Jakarta, Aug. 16 -- Pride and emotion filled the inauguration of 76 of the nation's best youth as members of the 2026 National Flag Hoisting Troops (Paskibraka) at the State Palace in Jakarta on Saturday (August 15).

Behind the moment lie stories of struggle that brought each Paskibraka member to the point of being selected to raise the Red-and-White flag at Merdeka Palace.

Muhammad Furqoen Hakim, representing Bangka Belitung Islands, said the process leading to his selection as a National Paskibraka member was not easy, requiring a long selection process from the school level up to the central level.

"There were so many steps, starting from school-level selection, then district, then province, and finally central-level verification," ...