Megawati Soekarnoputri (third right) speaks with other members of the steering committee of the Presidential Working Unit for the Implementation of Pancasila (UKP-PIP) at the inauguration of the UKP-PIP at the State Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (7/6). The eight members of the nine-strong steering committee pictured here are (from left): Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Wisnu Bawa Tenaya, Said Aqil Siroj, Gen. (Ret.) Try Sutrisno, Ma\'ruf Amin, Mahfud MD, Megawati Soekarnoputri, Syafii Maarif, and Sudhamek.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Presidential Working Unit on the Implementation of Pancasila (UKP-PIP) faces serious challenges promoting the values Pancasila. The newly formed body should therefore be careful to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
"During the New Order era, Pancasila became a political tool that was often abused by the regime. This should not happen again," the chairman of Muhammadiyah, Haedar Nasir, said in Jakarta on Thursday.
The establishment of UKP-PIP was officially inaugurated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday. The country’s fifth president Megawati Soekarnoputri was named as the chair of the Steering Committee and Yudi Latif as the head of the working unit.
Muhammadiyah, Haedar said, welcomed the establishment of UKP-PIP. The figures in the institution should be able to help promote the implementation of the Pancasila values in the life of the nation and state, he added.
The chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, Said Aqil Siroj, who is also a member of the UKP-PIP Steering Committee, expressed optimism about the presidential working unit. "At present, the Indonesian nation is facing a major challenge, especially in implementing the principles and ideology of the nation. Indonesian citizens must try to further understand Pancasila from a fresh, contextual perspective. NU, from the beginning, has consistently taken care and guarded Pancasila," he said.
All parties
Haedar Nasir advised that the internalization of Pancasila should not only be aimed at community, but also institutions and state apparatus. "The main challenge of UKP-PIP is to disseminate the values of Pancasila into the entire system of state administration and state apparatus," he said.
Political parties must also adopt Pancasila values. It is important because political parties are institutions that nurture prospective leaders and determine government policies, such as regulations and the selection of public officials.
Haedar urged that Pancasila be preserved as the basis of the state, no more, no less. “Don’t let it become a utopian idea like during the Old Order or technical as in the New Order era.”
Sociologist from the University of Indonesia, Paul Wirutomo, said the UKP-PIP program should be aligned with existing programs. The government has so far launched state defenses and mental revolution programs but none have been implemented.
"Do not let this program end up only as jargon, without any implementation," Paul said.
Paul also reminded that if President Jokowi did not have a clear implementation program for Pancasila, the program would eventually disappear as it did during the time of his predecessors.
President Soekarno had been very serious about implanting Pancasila through the Seven Principles of Indoctrination, but he failed. President Soeharto also promoted Pancasila through the Guidance for Adaptation and Implementation of Pancasila, but he also failed because the program was limited only to textbooks and doctrine.
"Now, the government must be careful in its program to implant the values of Pancasila. If it does not do it the right way, it could cause the public to lose trust in the government," Paul said.
National identity
Sidarto Danusubroto, a member of the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres), said UKP-PIP would be important for fostering national identity. At present, many people have begun to lose their national identity.
"The Wantimpres’ study team on Pancasila has traveled to 15 regions. Most citizens complain about the diminution of Pancasila values and the rise of radical ideologies," he said.
Imam Prasodjo, who is also a sociologist at the University of Indonesia, said there were at least three stages that need to be passed in implementing the values of Pancasila. The first stage is discussion among academics, the second is the formulation of government policy and the third is implementation in the community.
"These three levels should be completed. The first level I think should be undertaken by Yudi Latif (the head of UKP-PIP). There is a need to further deepen the philosophical meaning of Pancasila so that it will be above other ideologies," Imam added.
At the policy level, the values of Pancasila should be implemented concretely in every policy, both in the development program in society and in the policies for inter-religious harmony, education and social life.
If Pancasila is really implemented in the daily activities of people, Imam said, social justice could eventually be achieved. As long as Pancasila values are implemented in society, right wing, left wing or radical ideologies will struggle to influence people\'s lives.
