110th year of The Indonesian Awakening Day

Today we are celebrating the 110th year of the Indonesian Awakening Day.

This is the day in which the people of Indonesia in the 20th century, still under the increasing control of the Dutch colony, from many parts of the archipelago FIRST began developing a NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS as "INDONESIANS".

These profound changes amongst the indigenous Indonesian population are often referred to as the "Indonesian National Revival".

There were increased political activism and culminated in Indonesian Nationalist's proclaiming independence on 17 August 1945.

Several factors gave rise to a nationalist consciousness: The indigenous print media, urbanization, Islam religion, education, the keroncong musical entertainment and most of all the SUFFERING under the Dutch colonization supremacy.

Indigenous voices were suppresed by the Dutch, who dissalowed freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, and extensively spies on dissident organizations. The modern movement against colonial rule was maintained by the passion and commitment of a few remarkable men and women.

Kartini was one such individual who provided ideology which inspired patriotic nationalists to pursue their ideals despite adversity.

Kartini's intellect was awakened by quality Dutch classical education and her traditional islamic beliefs. Kartini incorporated her inquisitiveness and feminist principles, community welfare and education in her pursuit of the National Indonesian identity and her quest to modernize her traditional society, advocating changes in gender status and principle of individual and national self-determination to realize the Indonesian universal dream of independence and self-governance.

And during this period too, the first Indonesian political parties began to emerge; Boedi Oetomo - established youth group in 1908 and the Indonesian party & other islamic groups, brought all Indonesian together to a full-fledged Independence.

In 1920 the word "Indonesia" classify the ethnic and geographic area.

The word Indonesia was seized upon by nationalist as a word to imagine a unity of people, and in October 1928, the all-Indonesian youth congress proclaimed the youth pledge ( Indonesian Sumpah Pemuda ), establishing the nationalist goals of: "one country - Indonesia, one people - Indonesian, and one languange - Indonesian".

After the Japanese invasion in 1942-1945 that brought to an end the 300 years of Dutch colonial presence in Indonesia that subsequently made it possible for the Indonesian revolution to the Indonesian nationalists to have the irresistible "Indonesia".

And today we are commemorating proudly what these youth based heroes of Indonesian had accomplished to build one huge Nation uniting 17,000 islands with 300 ethnic group, 583 dialects into one country the republic of Indonesia.

And today all the citizens of Indonesia must remember this national awakening day to keep our country's independence forever and not allow any other form of colonization at all into our land.