PANCASILA DAY
1 June has been a national
holiday in Indonesia since 2016. On this day, the Indonesians commemorate
Pancasila Day. On 1 June 1945, Indonesia’s first president Sukarno gave a
famous speech to the Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence
(Badan Penyelidik Usaha Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or BPUPKI),
wherein he outlined the Pancasila; the five principles or guidelines that
should form the foundation of the huge and diverse nation.
Pancasila
1. Believe
in one supreme God
2. Justice and civility among the society
3. Unity of Indonesia
4. Democracy through deliberation and consensus among representatives
5. Social justice for all the people of Indonesia
2. Justice and civility among the society
3. Unity of Indonesia
4. Democracy through deliberation and consensus among representatives
5. Social justice for all the people of Indonesia
General Soeharto cemented Pancasila role as Indonesia’s national
ideology, a fundamental source of norms and values that encompasses various
aspects of citizen’s life. Before the eyes of the people, the regime appeared
to be defending and bringing back the aspirations of the founding fathers. What
really happened was that Pancasila was used to dispose of the Indonesian
Communist Party (PKI), by capturing and killing citizens from different
backgrounds – doctors, teachers, scholars, intellectuals -– allegedly affiliated
to the party.
Moreover, the regime set Pancasila as the only ideology to be tolerated
within its restrained political landscape. Thenceforth, all political parties
were obliged to have Pancasila as a compulsory philosophical basis and
ideological underpinnings on their aspirations.
The problem is that 20 years after Pancasila’s reformation remains
a compulsory basis in the Indonesian democratic system.
A properly functioning democracy would consist of political parties
which serve as a medium for politicians and the people to bring their
aspirations. Without a genuine philosophy to guide its path, a party may risk
losing its own purpose and may be misused as a “personalistic” party –with the
intention of solely serving as vehicle for politicians to get into office.
Due to the dominance of Pancasila, one could hardly distinguish the
basis of the parties’ commitments on political issues; there’s no such thing as
labor and social justice party or pro market and free enterprise party, and
whether those are based on green philosophy or liberal progressivism. Even
major Islamic parties have also reiterated their loyalty to Pancasila.
Existing parties could not be distinguished in that way, as Pancasila
impartially serves as the common overarching ideology. It is no longer the
aspirations of the party that matters, since all of them points out towards
Pancasila, rather it is more of the personalities and traits of the politicians
that they represent; the humbleness of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
Political parties should embrace the ideology that directs the path of
the organization, which is reflected within the citizens’ aspirations. The
Pancasila ideology is said to guide political parties towards values like ‘just
and civilized humanity’ or ‘social justice for the people’, although in
practice there should be clear measures towards achieving that common goal. In
many instances, especially during the New Order, the promises to bring the
aforementioned values have been obstructed to the point where it became lip
service.
The ever-evolving society of Indonesia will eventually need to adapt to
the principles of Pancasila as the guidance for the state. For instance, the
growing minorities of agnostics who sit uncomfortably with the first principle.
This problem persisted for long, as followers of non-theistic Buddhism or the
polytheistic Hinduism have looked for references in their religious scriptures
to be able to justify their views as being not in contradiction with the
“belief in one God” as explained in the first principle. This example alone
pictures a failure of Pancasila in uniting the people.
Moreover, the development of certain ideologies, that of
communist-Marxist in particular, have been largely restricted in Indonesia due
to the unfavorable narrative constructed by the New Order. There is no room for
communists in Indonesia, even scholars in present time cannot openly discuss
these ideologies with such easiness. The large intolerance towards ideologies
and philosophies other than Pancasila may restrict the current political
parties in addressing the real challenges that face modern Indonesian society.
For the Indonesian democracy to fully develop, it is important for
political parties to show some leadership to fully represent the various layers
and the ever-evolving society, by developing philosophical and ideologically
driven visions for the people. It is time to leave behind the unfavorable view
towards certain varieties of ideology, and actually demonstrate the capacity to
address modern issues, though it might give alternate views of Pancasila, so as
to adapt to the modern society of Indonesia.
Political parties should take a stand, start giving a real meaning to
their struggle for embracing their own philosophy, rather than serving as a
political vehicle for politicians to get into office. It is time for change,
for us to materialize the will of the people by acknowledging Pancasila as one
of the good sources -– out of many – and not as the ultimate truth to address
modern challenges in Indonesian society.
Twenty years after the reformation, many among Indonesia’s young generation, at
least, are prepared to take this step forward in maturing our democracy.
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