Pancasila should be a moral and ethical guide in maintaining unity, sovereignty, and social justice in a democracy-based republic.
This is because a republic prioritizes equality and the many’s welfare, ensuring no power is dominant. This was one of the key points from the results of the XII Pancasila Congress held over two days, Sep. 26-27, in the Senate Hall of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM).
The Head of the Expert Team at the UGM Center for Pancasila Studies (PSP UGM), Professor Sutaryo, read the declaration results in the Senate Hall on Friday (Sep. 27), stating that 417 participants attended the XII Pancasila Congress in person and 1,009 participants online.
Professor Sutaryo stated that the congress recommended that the government foster nation-building, character-building, meritocracy, and equal access among citizens.
During the event, he pointed out that there has been systematic, structured, and widespread moral degradation. This damage is predicted to have long-lasting effects.
“Therefore, long-term educational initiatives are needed to develop critical, logical, and ethical reasoning,” said the professor from the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing at UGM (FK-KMK UGM).
According to the declaration, the nation’s founding figures established that Indonesia’s educational philosophy, based on Pancasila, is education aimed at enlightening the nation’s life, according to the objectives outlined in the fourth paragraph of the 1945 Constitution’s preamble, not merely to enhance intellectual capacity.
Enlightening the life of the nation involves not only intellectual growth but also moral education.
“Indonesian education is based on the Tripusat Pendidikan (Three Educational Centers), which include the family, school, and community. Currently, the public sphere significantly influences the nation’s morals and ethics. However, the state has yet to effectively manage the public sphere for moral and ethical development,” he explained.
Professor Sutaryo mentioned that the declaration was formulated by the drafters after reviewing the manuscripts of key speakers, analyzing the outcomes of Panel I discussions on the concept of a republic as an ideal state, Panel II discussions on moral reflections of Pancasila’s implementation in national life, and Panel III discussions on ethical practices in state governance.
They also considered the presentations from various speakers, 198 free paper submissions, committee meetings, and plenary sessions.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Donnie