President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stands in front of
the Indonesian map imploring the people of Indonesia
to unite under Pancasila, the nations ideology.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday marked the anniversary of the official national ideology, Pancasila, by calling on all Indonesians to put country before race and religion.
“I want to remind all of us that despite solidarities, such as the ties of Islamic, Christian, Catholic and Chinese communities, the biggest tie should be nationalism, our nation,” Yudhoyono said.
Speaking at the House of Representatives, the president said that although the accelerated pace of globalism was breaking down borders, countries must endeavor to preserve their own cultures. “We should not be more loyal to other ties [which lay outside] of our nation.”
Yudhoyono said the decentralization and regional autonomy processes begun during the reform period had left a negative impression of the idea of the nation state, which was forged by founding President Sukarno, the chief architect of Pancasila.
The ideology is a set of five tenets that promote an equal footing for all religions, humanism, decision-making through deliberation, national unity and social justice for all.
“Although decentralization and regional autonomy is positive as a correction to the old centralized system, we also see its negative excesses,” he said.
Yudhoyono warned that leaders should set an example by avoiding divisive rhetoric, citing regional elections as flash points of conflict between ethnic or religious groups. “Let’s go back to the spirit of Indonesian nationalism and the will to unite,” he said.
However, he also said that nationalism should not be a forerunner to xenophobia. “What Sukarno meant about nationalism had nothing to do with being an isolated country or a chauvinistic one, but a nationalism recognizing world brotherhood and a family of nations,” he said.
“We should not apply narrow nationalism and see other nations or foreign objects as enemies.” Pancasila, he said, was still relevant as an ideology and one that has a place in today’s evolving world.
“Let’s make Pancasila a living ideology, a working ideology that can be anticipative, adaptive and responsive. Pancasila is not a strict dogma as this would prevent it from becoming responsive to the challenges of the era. It should be able to face current and future challenges.”
But Syafi’i Maarif, former chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country’s second-largest Islamic movement, said the nation was slowly turning its back on the ideology.
“Don’t just implement Pancasila in books, in writings and speeches but then betray it in daily life,” he told. However, he said he was still optimistic that the country would realize Pancasila, allowing different ethnic and religious backgrounds to bond.
“It should start with our leaders, because our people are taking their cue from them,” he said. “Leaders should give a good example, [there should be] no corruption or money politics.”
Safri Nugraha, dean of University of Indonesia’s Law Faculty, told that the government should also abridge regulations that fly in the face of the core Pancasila principles.
“We need legal reform that will fit Pancasila. Our law must stand for both the rich and the poor. At the moment I see that there are laws which are not impartial,” he said.
Safri also highlighted the need to spread the use of the ideology past the confines of a ceremonial day on the first of June. “The United States and European countries use our own ideological principles such as respecting and helping each other and caring about environmental issues.
These are actually the principles of Pancasila,” he said.
