Indonesia won't 'export' state ideology Pancasila
Indonesia won't 'export' state ideology Pancasila
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto says Indonesia has no intention of "exporting" the state ideology Pancasila, but must explain it to curious countries.
The President, however, cautioned that officials explaining Pancasila to other countries should not sound as if Indonesia meant to impose its ideology on them.
"We do not want to introduce Pancasila the way communism and liberalism were propagandized," he was quoted as saying in Washington last week by the deputy chairman of the Agency for Pancasila Propagation, Alwi Dahlan.
Alwi was reporting to the President on Indonesia's plan to conduct a Pancasila workshop in Kazakhstan. They also discussed the Scholastic Ambassador Program, under which posters and books on Indonesia will be distributed to about 80,000 high school teachers across the United States.
Alwi was accompanied by U.S Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce chairman Tony Agus Ardie, Scholastic Inc. vice president Ernest Fleishman, and deputy chairman of the American-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce Wayne Forrest, who helped sponsor the program.
Soeharto said Indonesia is eager to help any country interested in learning Pancasila and sharing Indonesia's experience.
Pancasila, devised by Indonesia's founding fathers in 1945 to unify the country's different ethnic, religious and cultural groups, is based on five tenets: belief in one supreme God, humanitarianism, national unity, democracy through deliberation for consensus, and social justice.
The President said former Soviet Union countries in Central Asia, which have discarded communism and are looking for a substitute ideology, want to learn Pancasila.
"They are interested in knowing more about Pancasila because it contains universal values," Soeharto was quoted as saying.
According to Alwi, Soeharto welcomes the Scholastic Ambassador Program on Indonesia. It targets over 16 million American students.
The program was implemented by Scholastic Inc. and co- sponsored by the American Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and American-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.
The posters and books on Indonesia's history, culture, geography and economy are prepared in cooperation with Scholastic Education Inc., the largest publisher and distributor of textbooks for American high schools.
Colorful posters will be used in American schools along with a teacher's guide and student resource materials.
The program aims to provide American students with more information on Indonesia. They know little about the world's fourth most populous country.
Soeharto said a lack of knowledge about Indonesia among Americans has led to misunderstandings.
"We are yet to be more active in disseminating information on Indonesia in the U.S. due to the lack of funds and the Americans' lack of interest," the President said.
"If Americans learn about Indonesia from childhood, they will be eager to learn more about Indonesia when they grow up," he reasoned.
The Scholastic Ambassador Program will include a writing contest on Indonesia for American high school students.
The President suggested that the winners, their parents and teachers be invited to Indonesia where they can tour the country and exchange ideas with local students.
During the meeting Tony gave Soeharto a copy of Pengenalan Pancasila (Introducing Pancasila) by Alwi Dahlan. (pan)