Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini urged 200 student representatives to desist from bullying their friends, especially those with disabilities.
The minister pressed for fostering unity regardless of ethnicity, religion, race, and social or economic class (SARA) to maintain freedom or independence gained by the heroes following their fight with invaders.
“From now on, Indonesian children here are not allowed to bully their friends, agree? Agree?” Rismaharini told the students during the event ‘Strengthening Heroic Values Through Students,’ held at the Kalibata Main National Heroes Cemetery (TMPNU) Convention Building, here, on Monday.
The call to the anti-bullying notion was then responded in agreement by the students.
In addition to urging students to strengthen unity, the minister encouraged them to dance together to the tune of some folk songs.
The minister expects similar activities to be conducted across Indonesia, so that students can be inspired by the heroes, thereby driving them to maintain national unity and integrity.
Rismaharini admitted to oftentimes hearing incidents from people with disabilities, who got bullied by their peers that lowered their self-esteem or created a sense of inferiority in them.
“That is what I instilled, so that there is no more bullying that causes children to feel inferior to the point that they do not want to go to school,” she remarked.
The event was attended by 200 students from elementary, junior high, and high schools in Jakarta, Tangerang, Bekasi, and Bandung.
The series of Heroes Day events concluded with the awarding of prizes for scientific work, competitions, and dialogues with the social affairs minister.
The earlier series of events comprised visits to the tomb of first vice president Mohammad Hatta, Kalibata Main National Heroes Cemetery, as well as the Museum for the Formulation of the Proclamation Manuscript, the Sasmita Loka Ahmad Yani Museum, the AH Nasution Museum and the Pancasila Sakti Monument followed by a documentary screening of the 10 November 1945 meeting.
Source: Antara News