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2019 elections: Pancasila contested
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Indonesian national symbol, the Garuda Pancasila (Shutterstock/File)
R
ecent debates on the five principles of Pancasila should worry those advocating democratic values and religious freedom, as Islamists in both the incumbent’s and challenger’s camps have tried to appropriate the state ideology.
All political parties of course shun accusations of being anti-Pancasila. Closer to the general elections this April, the rhetoric of Islamic-leaning parties of both camps implies Pancasila serves their aspirations more than those of secular parties.
Their reasoning is that Pancasila’s first principle of Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa (Believe in God) means the state is obliged to recognize and accommodate religious values, taken to mean the “Islamic” values of the majority. Thus, any regulation that contravenes sharia (of their interpretation) contradicts Pancasila and, therefore, should be opposed by those who claim to be committed to the national ideology.
That was the logic echoed in the climatic address delivered by Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader now in self-exile in Saudi Arabia, Rizieq Shihab.
