As the country celebrates the birth of Pancasila, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called for the country to strengthen collective unity and further implement and preserve the state ideology Pancasila as the nation’s way of life.
In his speech during the commemoration of Pancasila Day on June 1, which has been a public holiday since last year, Jokowi asserted that Indonesia must continue to live with the nation’s motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) so that Indonesia can grow and keep up with global competition.
Every country in the world has continued the process toward developing a nation that lives in diversity, Jokowi said on Friday.
“Diversity is often haunted by the risks of intolerance, disunity and disregard of gotong royong [mutual cooperation],” Jokowi said. “It is time for us to share our experience […] in tolerance and building unity in the nation.”
Jokowi also expressed gratitude for the existence of Pancasila, introduced by founding father Sukarno, as he believed that the Pancasila could overcome adversity and served as a strong foundation for the country toward further development.
“I also want to thank and appreciate the younger generation, which has preserved the understanding and implementation of Pancasila in the lives of the people and the nation,” he said. (evi)
