Pancasila campaign launched

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto called on his administration yesterday to live up to the words and spirit of the state- ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

Launching a campaign to reinvigorate the people's ideological identity, Soeharto told top government administrators that there are now constant demands on the government to bring the nation in full comply with Pancasila and the constitution.

After 17 years of organizing Pancasila courses for members of the public, "we no longer hear of people questioning the validity of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution," he said.

"But what we do hear are demands that the conditions still do not live up to the sacred values contained in Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution," he said. "This is homework for the state administrations under your charge."

Also at the launching of the campaign, at the State Palace, Soeharto "inaugurated" 665 top echelons of the government and the military to become instructors of Pancasila courses in their immediate administrative posts.

The 665 instructors include the governors of all 27 provinces in Indonesia, 448 first echelon officials from various government agencies, 141 officers from the Armed Forces and 10 from political and mass organizations. They have undergone a special course on Pancasila that lasted nearly four months.

Soeprapto, head of the agency that runs the Pancasila courses, known as BP-7, said that as part of the campaign to enhance people's sense of ideology, his office has lined up people in other professions, starting with the rectors and staff of all universities and higher education institutes in the country, all second echelons of the civil service, the business community, and all civil servants, including government teachers.

Pancasila is a five principle ideology, encompassing Belief in One God, Humanitarianism, National Unity, Democracy through Consensus and Social Justice for All.

Soeharto in his speech yesterday stressed that knowledge of Pancasila alone is not sufficient. "The material given to you during the course is intended to make Pancasila operational." (emb)