Establishing the Myth of the New Indonesia: Strengthening Nation`s Identity and Solidarity

Yogyakarta, MelayuOnline.com- After ten years of reform, Indonesia`s future begins deteriorating. Everybody brings down each other as well as they deprecate and scorn other people. We forget that our nation`s problems are getting more complex. We leave behind to establish collectively a prestigious country namely Indonesia.

In 1928, Indonesian youth representatives coming from the entire parts of Indonesia gathered, omitting that they were one nation, one motherland, and one language, Indonesia. Since the time, Indonesian youth people began declaring Indonesia which has one language, Bahasa Indonesia. If Indonesian youth people in 1928 has declared to establish a prestigious nation namely Indonesia, now is the time for us to re-establish a myth of the new prestigious Indonesia.

That was the topic discussion on Cultural Dialogue and Performing Art Exhibition hold by Komunitas Budaya Yogya Semesta (Cultural Experts Community of Yogya Semesta) starting at 8 p.m. until 11.30 p.m. The dialogue themed “Re-Establishing a Myth of the New Prestigious Indonesia” was headed by Mahyudin Al Mudra, the Head of the Center for Research and Development of Malay Culture, and Hari Dendi, the Head of Cultural Experts Community of Yogya Semesta. Came as the speakers were Prof. Dr. Mohtar Mas`oed – a Full Professor at the Faculty of Social and Politic of Gadjah Mada University, Dr. Aris Arif Mundayat – the Head of the Center for Southeast Social Studies, and Prof. Dr. Wuryadi MS – a Full Professor at Yogyakarta State University.

A song entitled “wayangku wayangmu wayang kita, seniku, senimu, seni kita” (my shadow puppet, your shadow puppet, our shadow puppet; my art, your art, out art) seemed to elaborate several steps what to do to re-establish the new prestigious Indonesia.

According to Aris, to reach such mission above, we have to start from education. Further, he remarked that the lack of Indonesian people`s imagination is one of the numerous consequences of bad education system. Therefore, social clashes in the public are inexorable things.

Mohtar Mas`oed added that this situation is a consequence of the education system in the past which did not aim to educate Indonesian teenagers become the real generation of Indonesia. Education system in New Order era has created a centralistic paradigm, hence people`s feeling on ethnicity become stronger. People prefer to recognize themselves as Javanese, Acehness, Sundanese, or other Indonesian tribes than declare themselves as Indonesian.

On the other hands, Wuryadi MS offered an approach based on historical data that Indonesia was an area which has developed into a united geopolitical area. It can be proven when Indonesian people used Malay language on Youth Oath. It shows the considerable imagination of Indonesia youth people to build a prestigious nation based on one language, Bahasa Indonesia.

Now, we need to create a new education system to tighten up our identity. Consequently, nationalism spirit among the Indonesian people will be able to establish and strengthen solidarity.

“To establish the new Indonesia, education should give specific space wherein Indonesian students will be capable of respecting other people,” Aris said. In addition, Mohtar Mas`oed added that to reach the new Indonesia, we need to look on the future. “Now is the time to view Indonesia as a unity, do not only viewing on specific tribe,” Mohtar Mas`oed said.

At the end of the dialogue, Mahyudin argues that the multifarious culture in Indonesia can be a great medium to shape the new Indonesia. It is just the same as a knife which has two sides, one side to integrate and another one to knap.

Therefore, we have to consider that diversity as the incredible cultural heritages through giving multiculturalism understanding to youth people. “Let`s take our culture as the spirit to establish the new Indonesia,” Mahyudin ended the dialogue.

Indonesian version by Ahmad Salehudin (2/12-07)

English version by Irfan Nugroho (11/07-08)

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