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.