Gita Wirjawan Delivered National Oration at UPH

UPH (November 11, 2013) ? To celebrate Hari Pahlawan (Memorial Day), UPH Senate Faculty of Law held a national oration with the theme ?Revitalisasi Wawasan Kebangsaan Generasi Muda, Guna Mewujudukan Indonesia yang Demokratis Seutuhnya? (Revitalizing Young Generation?s Insight on Nationalism For the Purpose of Actualizing a Completely Democratic Indonesia). This oration is delivered by Gita Wirjawan, Indonesia Minister of Trade. At the beginning of his oration, Gita expressed that he is proud of UPH spirit and critical thinking on nationalism, which became the background of this oration. He encouraged the students to remember the heroes? fight such as Bung Tomo at Surabaya and Bung Karno who incited the independence and nationalism spirit.

?My fight is easier because it is about driving out the colonialist. But your fight will be a hard one because you will oppose your own country,? said Gita who quoted Bung Karno statement to incite students? nationalism spirit.

?I believe that one day Indonesia will be one of the leading countries in the world,? said Gita optimistically. Indonesia has astounding resources but they are not with pertaining problems. One of the persistent problems is nationalism. Gita mentioned several countries ? Pakistan, Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia ? as an example that the nationalism problem could be the trigger of a nation?s downfall. In the perspective of nationalism, welfare is not a privilege for certain groups or individuals, but it is for the whole nation. Even though a lot of people are still pessimistic on Indonesia unity and confederacy, it does not mean that it cannot be striven for. Numerous efforts have been made to solve conflicts among communities and tribes on several Indonesia regions, such as Ambon and Poso, which at least bring optimism for a better unified Indonesia. ?We are all one. There is neither minority nor majority,? Gita asserted.

In order to boost the nation?s welfare, Gita once again reminded the consumption behavior as one of the determining factors. ?Your consumption behavior will determine the well-being of all of us. If you like to buy imported products, remember that your money will go to the well-being of the producers? country. If you like to buy products made in Indonesia, that will make our economy healthier, thus attracting foreign investors? interest to invest, build industries, pay taxes and open more job vacancies in our country. In the era of free-market, reluctance toward foreign investment is not a solution for Indonesia market. But, establishing smart consumers is more beneficial. We indeed have to choose a good product with competitive price, however, we also need to consider the consequences to our country?s economy health condition,? he said.