Independent Day in Indonesia

Today marks the 62 years of Indonesia's independence and 10 years
after the Asian Economic Crisis (1997). For me, this is the first time
I am celebrating another country's birthday. Coming from Singapore,
where the state is actively trying to build on its success (or failure) of
its nation building project through national rituals (courtesy of Pak Aris),
the subtle nature of the occasion at the national level has surprised me.

Having read all the materials after Indonesia and its armed struggle for
independence, all that remains is the flag raising ceremony in Jakarta.
A conversation with Pitra slowly turned into a interesting insight into
Indonesian society, one that is very often misunderstood by outsiders.
He mentioned to me that the New Order re-defined the concept of
nationalism from one that expressed the love of the country and the
willingness to die for the national cause in the Sukarno's era to one that
stressed on economic contribution and progress for the nation.

Such a systemic shift can be readily seen in the mindsets of the younger
Indonesians today whose concept of nationalism is equaled to the pursuit 
of material success of jobs and success. Nationalism in Indonesia has 
been reduced to a gigantic wayang show with empty seats just like the
empty roads of Yogyakarta outside the hostel.