Indonesia's unity in diversity: Fact or Fiction?

JAKARTA (JP): Seventy years ago, on Oct. 28, 1928, a group of youths from various ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds assembled and pledged loyalty to One Country, One Nation and One Language: Indonesia.

Now, after the economic and political crisis has spun out of control, spinning strongman Soeharto out of office in the process, signs of cracks are beginning to surface. Some provinces, dismayed by the unequal distribution of the benefits of development, have stepped up their calls for independence. Some politicians have come out in support of federalism, while others have placed their standards in the camp of "greater autonomy".

Wednesday's 70th anniversary of Youth Plead Day will be overshadowed by questions of whether Indonesia can remain as one country, whether the pledge is still relevant and whether the unitary state should be defended at all cost.

The Jakarta Post asked people from various strata of society for their view on the matter.

Rita Serena Kolibonso, 37, a lawyer and founder of the women's crisis center Mitra Perempuan, part Minang, part Maluku.

The Youth Pledge was the incident in history from which we learned that the principle of one country, one nation and one language had to be used to fight off colonialism. As a movement, it rapidly built up momentum an became a strong force, showing us today that from that point on we became stronger because we were one.

Today, it is still relevant because we need it to fight off serious social problems, including poverty, theft and murder, which have worsened since the economic crisis began. It is these problems that are now dividing us.

We should learn that people from all backgrounds must unite to achieve a common goal. We should not be fighting alone, nor should we be suspicious of people from different ethnic groups, despite these hard times.

Open demands for independence like that coming from Aceh is a new development.

If we want to call ourselves a democratic nation, we should listen to different aspirations. Therefore we cannot force people to support a unitary state. If secession becomes a choice, then the consequences have to be borne by those who opt for that course of action. Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, 57, poet and a winner of the Chairil Anwar Literary award, part Java, part Riau.

When it comes to one language, Sumpah Pemuda has helped to get all Indonesian people to use Bahasa Indonesia. Whether people come from different cultural, medical or legal organizations, or from different ethnic origins ... say from Riau or Padang, they use Bahasa Indonesia to communicate with each other.

When it comes to the nation, nobody should say that Indonesians are not affected by what concerns their country. Whenever Indonesia is spoken of today, you will either see the Indonesians proud or concerned.

When word of corruption and violence in Indonesia spreads around the world, Indonesian nationals overseas feel the pinch badly. They feel the nation to be their own child; if the child suffers, they are concerned. If it was someone else's child, they couldn't care less.

What makes up unity? It is the differences. People talk about the word Bhinneka (diversity) but they do not understand the differences that make up that one word. The essence of those differences are minimized today. The values of different cultures, educational backgrounds and classes in society all make up one country, one nation and one language.

In terms of culture, all poets and artists derive their inspiration from Indonesia's differing cultures.

Chinese culture? Well, an artist will write or create something he is close to. Meidi Lukito, a Chinese-Indonesian poet, has translated some of his poetry into Indonesian and will soon publish this work. He wrote about his subject because they were close to his heart. The Chinese are educated people and I am sure they capable of making great literary works, but they prefer to become doctors or scientists.

Federal State? I think people should consider all the positive and negative aspects when it comes to deciding on state affairs. For example, should people choose regional autonomy, they must first fully examine how this will benefit them in the long run. Whatever is to be done, it should be done for the good of the people. Suraiya Kamaruzzaman, 30, director of Flower Aceh, a non- governmental organization for women's rights based in Aceh.

The first thing we have to question before talking about being one nation and one country, is whether all provinces in the country have received equal treatment from the government.

As an Acehnese, I feel that Aceh has only been exploited. Perhaps the people of East Timor and Irian Jaya feel the same.

But I agree that we should maintain Bahasa Indonesia as our national language. Bahasa Indonesia has made communication easier between people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Regarding a federal state, I think it is an alternative. The government should hold a referendum to find out what the people. Maria Imaculada da Silva, 21, a student in the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Social and Political Sciences and an activist in FROMPETIL, a youth forum for East Timor.

Youths nowadays are courageous, but they are different from those involved in the 1928 Youth Pledge. We live in different times and face different conditions and pressures.

Bahasa Indonesia remains a binding force and should be maintained. I'm concerned about the fact that a great many people are unable to speak the national language.

About being one nation and one country, I think it will be hard to maintain now that many groups in society are battling to defend their own interests. It's time for the people to put public interests before their own personal interests.

The government should also be more people-oriented, especially when deciding what form the state should take.

Rae Sita Supit, former actress and currently vice president of corporate communications at ALatief Corporation. Of mixed parentage:

The spirit of Youth Pledge Day is still important, especially during this time of crisis. The reform movement has currently turned a little bit ugly because many groups of people seem to "clash" with each other.

Disintegration is a threat. I can feel the threat now, so keeping the nation together is very important. I don't want to see what we have arduously achieved destroyed by those who put their personal interests above anything else.

I see one group accuse another of corruption, collusion and nepotism while other groups do not want to see a certain group live in the country.

Is that really the goal of the reform movement pioneered by the younger generations?

I think the mass media should help maintain the nation's unity while correcting past mistakes for a better future. Sitok Srengenge, a poet, 30, Javanese:

The spirit of the Youth Pledge is still relevant in today's situation. There are times when it is appropriate for us to muse over the meaning, but what is important is that we should not sanctify it. It should not block our effort to think about other options.

Ayu Utami, writer, Javanese, late 20:

There are two things that make the 1928 Youth Pledge important for me -- the youths' spirit of unity and their spirit of nationalism.

It is not the format of our nation that concerns me the most, but it is the civil rights of the citizens. If federation offers better protection of human rights, then I think it could be more suitable.

Indonesian was started by the Dutch colonial administration based on the Malay language. It was engineered for the ease of the administration at that time, and they forced people in the colony to use it. That is why we cannot find something that can be called "standard" Indonesian. That also explains why oral and written Indonesian are different. Gunawan Tjahyadi, 42, lawyer, Chinese-Indonesian:

This year's commemoration of Youth Pledge Day is important. We need to recall the time when all the nation's young elements vowed to unite to respect each other regardless of origins.

Nowadays, the sense of being one nation seems to be fading away. We need now to proportionally put back in its place the nation's diverse ethnic groups, cultures, languages, etc. In this way justice will be felt and shared by all.

Unless we do it now, yes, this nation could disintegrate; unless we recall that fateful day in 1928, the nation could break up. If there are components of the nation who try to deny the fateful day's spirits, national disintegration is very possible.

No. I don't agree with the idea of a federal state. I agree we must retain our current unitary state because back in our history we learned how difficult it was for our founding fathers to make us one ... that they finally pledged to become one. We cannot deny that or the nation will disintegrate.

But I agree that justice for all must be realized, or else.

Utut Adianto, chess Grand Master, Javanese:

The 1928 Youth Pledge is a very good thing because we declared one country, one nation and one language: Indonesia.

The problem now, in its relevance to the current situation, is that we don't have models for young people. Our young people are fighting among themselves almost every day and youth organizations have yet to set good examples.

Youth is the nation's pillar but the young people are facing moral weakening nowadays. We have to realize that this is really universal. If the youths want to achieve something, they can't do it instantly.

Zumrotin K. Soesilo, 49, executive director of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), Javanese:

When the pledge was read out 70 years ago, it was relevant to the situation at that time. But in the present developments, the pledge is no longer relevant to be used as a means to unite people. It is the spirit to create greater democracy here that can unite all of us.

At present, I know there's a threat of national disintegration. But I believe not all the provinces want to become an independent state. Only some of the 27 provinces feel that their share of the development pie is too small despite their large contribution to the central government.

I believe that the government has already sensed the threat of disintegration. But the government should not handle it with force and it should introspect on what's wrong with its policies.

I don't want to comment much about whether we should turn to a federal state or maintain this unitary state because the decision will not depend on individuals or on certain politicians, but on the entire citizenry.

The idea of some to turn the unitary Indonesia into a federal state has been highly politicized and others have made it a slogan. In reality, many people do not understand its philosophy. They talk without understanding its meaning. So, there is a need to educate the public about politics, explaining different forms of state and let the people decide what might be the most appropriate.

Fitriany Koesoemawardhani, 23, fresh graduate of Trisakti University's School of Architecture, Javanese:

I think the youth pledge is still relevant. Just a few months ago, it was students who staged successful proreform protests. If the students had not united, reform would not have happened. What I hate most is racism, anti-Chinese sentiments and so on.

It is a shame that today the historic Youth Pledge Day is commemorated with ceremonies, reciting the pledge and then forgotten. There is no understanding of its true meaning.

I think more efforts should be made to make people understand how the pledge relates to the current reform spirit.

I am aware of the threat of national disintegration from news reports. Some provinces like East Timor and Irian Jaya want to be independent from Indonesia. Other provinces might take this as an example. But in my opinion, many Indonesians tend to do what others do without knowing much about the essence of the issue.

I am not against federal state, it's just I do not know much about its positive and negative aspects. But one thing is clear: we should not adopt the system only because it works well in the United States. There is no guarantee it will be effective for Indonesia. In the United States, the system was adopted following a civil war.

I think a unitary state is OK. We can't switch from a unitary state to federal state just like that. At least we can review it and find out what is necessary to be done to eliminate the weaknesses.

We should not (blindly) copy what other countries do. S.IS. Sihotang, regent of Dairi, North Sumatra, Batak:

I think the Youth Pledge is still very relevant, especially now that Indonesia is facing the possibility of disintegration.

Imagine the youngsters, being aware of their differences, coming together as one and pledging one state, one nation and one language: Indonesia. Wasn't it great?.

They taught us that our differences are not a weakness. They (differences) are our strength if we unite to achieve a common goal.

One of the great youngsters at that time was Liberti Manik, who composed the heroic song Satu Nusa Satu Bangsa (One Country, One Nation). I mention his name not because he happened to come from Dairi, but because I admire what he did, particularly his musical compositions.

I think If all Indonesians sing the song with earnestness and put its spirit into practice in their everyday life as Indonesian citizens, there should be no worry that Indonesia will disintegrate. Instead, we'll come out of this crisis as a great nation.

Widihasto W. Putro, 24, student activist, Javanese:

It's high time in this reform era that the younger generation gets a more central role in state affairs. The older generation should make way for the younger. On the upcoming Youth Pledge Day commemoration, we plan a ceremony with the theme "Hand Over Indonesia to the Young".

The issue of disintegration is created by the political elite with the intention to threaten proreform forces. If Irian Jaya and Aceh want independence because they are unhappy with the way the New Order government treated them, you can't say it is subversion. They just are exercising their political rights.

I support the idea to make Indonesia a federal state because the system will allow the regions to enjoy a greater share of their natural riches. The centralized system has resulted in widespread economic, political and social injustices.

It's true that the unitary system is based on the 1945 Constitution. But remember that the Constitution can be changed if the people so wish. The authorities should not insist on stopping the discourse on federalism. (team)