Lisa Siregar

Members of Jakarta’s Twitter community, who created Indonesia Unite. (Photo: Lisa Siregar, JG)

Tweeting for an End To Terrorism in Indonesia

One hour after the Jakarta bombings in July, an online movement showing collective support for Indonesia started to pick up steam on popular microblogging Web site Twitter.

“Indonesia Unite” topped the site’s list of trending topics. To show their support for the cause, users even tweaked the avatars on their profiles by incorporating an overlay of the Indonesian flag. They also followed this up with updates on what was happening in the city after the terrorist attacks. Three days after the bombings, Indonesia Unite was still on Twitter’s trending topics list.

But some of the microblogging site’s local users decided to take awareness of the country above and beyond Twitter’s 140 characters. They started writing blog posts, designing merchandise like T-shirts and pins, and making appearances on television shows to express a unified message: They condemned the bombings, they condemned terrorism.

“Indonesia Unite [represents the] spirit to make Indonesia better,” said Dondi Hananto, a blogger and Twitter user who, together with his friends, made it his responsibility to create indonesiaunite.com. “This can be embodied in many positive activities.”

The Web site aims to compile the various nationalistic efforts and activities of Internet users, and to inspire others to do something useful for Indonesians.

Dondi explained that Indonesia Unite was not exclusive to any particular group. Anyone can do anything that embodies the spirit of the cause.

A recent move by users of Twitter, Facebook and blogging networks who share the passion of Indonesia Unite was to organize events commemorating Indonesia’s Independence Day on Monday. Dondi said it was important for the online community to attend public events so as to be visible to people who don’t use the Internet but who might support their cause.

Blogging network Rumah Blogger has received donations from their members and are planning to give away flags to the public in the area around the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Sunday. Benazio Rizki Putra, a student of Bina Nusantara University, came up with the idea after he saw a show about Indonesia Unite on television.

“We hope that by giving out flags, it will strengthen the feeling of unity among Indonesians,” Benazio said.

Rumah Blogger has more than 3,000 registered members, with hundreds blogging regularly. The group has received more than Rp 1 million ($100) in donations for the event.

Twitter user Amalia Sari, who works for the Juara Idea advertising agency, echoed Dondi’s sentiments. She initiated a gathering for microbloggers on Monday at Rasuna Epicentrum in Kuningan. “We want to shift the spirit of Indonesia Unite from the virtual to the real world, so it will be seen and heard [by non-Twitter users],” she said.

Amalia and her friends from the Jakarta Twitter Users Group, which currently holds monthly gatherings, are working together to organize the event. The event will kick off with a short ceremony at 3 p.m., starting with a flag raising and the singing of the national anthem.

“During the ceremony, we will post a pledge on Twitter all together at the same time,” Amalia said.

The pledge, the text of which will be given to each Twitter user in attendance, will serve as a declaration. The draft was put up as an online Wiki page and was open for suggestions until Friday.

“We want [the pledge] to be one of the trending topics on Twitter so there’s a bigger chance for other citizens of the world to read about this,” Amalia said.

The Yogyakarta chapter of Rumah Blogger and Twitter will be holding the same activities as their counterparts in Jakarta, as will the Bogor Twitter Users Group.

Dondi acknowledged that it was not easy to raise awareness of the Indonesia Unite cause outside the online sphere. Public events are therefore useful to promote it and are a good chance for the online groups to meet others who share the same sentiment, even though the groups work toward different goals and for different causes.

For example, last week participants from Indonesia Unite attended events at the Pekan Ekonomi Kreatif (Creative Economy Week) at the Jakarta Convention Center. They met with two groups who support health and educational causes, and made plans to work together.

So far, Indonesia Unite has helped local vendors of Manchester United T-shirts, who stood to lose money after the cancellation of the English club’s friendly game with the Indonesian football team in July due to the bombings.

Some Jakarta Twitter users bought the T-shirts from the vendors, printed the Indonesia Unite logo on the shirt’s reverse side, and sold them online. They have sold 300 T-shirts so far, and have plans to order another 100 of the T-shirts.

Budi Putra, chief executive of the Asia Blogging Network, said Indonesia Unite was an interesting idea — all about national spirit and pride, a great start for a social movement.

“I think Indonesia Unite is more effective than any of the government’s programs because it comes from the grass roots. It’s easier for people to relate to it,” Budi said.

He added that Internet users in Indonesia were generally well-educated, middle class, diverse and highly curious, and any message would easily spread among them.

Budi said that before Indonesia Unite, there had been no one platform to unite the young. He added that it was important for Indonesians to keep sharing their thoughts about the country and what can be done to make it better. “Hopefully, it will eventually put enough pressure on government institutions to respond to their demands,” he said.

Budi said that judging by its young participants and the spirit of the cause, Indonesia Unite was similar to the country’s first nationalist movement, Sumpah Pemuda (Youth’s Pledge), established in 1928.

Amalia also expressed hope that Indonesia Unite would be the trigger for a modern version of the Youth Pledge.

In order to extend the life of the cause, Budi believes Indonesia Unite needs to be clearly explained to the youth, and creative ways to promote it need to be maintained. Exposure in mainstream media is also crucial.

“Indonesia Unite is a genuine idea. And what’s dangerous for an idea is when the spirit is weakening,” Budi said.

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