Is Indonesia still relevant, 55 years on?

At the age of 55, Indonesia has been showing no signs of prosperity as the founding fathers would have dreamed of. On the contrary, the unitary state is at the verge of bankruptcy. When laws no longer reign supreme, violence, corruption, separatism and social ills become rampant.

People from various backgrounds across the country that is celebrating National Awakening Day today reflect on their concern over the situation.

Tengku H. Sulaiman Syaikhy, leader of an Islamic organization in Pidie, Aceh. All sorts of crime are rampant in Indonesia. There is no such thing as morality among leaders. I am personally ashamed to be an Indonesian.

This state is meaningless for the people at large. It is only useful for its corrupt leaders who have been fighting each other for power and wealth while the people live in abject poverty.

I am afraid the state will soon be dead. Communal conflicts are everywhere; the state kills its own people as is happening in Aceh. To restore order, the state should hold a referendum in which provinces are given two options, federalism or independence.

Rahman Yahya, Sigli chapter chief of the Indonesian Islamic Students' Association (HMI), Aceh. Indonesia has lost the ability to ensure its people's survival. Lawlessness is the order of the day and the government is no longer in control.

I am not proud to be an Indonesian. When I am abroad I am ashamed when people find out where I am from. People abroad think that Indonesians still live barbarically, as was the case 100 years ago, when state-sponsored killing was prevalent.

It is no use to maintain Indonesia as a unitary state. Make it a federal state instead.

Rajamin Sirait, chief of Mitra Kamtibmas youth group in Medan. There have been no significant improvements in state welfare after 55 years. In the tough times before independence, leaders could unite, but now when they can take freedom for granted, why can't they? We could become a superpower state if our tremendous natural and human resources were properly managed.

It's disheartening that the political elite fights only for its own group interests. The chaos robs me of my pride in being an Indonesian.

I believe certain interest groups want to see Indonesia fall apart like Yugoslavia or Russia. Therefore, the unitary state should be defended at all costs.

The reform movement that started in 1998 was a great step toward mending the chaos but it is a shame that the leaders do not have a sense of priority. The reform should have started with law enforcement to create legal certainty and woo foreign investment.

Mering Ngo, from the indigenous Kayan Dayak ethnic group of West Kalimantan, an environmental education and training specialist at the Jakarta-based Natural Resources Management Program.

So far, there have been no better alternatives to the unitary state, although I know that often the interests of the Dayak ethnic group have not been taken care of.

It is high time that the state paid better attention to the widely diverse ethnic and cultural groups, which form the strength of the nation.

This diversity is the reason why I am proud of being an Indonesian.

We should not make too much fuss about the form of state, whether unitary or federal. What counts is whether the state is serious about people's welfare.

Edy Khairunnas, North Sumatra University students' president in Medan. The looming disintegration is threatening our national identity.

If we look at the great crisis, the ethnic conflicts, lawlessness and separatist activities, there are no reasons to be proud of being an Indonesian. We are going bankrupt. We mistrust each other. We kill each other. There is no peace.

But I am optimistic that there are good leaders in this country. The unitary state has to be defended. I believe our incompetent national leaders are to blame for the chaos. They fail to serve as role models.

Sunarti alias Acen, 21, a Chinese Indonesian accounting student of Batam International University in Batam, Riau. Indonesia is where I was born and make a living. Every citizen should be proud of being Indonesian and do their best to mend the situation.

With the current situation, I have a mixed feelings of pride and worry. I am proud because Indonesians can still maintain their oriental values but worried because the political leaders do not have a sense of crisis and are concerned only with their personal interests. Government leaders are not in control.

The unitary state is worth defending on condition that state leaders improve their performance. Every citizen of whatever ethnic, religious or cultural background should unite to pull Indonesia out of the crisis.

Moden Purba, 37, president of the Batam Universities students' executive body, Riau. Indonesia means togetherness as the founding fathers wanted ideally. Togetherness should be the ultimate goal of reforms.

It is sad to realize that people are abandoning oriental values like politeness that we Indonesians are proud of. The ongoing reformasi is bringing both hope for better times ahead, but worries too.

The unitary state should be maintained as the 1945 Constitution requires. The current crisis is partly to blame on the past state policy which focused solely on economic development. But when the economy collapsed, we were finished.

It needs the togetherness of all citizens to rebuild Indonesia.

Husain Abdullah, 36, Center for Human Rights Studies, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi. I am proud to be an Indonesian, despite the bad image that the country currently has.

On this National Awakening Day, everybody should reflect on what is befalling Indonesia and which way we are going. Nobody should be ashamed of being Indonesian simply because Indonesia is in crisis.

Come on! Everybody should wake up from their long sleep. Forget all this bickering and set aside individual interests and unite to build Indonesia anew.

I support the idea of federalism because the centralized system we have adopted so far has proven ineffective. The government has perceived the rising demands for federalism as attempts at secessionism.

Andi Ridwan, 22, a student activist in Makassar, South Sulawesi. I am ashamed of being an Indonesian after all this chaos. It is high time that people seriously reconsidered the relevance of Indonesia. Many provinces are playing with the idea of becoming independent states.

The widespread demand for federalism deserves a serious response because it mirrors certain provinces' discontent over how Jakarta treats them. What they demand is a fair share of the "development cake".

National Awakening Day should serve as a moment to renew our commitment to developing Indonesia. I am afraid Indonesia will eventually become history if national leaders serve only their own interests, as they are currently doing.

Susetiawan, 47, lecturer at the school of sociopolitical affairs at Gadjah Mada University and a humanitarian activist, Yogyakarta. Indonesia now is simply a place where live people without self-esteem, pride and dignity and function as servants of other countries.

I am not proud of being an Indonesian. Gone is the pride that Indonesia as a state and nation had in the past. Natural resources are finished, while sovereignty and nationalism are vanishing.

A unitary state is better than a federal one. The problem is that our way of thinking is highly polarized: indigenous and non- indigenous, Muslim and non-Muslim. Discrimination is widespread. These discrepancies have undermined Indonesia as a unitary state.

Moh. Aris Wibowo, 30, a field information officer for the family planning program (PLKB) in Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta. Indonesia is an identity of mine. I can immediately say "Indonesian" when asked what my nationality is.

I'm still proud of being an Indonesian, despite the political, social and economic crisis. Indonesia is at rock bottom, there is huge foreign debt and no achievement in any field, although I believe it could excel in sport.

I retain this sense of patriotism. Indonesia can take pride in its rich natural resources and smiling people.

The unitary form of state should be maintained. I am against efforts to break Indonesia into independent states as Aceh is doing now. If a unitary state is too much to bear, federalism is a better alternative.

Abdul Azis, 22, student of the State Islamic Institute (IAIN) Sunan Ampel, Surabaya. Indonesia is a shelter. Over the past 56 years, Indonesia has been under enigmatic leadership: Sukarno corrupted the state ideology, Soeharto became a dictator, Habibie ignored the poor, while Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has become a symbol of egocentrism plagued by neo-corruption, collusion and nepotistic practices.

I'm not that proud of being an Indonesian. We have lagged way behind our neighbors like Malaysia, although we have been independent for 55 years. Indonesia is notorious for its rampant corruption.

I wouldn't care if Indonesia were to stick to the unitary system or shift to federalism. What matters is that the state should sincerely work for the people's welfare. Give the current regional autonomy a chance. If it fails, federalism should be given a try.

Rita Hartiningsih, 33, lecturer at the school of economics, Merdeka University, Surabaya. Indonesia is a historical reality that we must preserve. After nearly 56 years of independence, the spirit of unity is running out, as shown by the emergence of separatism.

Of course I'm proud of being an Indonesian citizen. Nationalism is still relevant, but it is outdated to exploit the results of development, as claimed by the government, to boost patriotism.

The unitary form of state should be preserved, but we must be more innovative in enhancing people's participation and initiative in development.

It will be too dangerous for us to convert the unitary state into other forms. Indonesia is an archipelagic country. Trial and error would be too dangerous a course to follow.

Ananto Semedi, 38, a teacher at senior high school (SMU) II, Purwokerto, Central Java. Indonesia is my home that is supposed to respect my rights because I pay taxes.

In the present situation I am ashamed to be an Indonesian. Indonesia can now be identified with brutality and violence. The people are immature and undemocratic. All people, from the commoner to the political elite, cannot tolerate differences.

The unitary state is still relevant and should be preserved. We are not yet prepared to change the form of state. How can we create a federal state if regional autonomy has already caused confusion?

Husni Banser, 47, chief of the information office of state oil company Pertamina, in Cilacap, Central Java. Indonesia is supposed to be a melting pot of people from various ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.

Today I am still proud of being an Indonesian. Democracy has grown rapidly in this country.

The unitary state should be maintained but the financial imbalance between central and regional administrations should be addressed. The pursuit of a federal state could lead to disintegration.

Harry Roesli, 50, musician, Bandung. In the past, National Awakening Day was celebrated to boost patriotism. Now, the celebration would be meaningful if I were hired to perform for a party (he laughed). But a concert would be extravagant because 30,000 children in town are homeless.

I have to be proud of being Indonesian because I was born here. People are fed up because the government is ineffective. The other day, legislators spent a lot of money at Hotel Indonesia (Jakarta) just to repeat that we need an effective government. What a waste!

Today everyone should ask themselves if Indonesia is really relevant. We have a country and a president, but nothing works. (He said he had to stop talking because a cold made him sneeze constantly.)

Ibing Kusumayatna, 55, a veteran Sundanese comedian. All the notoriety and crises have failed to dent my pride in being Indonesian. Everybody needs a country to which they can give their best. The current crisis should serve as a warning so that people from across the country unite to save Indonesia.

Indonesia should be maintained as a unitary state. The crisis strangling Indonesia at present is basically over leadership: this has happened because the country's leaders have put their own interests above the nation's.

Let us find a way that shows how we Indonesian people can become one again.

Tinia Budiati, director of the Jakarta Historical Museum.

Everybody needs to identify with a state, for wherever we go we are asked what is our nationality.

I am proud of being Indonesian, despite all this hardship and crisis. This chaos is in fact a challenge: can we show the world that we can get back onto our feet? We should retain our dignity.

I am opposed to the idea of changing the form of our state from unitary to any other. (Team)