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View Point: Where are the songs of freedom?
In recent years, we have seen something of an anticlimax whenever the nation marks Independence Day on Aug
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In recent years, we have seen something of an anticlimax whenever the nation marks Independence Day on Aug. 17, and 2015 is no exception even though Indonesia turns 70, an important milestone in the republic's history.
Besides the hoisting of the Red-and-White flag in front of every house and building, and plenty of street decorations in the national colors, the spirit of merdeka (independence) seems to be waning.
Many villages and neighborhoods in big and small cities have done away with the fun and games that used to bring families out of their houses to get connected with their community.
For most people, Independence Day has now been reduced to nothing more than another national holiday. They look forward to this day every year, but for reasons other than patriotism. With Aug. 17 this year falling on Monday, many booked holidays in Bali, Yogyakarta or Singapore months ago to take advantage of the extended weekend.
This is despite valiant efforts by the government to invigorate the spirit of merdeka. TV and radio stations help by regularly playing the national anthem 'Indonesia Raya' along with various patriotic songs to remind the public of the significance of this day and the values it represents.
Shopping malls also get in on the act (one in Jakarta displays pink tanks laid on top of another) and blare out patriotic songs to accompany an Independence Day grand sales theme. That's commercialism rather than patriotism.
If our spirit of independence is reflected by the songs we sing, then this nation is in desperate need of new patriotic songs.
The national anthem 'Indonesia Raya' may be irreplaceable, but other songs with patriotic messages or themes that were important in the past may have become outdated when fewer people are singing them.
'Dari Sabang sampai Merauke' (From Sabang to Merauke) invokes the need for this large nation of islands, from the furthest point in Aceh in the west to the east in Papua, to remain united as one country.
We sang 'Garuda Pancasila' to pledge our allegiance to the state ideology and symbol (and not necessarily the airline). 'Halo Halo Bandung' (Hello Bandung), when sung properly, rekindles the fighting spirit our heroes showed during the independence struggle to recapture the West Java city from enemy hands.
It is doubtful that many young people sing these songs today.
In the past, these and many others were mandatory songs, and in school you would get punished if you didn't know the words. Thankfully for me, they excused you for singing off key.
For evidence of fewer people singing them today, look no further than the opening ceremony of the House of Representatives session to hear President Jokowi's State of the Nation address on Friday. When the national anthem was played, TV cameras in previous years deliberately zoomed in on members who were struggling with the words of 'Indonesia Raya'.
Many members of the national soccer team also cannot sing the song (so we learn, courtesy of TV cameras), but they can be forgiven, especially if they are naturalized foreigners recruited to strengthen the national squad.
But if our elected politicians cannot even sing the national anthem, they are unlikely to know the words of other patriotic songs.
May be this is a sign of times, that merdeka, national unity and allegiance to the state are issues that are no longer of concern to the new generation, and hence they fail to see their relevance. Thanks to the hard work of their elders, the young generation takes their liberty, unity and state for granted.
No matter how hard the government, aided by broadcasters, tries to rekindle the spirit of independence, and no matter how blaringly the malls play the patriotic songs, the young generation is not singing along.
A better way to get them feel the spirit is by coming up with new song themes that are relevant to their lives.
Indonesia may be independent in having its own government rather than being ruled by foreigners, but people are still far from enjoying their freedoms, the main reason why our founding fathers fought with blood, sweat and tears to secure merdeka.
After 70 years of independence, social justice, the fifth point in the state ideology of Pancasila, remains an illusion. The Constitution may guarantee the right to life and the right to a decent living, including the right to a job, but every single government and president has failed to carry out this mandate.
Indonesia needs a new genre of patriotic songs to celebrate Aug. 17 that are relevant to the lives, the values and the concerns of young people.
The nation needs to redefine patriotism. It is much more than just having self-rule and national unity, as the current crop of patriotic songs would tell us.
Guarantees and protection of our freedoms and rights, the quest for social justice, and even peace and love are essential in the life of a nation. Without them, the nation will implode, and that would be the end of unity.
Indonesia is never short of creativity when it comes to song writing.
The rock band Slank is rare in the music industry in that it has written songs with strong themes of social justice. But they are far more relevant today than the old tired tunes.
Let's all sing along with them.
Merdeka!
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The writer is a senior editor at The Jakarta Post.
