Reflecting on MPRS History, BPIP Stresses Pancasila-Based Development

JAKARTA — Development policies and the drafting of regulations should use Pancasila as a benchmark to ensure they remain aligned with the country’s objectives. Harmonising legislation requires more than administrative measures; it must also ensure that Pancasila’s values are reflected in government policy.

This was among the points raised at a symposium on strengthening the promotion of Pancasila ideology and harmonising regulations, based on reflections on the 66th anniversary of the first General Session of the Provisional People’s Consultative Assembly (MPRS) and the Planned Comprehensive National Development. The event was held at Gedung Merdeka in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday (10 November).

Yudian Wahyudi, head of the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP), said reflecting on the history of the first MPRS General Session was important for reconsidering Indonesia’s development direction. The founding fathers’ ideas on national development, he said, should be considered in the context of the country’s current challenges.

“Pancasila must serve both as the foundation and the benchmark for every development policy. Regulatory harmonisation is important to ensure that all state regulations and policies do not depart from Pancasila’s values and the objectives of the state,” Yudian said in a press release.

National development, Yudian said, should not focus solely on physical and economic aspects. It must also foster character, strengthen unity and achieve social justice. The promotion of Pancasila ideology therefore needs to be integrated into the planning, drafting and implementation of government policy.

West Java Deputy Governor Erwan Setiawan said the provincial government was ready to become a model for the measurable application of Pancasila’s values. The commitment is intended to ensure that those values do not remain abstract principles, but are translated into programmes, policies and targets that can be assessed.

“West Java is ready to be a role model in implementing Pancasila’s values in a measurable way. These values must be reflected in policies and public services, so their implementation can be seen and evaluated in concrete terms,” Erwan said.

Rieke Diah Pitaloka, a member of Commission XIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) and an ambassador for the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia, noted that 10 November also holds significance in Indonesia’s constitutional history. The first MPRS General Session ran from 10 November to 7 December 1960 and produced a number of decisions on the direction of national development.

Rieke said 513 MPRS members and around 600 experts took part in formulating the foundations of Indonesia’s development. Their ideas, she said, should be revisited as a source of learning for determining the country’s development direction today.

“Archives are not nostalgia. They are a memory that enables a nation to learn without having to repeat historical mistakes,” Rieke said.

Rieke said independence should not be understood solely as territorial sovereignty. It should also be realised through the nation’s ability to determine its development path, manage its national wealth, build scientific knowledge, and deliver prosperity and social justice.

She urged the public to explore the ideas of several founding figures, including Mohammad Hatta on economic strategy, Mohammad Natsir on strengthening the unitary state, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo on industrialisation and national productive capacity, and the Djuanda Declaration, which reinforced Indonesia’s territorial unity.

Drawing on this historical research, Rieke set out seven principles of constitutional development that she said remained relevant for reconsideration. They comprise comprehensive defence and security; decentralisation within a unitary state; Pancasila-based economic democracy; an independent and active foreign policy; evidence-based policymaking; village development and civic democracy; and industrialisation that takes account of knowledge, natural resources and national culture.

Rieke also highlighted the continuing relevance of the spirit of the 1955 Asian-African Conference, held at Gedung Merdeka. Equality, sovereignty and opposition to colonialism, she said, remained relevant to building international cooperation. She hoped Gedung Merdeka would once again become a place for consolidating ideas on world peace, rather than serving only as a venue for ceremonial events.

From an archival perspective, National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI) Secretary-General Rini Agustiani explained that archives are records of activities or events in various forms and media. Permanent archives have historical, informational and evidentiary value that is important to the nation.

Rini said ANRI holds around 39.85 kilometres of paper records, three million photographs and 718 terabytes of electronic archives. Its collections also include films, videos, audio recordings, microfilm and other recording media.

In relation to Indonesia’s constitutional history, ANRI holds a range of important documents, including MPRS decrees from 1966, recordings of sessions, and records relating to the country’s constitutional journey and national development. Archives are safeguarded through acquisition, processing, preservation and public access.

“The archival collection will continue to grow and can be accessed by the public if records creators play an active role,” Rini said.

Archives, Rini said, are not merely institutional documentation but also part of the nation’s collective memory. Their use can support development, education, research and the advancement of knowledge.

The symposium brought together perspectives on ideology, history, archives and development policy to revisit the ideas of the nation’s founders. Reflection on the 66th anniversary of the first MPRS General Session is expected to help strengthen the promotion of Pancasila ideology and ensure that national development policy remains oriented towards the aspirations of independence.