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Happy birthday Pancasila, best wishes from Germany
Indonesia's state philosophical principles will ensure that it can weather today’s storms for a brighter tomorrow.
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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.
The citizens of each country do not feel that they are philosophically indoctrinated by a political party, as is increasingly the case in other places. It makes a big difference that a country celebrates state philosophical principles that allow its citizens to live freely and choose their political leadership, as opposed to countries celebrating a political leadership that tells its citizens how to live their lives.
The value of sharing state philosophical principles from the bottom up to shape and guide public policy cannot be overstated enough. They are like lighthouses that guide ships in the dark, which are beautiful to look at when the sun shines.
Of course, no country is without socioeconomic challenges and Indonesia is no exception. Yet, as countries become economically and politically more diversified, living in line with the Pancasila principles from the bottom up will ensure that Indonesia will also weather future challenges. For this, state philosophical principles need maintenance, just like lighthouses. This is true for Germany's Social Market Economy and Indonesia's Pancasila.
In political practice, this means that their valuable principles should always guide public debate. In order to accomplish this goal, universities, civil society, NGOs, religious organizations and the media all have important roles to play. But at least for today, Indonesians should not debate, but celebrate.
Selamat ulang tahun (happy birthday), Pancasila!
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The writer is a professor of economics at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, the United States, and at Prasetiya Mulya University in Jakarta.
