thumb|180px|The youth pledge text
The Youth Pledge (, ), officially titled as Decision of the Congress of Indonesian Youth (van Ophuijsen spelling ) is the nationalist pledge made by young Indonesians on 28 October 1928, which defined the identity of Indonesians. The decision proclaimed three ideas: one motherland, one nation, and a unifying language.
Background
The first Indonesian youth congress was held in Batavia (now called Jakarta), the capital of the then-Dutch East Indies 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 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 Gunung Sahari Area 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.
The congress was closed with a reading of the youth pledge.
The pledge
In Indonesian, with the original spelling, the pledge reads:
In the First Indonesian Youth Congress, the proposal for the original Youth Pledge was formulated by Mohammad Yamin.
See also
- Youth Pledge Museum
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)