Scrap Pancasila as state ideology: Franz

Scrap Pancasila as state ideology: Franz

JAKARTA (JP): The five principles of Pancasila should be used
as fundamental values of government policy but discarded as the
state ideology, a philosopher said on Thursday.

Franz Magnis-Suseno said use of Pancasila as an ideology since
the country's independence distorted it into a totalitarian
teaching which excluded other opinions.

"Pancasila was used by the New Order to crush communism, the
Islamic political movement and the growth of democracy itself
which was labeled as liberal democracy and unfitting to the
culture here," said the professor at Driyarkara School of
Philosophy and the University of Indonesia.

He was addressing a talk on post-New Order Indonesia, held by
the School of Literature at the University of Indonesia.
Other speakers included sociologist Thamrin Amal Tomagola.

"An ideology is not needed ... it has become the source of
totalitarianism, political intolerance and is antipluralism,"
Franz said.

The principles are the belief in one God, humanity, unity,
consensus through deliberation and social justice.

Franz said the strength of the principles as the basis of
state policies was because the values were derived from the
people.

An ideology, Franz said, was a closed teaching which judged
other teachings as false and therefore to be condemned.

The New Order under Soeharto made Pancasila courses
compulsory not only for students but also for government
officials, editors and others. Dissenters were labeled "anti-
Pancasila" or "communists."

The introduction of Pancasila is credited to Sukarno in a
speech during the Japanese occupation on June 1, 1945. The date
has been declared the birth of Pancasila.

Franz reiterated that all citizens should be free to learn any
ideology, supporting President Abdurrahman Wahid's idea to annul
a 1966 decree of the People's Consultative Assembly which bans
the propagation of Marxism and Leninism.

The President's proposal prompted widespread protests,
including within the government. Minister of Law and Legislation
Yusril Ihza Mahendra threatened on Wednesday to quit his position
if the ban was revoked.

Yusril said he feared the emergence of an antidemocratic
party.

Franz said while the ban on spreading communist teachings
should be revoked, another decree was needed to prevent the
establishment of antidemocratic parties. (08)