Survival amid the nation's destruction

Thousands of students, activists and youth leaders rallied in Jalan Tamrin-Sudirman Central Jakarta to commemorate and call for the importance of national awakening clamorously. Various seminars were held and words were disseminated in mass media. Many political elites with their commercial advertisements took advantage from the commemoration.

Any loud shouting and appeal full of hope were littered with awkwardness and even in vain. Is is possible to calling for the awakening for those having plunged the nation into destruction? Is it possible for students and young cadres to hope the awakening while at the same time they have been sterilized through schooling systems leading in turn the absence of the root of nationalism? Schools have so far yet to change their orientation to build objectivity by freeing national ideology. <> 

During the New Order regime the national education has been formulated by consultants from capitalist countries in the name of modernization. All nationalistic-oriented disciplines, terms and curriculum have been changed by introducing work-oriented education. The education has focused more on preparing laborers/workers rather than national leaders for this country would be demoted from being leader to coolie.

Students and young cadres could no longer be introduce with their past so that they could not find their own identity. As a result, they tended to 'OK' what called as modernity that comes from outside. That's why they have now viewed their own past as such ghost and backwardness that in accordance with their pop 'language' is called as jaman "jadul" dulu (old fashion) whose connotation of having benefit and advantage for life instead of progress.

The government and education has poisoned the country with global aims and the necessity to be able to compete with other global community. It is our recent national educational orientation. The students and young cadres have not been educated to be national leaders whose character and integrity. Rather they have been trained to be laborers enable to compete with others from other countries. In this regard, they have been taught and introduced with various technical skills that they themselves both created and needed. In turn, they tend to put aside all their national legacies for being considered as irrelevant and old fashion.

The picture above describes those rallying in streets in Jakarta capital to voice the messages of national awakening. Yet they were not realized that what they conducted was indeed not the same as what they really intended. The students have no national consciousness so that they have such militancy in the nation's life. They would then be political elites and businessmen and even sell the nation with its all assets. They would plunge the nation into suffering more and more. As a result they having so far been interested in global capitalism would be sunk and swallowed in it.

Present also at the rally anti-debt groups and national liberation front. But if we precisely noticed the agencies supporting the groups were the ones having so far been apparatus of colonialism and capitalism. They would never restrict fundamental agenda that they have struggled for to expand capitalism networks through democracy and human rights. Democracy has been used to be virus capable of spliting the relationship of groups ranging from family and national  level to be such pure individual.

Please examine and take a look accurately were there amongst the individuals reminding and calling for the national awakening touching fundamental problems that become prerequisites for the awakening of a nation? Looking at the picture, there are raising statements, first they have never explored their own nation's history to continue the progress and achievements ever been attained. Second, they have never urged government to nationalize its national political system. Third, they have never urged government to nationalize its economic system. Fourth, they have also never called for the nationalization of culture and its all legacies.

If the fundamental things being the national pillars could not be managed and prepared, the expectation of the national awakening would never come true. Even because they were realized being capitalists and individualists, most of them were not only aware of the importance of dealing with nationalization, but also fear and anti-nationalization. They have had liberal principles that a good government is the one whose limited power, namely the government paying no attention to the nation, state and its citizens.

On the contrary what conducted by the nation's pioneers is by calling for the acknowledgment as an independent and dignified country. The aim was met by exploring and studying their own nation's past. As a result national political, economic, and cultural systems could be formulated. They had successfully determined educational system, united language that would be used as national one and chosen (national) dress. Due to the struggle they were then called as the nation's founding fathers.

They had built the nation not only with spirit, but also with perseverance and devotion. They have chosen, explored, and determined what pillar should be built. In addition, they had courage to face any possible risks and were ready to be jailed and exiled by Portugese, Dutch, British, French or Japanese colonialism. But they had no care about the slogan, life or death. Finally they had tended to choose life rather that death. Finally this nation has started to awaken. "Awaken, Fight then Free." Their way should be modeled. (Abdul Mun’im DZ)