Brilio.net/en -Today Indonesia commemorates HariSumpah Pemuda, or Youth Pledge Day, which was initiated by young Indonesians on October 28, 1928, 88 years ago. By that time, the Dutch has colonized Indonesia for over 300 years.
The youth had gathered in what they called Kongres Pemuda (Youth Congress) since 1926, an idea that came from Perhimpunan Pemuda Pelajar Indonesia, a student organization that covers the archipelgo. The pledge itself was put together on the third congress, held on October 27-28 in Jakarta (then known as Batavia). Delegations from regional youth organizations were present, among them from Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Maluku, while Chinese-Indonesian youth observers such as Kwee Thiam Hong, John Lauw Tjoan Hok, Oey Kay Siang, and Tjoi Dijen Kwie were also present.
The first meeting on Saturday was held at Gedung Katholieke Jongenlingen Bond (KJB) in Waterlooplein, now known as Lapangan Banteng. Sugondo Djojopuspito, chief of PPPI, opened the meeting by highlighting that the congress was important in firing up the spirit of unity among Indonesia's younger generation. Moehammad Yamin also addressed the meaning and relationship between the nation's union and the youth, covering five factors that were deemed necessary in ensuring unity: history, language, custom law, education, and will power.
The second meeting on Sunday was held at Gedung Oost-Java Bioscoop, where issues of education were discussed with Poernowoelan and Sarmidi Mangoensarkoro as speakers. During this session, it was agreed that children should receive education on nationality and democracy, both of which should be covered equally in school and at home.
It was on this second day that Yamin scribbled a formula in Van Ophuysen spelling (the spelling used before 1967) that he handed to Sugondo after lawyer-activist Sunario Sastrowardoyospeech. As he handed the paper, he emphasized how these note is meant as an elegant formula that would serve as a conclusion to the congress.
In it are the words we are more than familiar with today:
Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, mengaku bertumpah darah yang satu, tanah Indonesia.
Kami putra dan putri Indonesia mengaku berbangsa yang satu, bangsa Indonesia.
Kami putra dan putri Indonesia menjunjung bahasa persatuan, bahasa Indonesia.
Which literally translates into:
We, the sons and daughters of Indonesia, plead to admit one homeland: Land of Indonesia.
We, the sons and daughters of Indonesia, plead to admit one nationality: Nation of Indonesia.
We, the sons and daughters of Indonesia, plead to honor one union language: Indonesian Language.
These statements also confirmed the idea of the nations independence and were soon shared on the newspapers and pledged at the beginning of organizational meetings. Later, the statements were called as Sumpah Pemuda, which is written on the inscription at Sumpah Pemuda Museum.
Today's youth may not know exactly what it is like to maintain a sense of unity among a nation so divided with war and colonialism, but 71 years after independence, the struggle remains. There are plenty of issues to fight for, from poverty to one's ignorance towards history. It is necessary to keep looking back at these words to remember a few basic things that make use the young Indonesians that we are.
(brl/red)
