20/10/2020
"Youth Exemplary, Pioneer of Peace in the ASEAN Region"
By: Benardo Sinambela
(Delegation AYIC 2020 Jakarta)
Good mornings friends,
Let me introduce myself. My name is Benardo Sinambela, and you can call me Sinambela. I was born in Baturonggang, North Sumatra on November 10, 1989. Previously I was a student at State University of Medan, North Sumatra. I am a delegation participant from the Central National Committee for the Indonesian Christian Student Movement.
Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to convey some ideas for us to work together in the future in a sustainable manner after our activities today and tomorrow are finished.
First of all, I would like to introduce Indonesia to all of you. The Indonesian nation is a country proclaimed on August 17, 1945 by the Proclaimers of Sukarno and Hatta which is based on the Pancasila ideology. This country is a country that is diverse and has a variety of ethnicities, cultures, languages, religions and islands, but we are one within the framework of the Republic of Indonesia. Indonesia is a large nation, consisting of 260 million people, more than 17 thousand islands, 1,340 ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and 718 regional languages.
In our constitution, we explicitly state that Indonesia is a pluralistic country that protects all rights and freedoms of the people in carrying out their respective worship and culture, respecting each other as a manifestation of obedience and obedience to the principles stipulated in the 1945 Constitution.
The ideology of Pancasila with the slogan "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" which means different but still one is a very important spirit for us to live our ideals as a pluralistic country. We want to convey to the world that today Indonesia is striving hard to realize our common ideal as a large and noble nation and country.
There are several things that have not been completely resolved. There are still a number of problems in certain areas that experience disturbances in freedom in carrying out the worship of each religion, but this is a challenge for our government and all of us as young people, we believe one day we will definitely be able to make it happen. For our nation, diversity is a great wealth, complementary, not to be contested. The religions that we each adhere to emphasizes this, that diversity is a gift from God Almighty that we must be grateful.
Brothers and sisters, what should we do together?
Currently, the world is increasingly open to developments in communication technology. We can make friends and communicate, at the same time we can share ideas even though we are different countries and different time zones. It is time for us who are here to become preachers of peace for the world, we start from the ASEAN region. This is important because many countries are volatile because of differences, especially religious differences. Indonesia can live in harmony and peace with a myriad of diversity, I'm sure the world can too.
In working on these ideas, we need communities that intensively communicate and run joint programs in their respective countries, or in the future we can visit each other to share experiences and ideas. Practically, we can become ambassadors in our respective countries by forming small communities that focus on the goal of campaigning for peace. We have experienced in the history of previous world civilizations, that there is no good that we get by contradicting each other with different views of ideology and especially religion. Let us create a world of peace and progress together, so that we can join hands in facing global challenges such as what happened this year, namely the existence of Covid-19.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are many people who have not been able to enjoy peace to this day, there are many people who live in poverty and hunger because of differences that have led to war. The hope is that the spirit of peace that we build can also have an impact on the strong economy of the ASEAN region, which was initiated by young people. As pioneers of peace in the ASEAN sector, we must provide an example to the youth around us.
I entitled this idea: "Youth Exemplary, Pioneer of Peace in the ASEAN Region"
Hopefully what we convey can be a reflection for all of us, and hopefully we can make it happen together.
Thank you for your attention.
Jakarta, October 14, 2020
Benardo Sinambela | www.benardosinambela.id
