Pancasila course to be made more interesting
Pancasila course to be made more interesting
JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to make the orientation
course on Pancasila -- a compulsory for civil servants,
politicians and professionals -- more interesting.
Former vice president Sudharmono, who now heads the agency
which oversees the course, said yesterday that he hoped to
improve the quality of lectures to encourage people's
participation in the implementation of the ideology.
Sudharmono said the quality of the material, lecturers and
teaching methodology needed to be improved so people truly feel
the benefits of taking part in the course, known popularly as the
'P4.' "We are making improvements so people will take part in the
course because they want to, not because they have to."
The government organizes lectures on Pancasila for high school
and university students, civil servants, politicians and
professionals, including lawyers and journalists. A P4
certificate often is a crucial factor in pursuing a career in the
government.
Sudharmono said the agency was aware that some people
participated in the course only to obtain the certificate and
that attending lectures were seen as a means to an end and
nothing more.
He said these views had been taken into consideration when
they decided to improve the lectures, adding that the government
had the obligation to make its people knowledgeable of the
ideology.
When asked if the rise of white collar crime and corruption
had something to do with the lack of knowledge of Pancasila, he
said people should not jump to this conclusion because there were
probably other reasons for the crimes.
Sudharmono said that when crimes occur it could generally be
assumed that the ideology was not fully implemented. However, he
stressed that there were other factors to consider.
It would be naive to suggest that because the ideology was not
taught properly, people were not willing or able to shun criminal
activity, he said.
Sudharmono also said he would investigate allegations that a
number of cabinet ministers had never taken part in the P4
course. (par)