By Benny YP Siahaan
August
17 this year marks the 70th year when the young Soekarno read aloud the
Proclamation of Independence on Friday at 10 AM at his house at Pegangsaan
Street No. 56, Jakarta (Although the UN acknowledges that the date of
Indonesia’s Independence is on December 27, 1949, nobody in Indonesia cares!)
Even
though Indonesia is still a relatively young nation (compared to France or US),
Indonesia has a rich, brave and inspirational history of independence to remember.
And every year on August 17, we observe with gratitude and respect the staunch
and bloody struggle waged by our founding fathers against colonialism -the
struggle that ultimately led to our freedom as an independent nation.
To
mark this 70th Independence celebration, I assume every Indonesian
citizen and organization in the country and abroad would think hard about how
to make it exceptional (to give their best) to mark this special day of remembrance,
as we will do in New York
In
New York, on 22nd August the first ever street festival will be initiated as the apex
of this year’s Indonesia’s Independence celebration. The event is to be conducted along the 68th
street where the Indonesian Consulate is located,one of the most prime areas in
Manhattan which is adjacent to the legendary Central Park and located between
the world’s famous high end shopping streets ,Fifth and Madison Avenues.
The
Indonesian diaspora in New York and surrounding cities are excited and eager to
participate in and anxious to have this event occur in their city. Not only is
it a first time ever event, but it will
attract a huge crowd of not just an Indonesian audience but also locals as well
as tourists who are visiting Central Park, Fifth and Madison Avenues. Indeed,
although the Consulate was established in 1951, no one really knows why there
was no idea (or perhaps there was but it never materialized) to celebrate Indonesian
independence through such a festival,while many countries, including the Philippines,
already have their own street festival (even parade) in New York City.
The
long, arduous and complicated process to obtain a permit from the City of New
York is said to be one of the main deterrents as to why the Indonesian street festival is yet to
happen in almost 64 years! Well, in fact that was what our founding fathers did
when they tried to gain independence from the Dutch - to make something
possible from the impossible. Based from that inspiration, through hard work
and a spirit of cooperation, the Indonesian Consulate, though with limited
budget, and with the full support of the Indonesian diaspora, and students in
New York, finally got the permission by the City of New York to hold such a festival.
The
preparation is underway with a high spirit and enthusiasm, but we are also reminded
that after being granted permission, we all agreed that this should be maintained
as an annual event for Indonesia in New York. Nobody wants this to be a one-time event, the first and the
last. The organizing committee members
have delivered their utmost thought into making this celebration as vibrant as
possible while at the same time, very conscious about making it run efficiently and
in an orderly manner since, should there be any complaints or incidents, it
will be put on record and in many cases in the next year, the permission may not
be granted.
This
situation is more or less similar to our independence in 1945 where our forefathers seriously thought about how to make the independence more than a
onetime event, an event that could be continuously celebrated every year with
each year better than the previous one. Indeed, independence should never be a onetime
event and to make it as continuous event is really a tall order.
Judging
from the current situation, as a nation we have already been surviving for 70
years. Indeed, it is a great achievement in some point. We are lucky to be spared
from disaster when we were struck by the 1998 financial crisis which was
followed by chaotic conditions that caused many to predict that Indonesia would
be Southeast Asia’s Balkan. But do we have the same spirit as our forefathers
had when they waged struggle for independence?
Hence,
it is sad to read the recent news (Kompas.com, July 22, 2015) that the Interior
Minister, Tjahjo Kumolo, has issued a circular letter to instruct every school
to hold a flag ceremony every Monday because of the many reports of neglect and disrespectful
attitude of students and teachers to the Indonesian flag and national anthem.
They really do not realize the real meaning of those two states’ sacred symbols
that were dearly fought with blood by our founding fathers.
Apart
from that, at this 70th commemoration of Indonesia independence, it
is a high time for us to redefine our spirit of independence in order to safely
navigate our nation to the uncharted sea of the future. What kind of independence
do we want at present and in the future? In this light, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
four fundamental freedoms are still relevant and perennial to every nation:
freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
At
this 70th independence we ought to reflect where we are now at those
four fundamental freedoms. I believe that we should answer honestly by
ourselves. Happy Independence Day, Indonesia!
New York, 17 August 2015
Related article
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Indonesian Street Festival Digelar di Central Park New York (Tempo)
Ini Perjuangan Urus Street Festival di New York (Tempo)
Warga Amerika Padati Festival Seni Indonesia di New York (Viva News)
Lagu Indonesia Raya Berkumandang di Jalanan Manhattan (Republika)
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