Confused perceptions about national identity

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.