Entering the building at 106 Jalan Kramat Raya, in Kwitang, Senen,\nCentral Jakarta, visitors can immerse themselves in an historic event\nfrom 98 years ago, when young people from across the archipelago pledged\nallegiance to one homeland, one nation and one language.<\/p>\n
The building, now preserved as the Youth Pledge Museum, houses\nvarious collections related to the event, which took place on the\nevening of Sunday, 28 October 1928.<\/p>\n
Among them is the violin belonging to composer Wage Rudolf\nSoepratman, which he used to perform Indonesia\u2019s national anthem for the\nfirst time, shortly before the Youth Pledge was read aloud. His violin\nplaying, at times accompanied by his rather hoarse voice, was\nenthusiastically received by around 300 young people, most of them in\ntheir twenties.<\/p>\n
The slender Soepratman received congratulations and embraces from the\naudience, his eyes glistening with tears. The emergence of young people\nin the national movement at the time was one consequence of the Ethical\nPolicy introduced by the colonial government in the early 20th\ncentury.<\/p>\n
The Dutch were compelled to adopt the Ethical Policy in response to\nfierce criticism over their extreme brutality in the colony. This\nincluded the forced cultivation system, which caused millions of\nIndonesians to suffer and thousands to die.<\/p>\n
Under the policy, the Dutch gave Indonesians the opportunity to\npursue an education. As a result, many young people from different\nregions travelled to Batavia to study.<\/p>\n
At the time, outside Java, schools such as MULO could be counted on\none hand. MULO was only equivalent to a lower secondary school. South\nand South-east Sulawesi, for example, had just one MULO, in\nMakassar.<\/p>\n
In Batavia, these student youths felt that they shared the same fate\nand struggle. They went on to establish regional youth organisations,\nincluding Jong Java, Jong Sumatranen Bond, Jong Minahasa, Jong Celebes,\nJong Ambon, Jong Bataks Bond, Jong Timoreesch Bond, Sekar Rukun (a youth\nand student organisation from Sunda) and Pemuda Kaum Betawi. The last\ntwo groups rejected the word \u2018jong\u2019 because they considered it to have\ncolonial connotations.<\/p>\n
Jong Islamieten Bond was also established two years before the Youth\nPledge. This Islamic youth organisation was prompted in large part by\nthe activities of the political party Sarekat Islam (PSI).<\/p>\n
The young people then held the Youth Congress, which also aimed to\nbring youth organisations together under one umbrella. The congress took\nplace from 30 April to 2 May 1926.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-independence-was-in-sight-from-the-youth-pledge-declaration-1793166757", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }