Pancasila, Global Challenges and Diplomacy

Achmad Ubaedillah & Fokky Fuad Wasitaatmadja

Digital globalization in almost all aspects of life has resulted in changes in social order and values. These changes have caused shock and social disruption which has resulted in human alienation. Human isolation has been further exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on a global scale.

International relations are also experiencing changes that are no less serious and dynamic. Institutions and a number of international agreements are no longer adhered to by UN member states. The world seems to have no direction and no captain. Western powers, America and its allies, are no longer as powerful as they were in the past, on the contrary, China's increasingly progressive penetration is a sign of global change. At the same time, the war between Russia and Ukraine became one of the most striking examples of the weakening of the institutions of the world's nations.

The world needs a new paradigm that does not negate each other, but rather enlivens each other and has a spirit of connectivity towards a new, more unified world order. In this context, Pancasila can be an alternative to the 'all in one' paradigm. It's time for the character of Pancasila as the common denominator of the Indonesian nation to be introduced to the world.

This was not a new offer, but merely a repetition of past history when Bung Karno confidently introduced Pancasila to the world in his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, September 1960. A similar spirit was exemplified by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi who called for the spirit of the Bandung Principles in his speech before the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, a few days ago.

The Sound of Pancasila

The emergence of the modern era in the 18th and 19th centuries, carrying logical truths, required a value system to maintain its existence. Every nation in the world competes and even fights to maintain its civilization through philosophy and ideology.

Pancasila was born inseparable from the global situation of the early 20th century which was marked by ideological discourse in the West, namely liberalism versus socialism. That period was the era of World War II and continued afterwards, which was marked as the Cold War period. This period lasted until the early 1990s, marked by the emergence of new democratic countries, including Indonesia.

Indonesia's transition period was marked by demands for democratization in social and political life. A normal demand in modern society. In this transitional historical phase, the majority of the Indonesian people demanded openness and freedom in association and assembly in accordance with the constitution. There is no talk of replacing Pancasila with the basis of another state or ideology. Proof that Pancasila has become ingrained in the heart of the Indonesian nation.

The next phase of Pancasila seemed to be swallowed up by the earth in the frenzy of Reformation, but it still faithfully accompanied Indonesia. Until now, Pancasila remains strong as an important element of Indonesia which has led it to become a new democratic country in the world. Even though Pancasila is not a public discourse on national and state life as it was during the New Order, Pancasila in the Reformation era is still firmly a reference for the constitution and national politics.

As a state philosophy, Pancasila is based on two fundamental values as its ontology, namely divine values and human values. Divine values show the character of Indonesian humans who are always tied to divine cosmology. With the divine nature that exists in the soul, Pancasila people will treat other humans in a civilized manner, that humans believe in God in line with moral human behavior. Obedience to God is manifested in the ethical behavior of Indonesian people.

Pancasila for the World

Postmodern was born as a reaction to modernity which is full of logic and science. Both were again questioned and sued. Digital technology is capable of reaching people anywhere and has penetrated ideological geographical boundaries.

Efforts to protect an ideological belief or religious understanding now seem less relevant. Ideological understanding and theological views are open to testing by anyone. Blindly defending it will only lead to futility. All narratives are open to being tested, even challenged. That is a method of deconstruction that is not arbitrary.

In a humanitarian context, the emergence of postmodernism is a sharp criticism of modernism which is considered to have failed to elevate human dignity. The emergence of war and violence everywhere is clear evidence that logical objectivity in modern human science has failed to overcome it (Setiawan and Sudrajat, 2018). Then, what about Pancasila?

Pancasila is now in a value-free era. The emergence of new thoughts that break the entire order of values and norms is a serious challenge for Pancasila which carries divine and human values as its ontology.

One thing that is visible in postmodern civilization is the absence of meaning for humans as subjects. Free will in the name of humanism without values has destroyed human existence itself. In fact, humans become complete subjects because of the values and norms they carry. Values and norms that are broken by human free will actually have the potential to lead humans into the darkness of civilization.

In situations of alienation, humans generally look for a way of escape through religion or spirituality. Religion has always provided a solution to the problems of civilization throughout the history of humanity. However, this path is not devoid of traps that can make humans less human even though they are dressed in religious clothes.

A rigid understanding of religion that must be absolutely certain often gives rise to religious attitudes that tend to be formalistic and superficial. This affects many urban educated people and young millennials. The first represents an established group, the second represents an instant group in many ways, including religion.

Teaching Islamic religious education in schools is no longer attractive to this group. Not because of the curriculum, but due to intolerant understanding of religion among religious teachers. This fact has been proven by field research conducted by the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) UIN Jakarta in 2018.

This finding seems to correlate with the tendency of young people to be attracted to the religious views and trends of celebrities and propagandists, who are keen to voice narratives of intolerance and exclusivity in religion.

Islamic formalism is not actually a problem, but it has the potential to create exclusive attitudes in religion. This has become the reality of Indonesian Islam today, when religion is ultimately used as a defining element of self and group. This is very vulnerable to giving birth to attitudes and behavior that are at odds with the integrative spirit of building dynamic and productive social cohesiveness in a pluralistic nation.

Facing the global trend of religious exclusivity, Pancasila can be a reference for returning to a normal point, a point of moderation. The dialogue space provided by Pancasila provides opportunities for diplomats and the Indonesian diaspora spread across the world, to introduce Pancasila to the world community regarding the importance of dialogue and moderation or a middle way in all matters.

If the UN has made Bung Karno's speech To Build the World a New which was orated before the UN session on 30 September 1960 a World Heritage Archive (Djumala, 2023), there is no reason for diplomats and the Indonesian diaspora to introduce Pancasila to the world convincingly.

While the world is looking for alternative healing to reduce human isolation. Pancasila can offer a solution to alienation resulting from the ongoing social disruption. If not now, then when? Delaying can be understood as an attitude of lack of confidence in the foundations of our beloved country. (ZM)

Achmad Ubaedillah, Indonesian Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam and Lecturer at FISIP UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and Fokky Fuad Wasitaatmadja Lecturer at Al-Azhar University Indonesia. Both articles appeared in the Media Indonesia Newspaper, Friday 29th September 2023. https://mediaindonesia.com/opini/617320/pancasila-tantangan-dan-diplomasi-global