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.