Building a Nation: Sukarno's Pancasila Speech in Film

Sukarno's seminal Pancasila speech of June 1, 1945 effectively laid down the philosophical and political foundations of the Indonesian Republic. The concept of Pancasila (Five Principles), authored by the country's future first president during the Japanese occupation, is the basis of Indonesia's civilized rule. The government urges all Indonesians to honor this state ideology as their fundamental political philosophy.

Considered crucial to national unity, the emblem and the words of the five sila, or principles, are displayed in practically every government office: 1) Belief in one supreme God; 2) Nationalism, the unity of Indonesia; 3) A just and civilized humanity; 4) Democracy, guided by the wisdom of unanimity arising from discussion (musyawarah); 5) Social justice, the equality of political rights and the rights of citizenship, as well as social and cultural equality.