Friday, March 29, 2024 | 14:19 WIB

Diversity enriches lives of people and the nation

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IO – The Indonesian people must continue exploring and reflecting on the heritage values bequeathed by the nation’s forefathers, because what they need is the manifestation of national values in every daily activity. “To identify yourself as a part of Indonesia is not enough. It takes continuous transformation, one that should be in line with the passage of time. Implementing national values into our behavior signifies giving substance to the nation’s independence and strengthening unity,” declared Deputy Speaker of People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat, when opening an online discussion themed “Exploring Indonesia’s values of independence, diversity and unity” held by the Denpasar Discussion Forum 12, Wednesday (3/2/2022). 

Lestari reminded all present how Indonesia is a vast country, one consisting of roughly 17,000 islands, various ethnic groups, languages, religions, beliefs and inherent customs. Awareness of this diversity has existed since ancient times, until the day Indonesian youth, infused with a spirit of nationalism, solemnly swore commitment to unity and integrity in the Youth Pledge. 

Nevertheless, as human civilization advances, it inevitably encounters various events, such as wars, ideological conflicts and other challenges. The paradox of modern life, Lestari said, must be addressed by broadening our understanding, as part of a diverse Indonesia. 

In a world of diversity, awareness of unity must be appreciated as a necessity, because such awareness will be the basis upon which to grow and implement national values. “Diversity is enriching. It is a gift that must translate into reality, in the life of the people and the nation,” Lestari elaborated. 

DayaLima Abisatya Director Meike Malaon revealed the results of a 2020 survey, eliciting responses from a total of 50,452 respondents. DayaLima Abisatya is one of the initiators of Nenilai – an initiative to build a developed and sophisticated Indonesia, initiated by Bappenas, Indika Energy, DayaLima Abisatya, Pantarei and Stoik Trisula. The survey results demonstrated that the majority of respondents expected values that promote common interests, such as fairness and justice, social justice, human rights, mutual cooperation and democracy. However, the values perceived by the respondents nowadays are far from their expectations, when considering a complicated bureaucracy, corruption and other erroneous values that generate negative energy in society. “These findings must become a collective interest, so that the values the community expects can indeed be achieved,” she said. 

Sunanto, Chairman of PP Pemuda Muhammadiyah, opined that the founding of the Indonesian nation was marked by legowo, meaning a tolerant attitude of the founding fathers when they set the values of building the nation, in their quest to distill a state ideology. However, these days, Indonesian diversity often clashes with political intent, especially when approaching elections. Thus, every five years, a refreshed understanding of the values of diversity will be back to square one. “We have a lot of homework to do, if we truly wish to realize Golden Indonesia 2045, because many impediments are still found when dealing with differences,” admitted Sunanto. (des)

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