Bung Karno's message, Maintain Unity and Integrity
Bung Karno advised, "Regardless of any ideology, maintain unity! Keep it intact!”
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By
EDUARD LUKMAN
·3 minutes read
ARSIP HARIAN KOMPAS
On his way to Cirebon, President Soekarno stopped in Subang to attend the Red and White rally and make a speech on April 30, 1957. (Kompas Daily Archives)
After being appointed as president-vice president-elect for the 2024 Election by the General Election Commission, president-elect Prabowo Subianto invited all of the nation's elite to leave behind differences and unite (Kompas, 25/4/2024, p. 1).
President-elect Prabowo Subianto's invitation was reviewed in the editorial, "Unite to do National Homework" (Kompas, 26/4/2024). Kompas emphasized that now is the time for the Indonesian people to be closely united, looking together at the future. We face various problems that are not easy, originating from within and outside the country which are intertwined. The vision and goals of advancing the state and nation cannot be other than carried out together in a spirit of unity.
The call to leave differences behind and reunite after the general elections reminds us of President Soekarno's mandate before and after the 1955 general elections for members of parliament and the Constituent Assembly.
Welcoming the 1955 Election, in his address on the anniversary of the 1955 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, Bung Karno reminded: "People think that a division in an election can always be overcome after that election! People forget: there are divisions that cannot be healed that divide the unity of the nation." President Soekarno continued: "Regardless of any ideology, maintain unity! Keep it intact!” (Ir Soekarno, Under the Banner of Revolution, Second Volume, Second Printing, 1965).
After the 1955 election, Bung Karno repeated the call. On Indonesia's Independence Day in 1956, while expressing gratitude that the election had gone well, President Soekarno mandated, "Our mindset must change. We must rise above the pettiness of the soul that causes us to argue about insignificant matters."
He also requested that political leaders "strive for a living cooperation based on mutual understanding and respect, creating a good climate for the symphony of national and community development" (Ir. Soekarno, 1965).
Nearly seven decades ago, Bung Karno made the above calls. Today, the problems, challenges and threats we face in developing our country are different. Situations, conditions and contexts are also different. The editorial of Kompas (26/4/2024) shows that currently the series of problems facing us are long and piling up. However, for a long time, we have been reminded that our "basic capital" has not changed: unity and wholeness. God willing.
The victory of the Garuda U-23 team against the South Korean team in the Asian Football Cup championship is truly impressive even though I am not a football fan. This made me think of comparing the world of sports and politics.
In sports, to become a champion, one must undergo rigorous training and discipline, and be diligent in participating in competitions or championships, committed to adhering to the rules of the game.
Every sports discipline has strict rules that must be enforced. For example, a tennis player who gets angry and slams their racket will be fined. Likewise, a football player who commits a violation will receive a warning, a yellow card, or a red card, depending on the severity of the offense. Even a champion who is found guilty of using steroids or doping will be punished by returning their medal. Sportsmanship is truly held in high esteem.
It's different in the world of politics. In reality, a politician who wants to win a political contest must have strong logistics (funds of tens of billions to trillions of rupiah) and a strong lobby. Meanwhile, the rules of the game and their enforcement appear to still be manageable. That is our political reality today. So, it is understandable that in the world of sports there are no trials for disputes over match results. The winners and losers, even though there is dissatisfaction, can finally accept it fairly. Different from the world of politics
As an ordinary citizen, all I can do is hope that our politicians can reflect on the sports world that upholds sportsmanship, which is nothing but putting honesty and fairness above personal or group interests. Moreover, attitudes and behaviors in the political world have an impact on the fate of a nation.
With the intention of watching the U-23 Asian Cup semifinal match between the Indonesian team and the Uzbekistan team on Monday, April 29 2024, I installed the Vision+ application, one of the media under the auspices of MNC The group that has the rights to broadcast the match. I bought a one month subscription package for IDR 40,000 (before tax) via Gopay.
Unfortunately, after paying, I couldn't access it at all and only got a "pending" notification. Until 22.30 (when I wrote this e-mail), I still couldn't watch the match. I monitored the Vision+ Instagram account and found that many people had experienced the same fate.
I contacted Vision+ customer service, but was only responded to by a robot who repeatedly only gave a menu of question/complaint options.
