UIN Jakarta Celebrates National Awakening Spirit in 117th Commemoration Ceremony

UIN Jakarta Student Center Field, UIN Online News – UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held the 117th National Awakening Day ceremony at the UIN Jakarta Student Center Field as a form of commemoration and affirmation of the national spirit in facing global challenges, Monday (20/5/2025). The event was attended by the rectorate leadership and the UIN Jakarta academic community, including teaching staff and various elements of Student Organizations (Ormawa).

UIN Jakarta Rector, Prof. Dr. Asep Saepudin Jahar, M.A., Ph.D., acted as the ceremony inspector. The reading of the Pancasila text was carried out by the Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Cooperation of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Dr. Agus Nilmada Azmi, M.Si., while the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution was read by the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training Sciences, Dr. Yanti Herlanti, M.Pd.

In his mandate as ceremony inspector, the UIN Jakarta Rector delivered a profound speech on the meaning of national awakening. The Rector emphasized that the spirit of national awakening should not stop as a historical record, but must continue to be enlivened to answer the increasingly complex challenges of the times.

"117 years ago, amidst colonial pressure, a new awareness was born that ignited the fire of change. Through Budi Utomo, this nation began to believe that fate could not forever depend on foreign powers. Progress is only possible if we rise with our own strength," said the Rector in his speech.

Furthermore, he emphasized that awakening is not an event that is completed in one period, but an effort that continues to live. "Awakening demands that we not be trapped in the romanticism of the past, but dare to answer the challenges of the times such as technological disruption, geopolitical tensions, the global food crisis, and threats to digital sovereignty," he added.

Towards the closing of the ceremony, all participants jointly recited a prayer as a manifestation of hope for the nation's sustainable progress through the spirit of national awakening. The prayer reading was led by the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Dirasat Islamiyah, Dr. Imam Sujoko, Lc., M.A.

The spirit of awakening pioneered by Budi Utomo 117 years ago serves as a reminder that Indonesia must continue to build independence and competitiveness amidst global competition.

The commemoration of National Awakening Day, which falls every May 20th, is an important momentum for the UIN Jakarta academic community as well as all Indonesian people to appreciate and reflect on the spirit of unity and national awakening in facing various global challenges.

(Sabila Weliza/Zaenal M./Noeni Indah S./Photo: M. Fahri Afrizal)