Building the Nation-State Future through the Development of Indonesia Multiculturalism-Based Nationalism

摘要

Besides being the largest archipelagic country in the world, Indonesia also has ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and religious heterogeneity. Pancasila is the ideology and the foundation of the state that unites the diversity across Indonesia, which has over 17,000 islands. In the context of the modern nation where heterogeneity is found in many aspects, it is necessary to understand the concept that there is a difference between a Nation-State and a Conventional State. Essentially, a Conventional State is characterized by the similarity of descent, ethnicity, culture, language, religion, and the like as the unifier. The government mechanisms are formed through organized figures, whose manifestations are in the form of monarchy or kingdoms with a hereditary government system. Thus, the glory of the state is left to the dynastic system. In the context of the current Indonesian nation, the concept of the Nation-State as a nation established for all people based on an agreement that results in a contractual relationship between the parties that agree tends to be misunderstood by some citizens. This phenomenon is characterized by the mushrooming primordialism, which sees one's own ethnicity and religion as superior to those of others. This is undoubtedly problematic and requires a viable solution given the high heterogeneity in various aspects of life. Therefore, to establish the Nation-State, it is essential to develop nationalism, which is developed based on Pancasila as the noble agreement of the nation as the foundation of the Republic of Indonesia. The Pancasila should become the spirit of nationalism. Practicing Pancasila values means that every individual is willing to devote themselves to the Nation-State and embrace the diversity in ethnicity, language, and religion and see it as shared or common identity. In this case, instilling nationalism using a multiculturalism approach seems to be the best option. This way, people interaction and integration of the diverse Indonesian communities can run peacefully, safely, and most importantly, foster a spirit of togetherness, humanity, and tolerance that can help to build a democratic nation.