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.