President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo has confirmed the members for his Pancasila working group initiative, which will promote the values underpinning the state’s founding ideology.
Pancasila calls for unity and the celebration of differences across the country, as well as social justice and faith in democracy.
The group, known as UKP-PIP, will be led by Yudi Latif, a leading Pancasila scholar, and target growing extremism and intolerance. Jokowi swore in the members, representing a variety of faiths, during a ceremony at the presidential palace Wednesday, June 7.
Jokowi announced the group following a wave of intolerance, particularly among Islamist hardliners, since late last year prompted by the Jakarta gubernatorial campaign and the divisive persecution of ethnically-Chinese and Christian former governor Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama.
Latif will be joined on the committee by former president and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair Megawati Soekarnoputri as chief advisor, former vice president Try Sutrisno and former constitutional court president Mahfud M.D.
Syafi’i Ma’arif, a pluralism activist and former Muhammadiyah president and Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) president Ma’ruf Amin will represent Muslim interests, while Andreas Anangguru Yewangoe, president of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia represents Christians. Wisnu Bawa Tenaya, head of Indonesia’s Hindu Religion Councils and Sudhamek, president of the Buddhayana Indonesia Assembly, will also take part.