Public told to update knowledge of Pancasila

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto says the public's perception of the state ideology, Pancasila, needs to be continuously upgraded.

He said people who had participated in Pancasila courses need to take part in Pancasila propagation classes to refresh their knowledge of the state ideology.

The President's message was conveyed by chairman of the Board for Pancasila propagation (BP7) Sudharmono who, along with seven board members, met with the President on Saturday.

Sudharmono said the President also assigned the board to monitor the implementation of the Presidential Decree on propagation of Pancasila issued this year.

The decree requires cabinet ministers to organize Pancasila courses for their staff members and the public.

The former vice president said that although the public can learn Pancasila from books, they should take part in courses where discussions will male the ideology clearer.

The government has intensified its ideology program since Pancasila was established in 1985 as the only guiding principle for social and political organizations in Indonesia.

The course is mandatory in schools. The government has spent billions of rupiah to sponsor such courses for civil servants and the public alike.

Among the membership of BP7 are former ministers Cosmas Batubara, Bustanil Arifin and Emil Salim and former chief justice Ali Said.

Sudharmono said the agency will review the standard 144-hour courses for civil servants and the public to determine if they are sufficient.

Ministers

When asked why a number of the incumbent cabinet ministers have not participated in any Pancasila courses, he said there is no law requiring minister's to have a Pancasila certificate. "But it is recommended that a minister should have taken part in some Pancasila course," he said.

On a separate occasion on Saturday, Soeprapto, a deputy BP7 chairman, told a national Pancasila course that Pancasila provides guidelines on how Indonesians should exercise their freedom and implement their human rights, in a proper manner.

"Indonesians should use the principles of Pancasila when exercising their rights and carrying out their duties," he said when closing the course.

Soeprapto dismissed criticism that the so called "democracy of Pancasila" exists only in official propaganda because it has no concrete form.

The democracy was clearly defined in the 1993 Guidelines of State Policy, he argued.

Twenty six social organizations took part in the national course, Antara reported. (pan)