Training Future Indonesian Teachers in Pancasila and Citizenship

IL News 008/2014

Public Lecture

at Surabaya State University, East Java, April 4th, 2014

The Leimena Institute collaborated with the Social Science Faculty of Surabaya State University (UNESA) to hold our first public lecture in the campus on Friday, April 4th, 2014. The lecture, entitled “Citizens in the Wave of political Change”, was attended by around 300 students of the Pancasila (Five Principles, the state ideology) and Citizenship Program. The program was preparing them to become teachers in Pancasila and Citizenship in schools across Indonesia. The public lecture was officially opened by UNESA’s Social Science Faculty Assistant Dean, Anik Andayani, and with opening remarks by Dr. Totok Suyanto, Head of the Pancasila and Citizenship Program. The lectures were delivered by Leimena Institute’s instructors, Budi Setiamarga and Matius Ho.

The lectures touched on the historical background of the modern idea of Indonesia and its ideals as stated in the 1945 Constitution’s Preamble, in relation to the growth of liberty and equality idea from the US Declaration of Independence in 1776, France Revolution, the Rise of Asia, 1928 Youth Pledge, until the independence proclamation of Indonesia in 1945. The students also learned about the importance of the amendments to the 1945 Constitution that was carried out peacefully between 1999 and 2002, along with some examples of the constitutional amendment impact that had brought Indonesia into a constitutional democracy.

Since the legislative election was coming up on April 9th and the presidential election on July 9th, we also encouraged them to vote, because their vote is valuable. Election is a constitutional instrument to build a strong and fair democratic system and citizens’s participation in it is important. The lectures were followed by an intense discussion with the students, which showed their enthusiasm on the subject.