May 20 is celebrated as National Awakening Day. Although it is not designated as a national holiday, National Awakening Day or known as Harkitnas is still commemorated every year to continue to maintain the spirit of mutual cooperation in implementing Indonesia's development. The first commemoration ceremony was held in Yogyakarta by President Soekarno in 1948.
Harkitnas is the day of birth of the Boedi Oetomo Organization which was founded in 1908. At that time, Dr. Soetomo and the students of STOVIA (School Tot Opleiding Van Inlands Artsen) founded the Boedi Oetomo Organization to catch up with Indonesia from other nations and build awareness to unite as a nation. The birth of the Boedi Oetomo Organization pioneered the formation of future movement organizations such as the Indische Partij, the Indonesian Association, and Muhammadiyah.
This year, the Minister of Communication and Information, Johnny G Plate has published Guidelines for the Implementation of the 2022 Harkitnas which contains the theme for the commemoration of the National Awakening Day, namely “Ayo Bangkita Bersama (Let's Rise Together)". In the guidelines, it is said that this theme was appointed as a warning for us as citizens of the Indonesian nation to jointly ignite the spirit of rising from the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has hit all over the world over the past two years and many people have been affected by it from all walks of life, both economic and personal. This National Awakening Day invites us to revive our spirit so that we can rise from the COVID-19 pandemic together.
In commemoration of National Awakening Day, there are several activities that can be carried out:
- Doing the Raising of the Red and White Flag / Flag Ceremony
- Visiting Historical Museums such as the National Awakening Museum in Jakarta
- Pilgrimage to the Heroes' Cemetery
- Publish or document the commemoration of National Awakening Day through social media
Happy National Awakening Day. Let's unite the spirit of gotong royong and the spirit of unity in building the nation. "Ayo Bangkit Bersama" so that Indonesia will be victorious again.
