Muhammad Bahrul Ulum

This article is aimed at the younger generations of FK2H, with them sustainability and prosperity for granted. Today, they seem to struggle over divided identities and communalities and reshape into an inclusive community. I want them to know how difficult the new community built only by four people dispersed from their original organization, without any infrastructure. With limited members, we paced for excellence to be our tradition and therefore it subsequently what defines us.

I want to tell you about FK2H’s formative years. I was among the first person made an open announcement on the emergence of FK2H. Then, I gathered all interested students around Mushola and I introduced them to this community and how it worked. It was difficult one as this community did not have any significant track record, except what the founders had got already. Therefore, we tell them that we were committed to regenerate the new members to be successive members to obtain the same. Frankly speaking, I was truly doubting on how to assure them.

The establishment of FK2H was not more than the reflection on the compelling need to regenerate new scientific members actively involved in a wide array of academic activities. It was prepared soon before the founding people graduated, by multiplying our unrelenting spirits and efforts. To be sure, the establishment considered our experiences in a number of scientific competitions that most of our friends were affiliated with an effective and rigorous scientific organization at their universities. We were truly inspired by them. In fact, there was a few students were involved due to no effective institution to accommodate their interests at the UNEJ Law.

It is important to tell you that we started to build the community just after our proposal was kicked by our previous organization because we were regarded as the burden of the organization with the costly demand for a scientific competition. As a consequence, after completed our presentation at Universitas Indonesia Faculty of Law, we considered the importance of having a new professional community specialized in academic activities to develop our interests and accommodate the future best students with the best minds.

Effectively on 10 November 2009, the Student Forum for Progressive Legal Studies was established (just after two years, it was officially recognized by Universitas Jember Faculty of Law as a student organization, the Forum for Juridical Science Studies). It was inaugurated by the Vice Dean in Student and I was the first chairman. The establishment was the hallmark how the achievement should be sustained, not capitalized by certain persons and we rejected one-man show so that it can be inherited to the future generations. We admitted that what we have got should be shared with others to ensure that we can walk together because the shared knowledge and experience are the real power.

In the formative years, FK2H was lack of leadership. From the class of 2007, it jumped to the class of 2009. The next chairman was from the class of 2009. Indeed, he was too young with no many experiences in an organization. But, we did not have any other choices due to limited human resources. During his leadership, he showed good leadership but the organizer members were not so skillful and experienced to handle their responsibility. Still, his leadership made part of great history.

Yet, we should admit that we still could not embrace significant human resources from the class of 2009. Therefore, we only relied upon students from the class of 2010 and we did successfully to regenerate before all the remaining founders had graduated. I want to tell you that I am truly proud of the class of 2010 due to their commitment, dedication, and excellence. It is important to acknowledge that the third period of FK2H was the first glorious history that we had. We got many human resources, achievements, and innovations.

It was the last period that I could be along with them with the following my graduation in the same year in 2011. After my graduation, I was not so intense with FK2H as I heavily focused on my preparation for masters’ degree abroad. To be true, my intention for studying abroad was no more than I wanted to put the first history of which the alumni of FK2H graduated from a foreign law school, in addition to my dream to be a scientist. In my mind, it should be–and subsequently more than– like what LK2 FHUI did as it was primarily aimed to define it as part of the new tradition.

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Let us reflect our nine years journey of excellence

I do not want to exaggerate. It is true that it is from being left behind becomes today what so-called FK2H as the leading and most scientific organization, at the forefront of the UNEJ Law. FK2H has led to the dozen of achievements due to collaborative and sharing strategy, since 2009. Indeed, your founding members were left behind, treated unfairly due to such twist treatment. In turn, we proved what we believed to chase excellence to be what it is.

As the intellectual platform, FK2H was intended as the hub of the best students with the best minds. Thus, if you choose FK2H, congratulations! You are currently part of such an intellectual movement and expected to innovate and make changes in the near future. We envisioned FK2H to stimulate transformational moves for all members on the path of life they would choose.

Regardless, I want to ask you to reflect on how FK2H was previously defined and in turn how it has subsequently shifted.

In retrospect, FK2H is now nine years old and it is important to reiterate the history. Since its inception, FK2H has been intended to commit building a model of pluralistic community– which subsequently organization. We started from a few members to be what it is today (more than 500 current members). Indeed, we are proud of our great achievements due to our tradition of excellence and fraternity, collaboration. We are also proud of our alumni networks, from judges, lawyers, solicitors, law teachers, politicians, government officials, entrepreneurs, and so on.

Yet, the problem is now in the front. Such a big body is currently challenged by the diversity, not the diversity itself but the ability to accept the diversity as what makes FK2H great. Parochial minds are part of such a leading organization in the law faculty. To be sure, it is such a vulnerable threat to the sustainability and prosperity of members and generations. It is dangerous for nurturing excellence. I want you all to be aware and awake!

The success of FK2H was due to our belief to manage diversity as the true power. Therefore, we committed to considering FK2H as the first priority among other interests. We believed that FK2H has her own sovereignty so that other organizations should respect for it. FK2H is not for political wrestlings from external and/or political organizations. Rather, FK2H belongs to all members but still not a political-based organization. We defined it as a non-political organization with a scientific basis so that the successive leadership would be based on merit, intellectual, dedication, and exceptional track record. Only persons with those criteria deserved the leadership at FK2H. Therefore, in this nine years of living, it is important to reflect and it is expected that FK2H will be able to struggle over her idealism to (re)drive the organization to the right path.

It is also important to reiterate that no other reasons that we remain united, then, everyone should have the place, equal, regardless of race, religion, culture, student’s affiliation background, or other kinds what typically make differences.

For young and not so old, and everyone that did not know before how FK2H made great formative years. Since the beginning, we had tried to treat all members equals and we did not want our future generations will undergo as we all the founders got, terrible discrimination from the previous organization. It must be clear that it is impossible FK2H will do the same. Please do not forget your beginning history!

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Globalization and its Challenges

Currently, we live in the 21st century. Some people say that it is the disruptive changes that many things have emerged as we did not expect before. It is also the Asian century where Asia by the mid of 21st century will be the true hub of the world. It will provide big opportunities and serious threats as well for us. It depends on how we rapidly adapt to such changes.

The challenge of FK2H, like many other professional institutions in Indonesia, is now about internationalization. To the extent, how FK2H can take benefits from global exposure. It is impossible your generation will be stagnant without any innovation and improvement following the disruptive changes and challenges. And if doing so in innovation the most important is that how you will translate it to the best policy that is really needed for the sustainability and prosperity of members (short-term planning up to long-term planning). It needs scientific approaches with the high level of critical thinking rather than merely electoral and politicized votes as it has begun recently.

Finally, FK2H is on your hand, the current and future generations. My last message to you is that, if you can, FK2H’s new generations should have the foresight and courage for making the new landmarks of glory. Specifically, if you can, FK2H needs to transcend the boundaries of knowledge and experience, making a quantum leap by considering the true journey of discovery. Leave the great history in FK2H by your hand!

Yet, amidst the rhetoric of development and success story, it is impossible without paying heavy attention to the importance of developing human resources.

Indeed, it is now about you and your maturity. And, keep in your mind, you are part of history to make FK2H more than great!

Happy 9th Anniversary, FK2H. Leading in collaboration, innovation, and achievement!

Aichi Prefecture, November 11, 2018
Salam dari Nagoya!
Muhammad Bahrul Ulum, the founding director