Two former members of the Flag Raising Troops (Paskibra) from Merauke – South Papua, and Tomohon – North Sulawesi participated in training the Paskibra team in Washington DC, America, this year. The constraints of the format and short training period, the extremely hot weather, and even the language, did not dampen their determination to spread and strengthen their love for their country.
After intensive training every Tuesday and Friday, for five weeks, since early July, 16 members of the Flag Raising Troops (Paskibra) in Washington DC are considered ready to carry out their duties on August 17. The Paskibra, aged between 14-17 years old, consists of eight boys and eight girls, four of whom wear the hijab.
Their readiness to carry out their duties cannot be separated from the role of their three trainers from the Defense Attaché office of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC and two former Paskibra from Indonesia – or commonly referred to as Purna Paskibra – namely Joaena Wattimena from Merauke, South Papua, and Priscilla Wondal from Tomohon, North Sulawesi. Both are final year students at Satya Wacana Christian University (UKSW) Salatiga, Central Java, who are currently interning at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC.
Interviewed by VOA by telephone, Joaena – who became a Paskibraka in Merauke in 2016 – said she was very happy to have the opportunity to train “younger siblings,” as they are commonly called in Paskibra; and was very moved.
“We are entrusted from Indonesia to train our friends here, even though they were born or brought by their parents since childhood to America and their characters have already been formed, now we have to train them to line up, respect the red and white flag and know the importance of our flag, make them understand that what they are doing is a big mission – raising and lowering the red and white flag during the Independence Day celebration – a momentum that not everyone has.”
Training 16 Indonesian children who were raised in America, or even born in America, in a short time is not an easy job.
Priscilla, a retired Paskibraka from Tomohon in 2019, who is known as “Kak Prisil” by her “foster children” at DC, really feels this.
“Compared to the training we had before, the biggest challenge we faced here was the language. It felt annoying, frustrated, but also proud. It was annoying because they were Indonesian children, but because they were raised here, they couldn’t speak Indonesian. The good thing is that they were willing to ask questions, they kept asking questions. They wanted to know, so after the training they came to me, asking me, is this right, what needs to be fixed.”
Personal Approach Unites Hearts
Joaena said that the personal approach had proven successful in breaking the ice and creating warmth among young people from different generations and cultures who came from the same grassroots.
“How to train these younger siblings really depends on us, it has to be very personal. Approach them one by one. Told them, this is how to be a proper Paskibra. So they finally feel like their older siblings are fun, they can ask how they can carry the red and white flag on August 17th. Yes, we have to be very patient, because it’s very different! There we were yelled at when we were trained, here we can’t. It’s 180 degrees different. From the beginning, I was told not to use harsh sentences or certain word stress, it’s very different from Indonesia.”
Parents Also Feel the Benefits
Parents whose sons and daughters were selected to be members of the Washington DC Paskibra this year also felt the benefits of the presence of two retired Paskibra members such as Joaena and Priscilla, who greatly helped their sons understand the commands given during marching practice, and at the same time learned discipline, manners and Indonesian politeness.
It is not uncommon for children to seem to get confirmation from their “seniors” about what is happening in Indonesia. Not only about politics and socio-culture, but also simple things like food and places that are currently fun to visit.
Proud of Child Joining Paskibra, Sumarti Shows Off Photos & Videos to Villagers
Apart from that, the parents could not hide their pride and emotion. Among them was Sumarti, who had lived in America for dozens of years raising her son – Kevin – alone. This year was the second year Kevin was selected as a member of Paskibra. She told how proud her fellow villagers in Banyuwangi, East Java were.
“I sent the photo from last year and his grandmother printed it, enlarged it, and showed it to the people in the village. They were very happy. His grandfather even cried. He told the people who came to the house, he was very proud because his grandson in America could be a member of the Paskibra which he had only seen on television. My son has never returned to Indonesia. God willing, later…”
Ermawati Wants to Inherit the Spirit of Paskibra
Ermawati Pandiangan, who has lived in America since 2001 to raise her five children and has never returned to Indonesia, said the same thing. Her third son, Christopher Imanuel Pandiangan, will be one of the flag-raising team on the morning of August 17. What is very touching for him is that he himself was once a member of the Paskibra team at the South Jakarta level, decades ago.
“To be honest, Chris joined Paskibra because of his mother’s encouragement.. hahahaha… Because I myself once joined Paskibra, representing South Jakarta. I really wanted my child to join Paskibra, but none of my first and second children wanted to. Only Chris wanted to. And he became even more enthusiastic after meeting other Indonesian children who were also like him, born or raised here, really love Indonesia but find it difficult to express it because even though his parents are Indonesian, but everyday he goes to school and speaks English, his way of thinking is also like a local. But he loves Indonesian food and is very, very Indonesian.”
Both Sumarti and Ermawati felt that the presence of two former Paskibra members like Joaena and Priscilla greatly helped their sons understand the commands given during marching practice, and at the same time learn discipline, manners and politeness in Indonesia. They often exchanged news about what was happening in the country of a thousand islands, and the struggles of the two “seniors” to overcome it. (em/jm)
