Indonesian Priest: Pancasila, a guarantee of religious freedom, against fundamentalism
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - To combat the advance of the Islamists, secular parties in Indonesia are promoting a return to the principles enshrined in the Pancasila. Meanwhile, there is an ongoing concealed "recruitment" of hundreds of university students by the Islamic State of Indonesia (NII), which attracts followers to extremism through brainwashing. The goal is the transformation of a secular nation, as enshrined in 1945 at independence, into an Islamic state according to the ideology behind the Darul Islam movement and its military wing, the Tentara Islam Indonesia (TII). For the head of the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue of the Archdiocese of Semarang "the Pancasila is the founding spirit of Indonesia and is the guarantor of" pluralism and religious freedom. "
The plenary session held yesterday between the heads of institutions in Indonesia has underlined the need to return to the principles enshrined in the Pancasila. The head of the Constitutional Court Mahfud MD said it is "our only national ideology and political platform." He also confirmed the unity of the Republic and the spirit of "diversity in equality." The appeal is also shared by the Head of State Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, according to whom moral values are the only answer to extremist ideology.
To achieve this goal, the curriculum for the next school year will also include a series of special classes on the Pancasila, as was the case at the time of the regime of General Suharto, in power from 1968 to 1998. Then two lessons a week lasting 45 minutes were held in schools, to discuss and analyze the moral principles underlying the law. The fall of the regime, accused of corruption, also brought an end to compulsory study of the five pillars of the state.
Fr. Aloysius Budipurnomo Pr, a priest in Semarang and head of the Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, told AsiaNews that "the Pancasila is Indonesia's founding spirit" and is the guarantor of "pluralism and religious freedom." He recalls that in recent years, these principles have been "put on the back burner" and this has led to the emergence and growth of fundamentalist groups and separatist formations. This is the reason, the priest adds, that "it should go back to being a subject of study in schools."
The Pancasila, literally the five basic pillars, is the official ideology of the modern democratic state founded on principles such as freedom of expression and religion. Included as a preamble to the Constitution and strongly desired by the first president Sukarno, it was drawn up only months before the official birth of Indonesia, which is celebrated on August 17, 1945. The five pillars are based on: faith in one God, justice and human civilization, unity of Indonesia, democracy guided by wisdom, social justice.
The text also provides the practice of worship for five official religions - Islam, Christianity, Catholicism and Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Kong Hu Cu - and prohibits the adoption of an ideology and Islamic law, including the introduction of Shariah, as demanded by Piagam Jakarta. In 1945 a dispute erupted on which text to adopt, Pancasila or Piagam. The observation of some nationalist leaders that some eastern provinces were predominantly Christian, prevented the introduction of a charter that sanctioned Islamic law in the Archipelago.
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