Parents hope children learn substantial essence of politics<\/p>\n
Annastashya Emmanuelle
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The ongoing Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR), kicked off on Aug. 1 and will end on Aug. 10. Many
\nIndonesians have shown interest but others have ignored it.<\/p>\n
Jakarta's teenagers show a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the
\nevent. Most of them claimed to have lost hope or faith in the
\ncountry's legislators and the government in general.<\/p>\n
The constant struggle of power, resulting in continuous
\nbickering among politicians, only leads to more confusion said
\nthe students. They considered the country is in great need of
\nleaders who are genuinely concerned about improving the wellbeing
\nof the people.<\/p>\n
Parents, however, hope their children can increase their
\nknowledge of politics through both the civic and public
\nadministration subjects -- which serve as an introduction to
\npolitics in general as part of the Indonesian education
\ncurriculum.<\/p>\n
They even encourage schools to increase the focus on these
\nsubjects, either in class or through extracurricular activities.
\nThey hope their children will be able to appreciate different
\nopinions whilst having an opinion of their own.<\/p>\n
\"We hope with a broader political education, we would be able
\nto have mature, knowledgeable young people with a high degree of
\nintegrity and who can lead the nation in the future,\" said Irawan
\nSugito, whose youngest child is still in high school.<\/p>\n
Various activities, including the election of student
\nrepresentatives and debates in some schools, have also been
\nimplemented to stimulate students on their organizational skills.<\/p>\n
But some parents still object to the idea of their children
\ntaking part in street rallies as it is time consuming and
\npotentially dangerous.<\/p>\n
Although not all children show an interest in politics, a
\nsufficient knowledge of the conduct of a government as well as
\nthe rights and duty of a citizen must be introduced in their teen
\nyears, said Roy Boedikoentjara, whose youngest son just graduated
\nfrom high school.<\/p>\n
\"A lack of interest in politics could be caused by the lack of
\na proper introduction both in school and at home,\" Roy said,
\nadding that the current political situation, tainted with short-
\nterm political motives and tacky bickering, might cause teenagers
\nto get the wrong perception of politics and completely loose
\ninterest.<\/p>\n
Bara Anadi Putra, a second grade student from Lab High School
\nin East Jakarta, said the Annual Session meant nothing to him as
\nit was more a formality than an event that truly symbolizes
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
\"I haven't seen any improvements since the so-called
\nreformists promised a better future for Indonesians,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also considered that politicians had been too busy securing
\ntheir own personal or party agendas rather than spending time
\nattempting to improve the condition of the country.<\/p>\n
The fact that less rallies or riots have taken place compared
\nto the time of the fall of Soeharto in 1998 does not signify the
\nimprovement of the country, as in his observation people are
\nincreasingly loosing faith in the government due to their many
\nbroken promises.<\/p>\n
\"As for me, I don't know what to hope for anymore. Besides, it
\nhas become rather tiring to follow the political condition of the
\ncountry which grows increasingly uncertain each and every day,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
While for 15-year-old Firzal Siddik, a student at the SMU 3
\nstate high school in South Jakarta, the politicians' corruption
\nis the main reason behind the country's regression. Corruption is
\ncarried out openly without the slightest remorse as it is seen as
\na regular procedure.<\/p>\n
\"I don't care about the political situation in Indonesia nor
\nthe Annual Session. Why should I be watching corrupt politicians
\nspreading lies on television or in newspapers?\" he asked
\nvehemently.<\/p>\n
Other high school students expressed the same sentiment,
\nalthough there are also those who are unwilling to follow the
\ndevelopment of the country's political situations due to their
\nlack of interest in politics itself.<\/p>\n
Arief Rahman, an education observer, said schools must break
\naway from the mind set of emphasizing the importance of grades
\nwhile forgetting the importance of developing the mentality and
\nattitude of the students, which was the essence of education.<\/p>\n
Students should be accustomed with plurality, because living
\nas a political being is about living harmoniously within rules.<\/p>\n
\"Politics should be based on morals, therefore, the most
\nimportant thing is to prepare the students to enable them to
\nbecome responsible and trustworthy future leaders,\" Arief said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/parents-hope-children-learn-substantial-essence-of-politics-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}