North Sumatran Migrants Hold Cultural Parade in Malioboro to Promote Tolerance

Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - Migrant communities from North Sumatra, united under the North Sumatra Student Association (IKPM), the United Batak Youth (PBB) DIY, and other groups, held a cultural parade along Jalan Malioboro in Yogyakarta as an effort to preserve Nusantara’s culture while campaigning for the value of tolerance.

Dewanto P. Siregar, Chairman of the Pesona Budaya Sumatera Utara untuk Indonesia Istimewa, stated on Sunday that the cultural parade, themed ‘Menjaga Warisan, Merayakan Keberagaman’ (Preserving Heritage, Celebrating Diversity), involved around eight ethnic groups from North Sumatra.

‘It involves eight main ethnic contingents from North Sumatra, including Batak Toba, Batak Mandailing, Batak Karo, Batak Pakpak, Batak Simalungun, Nias, and Melayu,’ he said.

The parade was centred along Jalan Malioboro, stretching from the DIY Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) complex to the Serangan Umum 1 Maret Monument, or Yogyakarta’s Zero Kilometre Point.

According to Dewanto, the activity serves as a form of Nusantara cultural preservation while simultaneously strengthening the bonds of brotherhood between North Sumatran migrants and the people of Yogyakarta.

‘This event is to care for the Nusantara heritage and to strengthen the ties of brotherhood between migrant communities and the local Yogyakarta community,’ he said. ‘Through this cultural event, we have indirectly carried the name of the region and the Batak community in the eyes of tourists present in Yogyakarta.’

He also invited all North Sumatran migrants to continue upholding the values of tolerance wherever they are. ‘Everyone blends into one, where the earth is trodden, there the sky is upheld,’ he said.

According to him, the cultural parade also supports the creation of a safe and comfortable atmosphere in Yogyakarta. ‘Our culture is the unifier of the nation, namely Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,’ he said.

Meanwhile, the Commander of the Yogyakarta Naval Base (Danlanal), Marine Colonel (P) Hendra Siregar, expressed his hope that the activity would have a positive impact on the people of North Sumatra and Yogyakarta, particularly in strengthening tolerance and maintaining regional stability. ‘This is certainly in line with the Governor of DIY’s directive to always keep the DIY region conducive for all its people,’ he said.