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| Rector UMM Dr. Fauzan, M.Pd greet the Taiwan students after the ceremony. (Photo: Rino/PR UMM) |
There was an interesting sight in commemoration of the 74th Republic Indonesia Independence in University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Saturday (17/8) morning. A number of young Taiwanese who took part in cultural exchanges solemnly following the flag ceremony at UMM Helipad Field.
Li Cheng-Sung, a 2nd grade students from Taiwan high school was very enthusiastic when he found out he was going to take part in the flag ceremony. The reason was that a flag ceremony in Taiwan was rarely at the time of independence. Moreover, in Indonesia, the atmosphere of independence is very lively.
"In Taiwan, no one cheers and sings the national anthem. We feel that we are not yet a country. In fact, people outside still call us China, even though our country is different," said Li Cheng-Sung.
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According to Li Cheng-Sung, it made young people in Taiwan feel ashamed to shout Taiwan's independence. In fact, during the flag ceremony, not a few chose to run away. It was different from what they saw at UMM. Everyone, even students solemnly attended the ceremony until the end of the event.
Agree with that, Su Ying, who is an Indonesian Language teacher in Taiwan, was very happy to be able to attend the Indonesian Independence Day at UMM. Shewas impressed with the nationalist spirit that existed in Indonesian society.
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"We see from this independence commemoration, that Indonesia is a unitary state. Not only seen from the ceremony but also seen from the atmosphere of independence that has been felt from afar. Like many flags and competitions," said Su Ying.
For this reason, the Meinong People Association (MPA) of Taiwan, which is a Meinong culture community campaign movement, invites young Taiwanese to have enthusiasm especially in preserving their own country's culture. This was realized by the arrival of a group of 12 people for cultural exchange at UMM for 2 weeks. (joh)
