Head Of BPIP: Pancasila Greetings Are Not A Substitute For Religious Greetings

Head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP) of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Yudian Wahyudi. (ANTARA/Teuku Dedi Iskandar)

JAKARTA - The Head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP), Yudian Wahyudi, said that the Pancasila greeting was not a substitute for a religious greeting, but a national greeting to honor all citizens of the Republic of Indonesia from various religious backgrounds.

"The main purpose of Salam Pancasila is a national greeting to respect all citizens of the Republic of Indonesia from various religious, cultural and other backgrounds in accordance with the spirit of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," said Yudian in a statement received in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Thursday, February 10. .

In an effort to introduce the meaning of "Pancasila Greetings" as an adhesive greeting and unifying the nation to the wider community, the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP) launched a short video of 5 minutes 30 seconds of Salam Pancasila through the BPIP Youtube channel.

“Greeting and greeting others are commendable behaviors that are encouraged by all religions. Therefore, in various religious traditions, greetings are an important part,” said Yudian.

Yudian also said that in the midst of the diversity of greeting traditions in various Indonesian religions and cultures, it is important to have a greeting tradition that crosses cultural boundaries in order to strengthen national unity.

"We have Indonesian as a lingua franca or an intermediate language, so now we have Salam Pancasila as an intermediary greeting or saluti franca, which can be practiced by all Indonesian citizens," Yudian explained. greeting adapted from the Salam Merdeka delivered by President Sukarno shortly after Indonesia's independence. The greeting of independence was shouted to remind us that we are a free nation and do not want to be colonized again.

The Pancasila greeting itself was introduced by the Chairperson of the BPIP Steering Committee, Megawati Soekarnoputri when giving a speech at the Pancasila Education strengthening activity at the Bogor Palace on August 12, 2017.

Yudian hopes that the presence of the Salam Pancasila video can help answer the importance of the Salam Pancasila greeting as an adhesive and unifying greeting for the nation.