Thousands of students from Yogyakarta flocked to the Grha Sabha Pramana hall to attend a concert, hosted by UGM and Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) on Saturday (23/9). The concert themed Together in Diversity: Commitment of Jogja for One Indonesia was also attended by national figures.
Opened by popular band from Yogyakarta, Jikustik, the concert was presented lively to entertain the audience. Rector of UGM, Prof. Ir. Panut Mulyono, M.Eng., D.Eng., and Director of RRI, M. Rohanudin also gave remarks during the event. Panut reminded the students to always stick to the unity value, not affected by those that try to disintegrate them.
“Issues such as terrorism, corruption, social conflict, radicalism, drug abuse, intolerance, violence and weakening of state ideology almost every day make the headlines. Those problems are part of the Indonesian condition that has started to lose its identity and character as a state,” he said.
Related to these issues, he emphasised the importance of character building in educational institutions from primary to higher learning to build and educate students with the spirit of Pancasila and good characters to face future world changes. He said education was the most effective form to advance the nation.
“Education is the main factor for character building of the nation’s generation in line with the values of Pancasila in the framework of diversity. Education ought to produce individuals with good character,” he added. He hoped the spirit of unity would be upheld by the young generation for them to bring changes for the better.
“From UGM we trumpet the spirit and value of unity in the framework of diversity that is based on the noble values of the ideology of Pancasila,” he said.
Director of RRI, M. Rohanudin, said the diversity of Indonesia was something not to be regretted but thanked for and enlivened.
“Those differences will get united with what is called as diversity. The struggles of the founding father have to sustain to make one Indonesia,” he said,
After the remarks, the concert was enlivened by the country’s pop singers such as Novita Dewi and Bams as well as winners of Radio contests, Gadjah Mada Chamber Orchestra (GMCO) and Choirs who performed national songs, ethnic songs, in addition to pop songs.