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—Up to you to entitle this note

It’s been just about four months I involved in Kastrat. I must recognize that many things were changed incredibly so far: my view, experiences, friends, and many more than it were by the time I got in this ‘rebelious’ community. This is considerably one of my greatest turning point of life, besides the dreadfulness of my international relations peers. After all, I am very grateful to be part of this university.

It was the other side of the mainstream in my IR class to be the so-called aktivis pergerakan, or simply categorized by pendemo (or whatever to name it). I got in this ‘other’ side as I believed it is to be the right path to contribute for progress of this nation. Shortly I simply found myself as one claims to be young activist. This ‘poor’ yet rich-potential nation needs me, and my peers of course.

Unfortunately, last days I was told that the so-called demo has lost its moment in this reform era. This nation is no more led by authoritarian regime in which corruption, collution, and nepotism as if had become its tagline. This nation today has many ‘ears’ to listen to people aspiration, so why do we have to scream the rethoric loudly out the building in fact people inside the hedge are very welcome to discuss with us. Moreover, the need of this nation has turned into skill-based and innovative ideas for development rather than critics-based one. I support that view, however. For that, I, whether to be surprising or not, decide this year to be the last of my path in Kastrat, and BEM generally.

I was inspired by my senior that Indonesia needs more talent-based to reach its bright future. I actually don’t claim myself to be one talented person, but I was determined to be part of those people. Instead of being one with specific talent, I could then build ideas to create ‘ideal’ nation with those talented people. Instead of develop this nation through critic path, I could make it through the other way. I don’t judge the Kastrat way to be obsolete or even bad however, yet I only consider all ways to be needed, and I want to fill all those need.

I realize that my journey in Kastrat has just got half of its path and has still another part to go. Now I, along with my peers, get the moment of saving this nation through Advokasi Rakyat Marjinal (ARM), a program to help some people in this country to gain justice. If it is the last chance of the ‘struggle’, so I will make it beautiful. Along with my great peers of course.