How to be fearless in the face of authoritarianism | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Translator: Marsya Firina Reviewer: Nathaniel Luis Reyhan Soesilo

On August 12, 2020,

Pada 12 Agustus 2020,

two groups of girls went out to protest in Minsk,

dua kelompok gadis melakukan protes di Minsk,

the capital city of Belarus.

ibu kota Belarusia.

They put on white clothes

Mereka mengenakan pakaian putih

and went barefoot out into the street.

dan turun ke jalan dengan kaki telanjang.

In the morning,

Di pagi hari,

beberapa gadis pergi ke Pasar Komarovskiy di pusat kota.

some went to Komarovskiy Market in the center of town.

Later that day,

Kemudian,

the other group gathered with flowers

kelompok lain berkumpul sambil membawa bunga

at the eternal flame under the victory monument.

di api abadi di bawah monumen kemenangan.

They stood together holding hands,

Mereka berdiri bersama, bergandengan tangan

and they started to sing the Belarusian lullaby,

dan menyanyikan lagu pengantar tidur Belarusia

waiting for the police cars to arrive.

sambil menunggu mobil polisi datang.

They knew the police would pick them up just like that:

Mereka tahu polisi akan langsung membawa mereka,

barefoot with flowers in their hands,

dengan bertelanjang kaki dan membawa bunga,

that they would take them to the police station,

polisi akan membawa mereka ke kantor polisi,

beat them up and try to humiliate them.

memukuli mereka dan berusaha mempermalukan mereka.

And yet they did it anyway.

Namun, mereka tetap melakukannya.

This year, something changed in Belarus,

Tahun ini, ada yang berubah di Belarusia,

a country of more than nine million people

sebuah negara dengan lebih dari sembilan juta penduduk

that has been ruled by an authoritarian leader since 1994.

yang dipimpin oleh pemimpin otoriter sejak 1994.

These young women were protesting the latest rigged election result,

Para wanita muda ini memprotes hasil pemilu curang

which had taken [place] just a few days earlier.

yang baru terjadi beberapa hari sebelumnya.

Their small expressions of protest very quickly expanded

Protes kecil mereka dengan cepat meluas

into massive, peaceful, women-led demonstrations

menjadi unjuk rasa damai berskala besar yang dipimpin wanita

all across the country.

di seluruh negeri.

Within just a few days,

Hanya dalam beberapa hari,

a few hundred thousand people took to the streets

ratusan ribu orang turun ke jalan

and demonstrations have continued ever since,

dan unjuk rasa masih terus berlanjut.

the likes of which Belarus has never seen before.

Peristiwa seperti itu belum pernah terjadi di Belarusia.

All this despite the fact

Unjuk rasa berlanjut walau presiden menyatakan dirinya kembali terpilih

that the president proclaimed himself reelected

and that more than 10,000 people have been detained,

dan lebih dari 10.000 orang telah ditahan,

hundreds tortured

ratusan orang disiksa

and at least six killed.

dan setidaknya enam orang dibunuh.

Many people wonder why the people of Belarus are speaking up now.

Banyak orang bertanya mengapa warga Belarusia bersuara sekarang.

What makes them keep taking to the streets

Apa yang membuat mereka terus turun ke jalan

despite unprecedented police violence,

meski terjadi kekerasan oleh polisi

despite state lawlessness?

dan pelanggaran hukum oleh negara?

The answer I hear the most

Jawaban yang paling sering saya dengar

is that people have become fearless,

adalah orang-orang menjadi tak kenal takut,

and it's something we have become together.

dan itu sesuatu yang dicapai bersama-sama.

Because fear is the province of one.

Karena rasa takut tumbuh dari kesendirian.

It feeds on isolation.

Ia tumbuh dari isolasi.

It doesn't discriminate:

Ia tak mendiskriminasi:

men, women, children, elderly --

pria, wanita, anak-anak, orang tua.

all of us can feel fear,

Kita semua bisa merasa takut,

but only as long as we are on our own.

tetapi hanya ketika kita sendirian.

Fearlessness takes two.

Rasa tak kenal takut butuh kebersamaan.

It only works if and when we show up for each other.

Hanya bisa dirasakan saat kita hadir untuk satu sama lain.

Show up so that your neighbor,

Hadirlah agar tetangga,

your colleague, your friend has courage.

kolega, dan teman Anda memiliki keberanian.

And they will do the same for you.

Mereka pun akan hadir untuk Anda.

A lot has been made of my own role in the presidential election

Banyak peran yang telah saya lakukan dalam pemilihan presiden

of August 2020.

pada Agustus 2020.

How I stepped in to run for my husband, Sergei, when he was jailed

Saya mencalonkan diri untuk suami saya, Sergei, saat dia dipenjara,

and it became clear that the authorities would deny him his chance to run himself;

dan tampak jelas bahwa aparat menghalanginya mencalonkan diri.

how I rightfully won the election

Saya menang pemilu secara sah

and became the elected leader of a democratic Belarus,

dan menjadi pemimpin terpilih untuk Belarusia demokratis,

but the official results only gave me 10 percent of the vote

tetapi hasil resmi hanya memberi saya 10 persen suara

and I was forced into exile with my children;

dan saya terpaksa diasingkan bersama anak-anak saya.

how I still fight for those who voted for me

Saya masih berjuang bagi mereka yang memilih saya

and whose voice the regime wants to steal;

dan mereka yang berusaha dibungkam oleh rezim.

how "fearless" I am.

Betapa saya "tak kenal takut."

But there were many moments when I was frightened,

Namun, ada banyak momen ketika saya takut

and I wanted to step down.

dan ingin mundur.

I was threatened

Saya diancam

and forced to believe that I'm alone in this fight.

dan dipaksa percaya bahwa saya berjuang sendirian.

And yet the more cities I visited,

Namun, makin banyak kota yang saya kunjungi,

the more people showed up for the rallies,

makin banyak orang yang menghadiri kampanye,

the less fear I had.

ketakutan saya makin berkurang.

And then in the days before the election in Minsk,

Lalu beberapa hari sebelum pemilihan di Minsk,

60,000 people came to show their support for me,

60.000 orang datang untuk mendukung saya,

and I was no longer afraid.

dan saya tidak takut lagi.

I never wanted to do any of this.

Saya tak pernah berniat melakukan ini.

I was never overly political,

Saya tak terlalu politis

and I never planned to run for office.

dan tak pernah berniat mencalonkan diri.

I wanted to be a mom and a wife.

Saya ingin menjadi seorang ibu dan istri.

But by fate and the will of my people,

Namun, berkat takdir dan kehendak pendukung saya,

I was elevated to this position.

saya diangkat ke posisi ini.

And I accept this with a sense of duty and pride.

Saya menerimanya dengan rasa tanggung jawab dan kebanggaan.

I will not give up.

Saya tidak akan menyerah.

And I will show up for people, because they show up for me.

Saya akan hadir bagi masyarakat karena mereka hadir untuk saya.

Our courage is born from unity.

Keberanian kita terlahir dari persatuan.

Our solidarity is our strength.

Solidaritas kita adalah kekuatan kita.

I also now understand that being fearless is a commitment.

Saya kini juga memahami

bahwa tak kenal takut adalah sebuah komitmen.

It is a decision you make every single day.

Itu adalah keputusan yang kita buat setiap hari.

It is a responsibility you take --

Tanggung jawab yang kita pikul,

responsibility for one another.

tanggung jawab untuk sesama.

In this regard, I'm no different from my fellow Belarusians.

Dalam hal ini, saya pun sama seperti masyarakat Belarusia lain.

Their support is tangible.

Dukungan mereka nyata.

Their solidarity grows in progression.

Solidaritas mereka terus berkembang.

When there are two of you,

Ketika ada dua orang,

you are daring.

kalian tegar.

When you're 100, you are brave.

Saat ada 100 orang, kalian berani.

When there are thousands of you,

Saat ada seribu orang,

you are fearless.

kalian tak kenal takut.

And once you are tens of thousands,

Saat ada puluhan ribu orang,

you become invincible.

kalian menjadi tak terkalahkan.

Thank you.

Terima kasih.