Missing Role Models
The Covid-19 pandemic, which has begun to subside, should have helped to strengthen the practice of Pancasila in people's lives.
Through Presidential Decree No. 24/2016 on the birth of Pancasila, President Joko Widodo declared 1 June as a national holiday.
The decree is not just about the declaration of a national holiday, which is the core point of recognizing the day Pancasila was born. However, the President's decision ended the debate over Pancasila’s birth date between 1 June 1945, when Soekarno first unveiled Pancasila as a result of his in-depth studies to the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence (BPUPKI) and 18 August 1945, when Pancasila was approved by the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI).
Also read:
> President: Leaders Should Show Exemplary Actualization of Pancasila
> The Warmth of Pancasila’s Womb in Ende
The problem now is that, after the foundation of the country was established 77 years ago, how it was actualized in the life of the nation and state in the archipelago. The rejection of Pancasila as the official ideology of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) has almost disappeared. However, the values of Pancasila are not fully realized in people's lives. In fact, let alone implementing it in real life, as many people have said, many public figures cannot even list the tenets of Pancasila clearly or correctly.
Some circles have forgotten the tradition of mutual assistance and helping each other, which is part of the real face of Pancasila, because of an urge to prioritize group interests. In fact, not a few residents could easily “kick out" other residents for fear of contracting the novel coronavirus. The unity of Indonesia was shaken.
The struggle for power is becoming tighter ahead of the 2024 General Election, and it is not uncommon for some people to ignore humanity and justice, and respect for other human beings, whereas we are in fact compatriots.
The situation has become increasingly difficult in implementing the values of Pancasila in real life, especially ahead of the political year. The struggle for power is becoming tighter ahead of the 2024 General Election, and it is not uncommon for some people to ignore humanity and justice, and respect for other human beings, whereas we are in fact compatriots.
This situation is in line with the Kompas opinion poll conducted on 24-29 May 2022. The survey result indicates that the public perception is that the implementation of Pancasila is relatively better at the grassroots level compared to the elite level.
As much as 66.9 percent of the respondents said that the adoption of Pancasila values in society had improved, while 45.8 percent of respondents said that the adoption of Pancasila values among officials or the elite had worsened. Only 42.9 percent of respondents said that the adoption of Pancasila values had improved overall. (Kompas, 2/6/2022).
The survey result calls to mind the writings of Kompas founder Jakob Oetama, who stated that a nation with a pluralistic society possessed the capacity for enrichment, creativity, and dynamics through the process of developing a new culture. At the same time, however, a nation with a pluralistic society also had potential. Recognition of that potential must become part of our collective awareness, especially those at the forefront, among the ranks of the leadership and role models. Actualizing Pancasila requires our leaders to be role models.
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.