YOGYAKARTA – Thousands of students and students living in boarding houses in Yogyakarta on Sunday (28/10) followed the Youth Pledge ceremony and expressed declaration of the Nusantara Youth Congress at UGM. The declaration was read by a student of Faculty of Philosophy UGM, Khairul Umam, as a form of expression and concern of the youth on various national issues related to nationalism character, the disintegration of the spirit of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, drug abuse, corruption and violence, which are now common in many parts of the archipelago.
One point of the five-point declaration is reaffirming Pancasila ideology by renewing and practicing noble values of Pancasila in the present and the future as the true character of Indonesia. "Rejecting all forms of violence in social life of the nation and state and inviting people back to the Pancasila ideology to resolve the problems of violence by optimizing the role of institutions and the media well and properly," the activist in UGM Student Executive Body said.
Furthermore, the point is to build commitment and cumulative awareness to eradicate corruption by involving active participation of government and society and conducting early monitoring.
The Rector as the inspector in the ceremony reminded participants that the spirit of the Youth Pledge Day celebration is not only done through the reading of the declaration, but implementation in everyday life in the commitment of the youth on one homeland, one nation and one language.
The youth should also be able to improve academic quality, moral integrity, leadership and managerial skills for a better Indonesia. "All should be done since a young age," he said.
He pointed out that in the era of the 1940’s to 1950’s, many young men became visionary leaders who have high moral integrity and national commitment. "This Republic has been coloured by teen leaders. Therefore, do not wait to be an adult to be able to play a significant role," he added.
To enhance the competence and leadership qualities, he said, the youth is able to avoid the basic problems that always surround them: drugs, violence and brawls. "If the youth comes to these three, indeed, they go far away from the expectations of Indonesia, showing their unpreparedness to enter a very tight competition facing the Asean Community 2015," he concluded.