YOUTHS OBSERVE PLEDGE DAY WITH RALLIES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 28 (ANTARA) - Students and youth organization members took to the streets in different parts of the country on Wednesday to observe the 81st anniversary of the Youth Pledge. They called on the government to eliminate various kinds of deviations, create justice and equitable prosperity.

        "We are taking to the streets to organize a peaceful rally. We have to observe Youth Pledge Day because we consider it a scared declaration where youths have the obligation to remind the government of the many deviations that still take place in the country," said Melki AS, coordinator of a rally by Tamansiswa Sarjanawiyata University students in Yoyakarta on Wednesday.

        The students were of the view that they had to remind the government of the deviations now still taking place. On the occasion of Youth Pledge Day, youths had to reaffirm their role and continue to guard the nation and remind the government of the need to serve the people's interest. "For this, Indonesian youths must rise and abandon hedonistic and apathetic attitudes which dishonor the spirit of nationalism," Melki said.

        Instead, unity must continue to be reinforced so that the pledge that was declared 81 years ago on the need to build one country, one nation and one language would not remain a mere routine ritual.

        Therefore, the "Karang Taruna" youth organization of Bekasi, West Java, called on all layers of society to return to the youth pledge's basic meaning of unity.

        "We are calling on all of us to return to the pledge's basic meaning so that it will not be observed merely as a routine ritual," Hilaludin Yusri, secretary of the Bekasi Karang Taruna said.

        He said that of late people almost no longer felt the sacred meaning of the pledge so that its commemoration was felt as if it was only a meaningless and routine event. This is partly because of the country's failure to bring prosperity to the people. While in fact, the spirit of unity had ushered the nation into its independence.

        The pledge had united the people of various youth groups, races, religious faiths and political convictions to face the colonial regime. However, after independence was obtained, it seemed that the country had still failed to bring well-being to its people.

        Thereby, the government needs to heed the people's aspirations, and fight against deviations that are taking place which would hamper the country's progress to bring welfare.

        With regard to this, on the occasion of the Youth Pledge's anniversary, the Communications Forum of Central Sulawesi's Students Executive Board (Forkom), the People's Struggle Front, the Muhammadiyah Students Association (IMM) and the Democratic National Students League (LMND) of Central Sulawesi also took to the streets to voice their aspirations.

        They demanded that the government improve the welfare of the people. The people's struggle front raised the issue of fishermen and laborers. "With the declaration of the Youth Pledge and the country's journey after independence, the Indonesian people should by now have become prosperous but they have not," Iwan, an activist of the rally, said.

        Therefore, other students in Cilacap, Central Java, took up the pro-people theme in their rallies on Wednesday. Tens of students grouped in the Students Executive Board of the Ghazali Institute of Islamic Studies (BEM-IAIG) demonstrated outside the Hall of the Cilacap district head's office.

        They waved posters conveying various demands which in principle asked the government to adopt pro-people policies. "So far, many government policies have been implemnted that did not serve the people's interest," Agus Saeful Ujab, rally coordinator, said.

        Besides waving posters, they also held orations and sang different kinds of songs critical of the government.

        In Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) carried a bier and demonstrated outside the building of the Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD). "We carry a bier to symbolize that our representatives in the House have forgotten the youths' participation in freeing the nation from the colonizers in the past," a KAMMI representative said in his oration.

        In its declaration, the KAMMI among others called on youths and students in the country to work hand-in-hand in developing the country and to fight against liberalism and capitalism. It also called on students to take the side of the opposition . Opposition is needed in an effort to exercise the check-and-balances principle.

        According to Ali Akbar, coordinator of a student rally in Bandarlampung, Lampung province, an opposition was needed nowadays because democracy was under threat.

        "There is a serious threat to democracy at present because the government has embraced an 'elite opposition' so that what happens now is the concentration power in one person. This is not good in a democratic state," he said.

        He said that youths should refer to the basic principle of the Youth Pledge in giving answers to the nation's problems in an effort to create sovereignty in politics, economy and culture.

        The nation's culture must be nurtured and protected. The nation should not be robbed of its cultural heritage.

        "The youths should be united in fighting against capitalism, imperialism and oppression. We have to condemn outsiders who claim our cultural heritage and try to seize Indonesian territory," said Andri Firman Alamsyah, field coordinator of a student rally conducted by the Al-Musaddadiyah Institute of Islamic Studies (STAI) in Garut, West Java.***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/A/S012) 18:05/.... ) (T.A014/A/A014/A/S012) 28-10-2009 19:02:49