Ideally, Pancasila is a reference value in the practice of state and nation. The culture crisis occurs in the form of a conflict between the ideal values (ideology) of Pancasila and reality.
By
Idi Subandy Ibrahim
·5 minutes read
KOMPAS
Celebration of the Birthday of Pancasila in Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, Wednesday (1/6/2022).
On the commemoration of Pancasila's Birthday in Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday (1/6/2022), President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo invited all components of the nation to actualize the values of Pancasila in state policies and administration, as well as in daily life. Meanwhile, a Kompas poll shows that the implementation of Pancasila values is still low at the elite/official level compared to the general public (Kompas, 2/6/2022).
The President's speech and the results of the Kompas poll do not only reflect a crisis of civilizing Pancasila values in national life but also more specifically in the vision and mission of the elite in the administration of the state.
Pancasila is the general theme of Indonesian culture. If culture includes a value system and a symbol system in activities that look practical, such as state ceremonies, bureaucracy and the economy, the values that are reflected are the general theme of the culture of the people.
Ideally, Pancasila is a reference value in the practice of state and nation. The culture crisis occurs in the form of a conflict between the ideal values (ideology) of Pancasila and reality. Corruption is against human values and justice. The crisis also appears as a form of "culture war" in the form of a battle of visions to shape Indonesia as it was envisioned. The struggle between people who want to apply the values of Pancasila and those who view Pancasila only as a system of symbols.
If the power of integration between cultural elements and cultural actors is weak, social polarization and disintegration will easily occur.
The fighting can take place on various fronts, ranging from the House of Representatives (DPR) building, political lobby rooms, media and academic discourse, religious lectures and social media to art, theaters, and street demonstrations or parliaments. The culture war involves elements of culture, such as technology, economy, politics, society and communication. If the power of integration between cultural elements and cultural actors is weak, social polarization and disintegration will easily occur.
Literally, the expression of “culture war” means “the struggle for cultural control”. It can be a conflict of values and ideas. Culture is not an abstract field. Culture is the realm of a struggle for influence and conquest. At the global level, culture wars can be fought alongside other wars: religious wars, civil wars, economic wars or military hostilities.
TANGKAPAN LAYAR DOKUMEN DINAS PARIWISATA ENDE
Pancasila Monument in Ende, East Nusa Tenggara.
At the national level, culture wars can manifest in various forms, such as the struggle between the proponents of the vision of justice (the second and fifth precepts of Pancasila) and the adherents of the market economy (liberalism). In Indonesia, we can see that society has long been ruled by big businesses and the state is ruled by a handful of politicians (and soldiers who have the dual function as politicians). Ideally, it is the politicians who should maintain the ideology of justice rather than only prioritizing the interests of the market.
Thus far, the struggle between the vision of justice and culture and economic liberalism has been contained within the framework of democracy, involving public debate, election campaigns, legislative politics, lobbies, legal processes and court cases, agenda-setting by interest groups and thinkers, religious movements, academic discourse, protests and demonstrations, media events, television debates and popular culture.
They concluded that the environmental crisis and arbitrary land conversion could not be saved through legislative compromise.
A culture war takes place between lovers and exploiters of the environment. Environmentalists in various countries are expanding the movement from lobbying to civil disobedience up to sabotage and other radical activities. This trend is getting stronger because many environmental observers are disappointed by the democratic process and the false promises of politicians. They concluded that the environmental crisis and arbitrary land conversion could not be saved through legislative compromise.
Meanwhile, contemporary artists are deploying art as “symbolic” artillery to start a culture war against censorship and fight for free speech. The reframing of art media for emancipatory projects has become a fundamental moment for the culture war to realize the demands of social and ecological justice.
The culture war also appears in the form of anti-intellectualism, namely distrust against intellectuals or intellectual activity. Proponents of anti-intellectualism said they are at war against elitism. In the political and corporate world, many consider “real world” experience superior to education. They view the arts and humanities as a waste of time. Theorizing is considered worthless. An education that doesn't make a lot of money is a futile intellectual pursuit. Higher education is described as an “ivory tower,” a world far from “reality”.
TANGKAPAN LAYAR
After the Pancasila Birthday Commemoration Ceremony, President Joko Widodo and Mrs. Iriana Jokowi headed to the Ende Weaving House, Ende Regency, to receive the awarding of Ende's traditional title, Wednesday (1/6/2022)
In the 21st century, the culture war takes many forms. In the internet era, a new culture war has emerged spilling over from online spaces to the streets. The battles around civil rights, social and ecological justice, social security, health equality, racial hierarchies and gender identity will continue to flood in. Moreover, public controversies around abortion, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues (LGBT), religion and state relations, multiculturalism, cultural rights, bioethics and a number of other issues are also unlikely to disappear soon because these conflicts are based on two fundamentally different world views and moral universes.
In many cases, cultural differences emerge as irreconcilable polar opposites. The battles are characterized as liberal versus conservative, fundamentalist versus secular-progressive, radical versus moderate, traditionalist versus modernist, mass-populist versus elitist and individualist versus collectivist.
Amid political competition, a culture war has the potential to become violent. Especially when cultural differences are commodified as a matter of life and death. If culture is a battlefield, it is still necessary to study the concept of culture that works in waging a culture war. Is there really no way for “cultural peace” when cultural differences are mobilized as a force for emancipation, inclusivity and tolerance?
ARSIP AZIS M
Idi Subandy Ibrahim
IDI SUBANDY IBRAHIM, Culture, Media, and Communication Researcher; and Postgraduate Lecturer at Pasundan University
