Pancasila principles neglected<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has not fully implemented Pancasila,
\n50 years after the state ideology was formulated, former home
\naffairs minister Gen. (ret.) Rudini said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
This is despite elaborate attempts to understand and
\nconceptualize the ideology, Rudini told a seminar organized by a
\nyouth organization to mark the "birth" of Pancasila.<\/p>\n
"Our nation can be really strong if we truly live up to, and
\nimplement, Pancasila. But 50 years since it was formulated, we
\ncan sense that the principles contained therein have not been
\nfully observed," said Rudini, who now heads the Institute for
\nStrategic Studies of Indonesia, an independent think tank.<\/p>\n
Rudini was one of several speakers who addressed the one-day
\nseminar. The event was organized by Indonesia Muda, a youth study
\ngroup on nation building issues, at Gedung Joang 45. Other
\nspeakers included elderly statesmen Roeslan Abdulgani and
\nSolichin G.P. and economist Sri Edi Swasono.<\/p>\n
In the 1950s and 1960s, June 1 was nationally commemorated as
\nthe anniversary of Pancasila. It was widely accepted at the time
\nthat Sukarno, then a young revolutionary leader, introduced the
\nideology in a public speech on June 1, 1945.<\/p>\n
However, in the 1970s, the tradition to mark the anniversary
\nceased after some historians disputed that the ideology was
\nfounded by Sukarno. They said Pancasila was the product of a
\ngroup of scholars before Sukarno incorporated it in his speech.<\/p>\n
The discussion on Saturday, however, stayed away from the
\ncontroversy about the origins of Pancasila.<\/p>\n
Rudini said Indonesia has not fully lived up to all the five
\nprinciples contained in Pancasila: belief in one God,
\nhumanitarianism, national unity, democracy through consensus, and
\nsocial justice.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the first principle does not only refer to
\npeople's rights to practice religion in accordance with their
\nfaith, it also includes religious teachings and values.<\/p>\n
Such values, he argued, appear to have been eroded. Many
\npeople, including the elite members of society, "shamelessly"
\nconduct acts in denial of the Supreme Being, he said.<\/p>\n
Collusion, corruption, greed, injustices and other deplorable
\nacts have become rampant at a time when the country is
\nproclaiming to become more religious, he said.<\/p>\n
On the second principle, Rudini said Indonesia may become more
\naffluent, but it is culturally "poor" because of the many
\ninjustices still found in society.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's failure to involve all its citizens in the
\nnational development process is undermining national unity, the
\nthird principle in Pancasila, Rudini said. "The incidents in East
\nTimor, Timika in Irian Jaya and many others are a reflection of
\nthis (failure)," he said.<\/p>\n
On democracy, Rudini said there is a growing intolerance among
\npeople to differences of opinion. These differences are not
\nsettled through consensus as mandated under Pancasila, he added.<\/p>\n
On the principle of social justice for all people of
\nIndonesia, he said the country appears to be moving away from
\nthat goal. "More and more people are finding it difficult to
\nobtain justice in this country," he said.<\/p>\n
The seminar was attended by about 200 people, including well-
\nknown critics of the government and human rights activists and
\nstudents. Among the crowd were former Jakarta governor Ali
\nSadikin, Soepeni of the New Indonesian Nationalist Party, Harjono
\nTjitrosoebono of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, former
\nfreedom fighter S.K. Trimurti and several retired generals. (16)<\/p>",
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