On being Indonesia<\/p>\n
Nearly all Indonesians who went to school during the last 36
\nyears will have recited an oath on Oct. 28. as part of an annual
\nceremony. Usually, the date is also marked by the reading out of
\nan address, directed toward strengthening childrens' pride in
\nbeing Indonesian, by the Minister of National Education.<\/p>\n
Cultural and sports competitions are also part of the festive
\ncommemoration. Basically, the aim of the ceremony is to maintain
\na sense of strong nationhood among Indonesians. But how strongly
\nthe rituals are influencing the conscience of the students
\nremains to be seen.<\/p>\n
It was exactly 75 years ago -- or 17 years before Indonesia
\ndeclared its independence -- that a group of Indonesian youth
\nleaders from various ethnic, religious and educational
\nbackgrounds laid down a visionary and ever-lasting foundation for
\nthe forging of an independent and united nation across this
\nhugely diverse archipelago that is now called Indonesia.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Oct. 28, 1928, in a modest building on Jl. Kramat
\nRaya in the heart of what was then called Batavia (now Central
\nJakarta), the youths came forth with a legendary document that
\ndeclared their commitment to the achievement of their long-term
\ngoal for Indonesia, which they strongly believed would become a
\nrealty in the not-too-distant future.<\/p>\n
Their vision was formulated in a three-point declaration of
\ncommitment that has since become known as the Youth's Pledge:
\nthat they all belonged to one undivided Indonesian nation, that
\nIndonesia was their motherland, and that Bahasa Indonesian was
\ntheir common language.<\/p>\n
In these difficult times, however, out of those three pledges,
\nonly the commitment to maintain Bahasa Indonesian as a lingua
\nfranca is still relatively well preserved. The reason is that it
\nis has proven its worth as the most effective means of
\ncommunication in an archipelagic country that comprises hundreds
\nof tribes and about as many different languages, spoken by more
\nthan 210 million people who inhabit no less than 17,000 islands.<\/p>\n
In effect, the pledge contains the nation's fundamental ideal
\nof \"being Indonesia\" as enshrined in the motto Bhineka Tunggal
\nIka, or Unity in Diversity. During President Soeharto's 32-year
\nrule, unity -- which actually meant uniformity at that time --
\nbecame the magic word. Thus, it was understood that unity was to
\nbe maintained at all costs, while diversity was sidelined.
\nConflicts relating to \"SARA\" (ethnic, religious and inter-group
\nconflicts) were simply swept under the carpet because stability
\nwas to be held above everything else.<\/p>\n
When Soeharto's power collapsed in 1998, however, those
\nconflicts could no longer be hidden. Many of them exploded or
\nrocketed out of control. Now that enforced unity is often cited
\nas the prime source of the horizontal conflicts that have emerged
\nin the society. The question is, where is the spirit of the Youth
\nPledge in our daily life as a nation?<\/p>\n
We must also keep in mind that, actually, only those who are
\nIndonesian citizens via naturalization can claim that they have
\njoined this nation by choice. For most others, citizenship is not
\na matter of choice because they were born Indonesian. They live
\nin this country because their parents also live here.<\/p>\n
And there are other worrying signs: Like the poor condition of
\nthe venue where the pledge was made, known at present as the
\nYouth's Pledge Museum. The spirit of the pledge is now also
\nlargely ignored and is only remembered as a ceremonial
\nobligation.<\/p>\n
Today, let us, as Indonesians, ask ourselves whether we are
\nstill really proud to be Indonesians? Proud, even though the
\nworld community views us as a sick state, if not a state on the
\nverge of dying because of the deadly diseases that infest it?<\/p>\n
If our answer is 'No', then the next question is, what should
\nwe do to restore that pride? This simple but basic question needs
\na thorough answer from all the people who identify themselves as
\nIndonesians. When no feeling of pride remains in our hearts it
\nwill be much more difficult to unite this nation and to move
\nforward and away from its seemingly infinite troubles.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-being-indonesia-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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