President Joko Widodo hands the red-and-white flag to a Paskibraka member from East Java, Fariza Putri S, to be hoisted during a ceremony to commemorate the proclamation of independence in the front yard of Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (17/8).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The commemoration of Indonesia’s 72nd Independence Day on Thursday (17/8) was a party for all. The festive spirit felt complete when all of the country’s former presidents attended the Proclamation Commemoration Ceremony at the yard of Istana Merdeka, Jakarta.
The commemoration of the proclamation at Istana Merdeka this time felt different from previous occasions. This is because the invited guests and state officials who were in attendance wore traditional clothing from different parts of the archipelago, including President Joko " Jokowi" Widodo, who wore South Kalimantan traditional attire and Vice President Jusuf Kalla who wore South Sulawesi traditional attire.
Traditional clothes from various parts of the country were also worn by Indonesia’s third president BJ Habibie, Indonesia’s fifth president Megawati Soekarnoputri and Indonesia’s sixth president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Also wearing traditional clothes were leaders of state institutions like People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Zulkifli Hasan, House of Representatives (DPR) speaker Setya Novanto and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) speaker Oesman Sapta Odang.
The Indonesia Independence Proclamation Moment Commemoration Ceremony was led by ceremony commander Col. Yani Amrirullah, commander of Supadio Airbase Air Wing 7, Pontianak. The proclamation script, meanwhile, was read out by People’s Consultative Assembly speaker Zulkifli Hasan.
After the ceremony, President Jokowi and Vice President Kalla welcomed and spoke with Habibie, Megawati and Yudhoyono for around one hour inside Istana Merdeka. Former vice presidents Try Sutrisno and Boediono also took part in the session.
Habibie said the solidarity shown by the country’s leaders was something worthy of appreciation. “The unity is good isn’t it? He said after the friendly chat.
On Wednesday (16/8), Habibie and Megawati were also present at the DPR Complex, Jakarta, to listen to President Jokowi’s speech at the MPR annual meeting.
There, the president, among other things, said that the strength of Indonesia as a nation lied in its cooperation. It was this strength that has been reflected in the 72 years of Indonesia’s journey since its independence. “I believe that solidarity and synergy and working together will not weaken us (in our) task and responsibility,” the president said.
The president also said there was not a single state institution that had absolute power or more authority than other state institutions. “This is the identity of our nation in its affairs as a country. This is the strength of our nation in facing every challenge,” the president said.
Commitment
The excitement and togetherness of the people in commemorating the 72nd anniversary of Indonesia’s independence, yesterday, was also felt in a number of regions. A variety of activities were carried out to celebrate the occasion. Through the commemoration, some community groups also tried to emphasize a stance and develop a commitment on a number of things.
This was done by, among others, environmental activists in Solo, Central Java, which held a flag-raising ceremony amid piles of garbage at Putri Cempo landfill, Solo. In the ceremony, the participants, which included members of 15 waste bank communities in Solo and members of the Youth Care for Waste movement, Solo, stood on the outlay of rubbish. The ceremony was held in a modest manner, such as using bamboo as the flag pole.
Activity coordinator Denok Martiastuti said that by holding a flag-raising ceremony at the landfill, she wanted people to reduce their production of household waste by selecting certain items of garbage to be recycled. “The garbage must be sorted. Those that get into the landfill should be waste that cannot be processed again,” she said.
Meanwhile, a person from Cinderejo Lor village, Gilingan subdistrict, Banjarsari district, Solo, held a flag-raising ceremony at Anyar River. The ceremony was participated by hundreds of participants from children, teenagers to parents. The 6 meters x 9 meters flag was laid out on the Kali Anyar bridge 150 flags of various sizes were installed using bamboo as flag poles.
Haristanto, the man behind the idea of this flag-raising ceremony, explained that the event was held to build awareness and invite people to maintain the cleanliness of the Anyar River environment and other rivers.
The call to maintain the cleanliness of the environment was also made by residents of RT 005 RW 004, Batugajah subdistrict, Sirimau district, Ambon city, Maluku, by holding an Indonesian anniversary ceremony in the middle of the flowing Batugajah River which splits their village.
Meanwhile, the Tanah Ombak Reading and Creativity House Community held a ceremony at the end of a narrow alley, at the edge of Purus III road, West Padang, West Sumatera. The ceremony organized by the community, whose work aims to develop a literacy culture for coastal children, went in a modest and humble manner. The organizer allowed the participants, most of whom are children, to wear free clothing. In fact, there even some who took part in the ceremony barefooted.
Tanah Ombak leader and elder Yusrizal KW said that the ceremony was held to get the children to celebrate Indonesia Independence Day anniversary joyously. “Independence belongs to us; it belongs to the children and the people, so we have to do this,” he said.
National commitment
In a meeting with the House of Representatives and the Regional Representatives Council held at the Parliament Complex last Wednesday, Regional Representatives Council speaker Oesman Sapta Odang in his speech asked all parties to reinforce their national commitment. This emphasis is important because of the huge challenges the country is facing. “If we are not able to manage the challenges and tests well, the risk is the possibility of the nation becoming divided,” he said.
People’s Consultative Assembly speaker Zulkifli Hasan in his opening speech in the assembly’s annual meeting on Wednesday, said that the increasingly heated difference of opinions, which could cause national division, was caused by some of the nations’ leaders not heeding the examples of the country’s founding fathers, and also because of the lack of empathy among the children of the nation.
Indonesia’s development into a big nation, Zulkifli said, was not only down to ideas and documents, but also because of the influence of daily behavior and examples, as well as life values and noble culture.
