The Youth Pledge (, ), officially titled as Decision of the Congress of Indonesian Youth ( van Ophuijsen spelling ) is the pledge made by young Indonesians since 28 October 1928, which defined the identity of

Indonesians Indonesians (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''orang Indonesia'') are citizens or people who are identified with the country of Indonesia, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. There are more than Ethnic groups in Indonesia, 1,300 ...

. The decision proclaimed three ideas: one motherland, one nation, and a unifying language.Ricklefs (1982) p177

Background

The first Indonesian youth congress was held in Batavia (now called

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

), the capital of the then-Dutch

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

in 1926. It produced no formal decisions but did promote the idea of a united Indonesia. The dream of Indonesian independence inspired all Indonesian youth to unite their efforts in mobilizing youth

organizations An organization or organisation ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is an entity—such as a company, or corporation or an institution (formal organization), or an association—comprising one or more people and having a par ...

into one forum. At the time, the situation was tense since the Dutch colonial authority had just crushed the joint rebellion between communists and religious groups in Cilegon, Banten, and West Sumatra. Wage Rudolf Supratman, in preparation, composed and recorded the song "Indonesia" (prototype of "Indonesia Raya") with the help of Yo Kim Tjan, owner of Toko Populaire, a music store in Pasar Baru. This was after being rejected by Dutch-owned Firma Odeon and Tio Tek Hong, owner of a vinyl store in Pasar Baru, in fear of the Dutch authority. The music was recorded secretly in Yo Kim Tjan's house near Bilangan Gunung Sahari in 1927. In October 1928, the second Indonesian youth congress was held in three locations. The first session was held on 27 October 1928 in the Katholieke Jongelingenbond building, where hope was expressed for the congress to inspire the feeling of unity. The second session saw discussions about educational issues held in the Oost Java Bioscoop building. The third and final session on 28 October was held at Jalan Kramat Raya No, 106, which was a house owned by Sie Kong Lian. This event was closed by the hearing of the future Indonesian national anthem Indonesia Raya by Wage Rudolf Supratman played with violin, and sang by Haji Agus Salim's daughter, Theodora Atia "Dolly" Salim, but was modified slightly to not provoke Dutch authority. The congress was closed with a reading of the youth pledge. Youth Pledge Museum website (Indonesian)Hudaya Latuconsina & Dedi Rafidi (1996) p123

The pledge

In Indonesian, with the original spelling, the pledge reads:

Pertama
Kami poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mengakoe bertoempah darah jang satoe, tanah air Indonesia.
Kedoea
Kami poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mengakoe berbangsa jang satoe, bangsa Indonesia.
Ketiga
Kami poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mendjoendjoeng bahasa persatoean, bahasa Indonesia.

In Indonesian with current spelling:

Pertama
Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, mengaku bertumpah darah yang satu, tanah air Indonesia.
Kedua
Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, mengaku berbangsa yang satu, bangsa Indonesia.
Ketiga
Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, menjunjung bahasa persatuan, bahasa Indonesia.

In English:

Firstly
We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, acknowledge one motherland, Indonesia.
Secondly
We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, acknowledge to be of one nation, the nation of Indonesia.
Thirdly
We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, uphold the language of unity, Indonesian.

First Congress of Indonesian Youth

* Chairman: Sugondo Djojopuspito ('' Perhimpunan Pelajar-Pelajar Indonesia/PPPI)'' * Vice Chairman: R.M. Djoko Marsaid (''

Jong Java , was a Dutch East Indies youth organization founded on March 7, 1915, by at the STOVIA building under the name Tri Koro Dharmo ('Three Noble Goals'). It was founded in response to the perceived elitism of the Budi Utomo movement by many young p ...

'') * Secretary:

Mohammad Yamin Muhammad Yamin (24 August 1903 – 17 October 1962) was an Indonesian poet, politician, historian and national hero who played a key role in the writing of the draft preamble to the 1945 constitution. Early life and education Yamin was born ...

(''Jong Soematranen Bond'') * Treasurer:

Amir Sjarifuddin Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap ( EVO: Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap; 27 April 1907 – 19 December 1948) was an Indonesian politician and journalist who served as the second prime minister of Indonesia from 1947 until 1948. A major leader of the lef ...

( Jong Batak Bond) * Aide I: Johan Mohammad Cai (''Jong Islamieten Bond'') * Aide II: R. Katjasoengkana (''Pemoeda Indonesia'') * Aide III: R.C.I. Sendoek (''Jong Celebes'') * Aide IV:

Johannes Leimena Johannes Leimena (Often abbreviated as J. Leimana; 6 March 1905 – 29 March 1977), more colloquially referred to as Om Jo, was an Indonesian politician, physician, and National Hero of Indonesia, national hero. He was one of the List of longest ...

(''Jong Ambon'') * Aide V: Mohammad Rochjani Su'ud (''Pemoeda Kaoem Betawi'')

Original Draft

The Youth Pledge is a commitment by Indonesian youth from various ethnic groups to unite in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. However, it turns out that the original script of the Youth Pledge did not mention the

Indonesian language Indonesian (; ) is the official language, official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standard language, standardized variety (linguistics), variety of Malay language, Malay, an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that has ...

but instead used Malay. In the First Indonesian Youth Congress, the proposal for the original Youth Pledge was formulated by

. In Indonesian, with the original spelling, the draft pledge reads:

Pertama
Kami poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mengakoe bertoempah darah jang satoe, tanah air Indonesia.
Kedoea
Kami poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mengakoe berbangsa jang satoe, bangsa Indonesia.
Ketiga
Kami poetra dan poetri Indonesia, mendjoendjoeng bahasa persatoean, bahasa Melajoe.

In English:

Firstly
We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, acknowledge one motherland, Indonesia.
Secondly
We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, acknowledge to be of one nation, the nation of Indonesia.
Thirdly
We the sons and daughters of Indonesia, uphold the language of unity, Malay.

However, the original Youth Pledge sparked a debate.

Mohammad Tabrani Mohammad Tabrani Soerjowitjirto (10 October 1904 – 12 January 1984) was an Indonesian journalist and politician. He originated from the island of Madura and received journalistic education in Europe. In his early journalistic career, Tabrani wa ...

objected to the third paragraph of the original Youth Pledge, which used Malay. According to him, Malay should be replaced with Indonesian so that the entire formulation includes the name

at the end. This debate inevitably led to changes in the wording of the original Youth Pledge. However, initially, there was no agreement on the change of formulation. Therefore, the proposal for

's proposal for the original Youth Pledge was submitted again at the Second Indonesian Youth Congress. The congress took place from 27 to 28 October 1928, in

. The Second Youth Congress resulted in the Youth Pledge that we still hear today and marked the birth of

National Day

MuseumSumpahPemuda-20-PerhimpunanPelajarPelajarIndonesia

As of Presidential Decree No. 316 of 1959 dated December 16, 1959, 28 October became non-holiday national day. wikisource article about national day that not holiday

References

* Hudaya Latuconsina & Dedi Rafidi (1996) ''Pelajaran Sejarah untuk SMU Jilid 2'' (''History for Senior High School Vol. 2''). Penerbit Erlangga, Jakarta, * Kahin, George McTurnan (1952) ''Nationalism and Revolution in Indonesia'' Cornell University Press, * Ricklefs (1982), ''A History of Modern Indonesia'', Macmillan Southeast Asian reprint,
Youth Pledge Museum website (Indonesian)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Youth Pledge Indonesian National Awakening