The hawkers spotlessly lined up their carts amidst rows of flower boards at the Graduate School building of Yogyakarta State University. It was a boiling morning transitioning into noon on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
Diverse prominent names of figures and major media adorned those flower boards, including Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment of the Republic of Indonesia.
The voices of Indonesia's future rang out in Yogyakarta on that day as hundreds of alumni journalists from across the country gathered for a reunion, meet and greet, of the Forum Alumni Aktivis Perhimpunan Pers Mahasiswa Indonesia - Alumni Activists of the Indonesian Student Journalist Association (FAA PPMI).
In this happening, the participants discussed the state of the nation from various perspectives while formulating the role of alumni student journalists for the improvement of Indonesia's condition in the future.
Put up on January 24, 2015, FAA PPMI has become a shared platform for alumni of the Indonesian Student Journalist Association – Perhimpunan Pers Mahasiswa Indonesia (PPMI) from universities from side to side Indonesia.
FAA PPMI has thousands of members who work in a variety of professions and occupations, such as politicians, researchers, journalists, entrepreneurs, bureaucrats, and so on. Numerous of them have become national figures.
This reunion was held to bersatoe – unite the various thoughts from various circles. After being held in conjunction with a discussion titled "Mapping the Contributions of Alumni Student Journalists to Indonesia," the reunion participants formulated several recommendations for Indonesia in the future.
There were five points of recommendation given:
- Encourage media to carry out their duties and functions independently and professionally.
- Call for prospective presidential and vice-presidential candidates to refrain from attacking and undermining each other to create peaceful elections.
- Reject political crimes in any form.
- Advocate for the independent and professional enforcement of law and the eradication of corruption.
- Reject the oppression of minority groups under any pretext and in any form.
Over the course of its eight-year existence, FAA PPMI has done a lot. It has created real work programs to provide thought contributions related to various issues and national problems by utilizing its abundant professional resources.
One of its forms is the routine organization of public discussions, which occur 1-2 times every month. These public discussions always raise themes based on important and current issues.
By utilizing the many FAA PPMI members who are spread across various mass media, the recommendations of FAA PPMI's discussions are always featured in the news on television, radio, online, and national and local print media.
As a result, every discussion event produces concrete solutions to every problem and is able to build public opinion and policymakers.
Up to this point, former student journalist activists (PPMI) remain consistent in their commitment and idealism when envisioning the nation's future in their respective professional fields. For instance, Nezar Patria, the Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Technology of Indonesia, is friendly, approachable, and humble.
He defies the conventional "protocol" expected of a deputy minister when engaging with FAA PPMI. In the middle of Klangenan (intimacy night), a follow-up reunion event at Prambanan Jazz Cafe, even though he is a deputy minister official he stated, "The spirit of dismantling the authoritarianism of the Orde Baru regime still persists to this day."
Nezar once served as the Editor-in-Chief of Pijar Magazine at the Faculty of Philosophy, UGM, during the 1990s.
Gathering hundreds of alumni figures from student journalists in a single event is not an easy task, especially considering the wide array of professions and differing political choices among alumni.
However, FAA PPMI and PPMI itself serve as a "home," so thanks to the enduring sense of belonging, that unity resurfaces. Regardless of profession or political inclination, when we "return home," we remain bersatoe and harmonious.
I personally feel that this organization is a miniature of "the Indonesian people," where people from various ethnicities and regions even religions from Aceh to Papua gather with various tendencies and mindsets as well as the age, and generation.
With a range of economic backgrounds, even the common people and wealthy entrepreneurs are here. Its goal was to form a shared platform that could accommodate a variety of thoughts of PPMI alumni, as well as an effort to realize a better republic.
I personally think that FAA PPMI could also be likened to a soccer club. There are those who work as goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and strikers. Every single activator is in their own position, but the goal is still the same.
The big goal is a diverse organization that advocates for a democratic and just Indonesia.
To achieve this, FAA PPMI supports independent and professional media, peaceful elections, zero tolerance for political crimes, fair and impartial law enforcement, and the protection of minority rights in accordance with the mandate of the 1945 Constitution and Pancasila.
These are the principles that are instilled in the mindset of every FAA PPMI personnel. Could Indonesia embrace such a bersatoe?
The answer is a resounding "Yes," and the responsibility lies with us all. As we exchange viewpoints, spar with ideas, and find common ground until the daybreak of understanding, the potential for our nation's brighter future remains limitless.
I've witnessed this potential firsthand, in the late-night debates that extend into the early hours in FAA PPMI. There, I've seen it all – impassioned discussions, clashes of arguments, and the eventual harmony of shared laughter.
Each individual is uniquely created, so there's no need for questioning. In the same way, not every student journalist alumnus must become a professional journalist; it's perfectly acceptable to become a public servant, an entrepreneur, or whatever path one chooses.
As long as they don't compromise the values instilled throughout the years in PPMI and FAA PPMI – independence, professionalism, and social responsibility – we could thrive amidst our differences, as long as love and laughter remain.
"Because life is about love and laughter."
Let us never forget the power of love and laughter. These are the things that could bersatoe us, even in the midst of our differences. Let us use these forces for good, to create a better world for Indonesia [mhg].