By: Hafid Abbas (Chairman of the PTN Indonesia Senate Council)
It was truly a joy, that I was able to witness Tanah Datar’s “Bukit Marapalam Oath Festival” on 17-18 June 2023. The oath “adaik basandi syarak, syarak basandi Kitabullah” which was declared by traditional leaders and clerics on Marapalam Hill about four centuries ago (1644) was a new milestone in the journey of socio-cultural and religious life for the Minangkabau people which marked the end of all conflicts between culture and religion.
The peace agreement on Marapalam Hill is actually a nation’s cultural heritage which is invaluable as a great lesson learned from generation to generation.
Perhaps intentionally or not, this festival was held on a historic day for the United Nations because it was held almost coincided (historic co-incident) with the atmosphere when the United Nations convened on 28 June 2012 which established the United Nations International Day of Happiness, 20 March.
If we look at the UN report (World Happiness Index 2022), out of 146 countries, the three happiest countries in the world; free from corruption, peaceful, prosperous, just and civilized is Finland with a score of 7.84, followed by Denmark (7.62) and Switzerland (7.57) in third place. On the contrary, the most miserable were Afghanistan at the lowest rank 146 (2.5), Malaysia at 79 (5.38) and Indonesia at 80 (5.38).
What’s interesting is Finland, which has six times in a row been ranked as the happiest country in the world according to UN criteria.
It turns out that these criteria also grow in the repertoire of values of the Minangkabau people.
First, Finnish society is more concerned with working together than competing. These values are instilled from an early age at the basic education level. UNESCO raises the Finnish education model as a case in point. The finish education model is encapsulated in its values of neither giving homework to students everyday nor conducting regular tests and exams. Instead, it is listening to what the kid wants and treating them as independent thinkers of society (UNESCO, 2018) .
Finnish children are very happy in their education because they are not forced to compete, but they are given the opportunity to work together, play longer or with their families.
Teachers’ salaries are on average 30% higher than health workers.
Finland has been listed as a country with the best quality of education in the world (weforum, 10/09/2018). His educational philosophy is to give him happiness to develop all the child’s potential to the fullest according to his abilities.
Such a philosophy and educational model also grew in schools in Minangkabau long before Indonesia’s independence. See for example: Sekolah Diniyah Putri (1923); Adabiah School (1909); Indonesisch-Nederlandsche School-INS Timber Planting (1926); Darul Funun (1854); Canduang Islamic Tarbiyah Madrasah (1928); Thawalib College (1900); etc.
The philosophy of education in the land of Minang is framed by the values of “Alam Takambang Jadi Guru” which means that everything in nature can be used as a teacher. Dar-el-Funoon College, for example, manages its educational activities at various levels and types based on “diversity, art and science” in accordance with the meaning of Dar-el-Funoon (Arabic).
With an educational model that is rooted in society, schools like these have produced a number of great national figures, such as Bung Hatta (Proclaimer), Imam Bondjol, Tan Malaka, Syahrir and a number of national heroes who founded the nation. In fact, the Adabiah College in Padang has produced alumni such as: Mr. Assaat (President of the United Republic of Indonesia); M Natsir (Prime Minister of the United States of Indonesia); Armijn Pane (Poet); Lili Roesad, Tarmizi Tahir, Azwar Anas, Hasjim Ning, Awaluddin Djamin, etc. Likewise, the Diniyah Putri College in Padang Panjang has produced alumni of the caliber of Rasuna Said, (Members of DPA after the Presidential Decree 5 July 1959), and so on.
With such great values and strength of its human resources, the Minangkabau people’s economy grows together. With these circumstance, their land and resources are protected from any economic domination and control from outsiders. Here, there are no Alpamart and Indomart networks, or the like that can destroy the existence of their traditional markets.
Second, Finnish society has a very low level of social inequality, with an even level of welfare. This situation is similar to the structure of the socio-economic life of Tanah Datar.
This area has an area of 133,600 Ha (1,336 sq km) with a population of 374,431 people (BPS, 2021), is an agricultural area, more than 70% of the population works in the agricultural sector. The remaining 14.9 thousand (3.9%) residents are categorized as poor. This is much lower than the poverty rate in West Sumatra of 6.04% and at the national level of 9.57% (BPS, 2022)
BPS data (2022) shows that although the Human Development Index (IPM) in Tanah Datar is (73.29), it is the fifth highest in W Sumatra, after Padang (83.29), Bukittinggi (81.42), Payahkumbu (79.53), Solok (79.23), and Pariaman (77.68), but still higher than the national average HDI (72.91).
Third, Finnish people can enjoy their leisure time with a variety of natural beauties. Residents of Helsinki, for example, in a matter of minutes, can go with their families to city parks, or to the nearest island. In this country there are more than 40 national parks as recreational parks to serve all its citizens, amounting to 5.6 million (2022).
Similar to Finland, Tanah Datar also has a number of stunning natural beauties. At the top of Marapalam Hill, we can see rows of hills with dense of forest covering them, we can also see Lake Singkarak with its stunning beauty. All of this is a haven for the life of various species of flora and fauna, including various species of birds that live in the lake area which stretches for 107.8 square kilometers, all the way to Solok. All of this is natural heritage, socio-economic and cultural assets that have contributed to the level of welfare and happiness of the people of Tanah Datar.
What’s even more amazing, here, there is a village that was rated by Budget Travel of United States (2012) as one of the most beautiful villages in the world, namely Pariangan which is on a par with Wengen village in Switzerland, Eve in France, Niagara in Canada, Cesky Krumov in Czechoslovakia (ksmtour.com).
Fourth, Finland is listed as a very safe country. In the daily life of the people, throughout the year they do not feel any security disturbances.
When compared to other regions in the country, Tanah Datar is included in the very safe category. Data on crime cases in 2022 amounted to 284 or 23-24 cases a month (BPS, 2022), far below the provincial average of 369 a year, which looks 5.4 times safer than Padang, or 157.1 times safer than Jakarta with 44,461 criminal cases in 2020 (kompas, 27/01/2022).
Finally, Finland provides free health and education services at all types, levels and educational pathways.
It’s a shame, when I visited schools that were more than a century old in West Sumatra, it was evident that their facilities were very limited because no significant support from local and central government. The average salary of their teachers is only IDR 500 thousand to one million a month if they teach 10 to 20 hours a week. It’s a stark contrast when compared to how great their contribution is to this country which has produced a number of great national founding figures.
As a comparison, although West Sumatra (42.1 sq km), 57 times larger than Singapore (734.3 sq km), Singapore schools generally have large courtyards, standard buildings, complete with football fields, basketball. The windows of the student classrooms are large and designed in such a way that they face the field or garden. In front of every classroom, the corridors are also wide, there is a garden for science lessons, a multimedia room, computers, a doctor’s room, a psychologist, a library, a canteen, and an assembly hall. Each class has a locker for each student, so their textbooks can be stored there if they don’t want to take home.
Hopefully the central and regional governments can immediately save these historic schools as a legacy of the nation’s civilization in the future.
It turns out that Gatot Nurmantiyo in the “Satie Bukit Marapalam Oath Festival” described Tanah Datar as an area full of cultural heritage, natural heritage, and historical heritage that must be maintained forever.
It is really amazing that the citizens of Tanah Datar enjoy a world-class happiness.