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)