#Indonesiaunite Declares a Common Mandate For Progress in Indonesia
Uniting Generations And Civic Groups through Collaborative Unity
Jakarta, August 16th, 2009 – Today the #indonesiaunite movement, which is a spirit and energy to unite, never giving up and never succumbing to fear; triggered by the terrorist act on July 17th, 2009; supported by various groups and generations in the Indonesian society, declared the Common Mandate simultaneously at 11 PM Jakarta time, as a form of the nationalistic spirit, rejection towards violence and a call to Indonesia to unite and build the country.
Present were the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Coordinating Minister of Welfare, and representatives of friendly nations to watch the declaration. Other than Jakarta, the same declaration was stated in many other areas in Indonesia, among them Palembang, Yogyakarta, Bogor, Papua, NTT, Ambon, and elsewhere. The declaration was also broadcast live through the MRA radio network, with other networks to follow.
The declaration of the Common Mandate was triggered by the terror attack of July 17th, which inspired the new generation joined in the #indonesiaunite spirit to make this day, August 16th, as a new milestone in history, in conjunction with Indonesia’s 64th commemoration of Independence. The Common Mandate is the result of the thoughts and aspirations of various parts of society, and was available online for editing at wiki.indonesiaunite.com since August 9th, and perfected on August 14th, 2009. The following is the statement from the new generation, nationalism running deeply in their veins, rejecting violence, and calling for Indonesia to unite and shape Indonesia.
The Common Mandate:
- We are the new generation, the rightful heir of the nation and the Republic of Indonesia.
- We are the new generation who refuse to live and grow in fear. We choose to be brave.
- We are the new generation who believe violence begets violence. We endeavor to eliminate the chain of violence through humanitarian work wherever we are.
- We are the new generation who uphold the principles of democracy, humanity, equality and mutual respect. We therefore reject all forms of discrimination.
- We are the new generation who will build an honored and dignified state and nation, are able to unify Indonesia, protect the rights of individuals, stand up above all parties, and honor all Indonesians as equals.
The declaration of the Common Mandate was done in the Indonesiaunite Culturefest event in Jakarta, and in Ambon, Palembang, NTT and other areas. The event was organized by the Green Music Foundation, and featured Glenn Fredly, Pandji Pragiwaksono, Humania, RAN, The Upstairs, the Barry Likumahuwa Project, Ras Muhammad, Ecoutez, Endah & Reza, Kwaci, Zigaz, Eki Dancer, and Papua Dance.
Indonesiaunite Culturefest is also an opening event of other events held on August 17th, 2009, which are manifestations of the IndonesiaUnite spirit into real action, among them:
1. Jakarta Twitter User Group: Independence Day Gathering
Time : 3 PM – finish
Location : Rasuna Epicentrum Parking Lot
Organizer : Jakarta Twitter User Group
Featured event : Break Live Tweet our message to the world in 140 chararcters
2. Anteve – 4M Program: Makin Malam Makin Mantab!
Indonesian celebrities and 200 Twitter users will gather at Anteve’s studio in Cawang to declare the Common Mandate on air.
“Thousands of bombs may shake Indonesian soil, but no tremors will shake the energy of the young generation in #IndonesiaUnite!,” state several initiators of #indonesiaunite.
We hope that the Common Mandate can be spread far and wide, and live in every new generation in Indonesia in encouraging nationalism, rejection towards violence and the call for Indonesia to unite and shape the country.
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Notes for the Editor
About #indonesiaunite
The phrase ‘Indonesia Unite’ began with the hashtag #indonesiaunite used in conversations by Twitter users, the microblogging service, in the moments after the terror attack of July 17th, 2009.
From Twitter, Indonesia Unite went on to other social media sites in spreading the spirit of nationalism, rejection of violence and the awakening of the people, through the website http://indonesiaunite.com and the Facebook Public Profile (http://facebook.com/indonesiaunite), which has reached 360.000 members. The #indonesiaunite hashtag contains a message to remind us to not to succumb to the intimidation of terrorism, and quickly tell the world that Indonesia is a safe and peaceful country, and that the Indonesian people will not be feared by the intimidation of terror. Other than using the #indonesiaunite hashtag, Twitter users in Indonesia changed their avatars and profile photos with red and white attributes or a red and white Twitter ribbon. Since July 17th, 2009, the use of the #indonesiaunite hashtag has reached the big five trending topics on Twitter several times.
Indonesia Unite is a collaborative spirit and initiative, not monopolized by certain individuals or groups.
Even though it began as a discussion between Twitter users in Indonesia, and was initially moved by several individuals, Indonesia Unite is not an organization with a certain structure, but is a uniting spirit and can be implemented by all sorts of activities, movements; from and for the people.
Indonesia Unite emphasizes on information and communication openness, through dialogues with all parties, regarding the current reality in Indonesia.
By maximizing on resources already at hand, everyone who feels they want to contribute can implement the spirit of Indonesia Unite in many real actions, among others:
1. Opening dialogues to solve problems faced in small businesses, the creative industry and tourism.
2. Helping the recovery of small-scale economies through social entrepreneurship initiatives.
3. Increasing vigilance by the spreading of information, neighborhood watches, and the monitoring of security measures in public places.
4. And thus forth.
For more information, visit: http://indonesiaunite.com
Or contact the PR team by this email: pemudipemudi@indonesiaunite.com
