By: Shahnaz Seilendra )*
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has inaugurated the Nusantara Student Dormitory (AMN) Surabaya, Tuesday (29/11). The newly inaugurated dormitory stands on an area of 9975 square meters, the construction of which was carried out by the Ministry of PUPR.
President Jokowi said the idea of AMN was first presented in a meeting with Papuan and West Papuan leaders at the State Palace. The government then issued Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 106 of 2021 concerning AMN as the basis for its development. The President of the Republic of Indonesia also assigned BIN to become a catalyst for the development of AMN.
AMN was built as the government’s concrete response to the aspirations of 50 Papuan leaders at the 10 September 2019 meeting at the State Palace. After that meeting, the government then issued Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 106 of 2021 concerning AMN and BIN to become a catalyst for its development.
President Jokowi also added that AMN is a forum for uniting students from various ethnicities, languages, cultures and religions, who come from various regions in Indonesia and are multi-university in nature.
The inauguration of AMN marked a new era of diversity within the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.
The author believes that the development of AMN, which is then encouraged by the coaching program in the dormitories, makes AMN a forum for uniting the nation’s children and is programmed and capable of producing a generation of leaders for Indonesia.
Currently Indonesia is in the vortex of ideology, and the process of demographic change. Since the opening of the door to reform, various ideologies have begun to emerge. Responding to this requires a strong belief in and understanding of Pancasila as the ideology and basis of the state. Therefore, AMN is needed as a forum for building the character of student residents of AMN so they are not trapped in an ideology that is contrary to Pancasila.
The coaching program carried out by BIN Research and Technology and the Ministry of Education and Culture for AMN residents is also in the context of uniting the nation’s children and creating a generation of leaders for Indonesia based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.
The training activities aim to increase competency and understanding of national insight, citizenship, Pancasila student character, state defense, entrepreneurship, leadership, and pioneering.
The construction of AMN began on September 17 2021 and was completed in May 2022. This construction utilizes land owned by the East Java Provincial Government.
AMN’s development also strives for environmentally friendly principles using the philosophy of Green Buildings. As for the concept itself, adopting the concept of tropical architecture. Apart from Surabaya, AMN will also be built in a number of big cities in Indonesia such as DKI Jakarta), Makassar, Minahasa, Malang and Bantul.
)* Strategic Observer at Lantern Nusantara
President
