Nationalism in the Border Zone

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI (RAD)

Haji Abu Ubaedah

Haji Abu Ubaedah, 67, has faithfully preserved the spirit of nationalism in his Muslim students. With the Mutiara Bangsa Islamic Boarding School in Nunukan regency, North Kalimantan, he strives to nurture patriotism and tolerance among his students, who are mostly children of migrant workers.

Ubaedah has headed the boarding school located in the Indonesia-Malaysia border zone since 2011. Kompas visited Ubaedah at the school-leader’s residence behind the school complex and junior high school, vocational high school and madrasah buildings. He was found to live in modesty with his wife, youngest child and grandchild.

“I’ve always advised students that patriotism is part of religious faith, so that they will really be in possession of Indonesia, because we live in an area bordering Malaysia,” said Ubaedah on Saturday (16/7/2022) in his house in Padaidi village, Sebatik district, Nunukan.

The school was set up by Mutiara Bangsa Kalimantan Foundation in 2007 and started its operation in 2009.

On a plastic carpet in a sitting room measuring around 3 meters by 2 m with a small fan to freshen the stuffy space, Ubaedah related how his boarding school had been initiated. The school was set up by Mutiara Bangsa Kalimantan Foundation in 2007 and started its operation in 2009.

“This school was founded with the aim of enhancing the intellectual capacity of citizens. At the time many children of Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) in Tawau didn’t go to school so that a junior high school (SMP) was first opened,” he said.

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Sebatik Island in North Kalimantan is at the forefront directly bordering Malaysia. This island is divided into two parts with its borders between Malaysia and Indonesia. Most Indonesian nationals work in Tawau city, Malaysia. The TKI are employed in plantations, industries and households.

After spending years as TKI in Malaysia, they have had families. Their children have grown big and been considerably influenced by Malaysian education. “In the beginning, many children were indeed only able to speak Malay instead of Indonesian. Some of them even didn’t memorize the national anthem ’Indonesia Raya’,” revealed the father of four.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI (RAD)

Haji Abu Ubaedah, Manager of Mutiara Bangsa Sebatik Islamic Boarding School, Nunukan Regency, North Kalimantan, talks with a student, Saturday (16/7/2022).

With the combined approach of the care of the boarding school and formal education in public school, the students were taught about and acquainted with nationalism, the values of Pancasila state philosophy and various national songs.

“Gradually we trained them to sing ’Indonesia Raya’ and after some time they were practically capable of rendering our national anthem. That was our happiness,” he said.

The other challenge in taking care of children of TKI in Malaysia, added Ubaedah, was their fixed habit of smoking. They gained the habit when they worked together with their parents in oil palm estates.

“In this place smoking is actually forbidden. But as they have been habituated, sometimes they are smoking stealthily. We try to advise them appropriately,” said Ubaedah.

Yet another delinquent act in this boarding school is leaving the school without permission. Such violations are given verbal warnings and subjected to the sanction of cleaning the toilet. “Warnings are given in phases. If rules are repeatedly violated, we are forced to summon their parents and notify them that their children are not suited to this place,” he said.

They were thus educated to be tolerant of each other in view of the diversity of ethnic groups and religions in Indonesia.

The boarding school originally had only 10 children of TKI and not all of them were Muslims. Some were Christians and Catholics. They were thus educated to be tolerant of each other in view of the diversity of ethnic groups and religions in Indonesia.

Today, with the lapse of time, this school trains 125 female and 175 male Muslims. Out of the 300 teenagers of SMP and vocational high school (SMK) levels, about 30 percent are children of TKI.

Nurturing nationalism

One of the proofs of the boarding-school children’s spirit of nationalism is reflected in the painting of Rizki Darmawan Pamungkas, 18. The Muslim and class-XII student of SMK Mutiara Bangsa’s computer- and network-technology department had entered a national students’ festival and art contest in Nunukan regency.

“The theme of the contest in Nunukan is nationalism. I’m painting the Garuda Perkasa Border Monument and below it are the National Monument (Monas), a Tidu traditional house, a mosque, a Toraja traditional house and a church,” said Rizki, explaining his water-color painting on a canvas of 70 centimeters by 50 cm.

Ubaedah indicated that with formal school education, the male and female Muslims had become accustomed to listening and singing national songs in the morning. “We live in a border zone and foreign influences are apt to permeate. Therefore, we have to shield the children with nationalist horizons,” he added.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI (RAD)

Haji Abu Ubaedah

Patron of Mutiara Bangsa Kalimantan Foundation, Haji Herman Baco, said the boarding school had been developed by the local community to provide education and cultivate nationalist love for Indonesia. “Everything used to be Malaysian. They wore Malaysian clothes, Malaysian shoes. What they read was in Malaysian. They watched Malaysian television, listened to Malaysian radio. There was only an elementary school [SD] here. Children were more familiar with Malaysian than Indonesian ministers,” said Herman.

Like pearls at the bottom of the deep sea, the boarding school’s male and female students are being prepared to become successors of the nation capable of shining on the boundary line of Indonesia.

Under the guidance of boarding-school personnel as well as Mutiara Bangsa SMP and SMK teachers, the younger generation as the nation’s successor is called upon to love and defend the sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. Like pearls at the bottom of the deep sea, the boarding school’s male and female students are being prepared to become successors of the nation capable of shining on the boundary line of Indonesia.

Haji Abu Ubaedah

Born: Tinobu, North Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, 31 December 1954

Wife: Rabiah, 57

Children: Umu Habibah, 31, Raudatul Jannah. 30, Mustafa Kamal, 28, Fadil Ramadhan, 19

Education:Bachelor’s degree, Faculty of Education, State Institute of Islamic Religion, Samarinda (1988)

Occupation:

- Civil servant, Office of Religious Affairs Ministry, East Kalimantan, 1984-2002

- Head, Office of Religious Affairs Ministry, Nunukan, 2002-2009

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)