By: Putu Raditya) *
Ganjar Pranowo is a figure and leader who is very concerned about the cultural values of the nation, including himself who is determined to maintain the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which was initiated by the founding fathers of the nation long ago.
It is known that the Presidential Candidate (Capres) from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) was present in person on the Island of the Gods, Bali. His presence was then immediately greeted with great fanfare by many parties, including tens of thousands of local people and also various Regional Heads there.
On one occasion, he, who was also accompanied by the Governor of Bali, I Wayan Koster, then signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the establishment of cultural cooperation between the islands of Java and Bali.
Not without reason, the signing was carried out because it aims to be able to further preserve various kinds of cultural values in the Land of Java and also in the Land of Bali, especially so that these cultural values are able to continue to be embedded in the daily lives of the community, including as a guide in the life of the nation and state in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
According to the Governor of Bali, the signing of the cooperation he carried out with the leader who is identical with white hair, which aims to be able to revive good relations between Java and Bali, which in fact this relationship has existed for thousands of years ago.
Of course, it cannot be denied that indeed the cultural relations that occur between Java and Bali itself can even be seen from the similarities in the Javanese script, which consists of 20 letters and is known by the public as Honocoroko, then there is also the Balinese script which consists of 18 letters and known as Hanacaraka.
It doesn’t just stop there, but there are several other similarities in the culture of the 2 (two) regions, which can be seen in how wayang in Java and also wayang in Bali share many similarities in philosophy.
For information, that the cultural relationship that occurred between the Land of Java and the Land of Bali itself has indeed been established since the era of the Majapahit Empire. At that time, some of the Balinese were descended from Java, who then moved their domicile to the Island of the Gods by continuing to carry their culture and also continue to develop contributions to civilization and life for the people in Bali.
With the existence of cultural closeness that has been established for thousands of years, then of course as the next generation of the nation, they are able to continue to maintain, care for and also oversee so that these cultural values are not at all eroded by the current development of the era which is indeed very dynamic as it is today.
The reason is, if cultural values have faded and even become extinct from the people themselves, of course it will also greatly impact the joints of life in the community itself. For this reason, in the context of continuing to maintain the foundations of values in society to remain strong and strong, a strategic step is needed to continue to re-knit the cultural relations that occurred between Java and Bali in order to be able to revive, moreover to continue to strengthen the existence of the motto Unity in Diversity.
The motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika is an idea given by the founding fathers of the nation, in which they realized that indeed Indonesia itself consists of various cultural backgrounds that are different and diverse from one another. Thus, it takes a very strong motto to be able to unite these differences.
On the same occasion, the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo later admitted that indeed the nation’s founding fathers had said that all parties must have the strength to be able to continue to protect the nation’s culture and also be able to develop it at the same time.
Culture is not only to be remembered and celebrated at certain moments, but to be continuously developed and loved. Because that is also one of the efforts to be able to minimize the potential for force pressure by outside nations that might slowly erode this nation.
In addition, Ganjar then praised how there is cultural resilience which until now has been able to be maintained by Bali and called it a cultural stronghold. This is actually the same effort and continues to be carried out within the Provincial Government (Pemprov) of Central Java (Central Java), especially in Solo which continues to be the epicenter of culture and is maintained in the era of the leadership of the PDI Perjuangan cadres.
Concern for the culture of the Indonesian people and also how to continue to care for and develop culture so that it is not eroded in the midst of a very dynamic era of development is indeed a challenge in itself. Moreover, what about efforts to continue to maintain unity and integrity in the country by implementing the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. All of these things have been contained in the person and figure of Indonesia’s future leader, namely Ganjar Pranowo, who with all his might continues to strive to defend the nation’s cultural values.
) * The author is a contributor to the Equator Circle
