TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
We are anything but Pancasila
More and more people hate or even kill others in the name of religion. Instead of being kind, people have weaponized religion to force their wishes on other people.
Change Size
When I studied civics in school I was told that Pancasila as an ideology was perfect and had no weaknesses, unlike all the others.
Pancasila was said to be the one and only ideology that suited a country as unique as Indonesia, given its diverse cultures, religions and ethnicities.
I grew up believing that Pancasila was simply a concept. For a concept as perfect as Pancasila, every Indonesian citizen needed to believe and embrace it in their daily life.
A theory is in the end only a theory. Without implementation it will remain as it is.
Looking at the situation of the country we live in today, really, we are anything but Pancasila.
In 1956, founding president Sukarno spoke in a speech in English about the five principles of Pancasila, which can be simplified as the belief in God, humanity, nationalism, democracy and social justice.
The first principle, belief in God, has a deep meaning. Indonesia is a religious nation. In fact there are six official religions that all teach about peace and kindness.
Acknowledging God as the first and most important principle means this nation wants its citizens to love each other.
But can we really say that it is the case now? More and more people hate or even kill others in the name of religion. Instead of being kind, people have weaponized religion to force their wishes on other people.
All the principles of Pancasila go hand-in-hand, we cannot implement some without the others. How can we have humanity if religions are misused as weapons?
Humanity comes with kindness and mutual respect. Too much violence has swept around this country and those who commit the violence think they have the right to do so.
When there is no humanity, national unity seems too far-fetched. Instead of uniting, Indonesia’s diversity separates us from each other. The diversity also causes one group to think that they are higher than others although they claim to uphold the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity).
Nationalism is simply loving our country, but as people always say, love without action is futile. I grew up with people who said they loved Indonesia but gladly abandoned their citizenship for other nationalities.
People say they love Indonesia but do not value Indonesia’s own principles. Democracy means rule by the people, for the people but, as we all know, the power of money has undermined democracy. Corruption is rampant and remains one of the hardest challenges Indonesia faces.
Pancasila is unlike capitalism, which places a monetary value on everything. Money (i.e. the state budget) should be used to fulfil the fifth and final principle of Pancasila, social justice.
The reality? The rich get richer and the poor become poorer. While in theory the current pandemic knows no socio-economic status, it has become evident that inequality has worsened.
At the same time, the pandemic has also caused more and more workers to lose their jobs as machines have replaced them. Is there really any denial that these workers are the ones on lower incomes?
In a country where money rules, only the rich can afford justice.
Pancasila really does not have any weakness except that it is not realistic. Yet, unrealistic does not mean impossible.
If the Pancasila principles are implemented, Indonesia is going to be an even greater country with diversity enriching us.
Pancasila can become the glue that makes this country even stronger. This starts with all Indonesians implementing Pancasila in our everyday lives.
No matter what happens, Indonesia still is Pancasila and Pancasila is Indonesia’s identity.
***
The writer is a student of a private university in Surabaya.
