Pancasila remains basis of RI
Pancasila remains basis of RI
The title of your report on my speech Scrap Pancasila as state
ideology (The Jakarta Post, April 28, 2000, page 2) could suggest
that I proposed the abolition of Pancasila. This would be the
direct opposite of what I meant to say. What I said, while
attacking all thinking on ideological lines, was that Pancasila
was falsely used as an ideology by the New Order government.
Pancasila is neither an ideology nor does it claim to replace
traditional morality. Pancasila contains five values or ideals
that have to guide our politics. Pancasila's relevance is
revealed by the context it arose from, i.e. the debate among the
founding fathers whether to base the Indonesian Republic on
nationalism or on Islam.
By consenting to make Pancasila the basis of the Republic,
they declared solemnly that every Indonesian citizen, of whatever
religious adherence, enjoyed the full rights and duties of
Indonesian citizenship without any discrimination on regard of
religion. Thus, Pancasila is the fundamental consensus among the
different people of Indonesia that keeps Indonesia together.
Scrap Pancasila and you scrap Indonesia.
FRANZ MAGNIS-SUSENO
Jakarta
The title of your report on my speech Scrap Pancasila as state
ideology (The Jakarta Post, April 28, 2000, page 2) could suggest
that I proposed the abolition of Pancasila. This would be the
direct opposite of what I meant to say. What I said, while
attacking all thinking on ideological lines, was that Pancasila
was falsely used as an ideology by the New Order government.
Pancasila is neither an ideology nor does it claim to replace
traditional morality. Pancasila contains five values or ideals
that have to guide our politics. Pancasila's relevance is
revealed by the context it arose from, i.e. the debate among the
founding fathers whether to base the Indonesian Republic on
nationalism or on Islam.
By consenting to make Pancasila the basis of the Republic,
they declared solemnly that every Indonesian citizen, of whatever
religious adherence, enjoyed the full rights and duties of
Indonesian citizenship without any discrimination on regard of
religion. Thus, Pancasila is the fundamental consensus among the
different people of Indonesia that keeps Indonesia together.
Scrap Pancasila and you scrap Indonesia.
FRANZ MAGNIS-SUSENO
Jakarta