Pancasila Key to Restoring Social Trust Amid Global Crisis

Leading up to the commemoration of Pancasila’s Birth on 1 June, Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Law Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej stressed that Pancasila is a valuable legacy from the nation’s founders, relevant for addressing the global crisis of values.

This was stated by Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, commonly known as Eddy, during his keynote speech at the International Webinar Series on Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy (LKLB), organised by the Law Ministry’s Human Resource Development Agency and Leimena Institute on the evening of Friday, 29 May 2026.

The webinar, attended by at least 10,000 participants from Indonesia and abroad, highlighted the importance of reviving Pancasila values in national and community life.

In his presentation, Eddy cited UNESCO’s 2021 report, “Reimagining Our Futures Together,” which notes the global order is facing a crisis of values.

“The normalisation of violence, inequality, and loss of respect for fellow humans poses a real threat to societal survival,” Eddy said.

He argued that a key to restoring and maintaining a healthy society is rebuilding social trust. However, social trust can only grow with a sincere recognition of human dignity regardless of race, ethnicity, social status, or religion.

“This is where the uniqueness and brilliance of our nation’s founders in formulating Pancasila lies. Pancasila serves as a golden bridge connecting human dignity and social trust,” Eddy said.

He stressed that Pancasila must not remain a concept or theory but be realised in everyday actions. Therefore, Eddy praised the Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy approach as a strategic instrument for translating Pancasila values into community life.

Since early 2025, the Law Ministry, through its Human Resource Development Agency as the Pancasila Guardian Campus, has collaborated with Leimena Institute to conduct LKLB training for legal civil servants.

“The Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy approach, which has so far reached over 11,000 teachers across 38 provinces and 400 legal civil servants in Indonesia, is a concrete step in translating Pancasila values into classroom spaces and social interactions,” Eddy concluded.