The month of August is a very special month for the Indonesian people, because in August several important and historical events were recorded, especially the history of the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence.
August 17, 1945 was the beginning of the founding of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. Since then, de facto and de jure the Indonesian nation was declared independent. Freedom in a simple sense means being free from the clutches and cruelty of the colonialists, while independence in a broad sense is that we can determine the fate of our own nation without interference from other nations, we are independent ideologically, politically, economically, socially, culturally and so on. .
A country is said to be de facto independent when in fact it has declared its independence, while de jure independence is when there is support and recognition from friendly countries and the international community. Just like us, the Indonesian people, when we proclaimed ourselves as an independent nation, while we received support and recognition from friendly countries, such as Egypt; followed by Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
The de facto birth of the Indonesian nation was marked by the reading of the text of the proclamation of Indonesian independence by Ir. Soekarno and Drs. Moch. Hatta on Friday, 17 August 1945 at 10.00 WIB on Jalan Pegangsaan Timur no. 56 Jakarta. Since then, we, the Indonesian nation, have become an independent nation.
Becoming an independent nation is not an easy thing, but it requires a lot of struggle and sacrifice. The sacrifices of the heroes for the independence of the Indonesian people will be incalculable; starting from energy, treasure, blood, and tears even though they sacrificed their body and soul for the independence of the Indonesian people. They are knights in whose souls the true values of the Indonesian nation are instilled, such as the character of love for the motherland, mutual cooperation, willingness to sacrifice for the nation, selfless struggle, patriotism and so on.
It is the values of the Indonesian nation's character that seem to be starting to fade from some of today's younger generation. They have started to forget the noble character inherited from their heroes, forgetting how to fulfill and be grateful for the true independence of Indonesia. Therefore, August is the right moment to re-internalize the values and character of the nation according to the hopes of the nation's founding heroes.
In order for us to be able to fill and be grateful for this freedom, we must, among other things, believe in the meaning behind the letters in the name of the month 'AUGUST' as follows:
A : Allah SWT. Has bestowed his greatest grace and gift on the nation and beloved country of Indonesia, namely in the form of the favor of independence. As stated in the 3rd paragraph of the 1945 Constitution, it states that the independence of the Indonesian nation is due to the grace of Allah SWT.
G : A movement of national struggle organizations capable of arousing the fighting spirit of the Indonesian nation to free it from colonial power.
U: Scholars and people are united, fighting and praying with full persistence and sincerity, shoulder to shoulder with a strong determination for Indonesia to be freed from colonialism and become an independent nation.
S : The tireless and desperate fighting spirit of the heroes eventually bore fruit, namely the priceless gift of independence.
T : Without the unity and integrity of the entire Indonesian nation, it is impossible for this Indonesian nation to achieve its independence.
U : The flag-raising ceremony at the proclamation event on 17 August 1945 was the fruit of the struggle and prayers of the heroes.
S : The spirit continues to fill independence.