Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat at the national working meeting of the Alumni Association of the Indonesian National Student Movement (Rakernas PAGMNI), Saturday (29/8/2020). Photo by Humas MK/Ifa.

JAKARTA, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—Pancasila is a perfect ideology, said Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat opening his presentation at the national working meeting (Rakernas) of the Alumni Association of the Indonesian National Student Movement (PAGMNI) on Saturday, August 29, 2020. The virtual meeting was entitled “The Position of GMNI Alumni in Facing Challenges to the Pancasila Ideology amid Transnational Ideological Threats.”

Justice Arief asked the participants to ponder Indonesia’s latest condition. He believes the war that Indonesia is facing is not a physical war that the country’s national heroes fought in, but a proxy war. “The right and wrong are obscured to us. So, let’s make Pancasila a working ideology” he appealed to participants at the webinar, which also featured the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Vice Chairman Ahmad Basarah, who is also the Chairman of PAGMNI central executive board (DPP).

He also explained that while within the trias politica the executive, legislative, and judiciary ran the state, as the state developed, additional forces such as the civil apparatuses also appeared. They started influencing the holders of state power in creating policies. Entering the 20th century, he added, mass media appeared as another force that could influence government policies and shape public opinion on those policies. Then, at the end of the 20th century and entering the 21st century, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) appeared and started influencing government policies.

“There was an interesting development, that is, the emergence of the sixth power, namely technology-wielding citizens or netizens. So, we’re not only bound [to the state] as citizens but also to technology,” he explained.

He encouraged the participants to control netizens by becoming influencers that fill in the virtual spaces of social media with contents that contain Pancasila values. He hoped the tech-savvy young generation can implement Pancasila, diversity, and state values.

“Through webinars, we can only influence a few, but as influencers, we can influence many people with content that promote the perfect ideology, Pancasila,” he concluded.

Writer: Sri Pujianti
Editor: Lulu Anjarsari
Translator: Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

Translation uploaded on 9/7/2020 10:16 WIB

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian version, the Indonesian version will prevail.