Without Pancasila, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) would have never come into existence, because for the people of the country, the state ideology is the way of life, comprising of basic principles that should be followed in order to realize a just and prosperous society.
The head of Presidential Work Unit for the Improvement of Pancasila Ideology (UKP PIP), Yudi Latief, has stated that Pancasila is in the interests of all Indonesian people in a pluralistic country. Therefore, it should continue to be maintained for the integrity of NKRI.
Pancasila, according to him, is the balance point of Indonesia as a pluralistic country and as a point of orientation to which this nation will be directed.
Without Pancasila, Indonesia, with its diversity of religion, race, tribe, party, and social layers, will find it difficult to get a common ground anytime.
"Therefore, there needs to be awareness to take care of Pancasila and practice its noble values in everyday life," Latif stated.
Pancasila has become the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state, promulgated by the country`s first president Sukarno.
The word "pancasila" is translated from Old Javanese as "five principles." Sukarno formulated these principles to unite the diverse archipelago, populated by hundreds of ethnic groups.
The five original principles presented by Sukarno to the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence include belief in one God Almighty, humanity that is just and civilized, the unity of Indonesia, democracy guided by the wisdom of representative deliberation, and social justice for all Indonesians.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that by embracing the Pancasila state ideology, the diversity and differences existing in Indonesia would not pose an obstacle to the country in building democracy.
Jokowi has expressed optimism that by following Pancasila, the state would be able to face the future, through realizing developmental progress and winning the global competition.
Pancasila serves as the value system of life, which has been constantly developed and passed down the generations.
The foundation and symbol of the state, Pancasila, serves as the main cohesive power to maintain the integrity and entity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Therefore, all parties have to stay on guard against the efforts of certain groups that seek to undermine the ideology of Pancasila, which aims to unify Indonesia.
In light of this, all government policies should take a cue from the philosophy of Pancasila that ensures social justice for all Indonesians.
The interpretation of Pancasila in the present day context is a natural thing to do, but it should not evolve into a reason to create divisions in the country.
People may assess Pancasila differently .Its values should be firmly held by the people of Indonesia, who must continue to promote the understanding of the values of Pancasila among the younger generation.
Since Indonesia gained independence on Aug 17, 1945, Pancasila has often been undermined by various parties, but until this day into the future, it will remain the nation`s ideology.
Therefore, the people should be wary of the latent dangers of changing the nation`s foundation.
Besides, it seems that the younger generation no longer upholds and practices the values of Pancasila in their day-to-day lives.
Even many of the young people have failed to memorize the five principles of Pancasila and no longer apply the values of Pancasila. Therefore, character education is necessary to handle the situation.
Jokowi has also highlighted the importance of mental revolution on several occasions.
Besides this, the values of Pancasila should be revived in social life, in order to suppress the spread of the ideology of radicalism and terrorism.
The ideology of radicalism and other similar ideologies really run contrary to Pancasila and must be eradicated completely.
One of the phenomena in the globalization era is the occurrence of cross-border values between nations and even between communities or groups of smaller communities.
Among the cross-border values or ideology is radicalism. People harboring this kind of ideology always consider themselves to be correct and ignore the basic rights of others.
No wonder, radicalism and other similar ideologies are contrary to Pancasila, whose ideology should continue to be upheld and strengthened in order to enable the people from diverse religious backgrounds, ethnicity, races, customs, and cultures to co-exist in perfect harmony, peace, and tolerance.
Hence, all parties have been called on to build a superior civilized nation, which is able to demonstrate its character and identity without losing the opportunity and ability to communicate with other nations.
(O001/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.O001/A/KR-BSR/A014)
Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
