Delft, The Netherlands (Antara Bali) - A group of students from the
School of Indonesia Nederland (SIN) will hoist the flag at the 69th
Independence Day commemoration, organised by the Indonesian Embassy at
The Hague in The Netherlands, August 17.
The thirteen students
from the high school have been felicitated by the Indonesian ambassador
to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Retno L.P Marsudi, on Friday, August
15, at a ceremony attended by the Embassy staff, teachers and parents.
The
flag-hoisting squad from the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague comprises
five junior high school and eight senior high school students.
They are Aurelie Britney (14), Kirana Pitaloka (14), Kitana Pires (15), Nadia Delfi Zafira (13) and Nastiti Ayu Sayekti (14).
The
senior high school students are Abi As¿ari (16), Ahmad Ghifari (15),
Annisa Fadhilah Husna (17), Anwar Permana (16), Fadhila Rosmasari (16),
Hagar Masae (17), Radika Febriano (16), and Roichan Fernandes (16).
"I
am so proud to be one of the flag-hoisting squad, more so because the
ceremony will be held in The Netherlands," Radika, who has the duty as a
flag-raiser along with Abi As'ari and Aurelie Briteney, said.
Nadia Delfi Zafira also expressed her pride and gratefulness at being one of the squad who will be on duty at The Hague.
"For
me, being a member of the squad is one of the things that I can do to
continue the struggle of our heroes. In addition, as a student I do my
best to study hard and seriously, so that later I can contribute to
Indonesia," Nadia, who has been living in The Netherlands for the past
two years, said.
The training that should be done by the squad is
heavy, according to them. It started in June and continued till early
August until three days before the anniversary on August 17. The squads
were trained by Defense Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy at The Hague.
The
flag-hoisting squads inauguration ceremony comprised such items as
kissing the national flag, the squad¿s oath-taking and having the badge
pinned on them by the Ambassador.
He was a bit nervous to run the
flag-raising tasks, but his confidence rose after he passed the
inauguration ceremony, Radika admitted.
"After kissing the flag, my confidence rose," he said.
Most
of the Indonesia Nederland school students have been living there for
more than two years since their parents are there. Although they have
lived in such a developed country for so long, the feeling of longing
for the homeland is inevitable.
"I miss Indonesia so much. I have
to finish my studies here so that in the future I can bring something
to Indonesia, Nadia said.
Duty
According
to ambassador Retno the raising of the national flag by the students is a
noble mandate, moreover as the Independence Day ceremony is being held
in The Netherlands.
"Indonesia and The Netherlands have strong
historical ties. We have opposed each other, because they occupied our
homeland for a long time. But the relations between Indonesia and The
Netherlands has now been well established," the ambassador said.
The different stages of history between the two countries should be a lesson for us to build a better Indonesia, she added.
"The
Netherlands is a unique place to learn. By understanding its historical
ties with Indonesia, we will understand how we can work in order to
make a better Indonesia," the ambassador said.
Indonesia is a big
country with a plurality of ethnicities, religions, cultures and
customs. These diversities should be valued and respected, even
harmonized, she added.
"The harmony of living in a pluralistic
society like Indonesia cannot be realized automatically. We are the
nation's ambassadors to harmonize this pluralism. Indonesia belongs to
all of us," ambassador Retno said.
Representatives
The
Principal of the School of Indonesia Nederland, Budi Wahyu Rianto, said
the school, which is located in Wassenaar (about 54 kilometers
south-west of Amsterdam), is an Indonesian representative abroad for the
flag-hoisting ceremony at the Independence Day commemoration.
"The
flag-hoisting squad has become a tradition in The Netherlands. The
students are trained by the Defense Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in
The Netherlands," Budi said.
He said 17 students served on the
squad in 2013, while this year there are thirteen. The number of
students depends on the number of secondary students enrolled in the
school, and that fluctuates every year.
In the flag-hoisting
ceremony that will be held at Wisma Duta at The Hague, the students and
teachers will also present national songs.
In addition to
engaging in the flag-hoisting ceremony, the students will feature in an
art performance at the Pesta Rakyat (People's Fiesta) as one of a series
of the celebrations.
"They will perform on the angklung," Budi
said, adding that one of the songs that will be played is Kroncong
Kemayoran Betawi (Jakarta).
Angklung is a traditional musical instrument from West java that is made of bamboo.
The
Indonesian Independence Day celebrations which are organized by the
Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, consists of sports activities such as
golf and bowling competitions, as well as fun biking that were held from
June to early August.
The embassy will also organize a
diplomatic reception on August 20. The August 17 celebration will
conclude with the Pesta Rakyat (People's Fiesta) event or "Indonesia
Day" on September 6. (WDY)
Indonesian Students to Raise National Flag in Netherlands
Minggu, 17 Agustus 2014 11:22 WIB