Is Indonesia still relevant, 55 years on?

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)