Parents hope children learn substantial essence of politics

Parents hope children learn substantial essence of politics

Annastashya Emmanuelle Contributor Jakarta

The ongoing Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), kicked off on Aug. 1 and will end on Aug. 10. Many Indonesians have shown interest but others have ignored it.

Jakarta's teenagers show a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the event. Most of them claimed to have lost hope or faith in the country's legislators and the government in general.

The constant struggle of power, resulting in continuous bickering among politicians, only leads to more confusion said the students. They considered the country is in great need of leaders who are genuinely concerned about improving the wellbeing of the people.

Parents, however, hope their children can increase their knowledge of politics through both the civic and public administration subjects -- which serve as an introduction to politics in general as part of the Indonesian education curriculum.

They even encourage schools to increase the focus on these subjects, either in class or through extracurricular activities. They hope their children will be able to appreciate different opinions whilst having an opinion of their own.

"We hope with a broader political education, we would be able to have mature, knowledgeable young people with a high degree of integrity and who can lead the nation in the future," said Irawan Sugito, whose youngest child is still in high school.

Various activities, including the election of student representatives and debates in some schools, have also been implemented to stimulate students on their organizational skills.

But some parents still object to the idea of their children taking part in street rallies as it is time consuming and potentially dangerous.

Although not all children show an interest in politics, a sufficient knowledge of the conduct of a government as well as the rights and duty of a citizen must be introduced in their teen years, said Roy Boedikoentjara, whose youngest son just graduated from high school.

"A lack of interest in politics could be caused by the lack of a proper introduction both in school and at home," Roy said, adding that the current political situation, tainted with short- term political motives and tacky bickering, might cause teenagers to get the wrong perception of politics and completely loose interest.

Bara Anadi Putra, a second grade student from Lab High School in East Jakarta, said the Annual Session meant nothing to him as it was more a formality than an event that truly symbolizes democracy.

"I haven't seen any improvements since the so-called reformists promised a better future for Indonesians," he said.

He also considered that politicians had been too busy securing their own personal or party agendas rather than spending time attempting to improve the condition of the country.

The fact that less rallies or riots have taken place compared to the time of the fall of Soeharto in 1998 does not signify the improvement of the country, as in his observation people are increasingly loosing faith in the government due to their many broken promises.

"As for me, I don't know what to hope for anymore. Besides, it has become rather tiring to follow the political condition of the country which grows increasingly uncertain each and every day," he said.

While for 15-year-old Firzal Siddik, a student at the SMU 3 state high school in South Jakarta, the politicians' corruption is the main reason behind the country's regression. Corruption is carried out openly without the slightest remorse as it is seen as a regular procedure.

"I don't care about the political situation in Indonesia nor the Annual Session. Why should I be watching corrupt politicians spreading lies on television or in newspapers?" he asked vehemently.

Other high school students expressed the same sentiment, although there are also those who are unwilling to follow the development of the country's political situations due to their lack of interest in politics itself.

Arief Rahman, an education observer, said schools must break away from the mind set of emphasizing the importance of grades while forgetting the importance of developing the mentality and attitude of the students, which was the essence of education.

Students should be accustomed with plurality, because living as a political being is about living harmoniously within rules.

"Politics should be based on morals, therefore, the most important thing is to prepare the students to enable them to become responsible and trustworthy future leaders," Arief said.