Every August, the air is filled with excitement. The national anthem echoes in the morning, and the red and white flags wave proudly in front of houses. On the streets, children prepare for competitions and parades with enthusiasm, excitement, and a sense of joy. However, one voice remains unheard amid the euphoria. This is a voice that does not appear in parades or speeches. A voice that has no right to vote, does not write history, but forms the foundation of all life: the voice of nature.
Nature is a fundamental element that underpins all human life. It must play a central role in the narrative of national independence. Reality, however, tells a different story. Nature, which has borne witness to the struggles of our heroes, has now become a victim of their descendants. Rivers that once flowed clear now run murky with domestic and industrial waste. Forests that once sheltered guerrillas have disappeared under extensive land clearing. Seas that carried the spirit of freedom are now conquered by oil spills and plastic waste. The air that once carried the breath of struggle is now choked by exhaust fumes and factory smoke.
If independence is understood as freedom from the shackles of oppression, then nature today is still colonized—not by other nations, but by human behavior itself—by those of us who claim to be citizens of Indonesia. Unconsciously, we have become the new colonizers of nature, which we should be protecting and caring for together. Independence is not merely an annual ceremony. It is a collective effort to liberate the oppressed, uplift the marginalized, and heal the wounded. In this context, nature deserves to be included in the agenda of a new struggle.
Until now, humans have enjoyed their rights, freedom of expression, education, employment, and culture. But what about nature? It has no voice, except through disasters. When floods come, only then do we start talking about clogged and neglected waterways, about where the water should flow after—when it is already too late. And when smog blankets the sky, only then do we mention the importance of forests. When coral reefs are destroyed and tsunamis come, only then do we realize their importance.
Sadly, these are all reactions rather than reflections. The environment does not need pity; it needs long-term commitment, a commitment that comes from awareness, not coercion.
Liberating nature is not only the duty and responsibility of environmental communities that have been active in this area. Their efforts will not be enough if they act alone. We cannot continue to rely on a few parties to solve the crisis that we have created together. This responsibility belongs to all of us. Because it is not only ships that pollute the sea, but also household waste. It is not only corporations that destroy forests, but also the habit of burning land. It is not only factory chimneys that pollute the air, but also personal choices in driving, consuming energy unwisely, and burning trash without thinking twice.
This awareness needs to grow hand in hand with the spirit of nationhood. To love one’s country cannot be expressed merely in words or symbols, but in real actions to protect the space we all depend on. If the heroes of the past took up arms for independence, then we today need to raise awareness and take action to preserve life.
The struggle of this era has taken a different form. No longer against armed colonizers, but against our own destructive habits and the indifference that allows damage around us to persist—damage to Indonesia’s nature.
Independence must not be an empty word. It must be real, touching every aspect of life—including the environment. The question is no longer only “What have we done for this nation?” but also “What have we done for the nature that sustains this nation?”
Sorting waste, reducing plastic use, planting trees and mangroves, restoring seagrass beds and coral reefs, conserving energy, shifting to low-emission transport, and speaking up for just environmental policies—all of these are modern forms of struggle. For in truth, there will never be a fully independent Indonesia if its environment remains colonized by greed and neglect—by us, its very own people.
The environment is not an object. It is a living subject. It has the right not to be polluted, not to be destroyed, not to be exploited beyond its limits. On this Independence Day, it is time to begin writing a new history—not only of a nation freed from colonizers, but also of a nation that liberates its nature from destruction.
Because the earth is not an inheritance from our ancestors—but borrowed from our descendants, and they have the right to grow up in a free environment.
Author: Novi Wiji Lestari
Editor: Diyah Deviyanti
