Is Pancasila Still Relevant as Indonesian's Ideology?

Before talking about Pancasila which is the ideology of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, it is better if we first understand the meaning of ideology and Pancasila itself. Etymologically, ideology comes from two Greek words, namely idea and logos. Idea means ideas and logos which means knowledge or thought. 

So, the etymological meaning of ideology is the study of the origin and nature of ideas. Descartes, a philosopher from France argued that ideology is the core of all human thoughts. The term ideology was first introduced by Antoine Destutt de Tracy, a French philosopher. He introduced this concept in 1976. 

He defined ideology as the science of the human mind that can show the way to the future. So, ideology at the beginning of its formation means the science of the emergence of ideals, ideas, and thoughts. Ideology is closely related to society because ideology is a reflection of the way people or society thinks and at the same time shapes people or society towards their goals.

There are so many ideologies adopted by countries in various parts of the world. For example, the United States which adheres to the liberal-capitalist ideology or North Korea which adheres to the Juche ideology which is influenced by communism, as well as various other ideologies such as socialism, democracy, and others. Likewise, Indonesia has made Pancasila the ideology and foundation of the state. Pancasila itself is taken from Sanskrit panca which means five and sila which means basic. So literally, Pancasila means 5 basics. The 5 principles referred to here are the 5 principles of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

Through a long negotiation process accompanied by debate and deliberation, Pancasila was finally born on June 1, 1945 through a speech by Ir. Sukarno. In addition to Soekarno, there are also 2 figures who also negotiated the basic formulation of this country, namely Mohammad Yamin and Dr. Soepomo. Then, on August 18, 1945 Pancasila was ratified by PPKI as the basis and ideology of the state.

As the nation's ideology, Pancasila has also experienced several developments and deviations from time to time. For example, during the New Order era, Pancasila was used as one of the tools to perpetuate the authority of the president at that time until he could serve for 32 years. In this Reformation era, Pancasila is also expected to be able to bring this nation towards a better direction. But in reality, the Indonesian people are even further away from the values that were expected by the country's predecessors.

It has been more than 50 years since Pancasila was formulated and ratified. If we ask whether Pancasila is still relevant today as the ideology that this country adheres to, the answer is yes. As we know, Pancasila contains many values that are full of eastern culture in accordance with the values adopted by the Indonesian people. In practice, Pancasila is not even the only ideology of the state, but also the basis of every law adopted by this country. In addition, Pancasila also regulates our attitude in living the life of the nation and state.

Pancasila, which is dynamic and always follows the times, makes the Indonesian nation able to keep moving forward and not be left behind from other nations. This trait also reflects the openness of Pancasila in all respects without changing the noble values contained in it. In this era of globalization, the Indonesian nation still needs Pancasila as a filter for incoming values, so that this nation can still accept new things but still maintain eastern etiquette that has been rooted from ancient times.

If we examine the precepts of Pancasila, each point written in it is a summary of how we maintain the dignity and sovereignty of the Indonesian nation through our daily attitudes. Each precept in Pancasila is also continuous with each other. How can we as a nation who believe in God Almighty carry out one of His many commands by helping each other. Also, how do we maintain national unity so that it continues to be intertwined by respecting each individual opinion and being fair to fellow human beings.

So the conclusion is, Pancasila is still and always relevant to the condition of the Indonesian nation because of its dynamic nature along with the times, and how Pancasila in each of its precepts summarizes how we as Indonesian citizens live as a nation and state and maintain the sovereignty and dignity of the Indonesian nation in the eyes of the national and international community.