Reinventing KNPI
Reinventing KNPI
"The youth of a nation are the trustees of posterity." This
phrase by the great 19th century British politician and author,
Benjamin Disraeli, has been proven time and again in the history
of this nation. The Youth Pledge promulgated in Jakarta on Oct.
28, 1928, by youth representatives from Java, Sumatra and other
islands in the archipelago that was then still a Dutch colony,
was a milestone in the path towards this nation's independence.
The pledge -- one state, one nation and one language -- still
resonates because it remains as relevant today as when it was
first declared. Since then, our youth have continued to play
pivotal roles in the course of our history, particularly in the
independence struggle, and in ushering the New Order government.
Naturally society expects its youth to live up to their
responsibility and the Youth Pledge has always been used as a
point of reference whenever the subject is discussed.
Speaking of today's youth takes us to the National Youth
Committee (KNPI), which is currently holding its congress in
Jakarta. Founded in 1973, it is supposed to be an umbrella group
for all youth organizations in the country. Given its mission,
KNPI should be today's bearer of the trusteeship that Disraeli
spoke about.
Unfortunately, judging by its performance in recent years,
KNPI has not lived up to that expectation.
The committee suffers from image credibility. It is seen as a
mere tool for the government to exercise indirect control over
the dozens of once-independent youth organizations under it. It
does not project itself as independent -- not from the way it is
run or by the way it elects its leaders.
The congress it holds every three years has come to be seen as
nothing more than a struggle for positions among a few ambitious
young politicians, and a battle for influence between the youth
organizations under it. KNPI may have served its purpose well in
the past and despite the fact that many of its leaders later rose
in their political career, its stature stemmed from its own
merits rather than from its ability to offer a stepping stone to
political success. Given its poor performance now, it appears
that KNPI's sole reason for existence is as a springboard to
launch the political careers of a handful of people.
This disillusionment does not come only from society as a
whole, but also from youth themselves. As has been reported by
Kompas daily, the Association of Catholic Students (PMKRI)
decided on the eve of the KNPI conference that it would not
attend, explaining that it wants to remain independent. Coming
from one of the major organizations in the KNPI, this is a
powerful message.
The credibility problem that KNPI suffers has also rubbed onto
the organizations under it, such as PMKRI, the Association of
Islamic Students (HMI), the Association of Protestant Students
(GMKI) and Indonesian Nationalist Student Movement (GMNI). These
students organizations have lost the shine they possessed in the
1960s and 1970s. Then membership was not solely a chance to
acquire organizational skills. It also carried prestige and the
promise of great future. Today's university students are shunning
these organizations and opting for the mission or goal-oriented
non-government organizations which have been mushrooming in
recent years. The more established students have even established
their own NGOs.
Time has certainly changed and so have the needs of our youth.
If KNPI is to remain relevant and fulfill its mission to carry
the trust this nation gives to its youth, then it needs to look
again at its essence and reason for existence, and adapt to the
present situation. The congress in Jakarta is an appropriate time
to look at ways of reinventing KNPI.