Explaining the Meaning of Independence, Sudirman Said: We Are Not Yet Free from Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism
The Rector of Universitas Harkat Negeri (UHN), Sudirman Said, asserted that true independence is not merely Indonesia’s freedom from physical colonisation.
Independence means citizens act on their own awareness to manage collective life, not because they are driven by the compulsion of rules or power.
He described this principle as collective effort, the opposite of the character of forced effort that marked the colonial era.
“Citizens paying taxes because they fear sanctions is forced effort,” he said in an independence oration on Monday (17/8/2026) at Universitas Harkat Negeri, Tegal.
He said that citizens paying taxes because they are aware it is a contribution to fund collective life is collective effort. Citizens choosing leaders because they have received money or promises is disguised forced effort.
“Citizens choosing leaders because they genuinely want to seek the best is collective effort,” said Sudirman Said.
Sudirman stressed that the difference between forced effort and collective effort lies not in the surface results, but in the motivation behind them.
In collective effort, the people become actors who combine their capital, resources, and capacity for the common interest, not merely objects or spectators of policies made from above.
Sudirman also linked the idea of collective effort to the lyrics of the song Indonesia Raya, “Build its soul, build its body, for a great Indonesia.”
He emphasised that building the soul is mentioned first, before building the body. The soul referred to is noble values such as honesty, reluctance to steal, a sense of shame, integrity, and courage because of what is right.
Without a straight soul, according to him, no matter how great physical and economic progress is, it will only move like a ship without a compass.
“These days, the condition of a ‘ship without a compass’ is rampant. Cleverness of the brain is glorified, clarity of conscience is abandoned. Muscle power is displayed, but the principle of fairness is sidelined,” said Sudirman.