IO – Chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Megawati Sukarnoputri said there are still people who do not agree with the foundational philosophical theory of the Indonesian state. In fact, these principles have been upheld since Indonesia’s independence 75 years ago. “At a national age of 75, there are still those who try to contradict the principles of our country,” claimed Mega, as a speaker at the Webinar on the Launching of the Book on Contextualization of Pancasila Values as the State Foundation, National Life Philosophy, and State Ideology, Tuesday (18/08/2020).
Mega did not explicitly mention who opposed the principles of the state. She only said that the groups in question were trying to oppose Pancasila with religion and the state. “(They) tinker with state principles that were formulated and agreed upon by the nation’s founders, and approved by religious scholars,” said the 5th President of Indonesia.
Mega explained that the nation’s founders had agreed on the basis and state ideology of Pancasila since the beginning of independence. The basis of the state is also contained in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution. Pancasila, which was agreed upon by all the nation’s founders who came from various groups, was originally thought up by Sukarno, beginning with the President’s speech on June 1, 1945, which later became codified as the Jakarta Charter, and was finalized on August 18, 1945. “A series of histories recorded Sukarno’s important and strategic role in the process of independence and the formulation of Pancasila,” she explained.
Even so, said Mega, Sukarno never claimed to be the sole formulator of Pancasila. Sukarno in fact always said that Pancasila was the result of exploring the values of life that already existed in Indonesian society. “Sukarno never claimed to be the formulator of Pancasila, but he always said he drew it from values that have existed sustainably in the personality and culture of the Indonesian nation.
“Therefore, a peaceful and harmonious godly life among fellow religions is an important part of the Indonesian culture,” Mega concluded. (dan)