The four pillars refer to Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and "unity in diversity".
"The four pillars must be thoroughly propagated to instill the value among the society," Soesatyo said during the inauguration of the MPR's upper house DPD members from North Maluku and East Kalimantan constituencies at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Friday.
The nation's four pillars encapsulate the national and universal values of religiosity, unity, tolerance, honesty, professionalism, and good governance, the MPR speaker remarked.
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As the four pillars' values are important for nation-building, MPR members should utilize all means available and innovate with new methods to propagate the values to ensure that the public comprehends and implements the values in their daily life, he stated.
The MPR speaker also invited MPR members, particularly the new DPD members, to participate in deliberations on the substance and legal form of the state policy guidelines (PPHN).
"Brilliant ideas from members regarding the PPHN must be informed to members representing DPD in the MPR deliberative body," Soesatyo said.
He denounced parties arguing that the PPHN is no longer necessary after the direct election of the President, as a direct election is a logical consequence of popular sovereignty that does not diminish the importance of the PPHN as guidelines for national development.
Direct presidential elections do not clash with the guidelines drawn by the parliament, and instead, they are expected to enhance national development as they clarify the ideal approach for development as expected by the people, he said.
"Hence, MPR plays an important role in determining the PPHN as the MPR's two houses complete the representation of the popular interest in the DPR and territorial interests in the DPD," Soesatyo remarked.
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Translator: Sigit Pinardi, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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