The House of Representatives (DPR) is currently gathering public input on the Draft Bill on the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP Bill), which is expected to enhance the agency’s effectiveness and promote Pancasila more widely across society.
Head of the Center for Pancasila Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada (PSP UGM), Dr. Agus Wahyudi, welcomed the discussion of the bill, viewing it as an important step to strengthen the institutional framework for Pancasila ideology development while maintaining substantive relevance.
According to Dr. Wahyudi, there are two key principles to ensure that the BPIP Bill remains substantively relevant. First, it must be placed within the framework of modern statecraft about how the state fosters social cohesion, cultivates public virtue, and strengthens democratic resilience amid differing perspectives.
“Ideological threats today may come from digital disinformation, the use of identity politics, as well as social and economic inequality, which must all be taken into account,” he said on Monday (Sep. 1).
Second, Pancasila education must be participatory, critical, and inclusive. Pancasila should not merely be treated as state values to be memorized, but as a living ideology applied in public life. This means the bill must create a broad space for dialogue with civil society, academics, youth, and minority groups.
“Only in this way can Pancasila values serve as a shared ethical compass, not just rhetoric,” he added.
At the same time, Dr. Wahyudi noted that public concern about BPIP potentially becoming a “superbody” is understandable in a democracy. He cautioned that such risks usually emerge when an institution is given an overly broad mandate without clear accountability mechanisms. Therefore, the solution is not to weaken BPIP but to clearly define its authority.
“BPIP should formulate guidelines and strategic recommendations, but the technical implementation must remain with ministries and other institutions. Its authority should be guiding, not controlling,” he explained.
He further emphasized that transparency and accountability are essential. BPIP’s performance reports, he suggested, should be published periodically to the President, DPR, and the public. This would ensure that BPIP functions as a guardian of Pancasila values, rather than being the sole interpreter of their meaning.
In the education sector, Dr. Wahyudi recommended that BPIP should not take over the curriculum, but instead serve as a think tank that prepares Pancasila materials relevant to contemporary challenges. Ideological education, he stressed, should also extend into the public sphere.
“BPIP can drive creative movements in communities, campuses, and digital media,” he asserted.
In conclusion, Dr. Wahyudi underlined that the greatest hope for the bill is to make Pancasila more deeply embedded in people’s daily lives. The BPIP Bill, he said, should aim to enliven Pancasila in society, not act as a legal enforcer.
Author: Ika Agustine
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Illustration: Kompas.id