We want to be Ireng who do not become Londo

Rocky Gerung brought up the message of the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno, when speaking about nationalism at the RedTalks 2026 forum in Malang. According to him, Bung Karno understood Western thought, but did not get involved in it, which is why he always placed the interests of the nation as the main basis.

“We want to be an Ireng who does not become a londo. Bung Karno understood what londoan is, but he did not become a londo. For this reason, Bung Karno ensured that this country follows the left path, not the right path,” Rocky said in RedTalks 2026 titled Young Voices for Cool East Java: Indonesia is ours, nationalism without generational boundaries at Malang Creative Center (MCC), Saturday (7/25/2026).

According to Rocky, this view shows Soekarno’s belief that Indonesia must take a path that supports the common people. Based on this, he felt that the idea of ​​Marhaenism is still relevant to maintain the nationalist spirit amidst current developments.

Rocky said nationalism cannot be equated with a practical political dynamic that continues to change with each period of power. For him, the existence of a political party may change, but nationalism will remain alive as long as society wants it.

“A party can last only five years. Every five years it can be in power or collapse. But nationalism will persist as long as we want it to. This cannot be undone by political exchange,” he said.

He also hopes that the nationalist spirit will continue to be passed on to the younger generation so that it does not fade due to changing times. Rocky believed that the forum held in Malang town could be the beginning of the revival of the spirit of Marhaenism in national life.

Rocky also responded to the opinion that the younger generation was starting to move away from politics and political parties. According to him, this assessment is inaccurate because young people still care about the condition of the nation.

According to him, the young generation is currently looking for alternatives that can respond to their anxieties. This condition occurs because some people lose hope in the future and begin to experience mental fatigue.

For this reason, Rocky believes that a new direction is needed to build a nationalism capable of responding to the challenges facing young people. According to him, Marhaenism remains a relevant idea to serve as a basis for national life.

“From Malang, we want to ensure that there is a new direction for nationalism so that we never tire of pursuing it. The only one available is Marhaenism,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Deni Wicaksono, Secretary of the East Java PDI Perjuangan DPD, explained that RedTalks 2026 was not only prepared as a one-time discussion forum. We hope that this activity will develop into a space for dialogue that will continue to exist at the local level.

According to Deni, one of the main objectives of the forum is to change the idea that political parties are a closed space for the younger generation. The PDI Perjuangan East Java, he said, wants to present a more open policy without requiring young people to become party officials or legislative candidates.

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“Young people are not obliged to become party structures or legislative candidates. What we are opening are spaces for discussion so that we can welcome their comments and transform them into programs of struggle,” he said.

He assured that all the aspirations collected during the forum would not remain simple elements of discussion. Various contributions will be formulated in internal policies and will become material for the struggle of party cadres in legislative and executive institutions.

For information, RedTalks 2026 was organized by the DPD East Java PDI Perjuangan in collaboration with detikcom at the Malang Creative Center. This activity brought together activists, community organization activists, communities and students from various universities in Malang Raya and featured a number of resource persons from all fields, including comedian Abdel Achrian, Airlangga University academician Dr. Suko Widodo, Deputy Director of Creative Economy and Digital Economy DPD PDI Perjuangan East Java Qintharra Ulya Yassifa, humanist and historian from State University of Malang Dwi Cahyono, as well as representatives of student organizations.

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