Opposition figures observe Pancasila Day

Opposition figures observe Pancasila Day

JAKARTA (JP): Opposition figures held an unprecedented
celebration of Pancasila Day here yesterday, a date never
formally recognized during the Soeharto era as the birthday of
the nation's ideology.

Megawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia's first
president Sukarno, fervorishly challenged anyone who doubted that
June 1 not Aug. 18, 1945, was the anniversary of Pancasila.

"There shouldn't be any doubt about Pancasila's birthday, as
first president Sukarno said that it was June 1, 1945," Megawati
said questioning the reasons behind such a deliberate neglect of
historical fact.

"Was it because the declaration came from the mouth of
Sukarno?" she asked.

There has been much debate about when exactly the state
ideology was first coined and the marking of Pancasila's birthday
has depended much on historical interpretation.

According to history books, during a June 1, 1945, meeting of
the committee to prepare Indonesia's independence, Sukarno
delivered an hour-long speech containing the five principles of
Pancasila.

Then the night after the declaration of Indonesia's
independence on Aug. 17, 1945, the committee which was preparing
the 1945 Constitution adopted the five principles with several
modifications to the wording and order.

The final version was contained in the 1945 Constitution which
was officially issued on Aug. 18, 1945.

Judging by the prominent individuals and packed crowd at the
Pancasila building on Jl. Pejambon, Central Jakarta, Megawati,
the ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), was
apparently not alone in her historical belief.

Also present were former governor Ali Sadikin, former minister
of foreign affairs Roeslan Abdulgani and chairman of the
Indonesian Democratic Union Party Sri Bintang Pamungkas.

Megawati maintained that any claims that the birthday fell on
Aug. 18 was a misunderstanding of history.

"If I assume the June 1, 1945, as the birth of a baby, then
Aug. 18, 1945, should be considered as the issuance of the baby's
birth certificate," she said, adding that "June 1, 1945, was
Pancasila's birthday, while Aug. 18, 1945, was the declaration of
Pancasila."

"But the most important thing now is whether people can
implement the principles of Pancasila in their daily lives or
not?"

Ali Sadikin said yesterday's celebration was part of the
effort to revise history which he claimed had been engineered
during Soeharto's rule.

Dozens of Megawati supporters were seen outside the building
carrying posters and banners expressing the same sentiment.

"Abolish Soeharto's version of history," one banner said.

Meanwhile, Ruslan called on the people to be united in the
reform struggle.

"Reform leaders should be cool-headed and understand the very
goal of reform," Ruslan said in his written speech.

He reminded people that the reform effort was far from
finished, adding that resistance to true reform measures may come
from elements of the former regime within the new government.
(imn/byg)