Implementation of Pancasila Values Waning Among Officials

The appreciation and implementation of the Pancasila text are increasingly declining. If officials, from the highest to the lowest levels, could properly practice each principle within the Pancasila text, the Indonesian nation would be able to leapfrog many of the problems it currently faces.

This was stated by the Rector of Universitas Harkat Negeri (UHN) Tegal, Sudirman Said, during a seminar commemorating the Birth of Pancasila on 1 June 2026, held at Padepokan Kalisoga, Brebes, Central Java, on Monday (1/6).

“Currently, Pancasila values are drifting further away from existing political and social realities; Pancasila has become merely lip service,” said Sudirman Said. According to him, public officials from all levels frequently invoke Pancasila only within speeches. “Therefore, we should not hesitate to remind them with sharp criticism,” asserted Sudames Said, who is a former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Taufiqurrohman Syahuri, Secretary of the Legal and State Affairs Member of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) during the Susilo Bambang Yudhono era, noted the academic debates surrounding the exact origins of Pancasila. However, he emphasised that the priority should be the application and internalisation of its principles. He also called for a redefinition of who the true ‘enemies’ of Pancasila are.

“Those who commit trillions in corruption, those who illegally deforest, and black-market entrepreneurs who collude with officials—those are the true traitors to Pancasila. Moving forward, the state should identify the enemies of Pancasila not as citizens deemed intolerant or radical, but as corruptors, so that people no longer dare to engage in corruption,” explained Taufiqurrohman.

Furthermore, the Deputy Chairman of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Abdul Fikri Faqih, urged officials to ensure that their speeches and addresses are not merely about the meaning of each principle, but are reflected in the execution of government policies so that the benefits can be felt directly by the community.