Every nation has its own literary treasures in its national language. The entirety of national literature, along with other artistic works, contains and reflects the history of the development of a nation's national personality and the battles that occurred in that history.
A nation knows the journey of forming a national personality through reading and studying its best literary works, from any ideological stream. Reading, studying, debating, criticising and trying to appreciate literature from a young age is a requirement for a nation to develop as strongly as possible.
Studying literature, as well as other arts, from a young age also plays an important role in awakening the artistic talents that exist in all people. It is the state's duty to organise schools so that every child during their school years studies national literature and its history, debates it and criticises it.
Love of reading and love of art is one of the goals of education. In almost all countries in the world, each country's national literature is taught in schools.
In this context, this petition demands the following:
1. That the state makes Indonesian national literature a compulsory subject in all Indonesian secondary schools: junior high school, senior high school/vocational schools (SMP, SMA/SMK).
2. That the curriculum be prepared by a commission consisting of heads of Indonesian literature departments at Indonesian and foreign universities.
3. That an emergency education program for prospective Indonesian literature teachers should be held immediately in state universities that educate teachers. There should be no ideological censorship in compiling the required reading list.
Jakarta, February 8, 2025
This petition is supported by:
1. Indonesian People's Union of Struggle (SPRI)
2. Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI)
3. Indonesian People's Movement Confederation (KPRI)
4. United People's Struggle (KPR)
5. National Trade Union Confederation (KSN)
6. Campus Employees Union (SPK)
7. Progressive Students School (SEMPRO),
8. Solidarity Net (Solidaritas.net)
9. Koreksi.org
- Commemorative Committee for One Century since the Birth of Pramoedya Ananta Toer
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the petition was "Peringatan Satu Abad Kelahiran Pramoedya Ananta Toer Sastrawan Besar Indonesia".]
