Gotong Royong: Working Together for a Better Society
Gotong royong is an Indonesian word that means "to work together", "help one another", or "cooperative labor". It is a cultural value of Indonesians and Javanese people that embodies the basic nature of the social interaction of Indonesian society.
The Importance of Gotong Royong Values
Its values are important because it can help build a more stable, democratic, and inclusive society. It can also provide opportunities for social development and poverty reduction in communities.
Community Support in Times of Trouble
In general, people have a strong tendency to help one another, especially in times of trouble or when disaster strikes a certain area. For example, if a family is suffering from illness or a disaster strikes their community, everyone works together to help them recover as quickly as possible.
For example, people in a rural area would lend a family their gas cylinders and other equipment for cooking, heating, or feeding the animals. The helpers do not ask anything in return.
Positive Impact on the Local Community
The spirit of gotong royong has a positive impact on the local community and is beneficial to both the government and its people as well as the volunteers. It can also be a useful tool to motivate people to participate in community development projects, such as the Building Sustainable Cities (BST) program.
Gotong Royong as Social Capital
A study that examined the use of gotong royong as social capital in running a business revealed a significant effect on social cohesion in the communities and helped MSMEs reduce their business capital needs. By lending business tools and other materials to others in the community, the owners of these businesses can share their resources to increase their own profitability.
Besides, this way of doing business has the advantage of being environmentally friendly. By using local materials, people can avoid the need for importation and waste disposal fees. This can also make it more affordable for the residents to run their businesses.
In addition, the sharing of resources can help people reduce their costs in doing business, and it can be an effective method to overcome the difficulty in getting venture capital for MSMEs. The shared resources can be used to cover the cost of production or marketing.
Similarities to Western Concept of Social Capital
This type of cooperation is similar to the western concept of social capital, which has been formulated to emphasize the relationship between pluralistic community life and the formation of groups or organizations to complete joint responsibility in solving problems or challenges faced by the community.
For example, teachers' unions or soccer clubs create social capital by fostering trust and solidarity between members of the community. However, these organizations can have negative consequences.
The Rebirth of Gotong Royong: Promoting Societal Cohesion
The spirit of gotong royong is a valuable Indonesian tradition that can be reborn to bring back societal cohesion in Indonesia. It can promote a more democratic life order and a better society by encouraging people to help one another in times of trouble or disaster, as well as in other areas of their lives such as education and public safety.
Nurturing and Strengthening Gotong Royong
The spirit of gotong royong can be nurtured and strengthened by educators through service learning projects that involve learners, teachers, staff, parents, and community partners. Through these projects, students can learn about different issues that affect their communities, including health, education, public safety, hunger and homelessness, immigration and discrimination, and the environment.
