Confused perceptions about national identity

Mochtar Buchori Jakarta

Do we know what kind of a nation we really are? Aren't we oftentimes confusing our "real", actual identity with our imagined one?

These questions keep coming up in my mind, especially since I took part in a discussion on how to restore our tarnished national identity. At this meeting I had a chance to meet people who seemed genuinely interested in getting a better understanding of what "national identity" means, and to discuss with them the numerous problems surrounding national identity.

Seven "experts", including myself, were invited to this meeting, and each one was first asked to express his view regarding the issue. These seven experts were all male and they came from various academic and professional backgrounds. It was thus no wonder that more than seven different views and opinions were offered on the concept of "national identity" or "Indonesian identity".

According to one expert there is just no such thing as "national identity". He said this was a concept that was both useful and powerful, but its embodiment was still in the process of becoming. What we have today in this regard is a collection of "ethnic identities".

Another expert responded by saying that even at the level of ethnic identity the picture that emerges is that of constant shifts and changes caused by several factors. There are changes caused by generational factors, other changes from assimilation factor, while some changes simply occur because of the passage of time. The new generation among the Javanese or Acehnese, for example, are a bit different from the old stereotypical Javanese or Acehnese. And with each successive generation this shift continues to take place.

There are also changes caused by interethnic marriages. The "Jambon" (Jawa-Ambon) mix or the "Jali" (Jawa-Bali) mix has brought about children who assume their own group identity after they grow up. They are neither Javanese nor Ambonese nor Balinese in their personality or cultural makeup.

Still another expert claimed that there was only one sure thing about "national identity" or "Indonesian identity"; that it is multicultural. The problem related to this identity is how we express it in our social interactions. In expressing our "Unity in Diversity" identity, there is the question of which element to emphasize. The "unity" element or the "diversity" element?

There were other interesting observations made by these seven experts. Acting as "resource people" in this meeting, they were trying to help identify ways that will guide the nation toward a more clearly defined contour of national identity. Such a step is considered important because leaving the nation unaided in its search for undefined national identity can have disastrous consequences. It can lead the nation to a situation where it remains indecisive in facing forced choices. What eventually emerges will be a national character that is filled with inconsistencies and contradictions. This is the identity of a sick nation.

A rather heated argument ensued between the experts and the bureaucrats who organized the meeting when the moderator said the ideas and views expressed in the discussion would perhaps be used to formulate policy to help guide the nation toward an existence that would inspire respect and awe among other nations.

This idea was labeled bina bangsa and bina negara policy, i.e. a policy that would allow the government to determine how the nation should be organized in the future.

This statement prompted an immediate reaction from one of the experts. He argued that the process of becoming a mature nation could not be dictated from above. It is a process that should proceed from the bottom up, not the other way around. Government intervention should be limited to fulfilling the most essential functions, i.e. facilitating society in its search for a final format of national identity.

My contribution to this meeting was a personal view concerning the way the "identity crisis" has been playing out in society and how it has caused a decline in our commitment to values. Previous generations committed themselves to values that constituted the guiding principles of this nation. These included mutual respect, trust in one another, honest exchanges of ideas and a shared commitment to a better collective future, among others. Do we still adhere to such values?

I concluded that the surest way to overcome this identity crisis was to implement a new kind of value education in our educational institutions. This new kind of value education would differ from traditional education in three ways.

First, it would encompass all kinds of values and would not be limited to esthetic and ethical values, i.e. values that underlie a sense of empathy.

The second difference is that the new kind of value education would not aim merely to make the young generation cognitively aware of the values they should be observing in their individual and collective lives. Beyond this goal the new value education would be designed to guide the young in the process of committing themselves to values they had come to know and understand. And third, this new kind of value education would be carried out by all teachers in their respective subject matters, and not only by teachers of the arts, religion and civic education.

Why is the issue of national identity so important?

Because identity determines the meaning of our existence. We, as a nation, cannot possibly achieve anything beyond the limits defined by our identity. Are we a rich or a poor nation? Perceptions differ. And this means that we have differing views of one aspect of our national identity. To behave as a member of a rich nation where the majority of the people are poor shows a very poor sense of one's own identity and the identity of the nation.

Perhaps we will never be able to grasp the true identity of our nation. In emergency situation we act on the basis of our true identity, but in discourse we talk primarily in terms of perceived national identity, which change from one generation to the next. And if we now feel that our national identity is on the brink of disintegration, it is the duty of every responsible citizen and group of citizens to restore this sagging identity and prevent it from declining any further.

Not the least important among these citizens and groups of citizens are politicians and political parties.

The writer has a doctorate in education from Harvard University.