Project Citizen: Kami Bangsa Indonesia
SHOWCASE In Sigli, NAnggroe Aceh Darussalam
August 15, 2009

By Adsina Fibra

This event was administered by the CCE Indonesia in cooperation with the Sigli Education Office
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

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“Participating in the showcase was awesome because it was fun and I learned a lot.”
Kamarruzaman, a student of SMPN 2 Delima, Sigli
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Kami Bangsa Indonesia (KBI) Showcase was held in auditorium of SMAN 1 Sigli, a state high school. This event was fully supported by the Sigli Education Office which is CCEI’s local partner in implementing the program. The education office provided an auditorium for this showcase. Moreover, the showcase was also opened by Hasanul the Vice Head of Education Office.

There were 12 schools participated and over 150 people gathered in the auditorium. A group of eight students did a 10 minute presentation in front of the audience and the jurors. The students presented various local public issues and explained their proposed classroom policy to solve these issues . Each team consisted of an equal number of boys and girls. Eight students did a presentation on their four part portfolio. They started the presentation with singing their “cheers” and then continued by explaining the content of the first portfolio to the forth.

The jurors were Umar Mahdi, the CCEI local trainer who is also a lecturer of Jabal Ghafur University in Sigli, Ali Akbar the representative of the local education office who is also a former civic education teacher, and Adsina Fibra, CCEI Program Coordinator. Beside answering questions which delivered by the jurors, each team was also answered questions from other students who came from different schools. The showcase run actively and all students were engaged with this activity.

The students selected the issues in their community such as domestic abuse, the need of new policy of keeping the cows and goats out of public areas for example at the main roads and schools, poor garbage management, drugs, the incompetent teacher, the high number of dropped out students, and the poor implementation of Syari’ah Law (Islamic Law).

Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) is the special autonomy province which uses the Syari’ah Law. This law is fundamental for the Acehnese who is Muslim majority. The Syari’ah Law are specified and stated in qanun (the local policy in the form of law) such as qanun of anti-corruption , qanun of drugs, qanun of Islamic Court procedures, qanun on adultery, and qanun on Islamic attitude and attributes. These qanuns were issued by the regional house of representative which must be respected for all Muslim who live or come to NAD, and must be respected by all the non-Muslim. There are also Islamic officers called Wilayatul Hisbah who has a role like a special police corp. They will warn, give sanction or punishment, and arrest Muslim who violates the Syari’ah Law.

The first best team presented a topic of the inconsistency of Syari’ah Law implementation. They were students of SMP YPPU, an Islamic junior high school. The students said the law should be fully implemented, so the people will not confuse and the NAD will not lose their main identity as the only province in Indonesia which uses the Syari’ah Law. Based on their observation in daily practices and after interviewed their peer, many people do not know the content of qanun and its purpose. In the Acehnese society, many cases of women wear tight clothes which violated the law, or some people use marijuana as one of the traditional food ingredients. Since the law is relatively new for Acehnese, the classroom policy recommended the government need to do socialization to schools about the qanun, and the syariah law enforcement have to be consistent.

The second best team had a presentation on a topic on the high percentage of students’ who did not continue their study to the high school level. They were students of SMPN 1 Sigli, a state junior high school. According to the team’s presentation, there were only 55% of students graduated from their school. The main reason was poverty and second was tsunami. They poverty has caused many parents forced their kids to stop studying and help them working in the field, in the sea or in the market. Tsunami which happened in 2004 was also added the number of students who did not finish their school because they moved to a safer area in a remote area such as up in the hill, but it is located far from schools. The students talked to the education office staff and recommended them to give assistance for the needy students and build more schools in the remote areas.

The third best school was SMPN 2 Delima, a state junior high school. They had a presentation entitled “Drugs cause a disaster for human kind.” Acehnese has a tradition of using drug as one of their main food ingredient, and in the past people planted marijuana in their backyards. During the conflict between GAM- the Free Aceh Movement-and the government, many cases of huge marijuana fields found in Aceh which used to support the war. Nowadays, using drugs is banned by qanun. However, there were still many cases of young people use drugs. The team interviewed the local leaders such Keucik, the head of Kampong, and the Ulema, the Muslim leaders, about their view on this issue. The students recommended the need of education on anti-drugs for Acehnese young generation which aims to cut the old tradition and avoid the mankind disaster. 
During the closing session, the CCEI staff led a reflection for the participated students on what they have learned from this activity. Muhammad Saleh, a student of SMPN 2 Delima commented, “Participating in the KBI showcase made me feel confidence speaking in the public which I am very grateful to the CCEI”

The students were also filled the KBI Showcase evaluation, and as a result 100% of the students agreed that the participated in this showcase was a valuable and useful experience for them. CCEI closed the activity by distributing a package of books to each team which donated by the U.S Embassy Jakarta. All team leaders who surprisingly were all female students came to the front to receive the package and certificates.