Young people speak their minds about relevance of Indonesia
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Is Bahasa Indonesia still relevant as a unifier of the Indonesian people? In conjunction with the commemoration of Youth Pledge Day on Sunday, we posed this question to young people from across the country.
Idy Muzayyad, 24, a student at the Sunan Kalijaga State Institue of Islamic Studies' School of Shariah (Islamic law) in Magelang:
Bahasa Indonesia has yet to play its role as a medium to unite the Indonesian people. It's true that it has been used as a means of communication in Indonesia for a long time, but it has not prevented Indonesians from different backgrounds from fighting and killing each other. Sharing the same language has not meant a united society.
Bahasa Indonesia is not a symbol of nationalism anymore. The spirit of the Youth Pledge has been unable to unite Indonesians. There are so many things that should be done to reach the goal of the pledge. It's about how the government manages the diversity of the country, including its languages.
Martin Umbo Kombu, 19, a sophomore at a State Technical High School in Jayapura, Irian Jaya:
I think Bahasa Indonesia is still a medium for uniting people. But it would really unite people if we could include more local languages in it. It's not fair if Bahasa Indonesia is dominated by a certain region. It is important for people in Irian Jaya to be able to take pride in having their local language understood by people from other regions.
Damianus Siyok, 22, a student at Tanjungpura University in Pontianak:
Bahasa Indonesia can still unite the Indonesian people because this country is very diverse, and there are so many local languages. Therefore, we need to find a language that can be understood by everyone. In this context, Bahasa Indonesia is a way to unite people.
Mariyam Suciati, 24, an employee at a private company in Bandung:
I think the idea of Bahasa Indonesia as an instrument to unite people is very old fashioned and no longer relevant. Even the Youth Pledge itself is out of date. I don't know how, but we have to find another way to unite the people in our country.