PDIP Secretary General Hasto Asks The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs And Defense To Formulate Foreign And Defense Policies Based On Bung Karno's Geopolitical Thoughts

JAKARTA - PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto proposed that the Ministry of Defense together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs formulate national defense forces based on the geopolitical views of the First President of the Republic of Indonesia Soekarno based on Pancasila.

He conveyed this when presenting the conclusions and recommendations of his dissertation entitled Soekarno's Geopolitical Thought Discourse and Its Relevance to National Defense. Hasto underwent a trial for his doctoral promotion at the Defense University (IDU), Sentul, West Java, Monday, June 6.

Initially, Hasto explained several conclusions and recommendations for his dissertation.

"Soekarno's geopolitical thinking is critical as a progressive geopolitical coexistence based on Soekarno's body of knowledge and seven geopolitical variables", said Hasto when explaining his first conclusion.

The seven variables are demography, territory, natural resources, military, politics, peaceful co-existence, and science and technology.

Hasto continued Soekarno's or Bung Karno's influence on national interests and national defense including the liberation of West Irian, the National Interest Corridor Roadmap, and the Defense Roadmap, and marked by the high National Defense Index.

"Soekarno's Geopolitical Thought Cycle integrates state policies related to geopolitics, national interests, diplomacy, and national defense", said Hasto.

Hasto also summed up the Pacific as the world's pivot. "Pancasila as the lifeline of the new world and its impact on the world, can be seen from the change in the bipolar constellation to multipolar, as well as changes in the structure of the UN Security Council", said Hasto.

According to him, the main characteristic of Soekarno's geopolitical thought is Pancasila as a geopolitical ideology to build a new world order through raising national solidarity that promotes peaceful coexistence, for a more just world structure.

"Soekarno's seven geopolitical thinking variables can be a road map for national defense policy, in reviewing and producing national defense policies. The results of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) test show the strong influence of national, political, and technological interests on national defense", said Hasto.

Next, he presented several recommendations both academically and practically. "Soekarno's geopolitical theory, which is declared as Progressive Geopolitical Coexistence, is Soekarno's geopolitical legacy for the lifeline of Indonesia and the world", said Hasto, adding that Bung Karno's geopolitical theory could be used for further research.

As for practical recommendations, Hasto proposed the Ministry of Defense builds a national defense force based on Soekarno's geopolitical perspective.

"Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense to reformulate foreign policy and national defense, from a geopolitical perspective", he said.

Hasto also mentioned that the Ministry of Defense together with the Defense University and Lemhannas could conduct a comprehensive study, to reformulate the defense strategy, doctrine, and posture based on Soekarno's geopolitical theory.

Then, the Ministry of State Secretary and the Cabinet Secretariat need to conduct a study on the importance of strategic functions in the structure of the presidential institution to integrate foreign and defense policies. Furthermore, it is important to study the Draft Law on Geopolitical Spatial Planning of the Archipelago, which contains strategic corridors for defense and national security by the Ministry of Defense.

"The importance of including Soekarno's geopolitical thoughts in the curriculum of defense science, international relations, and geopolitics", said Hasto.

Finally, he advised the Indonesian House of Representatives together with the government, in this case, the Ministry of Finance, to determine the political policy of the state defense budget from a geopolitical perspective that is confidential and highly confidential to achieve the goals of the state and Indonesia's national interests.

As previously reported, Hasto's dissertation work was accounted for in front of the examiners and guests in the Red and White Hall, IDU Campus. One of those who will test is the Chairperson of the PDIP who is also the 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia Megawati Soekarnoputri.