On historical awareness<\/p>\n
From Rakyat Merdeka<\/p>\n
Historian Dr. Onghokham wrote an interesting article in Kompas
\non Dec. 6, 2001 about the relationship between Pancasila as a
\nsocial contract and Indonesians' low awareness of the country's
\nhistory. For him, this lack of awareness is found not only among
\nlaymen but also among politicians and high-ranking officials.<\/p>\n
In his opinion, Pancasila has been misconstrued as an
\nideology, when it is in fact a social contract for the Indonesian
\npeople.<\/p>\n
As a social contract, Pancasila is an agreement made by the
\nIndonesian people and can therefore be considered equal to other
\nimportant documents in other countries like Britain's Magna
\nCarta, the United States' Bill of Rights or France's Droit de
\nl'homme. Therefore, Pancasila is a fundamental part of the
\nstate's foundation.<\/p>\n
If Pancasila is considered an ideology and then made part of
\nthe state's foundation, this is tantamount to the disbanding of
\nthe state because there are many ideologies in the community. If
\none group with one particular ideology rules the country, the old
\nideology will be replaced.<\/p>\n
So, for Indonesia to be strong, Pancasila must be upheld as a
\nsocial contract, not an ideology.<\/p>\n
In fact, the Indonesian people need to learn more about their
\nhistory. A good grasp of history will enable the public to see
\nthe need for unity. Otherwise, they will be easily influenced by
\ntransient interests and ignore the social contract as the
\nfoundation of unity.<\/p>\n
SOEPRODJO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-historical-awareness-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }