Anace, a sixth-grade elementary school student from Papua, left her home in Jayapura to participate in the celebration of Indonesia’s 66th Independence Day at the Merdeka Palace compound in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Wearing traditional Papuan clothing, Anace and 13 other Papuan students energetically danced and sang Papuan songs on a special stage behind the palace for more than two hours.
The Presidential office invited the children from Red-White studio to entertain the 5,000 or so guests, who included family members of national heroes and freedom fighters and families of former presidents and vice presidents
“I am very happy to be here at the palace. Jakarta is very beautiful,” Anace, who has been in the capital for three days, told The Jakarta Post.
The influence of Papua was clear. The palace also distributed Papua-themed souvenirs to guests.
Each guest received a gift bag containing a black T-shirt and hat printed with words “Papua Indonesia.”
Of the six traditional songs presented during the Independence Day anniversary, the group of singers from students across the country sang the Papuan song, “Apuse”.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono presided over the Independence Day celebration, which commemorates the proclamation made by Sukarno and Muhammad Hatta at 10:00 a.m. in Jakarta on Aug. 17, 1945.
Col. Yeheskiel Katiandagho was the master of ceremonies. The color guard troops (Paskibraka), many of whom were fasting, benefited from the cloudy weather.
The President did not deliver a speech. The proclamation text was read by People’s Consultative Assembly Speaker Taufik Kiemas, the husband of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, who was not among the guests.
The Red-and-White was raised by Hario Wibowo and Angga Gerlyan Luempow, senior high school students from Yogyakarta and Sangihe, North Sulawesi, respectively.
The national choir, comprising 33 members from 33 provinces and another 400 junior high school students from Greater Jakarta and Lampung, also performed.
Arjuna Pratama Djahir, a BTN Maliaro Elementary School fourth grader from Ternate, North Maluku, amazed the guests with his rendition of Yudhoyono’s song, “From Jakarta to Oslo for Our Planet”.
The song was written by Yudhoyono last year after his administration signed a deal with Norway to protect the forests of Indonesia.
However, noted composer Guruh Soekarnoputra was not impressed at all.
“The lyrics are just ordinary, but I think the performance was good enough,” said the son of first president Sukarno and the brother of Megawati.