SBY urges end to debate on Pancasila's merits

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 06/02/2006 1:53 PM  |  Business

Rendi Akhmad Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Abandoning the Pancasila state ideology for narrow religious or ethnic-based ideologies will only jeopardize the unity and diversity of the nation, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says.

In a speech to commemorate the founding of Pancasila here Thursday, Yudhoyono said the ideology was not an absolute doctrine but a compromise reached by the nation's founding fathers, who had realized that Indonesia was a country made up of people from many faiths and ethnic groups.

""Let us make Pancasila the basis for reform. In this period of transition, many of us tend to create new realities and directions but abandon the old values, which should become part of our identity and be used as a tool for unity,"" he said.

""We should end the debate on alternatives to the Pancasila as our ideology. We should keep on with efforts to increase the people's welfare and to uphold justice based on the ideology that we have.""

The speech carried an implicit message to the country's hardline Muslim groups, which are attempting to have sharia law imposed across the nation. It also addressed ethnic minority groups, some of which have called for independence from Indonesia.

Pancasila, Yudhoyono said, was an ideology that saw all Indonesians as equal, despite their different faiths and ethnicities.

Consisting of five principles, Pancasila was decided upon 61 years ago at the nation's proclamation of independence. It espouses the principle of Indonesia under one God (religion not specified), along with ideas of democracy, unity and social justice.

However, for 30 years the authoritarian Soeharto regime twisted the ideology to promote conformity and stifle dissent. This Pancasila ""brainwashing"" ensured the teachings had fallen from public favor after Soeharto's resignation in 1998.

""Nowadays, if we discuss Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and the unity of Indonesia, most people will quickly associate us with the New Order regime, which limited human rights and was an anti-reform movement,"" Yudhoyono said.

""We are in the process of reconstructing our nation. But in that process there are 'invisible hands' (groups) which are trying to spread their ideas among us,"" he said.

While these groups had some good values, others were not in the spirit of pluralism and tolerance, he said.

Yudhoyono said the political freedoms people had won after 1998 had led to a lessening of central government authority and a surge in identity politics, which was weakening the nation.

Instead of seeing themselves as Indonesians, people now tended to group themselves along ethnic, religious or socioeconomic lines, he said.

Commenting on the speech, human rights activist and lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis said the President was trying to emphasize that Pancasila values supported concepts of democracy, tolerance, and the rule of law.

Robertus Robert from the Democracy Education Organization said Yudhoyono's speech showed the government was trying to unify the nation under Pancasila at a time when there were many conflicting ideas about how the country should move forward.

""The government has agreed on pluralism. That was clearly stated,"" he said.

Robertus suggested the government review all laws and regulations that could compromise tolerance, democracy and the rule of law. These included the controversial pornography bill and regional bylaws implementing sharia, he said. (05)

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