Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Indonesian Principle
of National Integration and its challenges.
Bambang Udoyono
On his short visit to Indonesia on the 9th
and 10th of November 2010 President Obama made a very interesting
remark in University of Indonesia. Let
me quote him:
“But even as this land of
my youth has changed in so many ways, those things that I learned to love about
Indonesia – that spirit of tolerance that is written into your Constitution;
symbolized in your mosques and churches and temples; and embodied in your
people – still lives on. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika – unity in diversity. This is the
foundation of Indonesia’s example to the world, and this is why Indonesia will
play such an important role in the 21st century.”
He further
said: “Such is Indonesia’s spirit. Such is the message of Indonesia’s inclusive
philosophy, Pancasila”.
And also:”As a child of a different race
coming from a distant country, I found this spirit in the greeting that I
received upon moving here: Selamat Datang.”
It
is clear that as a guest President Obama was trying to please his host. There is no doubt that his remarks are part
of diplomatic courtesy. But we cannot
deny that his remarks have some elements of truth. So what is so special about it? What make President Obama thought that it is
worth citing? Let’s see these facts.
Historical background.
The phrase Bhinneka Tunggal Ika which means unity in diversity was first
written by Prapanca, a famous writer in the 13th century in east
Java. Prapanca worked for the kingdom of
Majapahit, a kingdom that united most of present day Indonesia for the first
time. The idea of uniting the kingdoms
in the archipelago, however, was born in the previous era during the reigns of
Singasari kingdom in east Java. The need to unify the archipelago was sparked
by a threat from the mighty Mongol empire that had conquered most of Asia and a
part of Europe. In 12th
century Mongol emperor Ku Blai Khan sent an emissary to Singasari king to ask
for tribute otherwise Java would be invaded by their army. King Kertanegara was very angry and cut the
emissary’s ears. This event spurred the
idea of strengthening the position of Singasari by making alliances with other kingdoms
in the archipelago. Unfortunately the
kingdom of Singasari did not last long.
It was destroyed by Mongol army in 1292.
Wijaya was the son in law of King
Kertanegara. When the king was killed in
a rebellion he fled from the capital.
Not long after that the mighty Mongol army came to Java in 1292 to
punish King Kertanegara and to conquer Java.
Wijaya had anticipated it with a brilliant plan. He warmly welcomed the invading army. Together with them he attacked the rebel who
became a new king named Jayakatwang from Kediri. The Kediri army was no match for the Mongol
army. They were easily defeated. Then Wijaya held a party to celebrate the
victory. In the party his army attacked
the Mongol army in a surprise attack.
They won the battle and Wijaya became the new king. He established the kingdom of Majapahit that
would be the most powerful and influential kingdom in Indonesia.
The Mongol invasion strengthens the
idea of unification of the archipelago.
During the era of Majapahit most of what makes Indonesia today could be
unified through alliances and also conquest.
It was in this period that Prapanca wrote the motto of Majapahit – Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Unity in diversity. Unity is needed to benefit every member of
the society.
The fact that Indonesia consists of
about thirteen thousand islands with hundreds of ethnic groups makes it obligatory for them to
cooperate if they want to survive.
Cooperation or partnership is needed since they cannot fulfill all their
needs by themselves. Trade had been
flourished in the archipelago since at least two thousand years ago. India had been the most important foreign
trade partner over the centuries.
Historical evidences are abundant such as ancient temples for Hindu and
Buddhist in Borobudur and Prambanan and many others. The Malay language also spread throughout the
archipelago because of the business activities.
The language is very simple so everybody can learn it easily. Later on the language will become the lingua
franca of Indonesian archipelago. It
will further receive many influences from many cultures and now it becomes the
national language of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Since 17th century the
archipelago that once was prosperous had been conquered and colonized by the
Dutch East Indies. It was a powerful
and tricky company. When the company
went bankrupt in the 19th century the colony was taken over by the
Dutch government. Through divide and
rule policy the archipelago had been split into many small powerless
kingdoms. When the wave of nationalism
swept over Asia in 20th century once again the Indonesian leaders
found the need to unite. In the struggle
for independence in 20th once again the leaders promoted unification
by using the ancient motto of Bhinneka
Tunggal Ika. They had a common enemy
– the colonialist – as their trigger. The first president Sukarno used it effectively
to integrate many factions in Indonesian society. Finally Indonesia reached independence on
August 17, 1945.
Those
factors had shaped the integration of
Indonesia in the past. How about its
role in the present?
Since the fall of Suharto in 1998 people feared the
danger of national disintegration. There
are many conflicts in many parts of the country. Those conflicts are based on religion, ethnic
identity, and political affiliations.
Those conflicts had taken a lot of lives and assets. But besides the negative side, there is an
outstanding achievement in recent years – the conflict resolution in Poso,
Ambon and Aceh. Bloody conflict between
Christian and Muslim communities in Poso and Ambon had been settled. Separatist conflict in Aceh is now settled
peacefully. The only way to peace is
through dialog. Continued dialog and willingness to understand others are key
factors. Without these two factors it is
impossible to reach compromise and consensus among different groups of faith,
ethnicity or politics.
As times goes by, challenges to national integration
emerge. Religious freedom that
Indonesian people have enjoyed for hundreds of years is now under serious threat not from secular
people but from their followers. Some
people used violence to destroy and threaten people from other faiths. Some other people, however, use more subtle
way to impose their faiths to followers of other faiths. They used economic power to convert others to
their religion. This is a disguised
economic threat. There is no violence
but the pattern remains the same – using power to conquer others. Education is also used to change people. They do improve people’s skills but we cannot
deny that there are efforts to influence people’s opinion.
In politics the situation is similar. Today Indonesian people enjoy democracy. There are free elections in national as well
as in district levels. Now Indonesia has
directly elected president, governor and major,
but the cost is high. In many
areas local elections spurred conflicts
among supporters of local leaders.
Whenever a candidate loses in an election the other candidate accuse
that there are unfair practices.
Consequently hostilities mounted.
Some of the conflict can be resolved at court but sometimes they broke
into violence.
Unfair distribution of wealth and opportunities pose
great potential of conflict. A large
portion of wealth is in the hands of a few people. The difference of race and ethnic groups
between them makes the situation worse.
Opportunities are open wider for university graduates than to elementary
school graduates. Unfortunately tuition
fees in good universities are very expensive for most Indonesians. People have been complaining about the high
fee of universities but those complaints reached deaf ears. The widening gap between expectations and
reality is like a time bomb. It will
explode anytime if the gap reaches a point that is intolerable for most people.
Intolerance to others’ opinion and thought are stronger
today. Some people try to impose their
will and their opinion to other without any willingness to respect other’s
opinion and thoughts. They think that
their opinion and thought are the only truth.
Usually we think that this standpoint exclusively belongs to religious
groups. But this is not always the
case. Today there are some secular
groups who impose their secular views to everyone. They insist that others must respect their
view but they do not respect the views of religious groups. Take the case of anti pornography bill for
example. Religious groups want to pass a
bill to control the spread of pornography but they try very hard to stop it on
the ground of freedom of expressions.
Today Indonesian society is sharply divided by politics
because of political rivalry between two presidential candidates. The incumbent president Joko Widodo aka
Jokowi has a wide support from many walks of life while lieutenant general
(ret) Prabowo Subianto is not far behind.
Jokowi enjoys support from nationalist parties, secularist, and non Muslims.
Prabowo has wide support from Islamic parties and Muslim community. The competition is so hard that people mock
each other in social media. Friends and
family became adversaries. Fighting broke out in many cities like in
Yogyakarta. That is why some people feared
that the current situation will lead to a bloody conflict.
There is no doubt that freedom of expression is a pillar
of democracy. But some people want to
manipulate it for their own interests.
They want freedom of expressions is exclusively their own. They try to make sure that others such as
religious groups must not have it. Is
this a good practice of democracy? It is clear that certain people who speak for
freedom of expressions are actually enemy of democracy.
It is ironic when a foreign president tries to promote it
worldwide Indonesian on the other hand, do not respect it. So from now on let’s try to put its dignity
back.
Unless measures are taken to put back the true notion of
democracy where freedom of expressions is for everyone and nobody tries to
impose their views to others, then democracy in Indonesia will
deteriorate. Democracy will only serve
as a mask to cover the real identity of undemocratic practices. Now it is the right time for both leaders to demonstrate
their leadership qualities. They must
tell their supporters to make peace.
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