Puan: Youth Pledge Is Not Just History Romanticism, But The Moment Of Embracement Of The Community

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani (Dok DPR Photo)

JAKARTA - DPR Speaker Puan Maharani reminded the importance of embracing all elements of society in order to make Indonesia more prosperous. Puan also said that the spirit of young people is very much needed to build the nation.

"The Youth Spill is not only historical romance, but also must look far ahead. How the new ecosystem and new technology will produce many new things in the present and future," said Puan Maharani, Monday, October 28.

Puan said that the creativity of young people can be used to ground the ideology of Indonesia or the history of the nation in a modern way. Thus, the next generation of the nation can understand history and uphold the ideology of Indonesia.

"Young people become new personnel for us to talk about ideology but by showing the current method," said Puan.

At the moment of this Youth Pledge Day, Puan invited the younger generation to contribute to advancing the economy, education, and social in their respective environments.

"Young people / drivers have an important role as agents of change of the nation, especially since they have a high spirit of innovation and creativity," said the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.

"The government and society must work together to provide fair opportunities for every young man to develop. In facing the challenges of globalization and technological developments, youth must be prepared to become a strong and competitive generation," added Puan.

Puan said the Youth Pledge also does not mean anything only to young people. Because the spirit of the Youth Pledge is about unity and integrity that must be possessed by all the nation's children. Therefore, Puan reminded the importance of all elements of the nation to work together in building Indonesia.

"Young man's oath is a momentum to embrace all elements of society in overcoming challenges and realizing a more prosperous Indonesia and to celebrate diversity into one nation," he explained.

Furthermore, Puan emphasized the urgency of character education for the younger generation on the commemoration of Youth Pledge Day. This is important considering that Indonesia is experiencing various challenges regarding the character of the younger generation.

How character education must be prioritized in every line of education. Both at the level of formal education, as well as non-formal institutions. Of course, the role of parents and family in guiding children is also very much needed so that our young generation grows with good character and ethics," explained Puan.

Puan also highlighted the many challenges that young people currently have to face. Like a survey by Intelligent which found that 17 percent of companies were reluctant to give jobs to people aged 20 years and three quarters said they were dissatisfied with universities in recent times.

Even in 2024, 60 percent of companies have laid off Gen Z employees. In addition, data released by Resume Templates also reports that Gen Z relies too much on parental support while looking for work. Of the 1,500 young job seekers, 70% claimed to ask their parents for help in the work search process.

"This kind of problem must be explored for the cause and find a solution. We must remember that young people are a potential generation if directed properly," said Puan.

Puan assessed that various interventions are needed to support young people increasingly have competitiveness in the midst of this difficult time.

Including literacy programs and skill improvements outside the conventional field. There are many opportunities that the younger generation can take advantage of as long as they have the ability and competence," he said.

In the era of globalization, Puan said young people must be technology literate so that they are not left behind by the progress of the times. Good literacy is also needed so that the younger generation does not fall into negative things which are also the impact of technology.

"The digitalization program has been carried out by the Government, it's just that in Indonesia there are still many regions or regions that must have better technology support. Support for access to technology must also be good to remote areas," added Puan.

Even in this good momentum, Puan specifically invites all young people to understand the meaning of the real youth oath.

"The Youth Pledge Day affirms our commitment in building the nation with the spirit of national unity and integrity," he said.

"And I invite all elements of society to reflect on the meaning of youth struggle in the context of the nation's progress. In 1928, Indonesian youth united to express their determination for the sake of independence and state sovereignty," continued Puan.