Decentralization and Youth Pledge

Decentralization and Youth Pledge

Sunny Tanuwidjaja, Dekalb, Illinois

Seventy years ago, all regional representatives throughout
Indonesia gathered in Batavia (now Jakarta) to affirm their unity
in the Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Pledge). Satu tanah air -- tanah air
Indonesia; satu bangsa -- bangsa Indonesia, dan satu bahasa --
Bahasa Indonesia (To be one nation -- the Indonesian nation; one
people -- the Indonesian people, and to have one language -- the
Indonesian language was their oath. This oath has been the
foundation for Indonesian independence and its continuing
existence as a nation until today.

In contrast, after the fall of the New Order in 1998, many
regions voiced their discontent toward the central government.
Discontent because, after decades of independence there were no
significant developments in their regions relative to the central
regions and Java. This led to the demand for local autonomy and
the implementation of decentralization in 2001 throughout
Indonesia.

In some cases, like Aceh, Papua and what is now Timor Leste,
there were demands for independence. Timor Leste has already
become a nation, Aceh was granted special autonomy and
local political parties will run in their next local election,
while in Papua there are growing demands for self-governance.

Are these demands for more autonomy and independence
violations of the spirit of unity proclaimed in the Sumpah
Pemuda? A deeper look into the meaning of unity shows
decentralization does not violate the vow proclaimed in the
Sumpah Pemuda, but reaffirms it.

Robert Crib in his writing Nation: Making Indonesia points out
that the reason different regions united as a nation called
Indonesia was not only that they had a common enemy. Instead, a
more fundamental reason for unity was the fact that the idea of
Indonesia provided a promise of modernization and development.
Based on this, we can see that unity is not an end but a way to a
a higher purpose, which is modernity and development.

In 1928, different regions committed themselves to the
struggle for an independent Indonesia. This idea of participation
is also echoed now in decentralization, where different regions
-- despite having an agenda to develop their own districts and
provinces -- contribute to the improvement of Indonesia as a
whole.

Political decentralization through the implementation of the
direct presidential election and the direct elections of regents,
mayors and governors, facilitates the direct participation of the
regions. Fiscal decentralization allows funds for developmental
projects and for social services to be distributed across
Indonesia based on regional needs and spending capacity.

Administrative decentralization assigns social as well as
economic functions such as health services, education,
agriculture development, industry management and many others.

All these different forms of decentralization clearly increase
the participation and interdependence of regions in the pursuit
of development and modernity in the frame of a nation called
Indonesia.

A decentralization policy is expected to discourage
disintegration and encourage unity by increasing the stake of
each region as a part of Indonesia and by delivering the promise
of unity, which is development and modernity, to regions
throughout Indonesia.

As we, Indonesians today, revisit the Sumpah Pemuda as one of
the most important events in our history as a nation, we need to
encourage participation and interdependence facilitates by the
current decentralization policy. Decentralization must be
supported to bring about the promise of modernity and development
embedded in the Sumpah Pemuda by our active participation, both
as citizens and as the government of the Republic of Indonesia.

The writer is a graduate student of the Political Science
Department at the Northern Illinois University.