President: Leaders Should Show Exemplary Actualization of Pancasila

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Residents stand next to a mountain during the Grebeg Pancasila ceremony at the Blitar City Square, East Java, Wednesday (1/6/2022).

Coinciding with the commemoration of the birthday of Pancasila, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has appealed to all components of the nation to actualize its values. Leading figures have been urged to act as role models when it comes to the implementation of the nation’s ideology.

ENDE, KOMPAS — While referring to Pancasila as the nation's guiding star in facing challenges and tests, Jokowi has appealed to high-ranked government employees in institutions in all sectors to commit to the values of the nation’s ideology as role models for the citizens.

"Pancasila has united us all. Pancasila has become a guiding star for the nation in the face of challenges and tests. This has been proven time and again in the course of the nation's history," Jokowi said in his speech during a ceremony at Pancasila Square in Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday (1/6/2022).

Leading the ceremony, the President wore traditional Ragi Lambu Luka Lesu attire in red and black motifs.

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Based on a Kompas poll, which was held between 24 and 29 May 2022, the public perceives that Pancasila has been implemented more, proportionally, by the communities than by the elite level. As many as 66.9 percent of respondents said the implementation of Pancasila values had improved in social interactions, compared to 42.9 of respondents who said so regarding the government’s elite. The public perception that the elite is degrading Pancasila implementation was held by 45.8 percent of respondents.

Pancasila must be the guidance of governance as well as the spirit of social interactions among citizens.

The President emphasized the nation and state could still stand strong and intact, thanks to Pancasila being the consensus. He reiterated his call for citizens from all walks of life to practice Pancasila values institutionalized in social, national and state systems. Pancasila must be the guidance of governance as well as the spirit of social interactions among citizens.

His call for leading figures to be role models in actualizing the values of Pancasila was directed at those engaged in government; in religious, social, educational and political spheres; as well as non-government organizational affairs.

The President also issued a warning regarding the world situation, which he sees as still volatile due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, which is not yet completely over, has contributed to the energy and food crisis. While coping with threats of extreme poverty and hunger, the world is now facing geopolitical threat due to war in Ukraine.

KOMPAS

Illustration of the celebration of the birthday of Pancasila in Ende, East Nusa Tenggara.

Meanwhile, in her virtual speech, former president Megawati Soekarnoputri invited all Indonesian people to rise together from the increasingly controlled COVID-19 pandemic situation. "Let's show that we are a big nation fighting together in mutual cooperation. Let's prove to the world that by adhering to the Pancasila ideology and making it a guiding star, we are able to become a developed nation," she said.

Elite example

People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Bambang Soesatyo stated that the nation’s ideology should not end up simply being memorized or put on a wall as decoration. While calling for the commitment to implement the values of Pancasila in everyday life, he reminded officials not to regard the commemoration of the birthday of Pancasila as merely ceremonial. He promised himself and urged other officials to apply the values of Pancasila in regulating the state’s administration.

Azyumardi Azra, a professor at State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah, said efforts to promote Pancasila should start with the elite, considering that Indonesian society was still characterized by patron-client and feudal relationships. Instead of merely lip service, the elite was urged to seriously implement the values of Pancasila in all actions, including policymaking.

"(The elite) must seriously pursue becoming a role model in Pancasila adherence in everyday life: for example, by not committing corruption, collusion and nepotism," Azyumardi said.

Learning Pancasila through education also needs to be done with updated substance and methodology.

Pointing out the need for the government to enhance initiatives to promote Pancasila within the bureaucracy, he said the existing Pancasila operationalization program would need to be reformed. He deemed the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency as falling short of building an understanding and the expected implementation of Pancasila within the government institutions and the public. Learning Pancasila through education also needs to be done with updated substance and methodology, he said.

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

A number of students look at paintings at the Pancasila Building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jakarta, Thursday (1/6/2018).

According to him, increasing the understanding and practice of Pancasila among government officials, religious leaders, lecturers or teachers, as well as families, is crucial to maintaining national unity and integrity. Everyone must practice Pancasila to create harmony.

Lack of sensitivity

Diasma Sandi Swandaru, head of advocacy and cooperation division of Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Pancasila Studies, said lack of empathy and sensitivity over social realities testified to the elite’s poor implementation of Pancasila, with it still being interpreted as merely textual, rather than embodied in exemplary actions.

"All talks are meaningless if there is no action. It [Pancasila] falls down as an offending act is committed. Today, there is a crisis of statesmanship from the elite. Indonesia is experiencing a drought of role models from the elite," Diasma said.

He emphasized that the implementation of Pancasila was urgent in governance to ensure that the community could get deserved basic rights, such as education, health and security so that social justice for all Indonesian people could be achieved. (WER/ETA/BRO/KOR /CHE/WKM/FRN/NIA)

This article was translated by Musthofid.