On 28 October, Indonesians will commemorate the iconic Youth Pledge (“Sumpah Pemuda”). The soon-to-be 98-year-old pledge was nothing short of miraculous; a beacon of hope born under colonial oppression.
In 1928, Dutch East Indies intelligence watched youth groups like a hawk, suspecting every move as subversive to colonial power. At the time, the Dutch imposed the “Vergader Verbond,” an oppressive policy that banned any meeting of three or more people without a permit. But the groups tricked officials into letting them organize the Second Youth Congress that birthed Sumpah Pemuda.
Under the threat of a colonizer increasingly fearing revolution, youth from Jong Java, Jong Sumatranen Bond, Jong Celebes, and many other groups consolidated their dream of an independent, united country: one motherland, Indonesia; one nation, Indonesia; And one language: Bahasa Indonesia.
Our next volume on the Indonesian language
Our upcoming volume, dropping Wednesday next week on Sumpah Pemuda commemoration day, takes you back to the fascinating evolution of the Indonesian language and the national language policy that transformed a diverse archipelago into a unified nation, a legacy of Sumpah Pemuda itself.
Consider the sheer scale of this linguistic journey: from just around 5 percent of the now-Indonesian population speaking Malay, to near-ubiquitous national adoption of the standardized Malay variant we now call Indonesian. That’s across hundreds of distinct ethnic groups and native languages! This remarkable linguistic convergence bridged profound cultural divides and laid the bedrock for a shared civic identity that transcends regional boundaries.
This triumph was not historical luck. The bold promise made during the 1928 Sumpah Pemuda was followed through by a rigorous series of institutional and educational reforms over the decades. Today, Indonesia stands proudly as a global exception, one of the very few post-colonial countries (alongside Pakistan) where the national language is neither the language of the largest ethnic group nor the former colonial power. The volume explores how this incredible linguistic story came to be, the policy mechanics behind its success, and what it means for our modern republic as we navigate new eras of communication.
Be sure to look forward to this piece coming next week!
On another note: Join Kompas’ Idea Festival and get their Sumpah Pemuda special edition
In addition to our own special volume, our friends at Harian Kompas are marking Sumpah Pemuda with a question worth sitting with: Does the Indonesia we live in today look like the one we hoped for?
Inspired by the audacity of the 1928 youth, Kompas’ Sumpah Pemuda edition challenges the narrative of despondency, however understandable, among today’s youth as the nation grapples with bad governance, climate disasters, economic anxieties, rising cost of living, and the threat of disappearing freedom of expression.
Like the youth who dared to dream of an independent, united Indonesia despite oppressive colonial power, the Kompas special edition is a space to consolidate anxieties, experiences, and aspirations for Indonesia’s future, hopeful amid today’s maladies.
The edition features 28 opinions from experts, academics, public figures, government officials, and activists.
Kompas also takes those ideas off the page and into a room where readers, policymakers, academics, and community organizers argue them out as equals in a day-long festival “Pasar Gagasan” dubbed “Indonesia, Besok” (Indonesia, Tomorrow).
Pre-orders close on 27 October 2026, so get yours through our link:
Your ticket gets you into interactive Q&A sessions with Khalisah Khalid, Anies Baswedan, Hilmar Farid, Teuku Riefky, and Herman N. Suparman. There will also be an exhibition of opinion illustrations and a short-story exhibition. The ideas gathered over the day are written up as the “Indonesia, Besok” notes and handed directly to policymakers.
When: 28 October 2026, 09.00–18.00 WIB
Where: Menara Kompas, 2nd Floor, Palmerah, Jakarta.
Tickets come in at Rp 125,000, which includes:
One ticket to Pasar Gagasan
The Kompas Sumpah Pemuda special edition
Exclusive Harian Kompas (Kompas.id) merchandise
Three months of Kompas.id access
We will see you there!