Pancasila

Throughout the course we learned about the politics and history of both Malaysia and Indonesia. We covered a lot of fascinating topics, but one that stuck out in my mind is the concept of Pancasila from Indonesia. (That’s pronounced paunch-a-see-ya in case you’re curious). Pancasila is a national philosophy at the heart of the Indonesian constitution.  It is five key principles that protect the rights and freedoms of the Indonesian people. Here is the list in their succinct, English form:

1.     Belief in the one and only God ***

2.     Just and civilized humanity

3.     Unity of Indonesia

4.     Democracy led by the wisdom of deliberations among representatives

5.     Social justice for the whole of the people of Indonesia

“Sure Kelly, that’s nice,” you say, “but what’s with the asterisks?”

That’s actually the best part in my opinion.

Here is the explanation from the embassy’s webpage: “…which means every Indonesian citizen, no matter which religious denomination or faith they follow, should respect each other’s belief for the sake of the harmony and peace of mankind.” Pretty cool, right? In Indonesia it is considered extremely important to have a religion, but the state will not declare one religion because it would almost invariably end in conflict.

This idea is why Pancasila stands out in my mind. I’m not here to tell you that Indonesia is perfect. Besides the fact that I was only recently introduced to the country and, therefore, am in no position to make such a claim; it is clear that Indonesia still faces struggles of its own. And many of these struggles related to questions of religious freedoms. However I find it encouraging that religious consideration is included in the five Pancasila principles. It seems that religion and the “dirty game of politics”, as one of our guest speakers called it, are becoming more and more tied together in some places. The Indonesian understanding that sometimes it’s our differences that make us stronger impressed me.