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The Sumpah Pemuda, or Youth Pledge, was a promise given by the Indonesian Youth Nationalists:
Satu Tanah — Air Indonesia One nation — the Indonesian nation
Satu Bangsa — Orang Indonesia One people — the Indonesian people
Satu Bahasa — Bahasa Indonesia One language — the Indonesian language
The pledge, utterly important at the time, became policy after Sukarno declared independence in 1945. Although Indonesia has many ethnic groups, Sukarno set up school curriculae meant to ingrain the idea of one nation and one people, in the sense of the nation's motto "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" (Unity in Diversity). However, the Ideas of One Language and One People became corrupted under the Suharto regime, where the government-dominated by the Javanese used the doctrine to oppress other ethnic groups demanding more political freedom — namely, the Acehnese and East Timorese.
With the restoration of civilian government, Sumpah Pemuda has once again become a national document on par with the American Declaration of Independence.
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