Jakarta (ANTARA) - House Speaker Puan Maharani appealed to Indonesian citizens to continue to uphold Pancasila as the national paradigm and national identity.

"Disregarding Pancasila is the same as uprooting the nation's identity from its deepest roots and betraying the mandate of the nation's founding fathers. Replacing Pancasila will have an impact, (thereby leading to) the loss of character as a friendly, tolerant, and cooperative nation," Maharani noted during the 2022 Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives and Regional Representative Council here on Tuesday.

Maharani stated that all generations had the responsibility of developing the nation and state in the future in order to face difficult challenges and obstacles.

"We are still facing the uncertainty (caused by the) COVID-19 pandemic situation, geopolitical conflicts, global economic recovery in the midst of food vulnerability, energy, unemployment, global monetary pressure, environmental degradation, and the threat of natural disasters, and so on," the house speaker affirmed.

She also highlighted the importance of cementing the national identity to prevent it from being compromised by transnational ideologies in the midst of the globalization era as well as technological and industrial advancements that connected people socially, culturally, economically, and politically.

Maharani said that various transnational ideologies that may not necessarily align with the national identity could easily slip in and influence citizens.

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“We cannot isolate ourselves from foreign cultural influences. However, with a strong personality, foreign cultures can be filtered and integrated in the national culture," she stated.

Hence, everyone plays a vital part in building national strength in which commitment and togetherness arise from love for the homeland, she affirmed.

"We, as a nation and state, are increasingly required to have the ability and power in the political, economic, social, and cultural aspects in order to realize an Indonesia that is sovereign and independent, with personality based on Pancasila," Maharani stated.

She also opined that Pancasila could serve as a guiding star, pointing to the direction of the nation's journey in order to materialize the spirit of community service for the progress in development of the nation and state.

The People's Consultative Assembly conducted the 2022 Annual Session to commemorate the 77th Independence Day in the Plenary Meeting Room of the Nusantara Building on Tuesday.

The People's Consultative Assembly's Annual Session kicked off with the president's speech and the 2022 Joint Session of the House of Representatives and Regional Representative Council.

The president's speech pertained to the government's statement on the 2023 Draft of the State Budget along with financial notes at the opening plenary session of the First Session of the House of Representatives for the 2022-2023 session.

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Translator: Melalusa S K, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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