That achievement was greeted with public appreciation and pride in both the mainstream media and social media.
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Machradin Wahyudi Ritonga/Budi Suwarna
·4 minutes read
AP PHOTO/MARKUS SCHREIBER
Indonesian women's doubles badminton players Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu honored the Red and White when the anthem Indonesia Raya was played after winning the gold medal for both of them at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, Tokyo, Monday (2/8/2021).
‘Baito Elok nang Manyatun’-- in the Malay language of Riau.
Amid the many bad news that have the potential to break the sense of unity, a series of good news have still emerged to strengthen national ties.
Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu’s success in winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in early August truly made us proud to be part of the Indonesian nation. For a moment, we forgot the frustrations of battling the Covid-19 pandemic and the differences of our views to celebrate their victory and feel pride as a nation.
A similar situation occurred in September, when disabled athletes Leani Ratri Oktila, Khalimatus Sadiyah and Hary Susanto brought home their badminton gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics. About a month later, it was the turn of the Indonesian team to bring the Thomas Cup back to Indonesia after 19 years of waiting.
That achievement was greeted with public appreciation and pride in both the mainstream media and social media. Similar words were also conveyed to the other athletes who had shown their enthusiasm in fighting for the good name of the nation.
ARSIP CARINA JOE
Carina Joe, a young researcher from Indonesia at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford who received one of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine development patents.
Good news came from the world of research at the end of last year, when Adi Utarini was named as one of the 10 scientists who contributed to development of science in 2020 by Nature, the world-renowned British scientific journal. This scientist from Gadjah Mada University was acknowledged for leading a study on the prevention of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) that involved more than 100 scientists. This team studied Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that had been infected with Wolbachia, a type of bacteria. The results of this study became the capital for handling DHF, which infects more than 400 million people worldwide each year.
When the world was racing against time to develop vaccines against Covid-19, good news that made Indonesia proud came by way of Carina Joe. The Jakarta-born biotechnology researcher played a role in developing the AstraZeneca vaccine led by scientist Sarah Gilbert of the University of Oxford. Today, Carina is one of the scientists who hold the patent for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
This was the first time that an Indonesian film had won the highest award in competition at the Locarno festival, and it also gained accolades at other international film festivals, such as Venice, Berlin and Sundance.
From the world of film, good news came with the success of Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas (English title: Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash) by director Edwin, which won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. This was the first time that an Indonesian film had won the highest award in competition at the Locarno festival, and it also gained accolades at other international film festivals, such as Venice, Berlin and Sundance.
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Adi Utarini one of the 10 scientists who contributed to development of science in 2020 by Nature, the world-renowned British scientific journal. This scientist from Gadjah Mada University was acknowledged for leading a study on the prevention of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) that involved more than 100 scientists.
Apart from the world-class achievements of several individuals, we also need to note the collective achievements of the citizens who worked together to find solutions to the nation's problems. When the Covid-19 pandemic exploded and made many people suffer, actions of solidarity emerged in various regions to help others.
At the grassroots are creative communities active in fields such as social entrepreneurship, environmental and cultural conservation and political literacy that are spearheaded by the younger generation. This is important social capital for nurturing our national ties and sense of unity, instilled through the struggles of the younger generation in the 1920s.
"The good news contributed by Indonesians, including the younger generation, is an indicator that Indonesia will still [exist] in one hundred or even one thousand years," said A.G. Eka Wenats, a political communication and media observer from Nusantara Multimedia University.
For that, we need a conductor who has a long-term national vision. However, therein lies our weakness.
Eka added that these scattered movements must be organized into a collective, constructive force for the nation. "For that, we need a conductor who has a long-term national vision. However, therein lies our weakness," he said.
Kompas
Edwin director who won the Golden Leopards award at the Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland.
Scholar Yudi Latif from the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI) has observed a similar problem. According to Yudi, the creative minority of the Youth Pledge generation was able to unite and organize the nation’s scattered potentials, but today's generation has not demonstrated such capability. In fact, it is the ability to organize ideas in a public and political way that can elevate creative power to become a collective force for change.
(This article was translated byKurniawan Siswoko).
