I am with Pak Dipo Alam, January 21, 2025.
One day, maybe in 2014, I got a call from someone who claimed to be named Dipo Alam. I immediately thought of Dipo Alam who had been imprisoned during the New Order when he was a student activist at the University of Indonesia. But I doubted this was the real Dipo Alam, but someone who claimed to be Dipo Alam who wanted to deceive.
But, I served the voice on the other end well. Wanting to see what he wanted. He said he had read my novel entitled Putroe Neng published by Grasindo in 2011. Mr. Dipo on the other end wanted to invite me to be his writing assistant. He was working on a novel set in Aceh and Turkey with the earthquake and tsunami disasters that had occurred.
I didn't ask for Mr. Dipo to know my phone number. I asked Mr. Dipo to explain in more detail via email. I would send the email address via Blackberry which at that time was the favorite phone for many people.
When the email arrived, my doubts began to diminish, although they were still there. I was only truly convinced after we met at Mr. Dipo's office in Jakarta. If I'm not mistaken, at that time Mr. Dipo was still serving as Cabinet Secretary during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's (SBY) term.
I still remember, at that time there was one of Mr. Dipo's staff who picked me up at the gate. It turned out that the staff was a member of Kopassus who had served in Aceh so he understood the situation in Aceh, both during the conflict and during the disaster.
We discussed until 6:00 p.m. with Mr. Dipo. After that, Mr. Dipo had an agenda at the State Palace.
After that, our communication was mostly via email. When I had an agenda in Jakarta, I always made time to meet with Mr. Dipo. In fact, Mr. Dipo once specifically invited me to Jakarta for a week to finish a book.
When Mr. Dipo no longer had a position in government after Mr. SBY was no longer president of the Republic of Indonesia, we met several times at the Bank Mega Tower in Jakarta. I also met him at his house.
In addition to writing books, Mr. Dipo is also a painter. He has received awards from several heads of state, including from the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyib Erdogan. For Mr. Dipo, Turkey is his second country after Indonesia.
I heard that sentence directly from Mr. Dipo's wife when she visited Banda Aceh. Mr. Dipo greatly admires Türkiye and has a strong emotional connection with the country. Mr. Dipo once served as Secretary General of the Organization of Developing Countries or D-8 which is headquartered in Istanbul, Türkiye. I once told him, "Because many of his novels are set in the Bosphorus Strait, someday I want to go there."
I once told Mr. Dipo Alam about the life of Rohani, a disabled painter. Then Mr. Dipo gave Rohani a large amount of canvas, acrylic paint, and pencils for painting. I, along with several journalists, delivered Mr. Dipo's assistance to Rohani. In fact, Mr. Dipo had a video call with Rohani. The woman seemed touched to receive quality assistance from Mr. Dipo and in large quantities.
On January 21, 2025, I met Mr. Dipo again at his house. This was the second time I had been to Mr. Dipo's house and discussed the continuation of the publication of Mr. Dipo's novel about the story of the struggle of female intelligence from the capture of Istanbul during the time of Sultan Mehmet II. The novel was finished and I suggested that it be edited once more before being submitted to the publisher.
During the meeting, Mr. Dipo also showed some of his paintings and wall hangings that he bought in Aceh. Some of the paintings with a Turkish background are what I show in these photos.
Mr. Dipo continues to paint and write literature in his old age. He never stops working, becoming an inspiration for the younger generation. Hopefully, Mr. Dipo will always be healthy and continue to work in the arts.[]
Lukisan, Sastra, Türkiye, dan Dipo Alam: Kesetiaan Berkarya Sampai Senja
Suatu hari mungkin di tahun 2014, aku mendapatkan telepon dari seseorang yang mengaku bernama Dipo Alam. Aku langsung berpikir Dipo Alam yang pernah dipenjara di masa Orde Baru ketika ia menjadi aktivis mahasiswa Universitas Indonesia. Tapi aku ragu ini Dipo Alam yang benar, tapi seseorang yang mengaku Dipo Alam yang ingin menipu.
Tapi, aku melayani suara di seberang sana dengan baik. Ingin melihat apa yang ia inginkan. Dia mengatakan sudah membaca novel saya berjudul Putroe Neng yang diterbitkan Grasindo tahun 2011. Pak Dipo di seberang ingin mengajak saya menjadi asisten penulisnya. Dia sedang mengerjakan novel dengan latar di Aceh dan Türkiye dengan bencana gempa dan tsunami yang pernah terjadi.
Saya tidak bertanya daripada Pak Dipo mengetahui nomor telepon saya. Saya meminta Pak Dipo menjelaskan lebih rinci melaui email. Saya akan mengirim alamat surat elektronik melalui Blackberrry yang di masa itu sedang menjadi telepon favorit banyak orang.
Ketika surat elektronik datang, keraguan saya mulai berkurang kendati masih ada. Saya baru benar-benar yakin setelah kami bertemu di kantor Pak Dipo di Jakarta. Kalau tak salah, saat itu Pak Dipo masih menjabat sebagai Sekretaris Kabinet di masa Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY).
Saya masih ingat, ketika itu ada seorang staf Pak Dipo yang menjemput saya di pintu gerbang. Staf itu ternyata anggota Kopassus yang pernah bertugas di Aceh sehingga paham situasi di Aceh, baik masa konflik maupun masa bencana.
Kami berdiskusi sampai pukul 18.00 bersama Pak Dipo. Setelah itu, Pak Dipo ada agenda di Istana Negara.
Setelah itu, komunikasi kami banyak melalui surat elektronik. Ketika saya ada agenda di Jakarta, saya selalu sempatkan berjumpa dengan Pak Dipo. Bahkan, secara khusus Pak Dipo pernah mengundang saya selama seminggu di Jakarta untuk menyelesaikan buku.
Ketika Pak Dipo tidak lagi memiliki jabatan di pemerintahan setelah Pak SBY tidak lagi menjadi presiden Republik Indonesia, beberapa kali kami berjumpa dengan di Menara Bank Mega di Jakarta. Saya juga pernah bertemu di rumahnya.
Selain menulis buku, Pak Dipo juga seorang pelukis. Beliau pernah mendapatkan penghargaan dari beberapa kepala negara, termasuk dari Presiden Türkiye, Recep Tayyib Erdogan. Bagi Pak Dipo, Türkiye adalah negara keduanya setelah Indonesia.
Kalimat itu saya dengar langsung dari istri Pak Dipo ketika berkunjung ke Banda Aceh. Pak Dipo sangat mengagumi Türkiye dan memikili hubungan emosional yang kuat dengan negara tersebut. Pak Dipo pernah menjabat sebagai Sekretaris Jenderal Organisasi Negara-negara Berkembang (Developing Countries) atau D-8 yang bermarkas di Istanbul, Türkiye. Saya pernah mengatakan kepadanya, “Karena novelnya banyak berlatar di Selat Bosphorus, suatu saat nanti saya ingin ke sana.”
Saya pernah menceritakan kehidupan Rohani, pelukis disabilitas kepada Pak Dipo Alam. Lalu Pak Dipo memberikan bantuan kanvas, cat akrilik, dan pensil untuk melukis dalam jumlah banyak kepada Rohani. Saya bersama sejumlah wartawan mengantar bantuan Pak Dipo tersebut kepada Rohani. Bahkan, Pak Dipo sempat video call dengan Rohani. Perempuan itu tampak terharu menerima bantuan berkualitas dari Pak Dipo dan dalam jumlah besar.
Pada 21 Januari 2025, saya bertemu kembali dengan Pak Dipo di rumahnya. Ini kali kedua saya ke rumah Pak Dipo dan membahas kelanjutan penerbitan novel Pak Dipo tentang kisah perjuangan intelejen perempuan dari perebutan Istanbul di masa Sultan Mehmet II. Novel itu sudah selesai dan saya menyarankan untuk diedit sekali lagi sebelum diserahkan kepada penerbit.
Dalam pertemuan tersebut, Pak Dipo juga memperlihatkan beberapa lukisan karyanya dan hiasan dinding yang ia beli di Aceh. Beberapa lukisan berlatar Türkiye itulah yang saya tampilkan dalam foto-foto ini.
Pak Dipo masih terus melukis dan menulis sastra di usia senja. Beliau tidak pernah berhenti berkarya, menjadi inspirator bagi generasi muda. Semoga sehat selalu Pak Dipo dan terus berkarya di bidang seni.[]
Rohani, a disabled painter who was once assisted by Mr. Dipo Alam.