By: Muzdalifah Putri )*
A wave of demonstrations related to the incidence of racism of Papuan students in East Java gave an impression that cannot be forgotten by all parties. For the Indonesian people, this is a disturbance in creating a complete homeland and does not make differences in ethnicity, religion, race and class as a barrier to unity.
The Soviet Union’s superpower has now disappeared from the world map. The country was divided into dozens of small, independent countries. Likewise, Yugoslavia, a country that was prosperous with a very strong army, has now become its own countries, according to the groups that live there. Now Lebanon is engulfed by an endless civil war. In that country, battles can occur at any time even if previously in peaceful conditions.
Although not the same, but the wave of demonstrations related to Papua is prone to enlargement and can lead to an atmosphere that is not conducive that can disrupt the running of the government and comfort in activities. Moreover, if there are certain parties who use this situation for political purposes so that Papua can separate from Indonesia.
For this reason, unity among Indonesian people need to be maintained and fostered so that they never disappear. Without unity, the diversity of our nation can easily be used as an excuse for someone to separate themselves, arguing that there are no similarities in ethnicity, religion or race. But if you have unity and unity, differences and diversity possessed by the Indonesian people would not be an obstacle. Because Indonesia is a country full of differences, but still united under the Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.