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Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat speaking at a webinar by the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP), Tuesday (8/9/2020). Photo by Humas MK/Ifa.

JAKARTA, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—Civil society’s existence in mass organizations, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), reduces the powers of the three branches of state’s government. Civil society monitors the government the way the press does.

“Non-governmental organizations or LSM emerged as a pressure group that greatly influences the policies made by the executive, legislative, and judiciary,” said Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat at the "Panel Discussion in the Affirmation Meeting Webinar on the Material Standardization Manuscript of PIP Regional Civil Regulations" organized by the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP) on Tuesday morning, September 8, 2020.

Justice Arief added that, as an interest group, civil society tries to influence state policies without controlling the administration directly. So far, the press and civil society guard the implementation and management of the state.

He said that now the people are not only bound to the state as citizens, but due to advances in IT, social media emerged. “Today [influencers in] social media are a new force,” he said regarding “Netizens and Social Media as a New Arsenal in the Promotion of Pancasila Values in the Recent Era.”

However, he regretted that today’s influencers aren’t actively promoting and practicing Pancasila values, but instead often behave in a negative manner and disseminating transnational ideologies. “In fact, the truth in Indonesia is based on the Pancasila ideology. Therefore, what should be communicated, transmitted, informed to the public is the values within Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution,” he said. As hoaxes and hate speeches are rampant, the people will in turn believe in social media content in virtual public spaces that are removed from the values contained in Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. 

Justice Arief also appealed to BPIP to share creative, interesting content on social media not only for adults but also for children. “We [should] fill virtual public spaces with narrations and content that explains the Pancasila ideology and state basic principle,” he said.

He added that state civil apparatus (ASN) have a strategic position. “If PNS [civil servants] and ASN assist their supervisors, including the constitutional justices but provide misinformation, this will lead to mistakes in policy making. Therefore, I say that ASN has a very strategic position,” he explained.

Laws and regulations, such as Law No. 5 of 2014 on State Civil Apparatus, Government Regulation (PP) No. 53 of 2010 on Civil Servant Disciplinary Regulations, Government Regulation No. 42 of 2004 on Maintaining Esprit de Corps and Code of Ethics of Civil Servants, require ASN and PNS in Indonesia to be loyal to and comply with Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and the government.

Writer: Nano Tresna Arfana
Editor: Lulu Anjarsari
Translator: Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

Translation uploaded on 9/8/2020 18:36 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.

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