T

he UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that the number of global refugees and internally displaced people is at its highest point since World War II. Unsurprisingly, many of these people are concentrated in the Middle East, particularly Syria, as the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) movement and the Syrian civil war have driven many people to flee their homes for safety. The Global Peace Index reported that more than 9.5 million Syrians, or 43 percent of the Syrian population, had been displaced.

At the same time, the Indonesian economy is among the rising economies in the world. The growing middle class in Indonesia leads to a growing consuming class. Members of the consuming class in Indonesia enjoy good living standards '€” far more fortunate than the other 200 million Indonesians and billions of the world'€™s citizens.

What can Indonesians do to help the Syrian refugees? How do we contribute in a time of humanitarian crisis? Is it relevant to generate contributions for the world while Indonesia itself is facing many challenges at home?

Because of a guiding principle of Pancasila, Indonesians have a moral obligation to pay attention to the case of the Syrian refugees whose tragedy has made international headlines. President Sukarno, as quoted in Mata Air Keteladanan (Fountain of Exemplary) written by distinguished Indonesian young intellectual Yudi Latif, said that the second principle of Pancasila, which is just and civilized humanity, comprises the tenet of internationalism.

The preamble of the 1945 Constitution also clearly mentions that Indonesia is to participate toward the establishment of a world order based on freedom, perpetual peace and social justice.

As these two ideological and constitutional foundations support the values and best practices of humanity worldwide, Indonesia'€™s citizens -especially the rising consuming class '€” are highly encouraged to contribute during humanitarian crisis in any part of the world.

There is no doubt that generating donations for the Syirian refugees in particular and for the refugees worldwide in general, is legitimate and is in line with the spirit of Pancasila as the ideological foundation of the Republic of Indonesia.

It is time for us to make contributions to the world without leaving behind endeavors to tackle challenges at home. There are many impactful organizations we may consider that work with refugees around the globe. UNHCR is a good example as it works first hand with refugees all over the world.

Marlis Afridah
Singapore