Moving Forward with Either Black or White Cat Ideology

Today we observe the birth of Pancasila, our state ideology. In the last recent years, this ideology eclipses. However, amid the eroding religious tolerance and growing hardliners, some suggest that Pancasila should be revived. Is it true that Pancasila will resolve that problem?

When I was in Junior High School, I always remember our teacher told us that in western countries, people embraced capitalism which individual interest prevailed over community, on the contrary in communist countries, people live together abandoning their private ownership. Both ideologies are not good for Indonesians. So Pancasila is the resolution that lies on between capitalism and communism.

And later, despite my never-ending respect, I know my teacher’s account, particularly on capitalism, was wrong, given the facts of welfare state, food stamp, Medicare and so forth.

And later I also know Pancasila is merely normative words of wisdom and in order not to plunge into platitude, it should be NATO. That is “Need Action To be Operated” .

However, can words of wisdom overcome the real problem of life? Should we always open the holy book of ideology to make headway?

The Great Chinese reformer, Deng Xiaoping innovated how to develop nation by shrugging off any ideology. His famous words: “it doesn’t matter a black cat or a white one as long as it catches mice” resound all over the world. Moreover, he said that China had no blue print of the way to develop, so in making policy was like crossing a river by feeling for stones and one should be careful not to fall down. And with Chinese eye-popping development, this pragmatism approach proves workable.

Just the opposite America inherits ideological thug of war. In terms of economy, Republicans hold convictions of less government intervention, less tax, deregulation, free market, while Democrats promote otherwise. So in economic crisis, people tend to vote for Democrat President who will spend more money for the unemployment, subsidies and other allowance and in anemic growth owing partly to government intervention, people turn to Republican President who will deregulate market.

However, sometimes this ideological difference compound recent America’s economic crisis handling. Laden with huge debt, President Obama, Democrat President proposed to draw more money from tax payer, particularly the super rich. However, Republican-majority House of Representative denies this policy on grounds of ideology. For them the government should not get more money from its citizens and the economy will recover naturally by invisible hands, even in crisis.

As a result, during recent global economic calamity, China’s leader supported only by like-minded acolytes got through the crisis smoothly and left the country unscathed, while ideological rift leaves American economy still-crippling.

Fortunately, unlike communism or capitalism, Pancasila is created without specific idea of government or economy. Pancasila is exposed ideology, so that big or less government or market regulation or deregulation will be welcomed. Oil subsidy is okayed and so is 99% ownership of national bank by foreign investor. It seems Pancasila has significant role, neither in economic regulation nor government size preference.

So where does it work? Is it to overcome unremitting dreams of craving out Islamic State?

Since independence Indonesia – like other modern societies – has made its own constitution which also covering Pancasila in the preamble. And in our constitution, the final government form is unitary republic, not Islamic state. So referring to constitution, it’s clear what to do against religious extremist.

Finally, once upon a time ideology might be indispensable. However, this long-standing conviction has been challenged by idea of catching mouse by whatever the cat’s color.

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