Pancasila: What is the Main Challenge and What is the Strategy to Revitalize it?

IL News 023/2017

Pancasila as the foundation of the Republic of Indonesia had secured us through many challenges that threatened the life of the nation. Some ideologies and attempts have been trying to weaken Pancasila, such as religious radicalism, since the Independence of Indonesia in 1945 until today. These showed the urgency to revitalise the role of Pancasila in the life of the nation. The formation of the Presidential Working Unit on the Implementation of Pancasila (UKP-PIP) proved that Joko Widodo government is serious to work on the revitalisation of the five principles of Pancasila in the life of Indonesian people. Therefore, we need to work together to identify the main challenges and threats to Pancasila, and to find strategic ways to revitalise Pancasila.

With this in mind, Leimena Institute has initiated and facilitated Focus Group Discussion on 7 September 2017 at Leimena Institute, Menara Kadin 28^th Floor, Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Kuningan, Jakarta. The theme was ”Pancasila: What are the main challenges and What will be the right strategy for revitalisation?”

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mahfud MD gave a lecture on “Finding Strategy to Uphold the Pancasila Ideology”. Prof. Mahfud is a member of the Presidential Working Unit on the Implementation of Pancasila, and is a professor of the State Law, the Chairperson of the Constitutional Court 2008-2013). The second lecture was presented by Dr. Budi Hartono Setiamarga, Director Center of State and Religion Studies (CRSS) of Leimena Institute). The last lecture was by Rev. Dr. A. A. Yewangoe (a member of the Presidential Working Unit on the Implementation of Pancasila, the Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the National Council of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), Senior Fellow of Leimena Institute). Matius Ho, the Executive Director of Leimena Institute, facilitated the discussions.

This FGD was attended by some academicians and public leaders: Adung Abdul Rochman (General Secretary of Ansor Youth Movement, an Islamic Young Leaders’ organisation), Pataniari Siahaan (professor of Law of Trisakti University), Edwin Soeryadjaya (Board of Directors of Leimena Institute), Johan Hasan (Ciputra University, Surabaya), Radja Kami Sembiring Meliala (General Major, Indonesia Military Veteran). Representing Leimena Institute were Jakob Tobing (President of Leimena Institute), Vonny Tjandra (Operations Director), dan Daniel Adipranata (Deputy Director of CRSS).