T

he pronouncement of June 1 as a national holiday to commemorate the birth of Pancasila should go beyond rhetoric as the growing challenges of radicalism and terrorism threaten to shatter the nation.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision might be seen simply as a political gesture to win the favor of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of Sukarno, the nation’s first president who established Pancasila as the founding philosophy of the new nation in 1945.

However, many hope the decision will go beyond politics and rhetoric.

Asvi Warman Adam, a historian at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said Jokowi’s decision should be followed by reviews of a number of existing regulations, including numerous discriminatory local bylaws, to see whether they were in line with the values of Pancasila.

“The government needs to set an example to the public by ensuring that the existing laws and local bylaws follow the values of Pancasila,” Asvi said on Thursday.

Taking a simple example, Asvi said the government could apply the values by enforcing traffic rules on motorcyclists who often rode along sidewalks in a bid to make sidewalks a safer place for pedestrians.

“The authorities could promote Pancasila values among motorcyclists so that they don’t harm others on the road,” he said.

Promoting Pancasila values through social media would also be a smart move as the use of social media continues to grow, particularly among the youth, Asvi added.

There are numerous examples of public initiatives that demonstrate Pancasila values in people’s daily life on social media. After the Sarinah terrorist attack in Central Jakarta in January, netizens quickly united behind the hashtag #KamiTidakTakut (We are not afraid), a campaign declaring peaceful solidarity that caught international attention.

President Jokowi also called on netizens to promote peace via social media to counter radicalism following the Sarinah attacks.

Another example is an elementary school student in Semarang, Central Java, who courageously blocked motorcyclists using the sidewalk. His story went viral on social media and he was widely praised.

“But the question remains: Who or which government institution should play a part [on social media]? The government must start to think about it,” Asvi said.

Asvi praised Jokowi for his bold move in declaring Pancasila Day, but criticized him for making it a public holiday as he feared it might instead become a mere holiday and people would forget to use the day to partake in activities that helped them internalize Pancasila values.

“Because it is a holiday there will likely be no activities promoting the values, such as discussions and dialogue. Not to mention, newspapers, which could help remind people about the essence of Pancasila Day, will not be printed if it’s a holiday,” he added.

PDI-P lawmaker Arif Wibowo, however, said his party’s initiative to revitalize Pancasila was worthy of appreciation as it was important to strengthen the country’s sense of history. “Moreover, it’s good for the political education of younger generations,” he said.

People’s Consultative Assembly speaker Zulkifli Hasan said on Wednesday that Pancasila values were still relevant given what he described as the “behavioral degeneration” in the years after the beginning of the reform era, such as rampant drug abuse, corruption, sexual abuse, intolerance and radicalism.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu called on all Indonesians to fully uphold Pancasila.

“Pancasila is great. Pancasila is not a religion, but the foundation of Indonesia,” he said before an anti-communist symposium on Thursday.

He further said that as President Jokowi had officially established June 1 as Pancasila Day, Pancasila was the only ideology embraced in the country. “Those who oppose to it may leave the country,” he added.