Youth Pledge Day celebrated in style
JAKARTA (JP): The 67th anniversary of Youth Pledge Day was celebrated yesterday in grand style at the Jakarta Convention Center.
Dances and patriotic songs enliven the celebration where Vice President Try Sutrisno and numerous cabinet ministers were among the 5,000 young people on hand.
In his speech, Try reminded the youths of the latent danger of communism and the need to nurture the Indonesian unity that the younger generation helped pioneer long before the country proclaimed its independence in 1945.
The ceremony was held in remembrance of a historic event which took place on Oct. 28, 1928, when youths of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, from different islands, pledged to unite for an independent nation called Indonesia.
They pledged to have one nation, one official Indonesian language.
Try also presented awards to 25 youths for their outstanding contribution to the development of the nation. Among the recipients was actor Rano Karno, who is considered successful in developing the culture of Betawi -- Jakarta's indigenous community.
In the Taman Ismail Marzuki Cultural Center, about 100 activists grouped in the "Indonesian Opposition" celebrated Youth Pledge Day in their own style.
The celebration joined students and laborers who donned white headbands printed with the word "opposition", distributed by the organizing committee. They were activists from organizations such as the Indonesian Front for the Defense of Human Rights, Pijar, Aldera and the Prosperous Labor Union, all critical of the government.
As a crowd gathered around a simple podium, Nia, a member of the Indonesia Anti-Nuclear Society, opened the celebration by yelling "Long live the opposition; long live students; long live workers; long live farmers; and long live the people."
The crowd then sang the national anthem, Indonesia Raya, which was followed by speeches from representatives of non-governmental organizations which took part in the event.
In their statement made available to the press, the opposition group demanded an end to what they saw as worsening corruption, military intervention in labor disputes and nepotism in the bureaucracy.
They also demanded the abolition of five laws on election, political organizations, legislative bodies and referendum, which they said were "hampering" democratization in Indonesia.
The whole event went smoothly under the watchful eyes of policemen from the Menteng police station, although the organizing committee had not asked permission from the center's management to stage the celebration there.
"They should have asked for the center's permission," a police officer said. (31/pan/msa)