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Being Indonesian: Not by memorizing Pancasila
During the New Order, Pancasila was a sacred word, with its own power, and even feared.
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During the New Order, Pancasila was a sacred word, with its own power, and even feared. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
P
ancasila state ideology has become a topic widely discussed, with many expressing concern that Indonesia’s diversity is under threat and that Pancasila values have been forgotten. Many people are urging that the teaching of Pancasila in schools be strengthened.
Opening the congress of Fatayat, the women’s wing of the Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic organization in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, early May, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani stated that people had to “love their country and not be drugged by radicalism.”
Minister Puan called for more balance between the teaching of nationhood and religion in religious-based and state schools.
All this is not unconnected to the recent Jakarta gubernatorial election, during which race and religion became divisive issues.
The incumbent governor, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian Chinese-Indonesian, was defeated by Anies Baswedan. A week later, Ahok was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for blasphemy.
A day before the verdict, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto announced that the government would outlaw Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia through the courts as it rejected Pancasila. Pancasila was also something that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo focused on when he addressed a large crowd of Indonesians in Hong Kong.
As in other functions with the public, he conducted a quiz, testing who could recite the tenets of Pancasila, promising a bicycle to the winner.
