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Youth Pledge Day celebrated nationwide with fanfare, protests
March: Students from Gorontalo State University participate in a pantomime performance on a Gorontalo street to commemorate Youth Pledge Day on Tuesday
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span class="inline inline-center">March: Students from Gorontalo State University participate in a pantomime performance on a Gorontalo street to commemorate Youth Pledge Day on Tuesday. Around 150 students from the university's School of Literature and Culture took part in the event. JP/Syamsul Huda M. Suhari
Young people across the archipelago commemorated Youth Pledge Day, which falls every Oct. 28, with a range of events on Tuesday.
In Jepara, Central Java, university students from the province and from other universities in West Java celebrated the occasion by conducting a diving event on the Karimunjawa Islands.
'We want to show that we have a priceless, precious marine heritage that deserves preservation,'
explained Vinni Nurizky, a student at Semarang Diponegoro University.
Participants brought with them a banner, which they unfurled at a depth of 13 to 18 meters beneath the surface, tying it to the pillars of Karimunjawa pier. They also planted the Indonesian flag on the seabed.
Vinni said that the younger generation had to be made aware of the nation's rich marine biodiversity, especially given President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's express focus on the maritime and marine world.
In Gorontalo, some 150 students of the Gorontalo State University's (UNG) School of Literature and Culture celebrated Youth Pledge Day by performing a mime in the town center. In their black-and-white costumes, the group drew the attention of passersby.
They walked about six kilometers between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. local time, stopping on the way at spots including the UNG campus, Tugu Saronde and the crossroads in front of RRI Gorontalo radio station.
'This is our way of honoring the Youth Pledge. This is the face of Indonesian youth today,' claimed Ipin Sastra, a member of the organizing committee.
The group mimed different expressions, from anger and silliness to joy. No narration was read out except the recitation of the Youth Pledge at the end of every performance, with all the performers raising their fists to the sky.
The celebration of Youth Pledge Day was also marked by a number of protests staged by university students focusing on causes of complaint such as poverty and the planned fuel price hike.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, sporadic protests were held in a number of places. The protesters conveyed their demands to the new government.
At least three rallies ended in clashes between protesters and the police.
Meanwhile, in East Manggarai regency, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, 224 students of Waemokel Catholic senior high school celebrated Youth Pledge Day by conducting speech and poetry-reading competitions.
Themed 'the role of the younger generation in development', the event also featured regional dances including the traditional Congka Sae dance.
One entrant in the speech contest, Yohanes Paskalis Jai, used his speech to call on Indonesian students to avoid alcoholic drinks, drugs and other evils.
'I ask young people to act positively. We have to be creative with our ability to improve the nation's dignity,' he said.
School principal Robertus Wahab said that the speech competition was held to help motivate students to study and to give them the chance to express their thoughts in a healthy competition.
' Andi Hajramurni from Makassar and Markus Makur from Flores also contributed to this story.
