IO – In celebrating the anniversary of Pancasila, the Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat – “MPR”) of RI Bambang Soesatyo reminds that as an ideology, Pancasila will only have meaning when its existence is felt in every citizen’s daily lives. Pancasila must be implemented in real actions in order to prevent it from being a mere concept up in the air, in order to keep it from empty and meaningless memorization. “It is this awareness that we need to build up together – this firmness of will to encourage the implementation and revitalizing of Pancasila’s noble values in simple, down-to-Earth, and real way,” Bambang said during the virtual discussion “The Relevance of Pancasila in Facing the Past and Future Crises due to the Impact of COVID-19” held by the Narasi Institute, Jakarta, Monday (01/06/2020) night.
Bambang believes that amid the erosion of civilization through the ages, everyone has the right to worry when the values of Pancasila are frequently questioned and neglected in the daily life of society, the country, and the nation, while as the basis, ideology, and life view of the nation, it should fill in public space and the minds of all citizens without question. “In order to bring Pancasila down to Earth, we really don’t need fancy concepts. After all, Pancasila’s values are always present and is a part of our daily lives. Treating everyone in a friendly manner, that’s Pancasila. Helping a neighbor in trouble, that’s Pancasila. Discussing things thoroughly before making a decision, that’s Pancasila,” he said.
Bambang further stated that as an effort to implement Pancasila in facing the COVID-19 pandemic, MPR RI has initiated the MPR RI Care for COVID-19 Fighting program, which constitutes social actions such as providing basic necessity aid, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) aid, providing free rapid tests, and collecting donations to help citizens who are affected by the pandemic. “MPR RI is fully aware that the success in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic requires the commitment and cooperation of all citizenry,” he said.
Bambang hopes that all social activities that involve all parts of society, no matter what kind, will be able to serve as a stimulus for solidarity and cooperation among the sons and daughters of the nation, and can be capitalized into an amazing social force whose impact benefits the people more widely. “We are also aware that not all good intent and action will be received well. However, we prioritize sharing over screaming amid this ambience of concern and in view of our many problems, because sharing it’s beautiful. It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness, and you cannot improve conditions by speaking without acting,” he said. (dan)