Citizenship Discourse in the Context of Decentralisation: The Case of Indonesia

The Preamble to Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution sets out the philosophy of the state. That philosophy is known as Pancasila, meaning five principles. They are:

• 1. Belief in the One and Only God.

• 2. Just and Civilised Humanity.

• 3. Unity of Indonesia.

• 4. Sovereignty of the People Led by the Inner Wisdom of Deliberation amongst Representatives.

• 5. Social Justice for the Whole of the People of Indonesia.ⁱ

These principles still constitute the formulation of the principles of national life. Each principle was designed to hold together competing religious, political and ethnic aspirations for the political identity of the new Indonesia within a unitary state. Because of their breadth of statement, these principles have been subjected to interpretations in support of the prevailing political agenda over the course of Indonesia’s national history. These interpretations, though never without contestation, intended to preserve both elements in the formulation unity in diversity. By definition, any discussion of the formal curriculum for citizenship in Indonesia must be based on these principles of citizenship. No matter how potent other identities for social and political activism—religious identities, for example—their civic mission and meaning is conferred on them by the terms of their inclusion in the constitutional definition of citizenship.