Discourse on nationalism on the wrong track<\/p>\n
By Santi WE Soekanto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Today's National Awakening Day is not the
\nroutine ritual that we have seen each year in the past. President
\nSoeharto wants it to mark Indonesia's Second National Awakening.<\/p>\n
Soeharto appealed last week to the people to reinvigorate
\ntheir sense of nationalism so they could better handle the
\ncurrent trend of rapid global change. However, he also warned
\nagainst chauvinism.<\/p>\n
\"Our national vision must not turn us into dwarfs. We live in
\na community of nations,\" Soeharto said. \"On the other hand, our
\nnational vision must not be overpowered by global changes.
\nWithout a national vision, we will lose our identity.\"<\/p>\n
\"That is why we should continuously invigorate our sense of
\nnationalism. (This) way we can answer the challenges and
\nopportunities ahead of us,\" he said.<\/p>\n
May 20, 1908 marked the founding of Boedi Oetomo, the first
\norganization resembling a national movement while Indonesia was
\nstill a Dutch colony. The movement grew and Indonesia gained its
\nindependence in 1945.<\/p>\n
Over the past week, there have been discourses about whether
\nIndonesia needs the more \"internationalistic,\" or outward-looking
\nnationalism or the kind of nationalism which encourages unity.<\/p>\n
Prominent historian Taufik Abdullah believed the current
\ndiscourses are moving in the wrong direction. Along with
\npolitical scientist Dr. Maswadi Rauf, whom The Jakarta Post
\ninterviewed separately, Taufik believed that the plan to turn the
\nsecond 25-year development plan into the nation's second
\nawakening era will be a road filled with obstacles.<\/p>\n
Among those obstacles are the demands for protection of
\nprotect human rights and a freer democracy, which are felt more
\nacutely in the face of the rapid global change.<\/p>\n
Another problem<\/p>\n
Another problem which the nation has to contend with,
\naccording to Maswadi, is the eroding sense of nationalism.<\/p>\n
Taufik, however, believed it was not a matter of eroding
\nnationalism. He felt that the problems emerge because people have
\nbeen holding on to the wrong kind of nationalism.<\/p>\n
According to Taufik, there is \"cultural nationalism\" and
\n\"political nationalism\".<\/p>\n
He felt that the country was built on political nationalism,
\nbased on the spirit of independence and democratic political
\norder. In his view, the current discourses are oriented toward
\ncultural nationalism which is based on the tradition of Javanese
\nsultanates.<\/p>\n
The dichotomy creates confusion. \"That's why people campaign
\nfor nationalism but then claim that Indonesia does not recognize
\nthe 'culture' of resigning as a form of accountability for a
\nperson's wrongdoing,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Historians said the discussion of nationalism went back 85
\nyears ago when a number of scholars set up Boedi Oetomo.<\/p>\n
The organization was influential in promoting education and
\nmodernization, and numerous later political movements owed their
\nexistence to the efforts of this pioneering organization.<\/p>\n
According to Taufik, Boedi Oetomo was taken over in October
\n1908 from students and activists by a group of ningrat (people
\nwho were related to Javanese royals). Its founder, Dr. Tjipto
\nMangunkusumo left the organization because his suggestion that it
\nbe involved in politics, was rejected.<\/p>\n
Boedi Oetomo then became more involved in cooperative politics
\nand in developing \"the national identity and personality\", which
\nwere later crystallized into a \"cultural nationalism\".<\/p>\n
Tjipto, on the other hand, became more resolute in his efforts
\nto establish a new, independent political order. His ideas became
\nthe foundation of a type of political nationalism.<\/p>\n
According to Taufik, Indonesia's independence movement was
\ninfluenced by the far-reaching, visionary political nationalism.
\nThe revolution, the 1945 proclamation of independence, the
\nConstitution, and the state-ideology Pancasila were a reflection
\nof this.<\/p>\n
It was in this spirit that Indonesia's first president,
\nSoekarno, declared that \"ours is not a royalist nationalism; ours
\nis a people-nationalism\", according to Taufik.<\/p>\n
\"Our country was built on a vision for the future, on
\npolitical nationalism,\" Taufik said. \"However, people now are
\ntrying to invigorate the cultural nationalism, which is based on
\nthe tradition of kraton\".<\/p>\n
Most pressing<\/p>\n
Maswadi Rauf said that one of the most pressing questions now
\nis how to instill a sense of nationalism in the young people. \"It
\nis eroding, and we should see this as a warning.\"<\/p>\n
According to Maswadi, the second national awakening should be
\nfilled with efforts to maintain people's loyalty toward the
\ncountry. \"We should remind people to exhibit their nationalism
\nby, for instance, avoiding activities which are harming the
\ncountry.\"<\/p>\n
People who tarnish Indonesia's name abroad and those who are
\nbusy making money without heeding the suffering of other people
\nare displaying signs of nationalist erosion, he added.
\n\"Considering these conditions, then the issue of second national
\nawakening and the need to instill a strong sense of nationalism
\nare still relevant.\"<\/p>\n
However, Maswadi admitted that even the most effective
\ncampaign to instill nationalism would be pointless without the
\npresence of social justice. \"No matter how well ethnic groups
\ncoexist here, the lack of social justice will weaken national
\nloyalty and, instead, strengthen loyalty to religious, ethnic or
\ntribal groups.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/discourse-on-nationalism-on-the-wrong-track-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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