Nationalism no longer a draw for the young generation

Nationalism no longer a draw for the young generation

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta

Young people nowadays see far beyond the symbols that usually
identify this nation. The red-and-white flag, the Indonesia Raya
national anthem, the Garuda Pancasila coat-of-arms, and the big
"N" are no longer the first things that come to mind whenever
they think of Indonesia as a nation.

"(Indonesia is) a sad place," said 22-year-old Herman Sutiono
Nainggolan, a student at the Jakarta Institute of Theology. "For
me, Indonesia means poverty, repression, immature democracy and a
government without the support of the people."

Herman, who is also a member of the City Forum (Forkot)
student movement, is only one of a number of young people
interviewed who sees Indonesia as a colorful picture.

Although many older people believe that the younger generation
could not understand what it means being an Indonesian due to the
influence of Western cultures as the consequence of
globalization, the young take nationalism beyond political
boundaries.

Indonesia to 25-year-old Geeta T. -- who is Indian-Indonesian
and has been studying abroad for years -- is the spirit of the
people, where the capability of the leader or the government have
become irrelevant issues.

The people's spirit, however, was fast disappearing, said 18-
year-old Chandi Salmon Conrad, a U.S. citizen, but born here, and
chairman of the student body at the Al Azhar Islamic High School
I.

"Maybe because the government is more concerned about physical
development than building the nation. This nation is now liable
to disintegrate," said Chandi, whose father is American while his
mother hails from Cirebon, West Java.

All these young people shared the same concern, that the old
approach used in the teaching of nationalism and national symbols
at schools would only make them opposed to being part of the
nation.

The most glaring example is the flag hoisting ceremony held
every Aug. 17 that was mandatory for government employees, the
military and school students during the Soeharto rule.

Chandi has his own reasons. He said that celebrating
Independence Day was a meaningless event that failed to make him
feel it was special or to give him something to think about.

He suggested that the government must be able to invoke a
sense of belonging that would make people say something like,
"Hey, this our country's Independence Day, let's do something."

Rico Perdana Putra, 21, a student at the University of
Indonesia and chief of the university's Radio Telekomunikasi
Cipta (RTC) radio station, added that the commemoration of
Independence Day was a tradition. He doubted that those who
participated in the ceremony understood the significance of that
event of 57 years ago. On the other hand, he said, it was a good
way of reminding the nation of the pledge and to maintain the
union.

Fajar Ari Nugroho, 19, a student at Gunadarma University,
added that the commemoration of national independence had become
more and more meaningless with time. It had become a ritual, an
excuse for festivities, he said.

Street singer Ramadhani, 22, suggested that it would be better
if the whole nation took a minute of silence to remember the
achievements of national heroes.

An anchor at a TV station, Swastika, 24, said the Aug. 17
ceremony was superficial because it failed to touch on the
essence of the event itself, which was to reflect on the meaning
of being a nation.

"Personally, I dislike the flag-raising ceremony. What's so
cool about standing up for hours in the morning? And I don't feel
anything special for Independence Day," high school student Intan
Nirwani, 14, added.

"Your nationalism cannot be measured by attending a flag
ceremony. I feel more nationalist when I represented the country
in two debate contests in Malaysia and when I joined in the
student movement occupying the People's Consultative Assembly
building in 1998," said Aviva.

High school student Robert Mulyarahardja, 17, said he would
probably feel touched by the Indonesia Raya national anthem if he
won an international award and the song was played during the
award presentation ceremony.

Meanwhile, Geeta said the ritual had a strong point: By
hoisting the flag on Aug. 17, Indonesians were reminded that they
were one and that the nation was flourishing.

Although many among the older generation may worry about the
attitude of the younger generation on this issue,
artist/singer/composer Titiek Puspa and anthropologist Yunita T.
Winarto dismiss those concerns as unfounded, thanks to people
like 22-year-old Adi Putra Binarta, a student at Trisakti
University, who declared, "Indonesia means my motherland.
Wherever I work later, maybe abroad, Indonesia is still my
homeland. My identity. I will defend it."