MPR Member Urges Universities to Build Pancasila-Based Leadership

People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) member Marinus Gea has asserted that leadership based on Pancasila values is the main foundation for building Universitas Nias (UNIAS) as a Center of Excellence. “Leadership is not merely about intellectual intelligence, but about values, morality, and character. Pancasila is a moral compass that must guide every leadership process,” Marinus said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday. He made the remarks while delivering material on the MPR RI’s Four Pillars Socialisation at Universitas Nias. Marinus noted that many intelligent people fail as leaders because they lose their moral compass. According to him, true leadership is not solely reliant on intellectual ability, but also on values, character, and integrity rooted in Pancasila. He therefore invited the academic community to fully understand the history of Pancasila’s birth. Marinus explained that Pancasila was born through a historical process beginning with Bung Karno’s speech on 1 June 1945, followed by the Jakarta Charter on 22 June 1945, and finally ratified in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution on 18 August 1945. He said this historical understanding is important so that the younger generation is not easily influenced by historical distortions or ideologies contrary to the nation’s identity. Marinus stressed that Pancasila must not merely be a symbol or something memorised in the classroom. As a living ideology, Pancasila must be believed, understood, and manifested in real actions by the entire academic community. “If Pancasila is only memorised, then substantively it has died. But if it is practised in daily life, Pancasila will become a real force capable of bringing about change,” he said. In his presentation, Marinus described gotong royong, or mutual cooperation, as the essence of Pancasila. He assessed that the progress of Universitas Nias can only be achieved if all campus elements, from the foundation, rectorate, and lecturers to students and administrative staff, move in a spirit of collaboration. “A great university is not built by one great person, but by a strong culture of cooperation. Gotong royong is the main strength to make Universitas Nias a superior campus,” he said. Marinus then outlined the five main values of Pancasila Leadership that should form the basis of higher education governance: Belief in God, Humanity, Unity, Democracy, and Social Justice. According to him, these values will produce leaders with integrity who uphold humanity, can unite differences, prioritise deliberation, and deliver justice in every policy. He specifically advised the leadership of Universitas Nias to view their position as a mandate to build academic quality while shaping the character of the younger generation. He stressed that the measure of a Center of Excellence is not just magnificent buildings or large student numbers, but integrity, research quality, transparent service, community engagement, and commitment to national values. He also encouraged that the implementation of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education be directed towards solving real problems in Nias society, from strengthening MSMEs and developing the tourism sector to innovation in agriculture, marine, and fisheries. In his closing remarks, Marinus invited the entire academic community to make Universitas Nias a crucible for forging future leaders who are faithful, have integrity, possess a spirit of mutual cooperation, and are capable of bringing the Nias Islands towards progress, excellence, competitiveness, and prosperity. “The campus must be present as a centre of solutions for the community. By bringing Pancasila values and the spirit of gotong royong to life, Universitas Nias will be able to produce a generation of future leaders who bring progress to Nias and Indonesia,” Marinus concluded.