Sultan, Kahitna awarded for nationalism
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta Governor and presidential candidate Sultan Hamengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta received the Widya Mwat Yasa (Wimaya) Award on Friday from Yogyakarta's Veteran National Development University (UPN Veteran).
It was the first award ever presented by the university in a bid to promote love for the nation, tolerance and peace.
The sultan was selected for his writing, which appeared in a local daily Kedaulatan Rakyat on Feb. 8, 2001, entitled Indonesia Baru: Menuju Integrasi atau Disintegrasi? (New Indonesia: Is it heading toward integration or disintegration?). The article was selected out of over 100 other writings published in the mass media.
A team of jurors led by noted scholar Prof. Koento Wibisono of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, conducted the selection after the UPN award committee selected 20 articles for the team to select.
Speaking to journalists at a media conference held ahead the award presentation, Koento said that the sultan's writing contained elements essential to preserve and promote love for the nation, unity, patriotism, tolerance and pride in being Indonesian.
Secretary-general of the Ministry of Defense Rear Marshall Suprihadi, who is also chairman of Yayasan Kejuangan Panglima Besar Soedirman, the foundation that manages the university, conferred the award on Friday during an open senate meeting of the university.
"The sultan's writing has a deep meaning for the nation's next generation. It deserves the highest honor," Suprihadi said upon presenting the award.
On receiving the award, Sultan said modestly that devotion to the nation, including through writing, was a form of responsibility to the nation. Therefore, he said, there was actually no need for the community to show any gratitude for what he had done.
"Actually, I don't think an award is necessary for me," Sultan said before reading his 10-page speech in front of the senate forum.
Along with the sultan, composer Yovie Widianto and arranger Carlo Saba of noted Indonesian pop group Kahitna also received the same award for their song Bumi Indonesia (Indonesian Soil).
The song was selected out of eight other songs randomly taken from different recording companies and cassette stores.
According to Edhi Susilo, chairman of the team of jurors for the song award, the lyrics of the song evoked and promoted oneness of spirit, strengthened brotherhood among Indonesian people, and spread patriotism.
The music, too, was also varied enough and harmonious so as not to be boring. It described the Indonesian panorama well through clear and easy-to-understand language.
"Listening to the song, it is as if we are carried into meditation and inspired to respect and build the nation," Edhi, who is a lecturer at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta said.
Similarly, Suprihadi also said that Bumi Indonesia could incite the spirit to struggle for the nation among Indonesians. "They (Yovie Widianto and Carlo Saba) deserve the award," he said.
Speaking separately, UPN Veteran Rector Supranto said that the university was planning to give a similar award every five years. The first awards, which honored the Sultan and Kahitna, were presented as part of the university's 45th anniversary celebrations.
"We decided to give the awards this year because 45 for us is a sacred number because it is the year of our independence," Supranto said.
The university motto Widya Mwat Yasa, were taken from Sanskrit, meaning to learn dedication for the nation with a clear heart.