The heading means “Stage of the Young”

KOMPAS/NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO

President Director of Bank Jateng Supriyatno (left) symbolically gives the recipients of the Millenial "Startup" Central Java Partner Credit, at the Bank Jateng Surakarta Branch Office, Surakarta City, Central Java, Monday (23/8/2021). This credit program is expected to boost the economy of youth startups amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘Pasèmowanna Para Ennom’ -- (in the Madurese language)

We do not know what Soekarno, as the proclaimer of independence, had in mind when he uttered these words, referring to the youth as an extraordinary force.

To commemorate the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) in August 1956, the Indonesian President said: "Had no one calculated or considered how the world would accept this Proclamation at that time? Had no one calculated how they might profit from this Republic if they fought and sacrificed themselves to defend it? ...’Investment of human skill’ requires us to educate our vocational cadres, economic cadres, technical cadres, organizational cadres, to expand the number of our schools, to create additional places for training our young shoots. ”

Also read:

>Empowering Village Youths as Partners

> Deemed Worse than Covid-19 Youths Worried about the Impact of Climate-Crisis

Soekarno realized that the future of this nation was in the hands of the youth, or “young shoots”. In fact, he believed that young cadres were reformers who would lift Indonesia to fame and recognition from the world. He repeatedly said, “Give me one thousand old people, I will surely uproot [Mount] Semeru from its roots. Give me one young man, I will surely shake the world." Some records cite Soekarno referring to ”one young man”, while others cite him as saying “10 youths”.

Also in 1956, he said: “Let the intellectuals and youths go forth with them, which means going forth for them!” By “them”, he meant the Indonesian people, who were then uneducated, backward, and poor.

Even though it has been more than 55 years, Soekarno's hopes and thoughts for the youth have been revived and are still relevant today, as this nation commemorates the Youth Pledge, declared at the Second Youth Congress in 1928. The Youth Pledge emphasized that the youths of the archipelago recognized that they had one homeland and one nation, Indonesia, and that they respected Bahasa Indonesia as the language of unity.

Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo

The Jakarta Youth Pledge Museum photographed on Tuesday (27/10/2020).

The declaration, which Soekarno dubbed the Youth Pledge, was drafted following the First Youth Congress in 1926 to emphasize the important role of the youth in a nation’s history, progress, and development. In fact, the youth had been preparing for the independence and advancement of this country since the Boedi Oetomo movement was founded in 1908.

It is relevant to recall the important role of the youth, but on the other hand, it could also be a problem in light of the demographic bonus the nation started enjoying in 2012. Demographic bonus describes a condition in which the number and proportion of the productive age population exceed the unproductive age population. People at their productive ages are able to contribute through work, namely people aged 15-64 years. Young people comprise the majority of the productive age population. According to Law No. 40/2009, “youth” is defined as citizens aged between 16 and 30 years. In the social vernacular, youths are people who belong to the millennial generation.

This condition has not changed much over the last five years.

According to the 2020 Population Census, 22.3 million people were aged 15-19 years, while 22.6 million people were aged 20-24 years, 22.3 million people were aged 25-29, around 21.9 million people were aged 30-34 and around 20.9 million people were 35-39 years old. The youth population totaled 110 million people, or 40 percent of the Indonesian population, and belonged to Generations Y and Z. If the human resource quality of the country's youth is low, and if the level of their education, health, literacy, and competence are below that of other countries, the nation’s demographic bonus will be no longer be a gift, but a complicated problem. Indonesia scored 71.94 in the 2020 Human Development Index, ranking the country 107th out of 189 countries. This condition has not changed much over the last five years.

However, just like the spirit of the Youth Pledge sowed the seeds of “Indonesianness” to transcend time, our young people will continue to be the saviors of the face of the country. At a time when Indonesia was not an independent and sovereign nation, the Youth Pledge declaration made the colonialists fearful. The youth also paved the way to Indonesian independence on 17 Aug. 1945. In other fields such as sports, for example, doubles shuttlers Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu saved Indonesia's face in the international arena when they won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as did this year's Thomas Cup team. Two young scientists, Carina Citra Dewi Joe and Indra Rudiansyah, have emerged as true representatives of the country in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, through their involvement in developing the AstraZeneca vaccine, the patents for which have been waived so the world's citizens can benefit equally from it.

Precisely three years ago, in marking the 90th anniversary of the Youth Pledge, this daily reported on the activities of 90 people who had contributed to this nation in their youth. They hailed from across the archipelago and were from different eras, such as Mohammad Hatta, Soekarno, Soetomo, Wahid Hasyim, Sudirman, Sumitro Djojo Hadikusumo, B.J. Habibie, Rudy Hartono, Soe Hok Gie, William Tanuwijaya, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, and Gamal Albinsaid (Kompas, 28/10/2018). Of course there are many other young people who have also contributed to the advancement of this country. At the same time, however, the public is also waiting for other young people to contribute in various fields, such as community empowerment and public welfare.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Officers organize the collection of the Youth Pledge museum in the Senen area, Central Jakarta, Sunday (6/7/2020).

Moreover, while some young people have taken real action in nation building, a number of their fellow youths have become examples that are not commendable. The perpetrators of corruption in this country, according to data from Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), are getting younger. This shows that young politicians, business actors, and other professionals are becoming increasingly entangled in corruption. In addition, not a few young people have become leaders at the regional or state level, thanks to their parents’ influence and big names.

In fact, some youths have openly tried to impose their belief in the "truth" on other residents, sometimes by force.

In addition, many young people are involved in horizontal social conflicts, intergroup conflicts, hate based on political choices or race, brawls, and environmental destruction. In fact, some youths have openly tried to impose their belief in the "truth" on other residents, sometimes by force. This is regrettable.

In fact, 93 years ago, Soekarno emphasized that young people were the country’s future. Coming from diverse backgrounds, regions, languages, and other differences, they agreed to unite on the single platform of Indonesia. Their differences united them for the sake of an independent Indonesia.

The country is a stage for its youth to unite for an Indonesia that is free of poverty, underdevelopment, and corruption, and for an Indonesia whose people are prosperous.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).