BANDUNG, unpas.ac.id – The massive issues of radicalism in the society are seen to be the factors causing polemic and actual threat for United Nation of Republic of Indonesia (Negara Kesaturan Republik Indonesia, NKRI). Therefore, students are one of the elements of Pancasila executor, should be able to take active roles in preventing the danger of radicalism.
It was what has been said by the Expert Staff of Mahawarman Student Regiment Commander as well as Unpas Vice Rector III, Dr. H. Deden Ramdan, M.Si. at the National Webinar ‘Be Aware of Radicalism in the Society’.
The webinar presenting Head of National Board of Terrorism Counter Commissioner General Pol. Dr. Drss. Boy Rafli Amar, M.H was initiated by Bureau of Student Affairs and Alumni of Katolik Parahyangan University (Biro Kemahasiswaan dan Alumni Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, BKA Unpar) through Zoom Meeting application in Saturday, June 26th, 2021.
As millennials, as Deden stated, students are a group will be vulnerable to being exposed to radicalism, including extremis and terrorism. The reason is because most millennials are social media users who are widely used to spread radical ideas.
“Students become a high-generation connector that are easily exposed to radicalism. The development of social media in the digital era is being targeted by adherents of extreme radicalism to be applied to millennials,” he explained.
Deden viewed that people who are exposed to radicalism are characterized by anti-social attitudes, experience changes in emotions and behavior, associate with secret societies, and have different views from society in general.
To avoid radicalism potential in social media, it needs nation’s resonance or the concept bringing the echo and reinforcement of national idealism. This concept is based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution which can be used as the main spot for preventing and overcoming radicalism.
“In this case, students can also take roles by strengthening their sense of crisis, national spirit, moral and professionalism, reporting radical activities around them to the party related, as well as sorting/ filtering and ensuring the correctness of information they obtained,” he continued.
Nation’s resonance is also in line with the Law No 23/ 2019 regarding national human resources maintenance for defending the country. Students can take part in the program of Training of National Defense Awareness (Pembinaan Kesadaran Bela Negara, PKBN).
“PKBN relates to the attempts, actions and activities held in order to provide knowledge, education and training to the society to grow such attitude and basic values of national defense,” he said.
In the university, efforts to prevent radicalization could be carried out by the Student Creativity Program (Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa, PKM). It is a place for student to have their skill distributed to the society, to make them own academic skill which is useful for the development of knowledge, technology and national culture.
“PKM aims to create excellent, competitive, adaptive, flexible, productive, and Pancasila-characterized graduates. If they do not have creative idea, they can also do the ATM or see-imitate-modify method. Being creative is a necessity, not a compulsion, so get rid of your fear and start doing something,” he ended. (Reta)*
