by Mathias Hariyadi

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) objects to the process, "carried out secretly" amid the “great silence” due to COVID-19, without any public debate.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Some Muslim groups have come out against a bill before the House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat) that would legally institute the Pancasila Agency.

The bill, the Pancasila Ideology Direction Act (RUU Haluan Ideologi Pancasila), is still before the House. Dozens of Muslim groups object to it, including the powerful Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, MUI).

According to the latter, the process as inappropriate as it is "carried out secretly" amid the "great silence" due to COVID-19, without any public debate.

"This bill will only trigger public protests from Muslims who have fought to protect Pancasila" in the past, said the head of the MUI legal department.

A crucial matter

For several Muslim groups, one of the main issues is the absence of a final decision by the People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat, MPR).

The 30 September Movement-Communist Party of Indonesia (Gerakan 30 September/PKI) of 30 September 1965 represents a turning point in modern Indonesian history, involving several high-ranking army generals.

The violence caused outrage in the House and the MPR. It marked the end of President Sukarno’s rule and brought to power General Suharto.

Under the new Suharto regime, the House officially banned the Indonesian Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) and all forms of Communism and Marxism.[*]

The absence of a resolution (TAP) by the MPR on the bill has sparked bitter criticism from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest moderate Islamic organisation in the country.

The UN’s governing body (PBNU) has criticised the House's move, saying it could trigger a long debate about the country’s politics.

For Rumadi, a member of the UN's governing body, "The bill is not in line with the situation”. His view reflects the heated debate in 1945 between "nationalist" and "secular" Muslims over the Jakarta Charter, which was drafted by members of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence on 22 June 1945.

The latter subsequently formed the basis of the preamble to the Constitution of Indonesia and included the obligation for Muslims to abide by Sharia.

Since then, Indonesian Muslims, who constitute 90 per cent of the country’s population, have been divided over the issue.

Secular nationalists believe in a radical separation between state and religion, whilst Islamic nationalists, whilst not demanding a fully Islamic state, argue that the Constitution should include recognition of the special place of Islam.

In 1959, conflict broke out when a radical Islamic group tried to assert Islam as the foundation of the nation. The same thing happened again in 2000, during the process of amendment of the Indonesian Constitution, when the seven words in the Jakarta Charter that give Islam a special place were reiterated.

The issue of "Pancasila is concluded and final, both legally and politically, as required by the 1945 Constitution," said Rumadi.

The House’s response

According to the House, the bill under discussion simply aims to “legalise” the presence of the Pancasila Ideology Development Board (BPIP)[†].

The BPIP is currently based on Presidential regulation (Perpres) No. 7/Year 2018 and not on Act of Parliament. Therefore, the main goal is to give BPIP greater legal status.

But for most Indonesian citizens and Muslims, the bill also includes something very unpopular like the Three Principles (Trisila) and the One Principle (Ekasila) in Chapter 7 of the bill.

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[*] MPAP TAP n. XXV / MPRS / 1996

[†] Badan Pembinaan Ideologi Pancasila

• indonesia
• islam
• pancasila
• parliament
• opposition