machine democracy.

This can be inferred from her conversation with ‘I’

after they voiced their aspirations via the machine.

Ref (Morse, D., E., 2006) argues that even though in

nature most of science fiction stories take place in a

world different from our contemporary life, they still

have connections to the world experienced by the

readers. For example, in Suara Mesin, Suara Rakyat,

there are elements that evoke the sense of

familiarity, which are the physical setting

(Indonesia) and the social setting (democratic

system).

The story ends with Aini being captured by Anti-

terror Detachment and then sentenced to death

because the machine declares her as a threat to the

country. This incident comes as a big shock for ‘I’,

and while trying to control his emotion, he

remembers his own words to Aini, “Adil itu tidak

berarti mengabulkan keinginan semua orang” (Being

fair does not mean granting everyone’s wishes).

Suara Mesin, Suara Rakyat is a perfect example of

how science fiction is used not only to portray a

society but also to warn them what could possibly

happen if technology takes control over politics.

The next short story which is going to be

discussed is Buyan by Utiuts. ‘Buyan’ in

Palembangnese means ‘stupid’ and the word is

usually used to mock at other people. Through the

title, it can be seen how Utiuts made an effort to

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bring a local colour to her story. Specifically, the

conflict of the story happens when a woman from

Palembang (a city in Sumatra) called Tante Nana

goes to Jakarta and has to encounter a complicated

situation in Jakarta. From her perspective, the

readers are taken to witness the condition of Jakarta

in the future with its technology development and

also environmental problems.

Buyan is set in the future Jakarta. Different from

Jakarta in 2018, the capital city in the story is having

a problem with big flood. The government even has

to block accesses to half of the city because of the

flood. Sophisticated machine is the science fiction

element that can be witnessed here, which is a

driverless car. Tante Nana just arrived in Jakarta,

and from the airport, she is taking an online-based

taxi (called Kejar or ‘chase’). On the way to her

nephew’s house, the driverless car takes the wrong

route, going to a part of Jakarta that is affected by

the flood. Panicking, Tante Nana tries to contact

Kejar’s customer service, and this is when the

external conflict happens: between technology and

human beings.

Kejar’s central system tries to stop the driverless

car, but it keeps having a problem because of the

interrupted connection: “Ibu Nana, kami mohon

maaf sekali. Kami belum berhasil mengambil alih

pengendalian mobil Ibu karena interrupted

connection.” (“Madame Nana, we apologize once

again. We haven’t successfully taken control of the

car due to interrupted connection.”) The car then

keeps moving to the affected area, making Tante

Nana panic even more. The scene could be discussed

as an analogy of what would happen if technology is

out of control, leading to incidents and accidents for

human beings. In the end, what saves her is when

the car suddenly stops because the battery is running

out. This seems to indicate that after all machine is

just a machine. No matter how sophisticated it is, it

can be broken and destroyed.

3.2 The Analysis of Two Singaporean

Science Fiction Short Stories

The existence of independent bookstores and

publishers has a considerable contribution in the

rising of Singaporean literature in the 21st century.

Founded in 2005 as an imprint of an independent

bookstore Books Actually, Math Paper Press has

published works from Singaporean authors (or

foreign authors living in Singapore), such as Cyril

Wong, Melissa de Silva, and Victor Fernando R.

Ocampo. Even though Math Paper Press is a small

press publisher, it offers various choices of literary

work, including novels, poetry anthology, and

photography collections. Two short stories published

by Math Paper Press will be studied in this essay,

which are Blind Date by Melissa de Silva and Big

Enough for The Entire Universe by Victor Fernando

R. Ocampo.

In Blind Date, de Silva critically discusses

Singaporean government’s policy towards a certain

race in Singapore, Eurasian (the term used to refer to

individuals of mixed European and Asian descent).

This theme dominates the stories in her collection

Others is not a Race, but what makes Blind Date

different is that it employs science fiction genre to

explore the topic. Martin Desker, the main

protagonist, is a Eurasian living in Singapore, and all

his life, he has been trying to find other Eurasians in

his country. Blind date in the title refers to his

meeting with another Eurasian, Gerald Pereira.

The element of science fiction which is obvious

in this short story is the development of technology,

as seen in this quotation: Reaching into his shirt

pocket, he drew out a thin silicone rod and tapped

one end of it with his index finger. It ejected a

transparent, pliable sheet, as thing as paper used to

be (Ocampo, V., F., R., 2017). The quotation depicts

how Martin uses a sophisticated gadget, a significant

indicator of technology development. However, a

cynical attitude toward this development can also be

seen here: Smooth globes of tree emerged like

sculptures under the effortless industry of the

automated sheards. It was all very impressive, but he

often felt humanity had become obscured by these

wonderful technological doodahs (Ocampo, V., F.,

R., 2017). Through Martin’s perspective, de Silva

points out an important debate about human beings’

attitude toward technology, a typical topic of science

fiction stories, for example in Brave New World by

Aldous Huxley.

De Silva also uses Martin to voice her concern

about the existence of Eurasians in Singapore: Try

as he might, he hadn’t been able to shake off the

suspicion that ‘heritage Eurasians’ were on the brink

of extinction (Ocampo, V., F., R., 2017). In 2017,

Eurasians are considered minorities as they took

only 0.4% of Singapore population, and this makes

them often categorized as the others (thus, the

‘others’ in the title Others is not a Race). Martin and

Pereira have this deep conversation about their

ethnicity during their meeting. While Martin seems

to have the intention to gather the remaining

Eurasians, Pereira intends to cover the fact that he is

Eurasian. He even does not want his children to be

labeled Eurasians:

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521

“It was just more practical. Why would I want

them to be upset all the time? I spent so much of my

life being angry. Angry at feeling invisible, angry

that other bloody Singaporeans seemed to think we

didn’t exist. Yes, there were so few of us, but we

still counted, goddammit.” (Ocampo, V., F., R.,

2017)

Having listened to his grandmother’s story about

Singaporeans’ discrimination toward Eurasians,

Pereira expresses his disappointment and does not

want his children to experience the same bitter

treatment. He prefers his children to be free from

discrimination from Singaporeans.

If Blind Date focuses on how Eurasians are

categorized as the other in Singapore’s social

structure, in a short story written by Victor Fernando

R. Ocampo the multicultural condition of the nation

can be seen, as represented by the characters.

Ocampo is actually a Filipino author but he often

wrote about Singapore. The major plot of Big

Enough for the Entire Universe revolves around the

issue of technology versus humanity. The story

starts in a military installation in Bukit Gombak. In

this place, four characters are investigated by an

officer about a recent case which happened in a flat.

‘A giant blob of grey goo in the shape of a human

heart’ appears in the flat and everyday it expands, as

if it is going to cover the entire Singapore.

Bewildered about this strange appearance,

Singaporean government tries to investigate about

what is actually happening by asking questions to

the flat residents.

An important science fiction element which

appears in the story is the incredible invention. Dr.

Xin, a scientist, lost her family in a car accident.

Unable to handle the grief, she conducts an

experiment to bring her family back. Similar to

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in which tragic

consequences happen when human beings try to play

God, in Big Enough for the Entire Universe Dr

Xin’s creation becomes out of control. The story

ends heartbreakingly when the officer commits

suicide since he feels depressed and other characters

decide to leave Singapore.

Singapore’s multicultural society is represented

by the characters and their cultural background. The

first character investigated is Madame Semangat.

She is a middle-aged Moslem woman, and from the

vocabulary she uses, she is also from Malay

background. The second character is Miss Shen,

who represents Chinese ethnicity. She speaks in

Hokkien, and Singlish can also be detected from her

anwers to the officer. Another characters is Ms. Ái,

who depicts a Singaporean from high social class.

When being investigated by the officer, she is

worried more about her Louis Vuitton bag instead of

the growing creature. The last character is a Filipino

student, Ghabby Marquez. He helps Dr. Xin’s

experiment, and his main concern is whether he will

get deported after the incident. His appearance

highlights the immigrant issue in Singapore. The

interesting element in Big Enough for the Entire

Universe is that he portrays how a family problem

can affect national security. Technology in this story

is used by Dr. Xin to help her get her family back,

and when her creation grows beyond her control, it

causes a national disaster.

4 CONCLUSION

The discussion of Suara Mesin, Suara Rakyat and

Buyan shows that the two short stories not only

portray the condition of Indonesia but also serve as a

warning if technology takes control over all aspects

in life. Suara Mesin¸ Suara Rakyat grimly depicts

the situation when machine replaces human beings

in a political system. Meanwhile, through the point

of a view of its main protagonist, Buyan cleverly

describes Jakarta in the future with its enviromental

complications and the development of transportation

technology. On the other hand, the two Singaporean

science fiction short stories discussed in this paper

highlight the multicultural condition in Singapore.

Blind Date depicts the painful situation faced by the

Eurasians who have always been ‘othered’ by

Singapore government. The major conflict in Big

Enough for The Entire Universe is actually about

mother’s love to his son, but interestingly, in the

short story the characters represent the various races

and social classes in Singapore. It also represents

how Singapore’s national security is affected by

uncontrolled technology. All short stories analysed

in this paper employ science fiction elements to

unveil concerns about the national and urban

conditions either in Indonesia or in Singapore. Even

though science fiction settings are in the future or in

a universe totally different from our own, the genre

itself is an effective mirror to illustrate contemporary

society and its problems.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to show our gratitude to Bina

Nusantara University who provided encouragement

and financial support that greatly assisted this

research.

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