The spirit of May 20

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 05/20/2006 12:58 PM  |  Opinion

Jonny Sinaga, Jakarta

Ninety-eight years ago five Indonesian medical students, Soetomo, Goenawan Mangoenkoesoemo, Goembrek, Saleh, and Soeleman, gathered together at STOVIA (School Tot Opleiding van Indlandse Artsen), now the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Indonesia, Jakarta. They met to discuss the fate of the Indonesian people, who were under the colonial yoke of the Netherlands.

They saw that Indonesian officials (pangreh praja) who worked for the colonial power did not care about their own people and only paid attention to their own career or position. The students were also aware of the existence of several groups and movements in society, but they were exclusive and reluctant to accept others.

On Sunday, May 20, 1908, after some discussion, the students established the ""Boedi Oetomo"" (good deeds) movement. It would be inclusive and welcome everyone to help Indonesia. Given the difficulties of life under the colonial administration, it is amazing that those young people were able to think critically and yet elegantly to help their country.

May 20, 1908 has long been considered a very important date in Indonesian history. It is regarded as the first time Indonesia's struggle for independence was carried out nationally. Previous attempts had only had a local impact, lacking correlation and connection between different groups. Consequently, the Dutch had easily suppressed the struggle. After May 20, 1908 the local struggles were united in their fight against their colonizers. As a result, on August 17, 1945, Indonesia was able to proclaim its independence. The Netherlands officially recognized this just last year, during the visit of the Netherlands' Foreign Minister, Bernhard Bolt, to Jakarta.

Today Indonesia is still preoccupied by many seemingly unceasing political, economic, social and cultural problems. Although lately the rupiah has been more stable and the composite index has been getting better, Indonesia still seems to have not really recovered from the financial crisis that hit the country in 1997. Socially, Indonesia has yet to maintain a peaceful community, especially in Poso, Papua, and Aceh. And, as shown by the labor demonstrations on May 1 and May 3 this year, society in Indonesia is not yet in line with the dreams of the students in 1908.

To make their dreams real, we need to take advantage of the positive things we have and minimize the negative ones.

In commemorating Awakening Day on May 20 this year, let's never forget that the ""house"" of Indonesia we are now living in was not an empty one or a terra nullius, but was built on the strong foundations of the Budi Utomo spirit.

In this regard, whatever problems we are now facing, political, economic, or social one, we have to be brave to face and surmount them.

We need to discuss and overcome the issues of labor, including the revision of the law on labor, the draft law on pornography and unethical activities, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, dual citizenship, even the oil price hike, all things that influence public life. If we are afraid to face them we may miss many opportunities.

However, in facing or discussing those problems, we have to find the proper way, as shown by the students in 1908 with their Budi Utomo spirit. We must apply the good principles of our forefathers, such as the avoidance of exclusivity or discrimination, non-violent endeavors, and respect for human rights.

Although times have changed, and we live in an Internet-driven, borderless world, the raison d'etre of the young Indonesians who established Budi Utomo in 1908 is still relevant today - especially when facing and surmounting the many problems of our nation.

We have to be grateful that our forefathers envisioned an inclusive and human rights-friendly Indonesia. If the foundation of this country was anything other than Pancasila -- if it had been based on one religion or belief -- we could have ended up like Yugoslavia or the Soviet Union, dismantled and gone forever.

If Indonesia can face many problems elegantly, it will show the world that the new Indonesia is really something. As BBC Radio commented on the debate about the draft law on pornography, ""But it is perhaps an encouraging sign of Indonesia's growing democratic maturity that a piece of draft legislation is being debated in public at all.""

The writer is a graduate of University of Indonesia School of Law, Jakarta.

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