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Happy birthday, Pancasila; from Germany
Indonesia's state philosophical principles will ensure that it can weather today’s storms for a brighter tomorrow.
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Pancasila birthday (JP/T. Sutanto)
P
ancasila probably does not receive many good wishes from outside Indonesia on its birthday, June 1. But it should, as it deserves them. Indeed, Indonesia has many good reasons to celebrate its five state philosophical principles and to be proud of them.
Indonesia has weathered many storms in its history. Not only is Indonesia the world's largest Muslim-majority country today, it is also the world's largest Muslim-majority democracy. It has become a role model for many other states, especially in the Arab world, where democracy movements after the 2011 Arab Spring failed across the board.
Without "Belief in one God" and tolerance for the country's religious diversity, it is difficult to imagine that Indonesia would have gotten this far. The country's commitment to "Just and Civilized Humanity" is reflected in its continuous improvements across many socioeconomic indicators like health and education.
Indonesia also has proven "Solidarity and Unity" after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami, from which it emerged stronger and more resilient. Indonesia's commitment to "Democracy" will undoubtedly provide it with a bright future, especially in a region where democracy is on the decline.
The combination of a young population that only knows peaceful handovers of political power and the country's wealth of increasingly important key natural resources promises it a bright economic future, with unmatched opportunities for creating "Social Justice" for all Indonesians.
These birthday wishes come from a German citizen. As a German citizen, it is not difficult to see many parallels between the spirit of Pancasila and Germany's post-World War II economic model, which Germans know as the Social Market Economy.
Indonesia and Germany are in fact two of the very few countries in the world where state philosophical principles are deeply entrenched in their social fabric. Something else that Indonesia and Germany also have in common is that their state philosophical principles are shared from the bottom up.
