Shining Sonya!: Graduation Announcement Report

On the fifth anniversary of the Bank Century case which I have recently covered, the JKT48 member whom I support the most, Sonya Pandarmawan, decided to graduate. But it seems I was fated to attend her final show.

Wednesday night had not yet transitioned into Thursday when information emerged among journalists who regularly report on the Corruption Eradication Commission that Jusuf Kalla would arrive in the afternoon for questioning on the Bank Century case. The former vice president would take the stand exactly five years after the fateful discussion on the bank’s fate.

On November 21, 2008, a meeting of officials from Bank Indonesia and the Financial System Stability Committee issued an unprecedented resolution. Bank Century was authorized to receive a short-term loan from the government despite insufficient capital adequacy ratio. The bank was deemed insolvent and needed a financial bailout.

That night, I thought Thursday would become a very long day. Jusuf Kalla’s questioning by the Commission could end in the evening, or at the earliest he could leave the premises following Maghrib prayer. Moreover, his arrival at the Commission was not scheduled until the afternoon.

Rumors of Sonya and Diasta graduating emerged on Twitter and other media on Thursday morning. It’s not clear who first spread the rumor, but the news came as a surprise because it was not the first time I had heard it. Reports of Sonya’s planned graduation had been circulating since before Indonesia’s 68th independence day celebrations.

This awakened my curiosity and desire to head to the Theater. However, I couldn’t just abandon my work. I couldn’t miss Jusuf Kalla’s arrival at the Commission. What would I put on the front page of tomorrow’s paper? My face?

In the end, I decided to bury my desire of visiting the Theater. That decision proved to be correct when Jusuf Kalla arrived at the Commission’s office. He claimed to reporters that he did not know why the Commission had called him for questioning that November 21. To his knowledge, Thursday was the fifth anniversary of the Bank Century scandal. The fateful meeting of banking officials occurred on that date.

Suddenly, the moderator of Flickr JKT48′s photography pool, Qinthara Arief informed me that he was heading to the JKT48 Theater. His oshimen and mine happened to be the same girl—Sonya. The bad news from earlier must have reached his ears as well. As a result, my buried desire to go to the Theater returned. I wanted to see for myself whether the rumors, which had spread uncontrollably by late afternoon, were true.

Finally, at approximately 3:40 p.m., Jusuf Kalla was preparing to leave. Great. This means I can finish my duty at the Commission quickly. As expected, he emerged from the building five minutes later and left the Commission office premises. With my task at the anti-corruption body completed and confirmation received from Commission officials received, I rushed to the JKT48 Theater.

Given that I was short on time, and that 4 p.m. was the start of rush hour traffic in Jakarta, I tried to make my way to fX shopping center as quickly as possible. As a responsible fan, I still obeyed the traffic regulations. Have you ever seen the video clip of Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life?” It was something like that. The difference was that it wasn’t a girl waiting, but a guy! Poor me.

As usual, the Theater venue that afternoon was very crowded. Because I had not applied for a ticket online, I was forced to take a waiting list number. The rumors had apparently brought many fans to the vicinity. I had to be satisfied with the numbers 43, 44, 45, and 46 and put on a grim smile.

We claimed four numbers because friends of the photography pool’s moderator also came along. I began drafting news reports as we waited. There was a good hour-and-a-half before 6:30 p.m., the time for claiming waiting list tickets as recommended by the ticketing staff. I typed furiously and was able to finish four stories.

That night’s performance began shortly past 7:00 p.m. I couldn’t be precise because my watch would shift with every passing minute, but it was around that time. The show began with voice announcement by Rica and opened with “Cahaya Panjang” (Nagai Hikari) with Haruka entering along with the piano accompaniment. Sonya wore a green costume. She looked beautiful.

Sonya performed well that evening, including the unit song in which she performed. It was as if there was no burden of a graduation announcement following the show. I knew for certain because my eyes were focused on her through the course of the performances, more so because of the rumors of her graduation.

I remember well her smile at the closing of “Jatuh Cinta Setiap Bertemu Denganmu” (Kimi ni Autabi Koi wo Suru), natural and full of satisfaction. During the introduction session, Sonia began the next sequence of events. She proposed the theme of “creating an abstract introduction of the member next to you”. Laughter exploded when she created a new introduction for Sonya who was beside her.

“I have chubby cheeks, and I’m sexy, but I’m fat. My name is Sonya,” she said. Sonya burst into laughter, but she only responded, “You’ve really done it this time.” You can guess what happened next. Fans in the Theater immediately began teasing Sonya with the introduction Sonia created for her. “This is all your fault,” she said to Sonia who only returned her a with grin.

Continuing, Sonya created an introduction for Gaby. “I’m a beauty who loves to laugh like I’m possessed. I’m Gaby!” Sonya declared. The introductions became more rowdy when Diasta created one for Rica. “Even though I’m the smallest in Team J, I’m the oldest. I’m Rica!” she said.

Laughter exploded again, and the Theater became very noisy as Diasta and Rica teased each other on their respective ages. Rica said that Diasta is also pretty old in age, but Diasta was good at comebacks. She said it was all right to be old because her body also grew proportionally.

Introductions were followed by unit songs. “Malaikat Hitam” (Kuroi Tenshi) was performed by Gaby, Sonia, and Rica. Following them in “Virus Tipe Hati” (Heart Gata Virus) were the trio of Sonya, Diasta, and Ayana. As Sonya performed that unit song, she appeared to be enjoying herself. She was always putting on a sweet smile. Don’t forget the oversized butterfly ribbon on her hair which made her look even more cute.

This was followed by “Aturan Anti Cinta” (Renai Kinshi Jourei) by Haruka, Beby, and Ve. As usual, Beby danced very energetically. Does she ever slow down? In “Tsundere!” were Sendy, Nabilah, and Cindy who appeared adorable. Lastly, “Mawar Natal Musim Panas” (Manatsu no Christmas Rose) was performed by Kinal, Ghaida, Dhike, and Shania.

When the unit songs were over, Ayana, Rica, Sonia, Gaby, Diasta, and Sonya emerged on stage for the talk session. At one point I became anxious because it could be the time for the graduation announcement, especially when Sonya and Diasta are on stage together. However, it proceeded without incident and included some mini games. There was no announcement.

Diasta however admitted that she was a bit disoriented when performing “Virus Tipe Hati” because she did not appear in theater performances very often and only learned the song that same day for her first performance. During the game of song medleys, Sonya sang a short segment of Sandhy Sondoro’s “Malam Biru” (Blue Night). Her voice was amazing!

The show continued with the usual song line-up, “Switch”, “109″, “Jejak Awan Pesawat” (Hikoukigumo), and “Sneakers Waktu Itu” (Ano Koro no Sneakers). The next talk session was presented Shania, Diasta, Haruka, Beby, Dhike, Nabilah, Ghaida, Gaby, dan Sonya. I also considered the possibility of it being the moment of the graduation announcement.

Nevertheless, the session with the theme of “dream airplane” continued peacefully. Sonya said she wanted to build an airplane that is not too luxurious, but there would be enough room for comfortable beds with nice cover sheets. Of course, she didn’t forget the seat belts for safety during the flight.

That evening’s encore call was “Ankoru”. It echoed through the Theater to call out members to finish the three remaining songs, “JKT Datang!” (JKT Sanjou!), “Nafas dalam Air Mata” (Namida no Shinkokyuu), and “Teriakan Berlian” (Oogoe Diamond). Until the conclusion of the show, there was no announcement. I thought the rumors were baseless at this point.

On the contrary, hints that the rumors were true materialized as members said their goodbyes. Before all the members returned to the front of the stage during the “Se–no” call, Sonya suddenly stopped their actions. I remember very well Sonya’s and Diasta’s words that night.

“The two of us—I, Sonya Pandarmawan, and Diasta hereby graduate from JKT48.” Silence fell over the Theater. Several members began to cry. Diasta continued. “Thank you to all the members for everything. And to you [fans] as well, thank you for your support all this time. I hope we can continue to chase our dreams. We will definitely meet again,” Diasta said.

It was very moving. Suddenly, fans called out Sonya’s and Diasta’s names in unity in the midst of members’ uncontrollable cries. It seems she did not inform the others about her graduation before the show. Continuing, Sonya said that JKT48 is a very special place for her. “This is a place where I could train my ego and dance. Everyone came together here, like your own family. All of you are already like my own family,” she said as she was met with hugs from all members.

Team J’s captain, Kinal, tried to break the tearful atmosphere. She thanked Sonya and Diasta. “Thank you so very much. We love you very much, and you will forever be family to us,” she said.

Sonya didn’t want the emotional atmosphere to linger for long. She asked other members and fans to wipe away their tears, especially since they still have to close the show. Members who were still crouching and crying in front of the stage curtains began to stand. Kinal instructed the fans to call out Sonya’s and Diasta’s names again.

As a final tribute, Sonya led that evening’s farewell. “Thank you very much for today! Se–no!” she cried.

“Graduation” is a word fans dread their oshimen will say. But not for me. On the other hand, I think it’s a wonderful thing. Those members have the courage to make a big decision in their lives, to leave the comfort zone that they grew up in, especially when their talents can be channeled to other activities. That is why when I gave Sonya a high five I said, “Congratulations. You’ve made a courageous decision. I wish you nothing but success.”

I don’t know whether she heard those words. Regardless, I will continue to support her. To me, Sonya is like a pearl buried in the mud. It must be scraped away in order to see its full glory. JKT48 might not be the right place to shed that mud.

I don’t know where Sonya will go after today. Whatever her decision is, I’m confident that she has thought over it thoroughly. I hope her new destination or path can help throw away that mud. Whether that is through staying in entertainment or by returning to her education, she will continue to have my support. To paraphrase from the final lyrics of “Cahaya Panjang” (Nagai Hikari), “Shining… shining… shining… Sonya, shining… shining… shining… Sonya. Only you! Shine, Sonya!”

On the road home from the Theater, I tried to guess what prompted her to graduate, including one statement on Twitter which indicated the possibility of her graduation because she never managed to enter senbatsu in previous single releases. However, I discontinued those thoughts as it would be slander if she makes no official statement about it.

I remember very well the moment I chose Sonya as my oshimen, when I was returning from one of the first theater performances Pasaraya Blok M. Prior to that, I supported JKT48 without an oshimen since the announcement of the project. Why did I choose her? It has something to do with my occupation as a journalist.

When they were first introduced, I had the opportunity to interview a few members. I was able to communicate with with them, but I could not find one who was suitable to receive my support. Later, the Jawa Pos editorial team wanted to create a special coverage of JKT48 when they were performing at Pasaraya Blok M. I went to watch the theater show and interviewed them as well.

Very few media outlets chose to report on their activities in those days, a stark contrast to today when many want to accompany them on their journey. If I’m not mistaken, the second theater show ended with a handshake session. After fans had left the venue, a few members were prepared for interviews with three or four media outlets. One of them was me, as the Jawa Pos representative.

At that time, a few members gathered at a seat discussing AKB48′s album and also Mayuyu’s hair. Sonya did not join the conversation despite sitting in the same row of seats, so I started a small chat with her because she seemed to have nothing to do. She might have forgotten that incident, but I will never forget it because it’s one of my precious memories from this idoling experience.

It was a brief conversation until a management official asked them to return to the stage for the interview session. They gathered on the stage for B Channel and other television networks who interviewed and photographed them. I chose her as my oshimen following that event.

Don’t ask why. I thought she was an appropriate fit, so she deserved my full support. That’s all.