Jakarta, IO – Today, June 1, Indonesia commemorates the birthday of Pancasila. There are several interesting stories behind the birth of the country’s ideological pillar. Pancasila came from the thought of Ir. Sukarno, the first president of the Republic of Indonesia.
In the book “Bung Karno and Pancasila, Inspiration from Flores for the Archipelago,” it is explained that the idea of Pancasila emerged during Sukarno’s exile in the remote town of Ende, Flores on December 28, 1933, as per Kompas TV, Wednesday (1/6).
In this small town, Sukarno became more contemplative. During his nearly four years in exile, Sukarno felt he had to learn more about Islam and pluralism. In fact, he often spoke with T. A. Hassan, a Muslim figure in Bandung, and had discussions with Father Hujtink (one of the Catholic priests serving at the Santo Yosef Monastery of Ende).
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Sukarno also frequently interacted with the local community through drama performances and painting. Based on his interview with Cindy Adams in the book “Bung Karno: The Connector of the People’s Tongue,” there were 12 manuscripts written by him from 1934 to 1936 in Ende. Sukarno also founded a playgroup called “Toneel Club Kalimutu.”