PERSAHABATAN DENGAN PROF. SLIKERVEER: DARI PITHANTROPUS SAMPAI “GAK ILOK!”
Oleh JS Budi
Ada persahabatan yang dimulai dari meja makan. Persahabatan saya dengan Prof. Slikerveer justru dimulai dari diskusi tentang manusia purba, kerajaan Jawa, ekonomi, lalu berakhir dengan satu kalimat sederhana: “Gak ilok!”
Prof. Slikerveer adalah arkeolog yang memperoleh penghargaan langsung dari Pak Harto atas jerih payahnya meneliti Pithantropus Javanese di Mojokerto. Persahabatan berawal ketika beliau menjadi promotor beberapa kandidat doktor Universitas Padjadjaran. Kami sering berdiskusi di Lounge Preanger tentang kebudayaan Jawa masa lampau. Beliau mampu menjelaskan bagaimana kerajaan Jawa mengatur perekonomian dengan sangat detail.
Saat kami bertemu kembali, saya sedang belajar di The Hague, Amsterdam, sementara beliau mengajar di Erasmus University—kampus paling keren di Eropa. Beliau lalu menyarankan, “Yoni, fokuslah pada makroekonomi kerajaan.” Saya tertarik dan mengikuti sarannya dengan mengambil kuliah S3 di Jakarta. Namun baru satu semester, saya mulai garuk-garuk kepala. Materinya ternyata lebih banyak masuk ke politik ekonomi.
Saya menghubungi beliau dan berkata, “Prof, saya tidak lanjut.” Saya tidak ingin terlalu larut dalam politik di Indonesia nantinya. Saya pernah belajar politik hitam-putih di Jepang bersama keluarga besar Perdana Menteri Hatoyama. Tidak ada yang abu-abu. Saya memilih dunia yang lebih saya sukai: mikroekonomi, khususnya manajemen perusahaan. Beliau menjawab “Yoni, yang penting ilmu-mu bermanfaat untuk orang lain. Jangan dipakai sendiri. Gak ilok!”
Saya tertawa. Kok profesor dari Eropa tahu istilah Jawa?
Beliau menjawab santai, “Saya lama di Jawa.”
Saya hanya tersenyum. Ternyata jarak geografis jauh, tetapi nasihat seorang mentor bisa tetap dekat.
Dan benar: ilmu kalau hanya disimpan sendiri… “gak ilok!”
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THE FRIENDSHIP WITH PROF. SLIKERVEER: FROM PITHANTROPUS TO “GAK ILOK!”
Some friendships begin over a meal. My friendship with Prof. Slikerveer, however, began with discussions about ancient humans, Javanese kingdoms, economics, and somehow ended with one simple phrase: “Gak ilok!”
Prof. Slikerveer was an archaeologist who received an award directly from President Soeharto for his dedication to researching Pithantropus Javanese in Mojokerto. Our friendship began when he became the promoter of several doctoral candidates from Universitas Padjadjaran. We often met at the Lounge Preanger to discuss Javanese culture in the distant past. He could explain in remarkable detail how the Javanese kingdoms organized and managed their economies.
When we met again, I was studying in The Hague, Amsterdam, while he was teaching at Erasmus University—the coolest university in Europe. He then advised me, “Yoni, you should focus on the macroeconomics of the kingdoms.” I found the idea fascinating and followed his advice by pursuing a doctoral degree in Jakarta. But after just one semester, I started scratching my head. The subjects were increasingly focused on political economy.
I contacted him and said, “Prof, I’m not going to continue.” I did not want to become too deeply involved in Indonesian politics later on. I had already studied black-and-white politics in Japan with the extended family of Prime Minister Hatoyama. There was no room for grey areas. I preferred the field I enjoyed more: microeconomics, particularly business management.
He simply replied, “Yoni, what matters is that your knowledge is useful to other people. Don’t keep it only for yourself. Gak ilok!”
I laughed. How did a professor from Europe know such a Javanese expression?
He casually replied, “I spent a long time in Java.”
I could only smile. Apparently, geographical distance can be great, but a mentor’s wisdom can remain remarkably close.
And indeed, knowledge is not meant to be kept for oneself… “gak ilok!” 😂
