In order to honor the heroes and fill the independence, the family of SMA Nasional Malang (SMANAS) held a memorial ceremony for the Independence Day of Indonesia. The ceremony was attended by all students and teachers of SMANAS. The ceremony, which was also attended by the internship students (KPL), was held in the Klabang Village field on Friday (17/8).
During this occasion, Drs. Rusdi, M.Si. acting as the founder of the ceremony invited the ceremony participants to express their gratitude towards Indonesia’s 73rd independence and twenty years of reform. The principal of SMANAS also talked about three things. First, all parties of SMANAS must be able to imitate the struggles of the heroes. A patriotic soul must be possessed to achieve independence.
Second, Mr. Rusdi reminded that in the ceremony there was a process of raising the sacred flag. There is a great intention behind the colors of Indonesian flag which are red and white. “All are great designs,” said Mr. Rusdi. Red is a symbol of courage, while white is a symbol of purity. Red is above and white is below, and those are having a deep meaning. “Because the values of the nation must be built with sincerity, and sincerity is symbolized in white,” said the 51-year-old headmaster.
Third, the unyielding spirit is illustrated by the red flag. Mr. Rusdi asserted that the students should keep the spirit and never give up. “It does not matter even if our parents are nobody, never give up and be sure that SMANAS students will be accepted in great colleges. Let your parents cry because of your success,” said Mr. Rusdi loudly. He also said that the students should not complain and cry for nothing. Students should not feel inferior about themselves. Even though the heroes were only armed with spiky bamboo, they can drive out invaders. “Allah hears our prayers in Dhuha time, you will surely succeed. Let’s make the event of August 17 to pump the spirit that we will be as successful as our heroes,” said Mr. Rusdi in his speech.
After the ceremony, the audiences took pictures. The event continued with the students’ art performances and the announcement of the winners of the competitions which had been held for one week. This celebration was also interpreted as a time to refresh the spirit by Mrs. Hafidatul Mahmuda. For one of the English teachers, the anniversary of independence day is the right time to refresh the spirit of self-improvement and try to become better. (bya)
