The National Flag Hoisting Team (Paskibraka) to Set Positive Examples for Indonesian Youth

The chosen students will become the agents of change to counter hoax and corruption

JAKARTA,Indonesia,Aug. 20,2018 -- The Indonesia's Ministry of Youth and Sports hassuccessfully trained68 high school students from 34 provinces as the National Flag Hoisting Team (Paskibraka) - for the 73rd Independence Day flag-raising ceremony,on August 17 at the Presidential Palace. Led by President Joko Widodo as the Ceremony Inspector,the Paskibraka team has done their job well.

President Joko Widodo inaugurated 68 members of the Paskibraka at the State Place in Jakarta yesterday

This success is the result of the very strict selection process from the municipality to provincial level,including marching,general knowledge,physical tests,and team building exercises. Eventually,each of Indonesia's province selected a pair of their best students to participate in an education and training camp at National Center for Youth and Sports Empowerment (PP-PON) from July 25-- August 16.

When opening the training camp,the Minister of Youth and Sports,Imam Nahrawi,advised that the real struggle would occur after they returned to their respective communities and neighborhoods. "Of course,they are new idols for the millennial generation that will surely bring enthusiasm as well as for the progress of the nation," he added.

Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh,Deputy of Youth Development at Kemenpora,added that as the best youths from all over nation - Paskibraka team are trained for more than just a flag-raising ceremony; they will be prepared as the agents of change. "Therefore,we adapt the material to the latest issues they face in everyday life and social media,such as counter-corruption and anti-hoax training. They can fill the future if they connect and share the knowledge wisely,"said Asrorun.

The anti-hoax training was conducted by the Informatics Empowerment's Director of the Ministry of Information & Informatics,Slamet Santoso. He said there are around 800,000 sites in Indonesia,suspected of disseminating false or hoax information,including cyber bullying,cyber fraud,pornography,cyber gambling,and cyber stalking. Furthermore,with 143.26 million internet users in Indonesia,75.50% of whom are within the 13-18 age group,anti-hoax training of these student representativesis more important than ever.

These exceptional students come from diverse backgrounds. One example is 17 years old Muhammad Ari Setiawan from Banten,who is also a wrestling athlete. His daily routine as a sportsperson helped him in the Paskibraka member selection process. "Wrestling has taught me the importance of discipline and being on time. If I was instructed to do a morning rehearsal,it means I need to be ready by 05:15 AM on the field," said Muhammad.

Unlike in the past,when the dream job of Indonesia's youth in rural areas was to work in the military or Police department-- lots of Paskibraka team members want to become a business man to empower the people of their hometown. That's why counter-corruption training is something they could not miss.

The training was led by Commissioner of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK),Basaria Panjaitan. "Corruption is widespread and systemic at various levels of the executive,legislative and judicial institutions. Corrupt behavior occurs among students too. Such things as cheating,truancy,fighting,violating traffic laws,punctuality issues,absenteeism,lying to parents and teachers,gratuities to lecturers,fake proposals,scholarship fund administration fraud,and plagiarism,all contribute to corruption. My message to you is to eradicate corruption from within yourself,and then you can inspire your families and your surrounding communities," Panjaitan said.

Eventually,to be called upon to the Presidential Palace on August 17th,and to be able to meet President Joko Widodo in person is an achievement that these students can be proud of. "The whole selection process was tough for me," said Aditya Yoga Mulyana,one of two representatives of East Kalimantan province. "I started from school level,then regency level,and up to provincial level. It was not just about physical training and marching training. From national and international knowledge,cultural to English skills-- we had to master almost everything. This is something about me that my children should know about."

AbouttheMinistry of Youth and Sports of the Republic ofIndonesia (Kemenpora):

The Ministry of Youth and Sportsof the Republic ofIndonesia(Kemenpora) is a ministry within the Government ofIndonesiathat isin chargeofyouth and sports affairs ofIndonesia. In order to perform their duties Kemenpora has vision: to increase youth potential resources by utilizing cross-sectoral partnerships among levels of government; manifestingyouths' character,capacity,and competitiveness through the preparation of youth cadres according to the characteristics of youth who have the spirit of stability,volunteerism,and responsibility; increase the potential of sports resources by utilizing cross-sectoral,intergovernmental,and community partnerships; as well as realizing athlete achievementin competition atregional and international levels.

Photo - /prnh/20180816/2213924-1