Reflections on Heroes' Day Preserving the Spirit of Patriotism
November 10th every year is celebrated as Hero's Day in our country. Until today, there have been 163 people who have been recognized as national heroes, consisting of 12 women and 151 men. The military and police sectors contributed the most to national heroes, reaching 34 people. Many noble groups from aristocratic or royal families also became national heroes because of their persistence against the Company and aided in the diplomatic struggle to expel invaders. Next are intellectual civil figures, politicians and religious leaders who are involved in the national movement. They are entitled to an award as a national hero because their actions are considered heroic – defined as "real deeds that can be remembered and imitated for all time by other members of society." – or “served extraordinary services for the interests of the nation and state. Apart from that, their actions which are full of patriotic spirit mean that the dedication and struggle that they carry out lasts almost their entire life (not for a moment) and exceeds their duty to defend human dignity, especially the weak, destitute and oppressed in their homeland. Patriotism is not only interpreted as an understanding of prioritizing the motherland or love for the motherland which is symbolized by singing the national anthem and saluting the red and white flag but rather towards the spirit and understanding to defend and liberate the Indonesian nation from oppression, occupation and exploitation by foreigners and their cronies. .
The spirit of patriotism is shown by never giving up on enemies who always try to kill the soul of Pancasila as the noble values of the Indonesian people. Then in this era, when the era is safe, there is no physical war, how to preserve the spirit of patriotism. If we flash back to the warrior figures such as doctor Wahidin Sudirohusada, doctor Tjipto Mangoenkoesoema, doctor Soetomo, doctor Muwardi, doctor Leimena, doctor Sardjito, doctor Radjiman Wiryonegoro, they have pioneered the establishment of the Indonesian state and at the same time pioneered the emergence of indigenous medical experts in order to realize public health. Indonesia. Political figures have also shown the spirit of patriotism to pioneer the establishment of a sovereign Indonesian state even though they have to be ready to be jailed and even killed. Experts in law and state administration are no less important in shaping the Indonesian government system in the pull of various ideologies such as communism, capitalism and liberalism. Religious figures such as KH Ahmad Dahlan have also become pioneers in creating a mental revolution for their followers based on religious values. Ahmad Dahlan invited Indonesian Muslims to be consistent with the teachings of Surah Al-Maa'un so that they don't just become preachers and listeners to lectures or studies, but there is a real movement by caring for others, helping those who are deficient from among the orphans and the poor so that they are not considered religious liars. All of these figures have a high spirit of patriotism in order to pioneer the establishment of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia so that it is natural for them to be categorized as pioneers of goodness in Indonesia. Unfortunately the awarding of the title of heroism does not cover the pioneering groups of goodness in the period 1400-1800 such as the saints who have changed the face of the archipelago into a radiant face with the value of the oneness of Allah.
In contrast to the heroes of the pioneer group whose roles are recognized, so far none of the builders' generation as the next generation of the pioneer generation's struggle has received the award as a national hero. Is it possible that in the Jokowi era there will emerge heroes in development programs in Indonesia from the military/POLRI, campus world, religious and political leaders who have had fantastic achievements in bringing the Indonesian nation to a more dignified, just and more prosperous state. Will their patriotism only become symbolic patriotism during the flag ceremony in commemoration of independence day, national awakening day or heroes day by singing the national anthem and saluting the red and white flag. Many intellectual figures during the development cabinet period came from campuses with great works that deserved the award of a national hero.
An even sharper question is whether it is possible to maintain the spirit of patriotism of the heroes among the generation of connoisseurs and the generation of ignorant people who are increasing in this era. Where and where did the medical generation who used to be the pioneers of this nation's struggle. Why is the world of medicine so far behind our neighboring countries. Where and where did the generation of laws that used to be the founding fathers of this country's constitution. Why are legal problems in this country getting more and more complicated, like tangled threads that are difficult to unravel. Where and where are the religious leaders who live simply and become role models for the people. Why is religion now only a cover and a tool for the interests of certain parties, groups and individuals. Where and where are the educators who have a patriotic spirit like Ki Hajar Dewantara and dr. Wahidin Soedirohoesodo to educate the nation. Why is the quality of our education below Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
The challenges of globalization with the 2015 ASEAN economic community and 2015 AFTA require at least a patriotic spirit to safeguard national identity and safeguard this nation's "trust assets" so that they don't fall into the hands of professionals from abroad. It is time for the spirit of the heroes to be transformed by the next generation of nation building in order to prepare themselves to compete in a healthy manner or compete with foreign experts in the Indonesian domestic market. A challenge that is no less severe is the challenge in inviting the values of truth and goodness which seem to be increasingly complex and tempting. The trend of religious leaders has begun to be abandoned because of information technology with the help of Google can find out anything so that people are increasingly far from the clergy. Religious leaders are required to imitate rain, which must come to any area. Do not imitate the PDAM water model, which will always ask for a tariff when it provides benefits. Nor should religious leaders be like well water that can only be taken by those who want to take it or like river water that only provides benefits for its "flow". Likewise, the campus community must also be able to take advantage of the momentum of Heroes' Day with the spirit of patriotism to change its orientation by placing Research and Development (R&D) to be the prima donna with the target of Scopus indexed scientific publications, excited with a high impact factor and have patented products. The campus world can experience a degradation of the spirit of patriotism if it is not faced with real challenges in the increasingly permissive, liberal and transactional era of globalization. Therefore, efforts to preserve the patriotic spirit are urgent to maintain the continuity of the development of the nation and state. Can President Jokowi make it happen with a mental revolution to change the mentality of being spoiled, ignorant, easy to play robots, and easy to complain to a warrior mentality that is patriotic, honest, responsible, has integrity and discipline. We are all waiting for how or how to carry out a mental revolution as stated by President Jokowi. This feels urgent because there are more and more generations of connoisseurs and ignorant generations in this country. SAA/Wibowo/Tri