National Identity

NATIONAL IDENTITY A. Pancasila as National Identity 1. Definition of National Identity The word identity comes from the English word Identity which has a literal meaning of characteristics, signs or identity attached to a person or something that distinguishes it from others. In anthropological terms, identity is a distinctive trait that explains and is in accordance with the self-awareness of oneself, one's own group, one's own community, or one's own country. Referring to this understanding, identity is not limited to individuals alone but also applies to a group. While the word national is an identity attached to larger groups that are bound by similarities, both physical such as culture, religion, and language and non-physical such as desires, ideals and goals. The collection of these groups is then referred to as the term national identity or national identity which ultimately gives birth to group actions (collective action) which are manifested in the form of organizations or movements that are given national attributes. The word national itself cannot be separated from the emergence of the concept of nationalism. When viewed in the context of Indonesia, National Identity is a manifestation of cultural values that grow and develop in various aspects of life from hundreds of tribes that are "collected in one Indonesian unity into a national culture with reference to Pancasila and the spirit of "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" as the basis and direction of its development. In other words, it can be said that the essence of our National Identity as a nation in the life and life of the nation and state is Pancasila whose actualization is reflected in the arrangement of our lives in a broad sense, for example in laws or regulations, the expected government system, ethical and moral values that are normatively applied in relationships both at the national and international levels and so on. The cultural values reflected in the National Identity are not finished goods that have been completed in normative and dogmatic frozenness, but rather something "open" that tends to continue to blossom because of the desire for progress possessed by the supporting community. The consequences and implications are that National Identity is something that is open to interpretation by being given new meanings so that it remains relevant and functional in the actual conditions that develop in society. From the description above, it can be said that National Identity is a National Outlook on Life, National Personality, Pancasila Philosophy and also as a State Ideology so that it has the right to live as a nation and state that is valid in Indonesia, in other words, it is also the basis for regulations that must be upheld by all citizens. Law that regulates the rights and obligations of citizens, human rights that are developing increasingly dynamically in this, becoming a Political ethic which is then developed into a National Resilience geostrategy in Indonesia. Elements of National Identity Indonesia's national identity refers to a pluralistic nation. This plurality is a combination of elements that form identity, namely ethnicity, religion, culture and language. 1) Ethnicity is a special social group that is ascriptive since Hl), which has the same characteristics as age groups and gender. In Indonesia there are many ethnic groups or ethnic groups with no less than 300 language dialects. 2) Religion: the Indonesian people are known as a religious society. The religions that have grown and developed in the archipelago are Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Confucianism during the New Order was not recognized as the official state religion, but since the government of President Abdurrahman Wahid, the term official state religion was abolished. 3) Culture, is human knowledge as a social being whose contents are tools or models of knowledge that are collectively used by its supporters to interpret and understand the environment faced and used as a reference or guideline for acting (in the form of behavior and cultural objects) in accordance with the environment faced. 4) Language: is another supporting element of national identity. Language is understood as a symbolic system that is arbitrarily formed from elements of human speech sounds and which is used as a means of interaction between humans. From the elements of National Identity above, the division can be formulated as follows: • Fundamental Identity: the basic values of life for the Indonesian nation that distinguish it from other nations in the world, namely Pancasila which is the National Philosophy, the State Foundation and the State Ideology. • Instrumental Identity: is a mutual agreement that can unite the Indonesian nation, such as the 1945 Constitution and its Legislation, the Indonesian Language, the State Emblem, the State Flag, the National Anthem "Indonesia Raya". • Natural Identity: is a natural identity inherent in the country of Indonesia. Indonesia is a unitary state territory stretching between north latitude to 11 degrees south latitude, and from 97 degrees to 141 degrees east longitude and is located between two continents, namely the continents of Asia and Australia/Oceania. Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world with 17,508 islands. Indonesia's territory stretches 3,977 miles between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. When the waters between the islands are combined, Indonesia's area becomes 1.9 million square miles with the five largest islands in Indonesia being . Sumatra with an area of 473,606 square kilometers. Java with an area of 132,107 square kilometers, Kalimantan (the third largest island in the world with an area of 539,460 square kilometers, Sulawesi with an area of 189,216 square kilometers, and Papua with an area of 421,981 square kilometers. Religion as regulated in the 1945 Constitution, that the Indonesian state guarantees freedom of religion in the lives of Indonesian citizens. Each Indonesian citizen has the right to embrace their respective religions and beliefs and to practice their worship according to the religion and beliefs of each Indonesian citizen. The right to religious life in Indonesia is protected by the state. The population in Indonesia is generally adherents to five religions, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Protestantism as well as adherents to other beliefs such as Confucianism. The majority of the Indonesian population is Muslim and the rest are adherents of Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Protestantism and other beliefs. • Cultural Identity: The population of Indonesia can be broadly divided into two groups. In the western part of Indonesia, the population is mostly Malay, while in the east it is Papuan, which has roots in the Melanesian islands. The total number of ethnic groups in Indonesia that have been surveyed by the Central Statistics Agency is 1128 ethnic groups. Many Indonesians identify themselves as part of a more specific ethnic group, which is divided according to language and region of origin, for example Javanese, Sundanese or Batak. In addition, there are also immigrants who are minorities, including ethnic Chinese, Indians, and Arabs. They have long come to the archipelago through trade routes since the 8th century BC and have settled as part of the archipelago. In Indonesia, there are around 3% of the ethnic Chinese population. Islam is the majority religion, embraced by around 85.2% of the Indonesian population, making Indonesia the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. The rest are Protestant (8.9%); Catholic (3%): Hindu (1.8%): Buddhist (0.8%); and others (0.3%). Most Indonesians speak their native language, but the official language of Indonesia, Bahasa Indonesia, is taught in all schools in the country and is mastered by almost all Indonesians. There are 750 regional languages in Indonesia, but only about 270 have been learned by the local community. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate regional languages from generation to generation to enrich the culture that we have. • Political Identity: Indonesian politics is a Pancasila democracy. Everything in Indonesia is regulated and deliberated by consensus, wisdom and prudence. Politics in Indonesia is based on the values of Pancasila. As in other democratic countries, the political system in Indonesia is based on the Trias Politica, namely legislative, executive and judicial powers. Legislative power is held by an institution called the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) which consists of two bodies, namely the DPR whose members consist of representatives of Political Parties and the DPD whose members represent the provinces in Indonesia. Each region is represented by 4 people who are directly elected by the people in their respective regions. The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is the highest state institution. The membership of the MPR changed after the Amendment to the 1945 Constitution in the period 19992004. All members of the MPR are members of the DPR plus members of the DPD (Regional Representative Council). Previously, members of the MPR were all members of the DPR plus group representatives. The current MPR members consist of 550 members of the DPR and 128 members of the DPD. Members of the DPR and DPD are elected through general elections and inaugurated for a five-year term. Indonesia's foreign policy as stated in the preamble to the 1945 Constitution is an active free policy. Which means that Indonesia as a sovereign country has a foreign policy concept that is not bound by any country in the world. This means that Indonesia has the right to determine its own stance in world politics that is active free and aims to maintain world security. And Indonesia regulates its domestic affairs without foreign interference. • Socio-economic identity: The economy of the Indonesian nation as regulated in the 1945 Constitution is a people's economy. Natural resources and all matters concerning the livelihood of many people are regulated by the state to be used as much as possible for the welfare of the entire population of Indonesia. In its economy, in the Indonesian state there are three forms of business entities, namely State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), Private Enterprises (BUMS) and Cooperatives. So, the Indonesian nation has an economic principle that natural resources and matters concerning the lives of many people are regulated by the state while other areas are run by the private sector and cooperatives. The existence of a nation in the current era of globalization is facing strong challenges, especially due to the influence of international power. According to Berger in The Capitalist Revolution, in the current era of globalization, capitalist ideology will rule the world. Capitalism has changed society one by one and has become an international force that determines the economic fate of most nations in the world and indirectly also the fate of social, political and cultural (Berger, 1988). According to Fukuyama (1989:48), this global change brings about a change in ideology, namely from a particular ideology to a universal ideology and in conditions like this, capitalism will rule it. In conditions like this, the national state will be controlled by a transnational state which is usually based on countries with the principle of capitalism (Rossenau). Consequently, nation states will gradually be increasingly pressured. However, in facing the process of change, it is very dependent on the ability of the nation itself. According to Toyenbee, the characteristic of a nation which is a local genius in facing the influence of foreign culture will face challenges and responses. If the challenge is large enough while the response is small then the nation will become extinct and this is what happened to the Aboriginal people in Australia and the Indian people in America. However, if the challenge is small while the response is large then the nation will not develop into a creative nation. Therefore, in order for the Indonesian nation to continue to exist in facing globalization, it must continue to place the national identity and identity which is the personality of the Indonesian nation as the basis for developing global cultural creativity. As is the case in various countries in the world, precisely in the era of globalization with full challenges that tend to destroy nationalism, there is a revival of national awareness. The term "national identity" in terminology is a characteristic possessed by a nation that philosophically distinguishes the nation from other nations. Based on this understanding, every nation in the world will have its own identity according to the uniqueness, nature, characteristics and character of the nation. Likewise, this is also very much determined by the process of how the nation was formed historically. Based on the nature of the understanding of "national identity" as explained above, the national identity of a nation cannot be separated from the identity of a nation or is called the personality of a nation. The concept of personality as an identity actually first emerged from psychology experts. Humans as individuals are difficult to understand when they are separated from other humans. Therefore, humans in interacting with other individuals always have a unique habit, behavior and character that distinguishes them from other humans. However, in general, the concept or term of personality as an identity is the whole or totality of biological, psychological and sociological factors that underlie individual behavior. This behavior consists of habits, attitudes, traits and characters that exist in a person so that the person is different from other people. Therefore, personality is reflected in the overall behavior of a person in relations with other humans (Ismaun. 1981:6) Based on the explanation above, the concept of personality as a national identity of a nation is the whole or totality of the personalities of individuals as elements that form the nation. Therefore, the concept of a nation's national identity cannot be separated from the concept of "Peoples Character", "National Character", or "National Identity". In relation to the national identity of Indonesia, the personality of the Indonesian nation is very difficult if only described based on physical characteristics. This is because the Indonesian nation itself consists of various ethnicities, races, tribes, cultures, religions, and characters that have had differences since their origins. Therefore, the personality of the Indonesian nation as a national identity has historically developed and found its identity after the proclamation of Independence on August 17, 1945. However, the national identity of a nation is not enough to be understood statically considering that a nation is made up of humans who always interact with other nations in the world with all their cultural results. Therefore, the national identity of a nation, including the national identity of Indonesia, must also be understood in a dynamic context, in the sense of how the nation accelerates development including its global interaction process with other nations in the international world. As we know in the international world, great nations that have developed their identities dynamically carry the name of the nation both in the world of science and in the world of international relations in the world. For the Indonesian nation, the dynamic dimension of Indonesian national identity has not shown development towards creative and dynamic nature. After the Indonesian nation experienced independence on August 17, 1945, various developments towards national and state life experienced a decline in terms of national identity. During the period of maintaining independence, the Indonesian nation was faced with state turmoil so that it did not bring progress to the nation and state. In relation to the context of national identity dynamically today, it seems that the Indonesian nation does not feel proud of its nation and state in the international world. As a result, today the spirit of patriotism, national spirit, spirit to present the best work for the nation and state in the field of science and technology today, the Indonesian nation has not shown significant acceleration, even though if we look at Indonesia's human resources, this should also be proud. Therefore, in relation to national identity dynamically today, the Indonesian nation must have a clear vision in carrying out reform, through the philosophical basis of the nation and state, namely Bhineka Tunggal Ika, which is contained in the philosophy of Pancasila. Society must be more open and dynamic but must be civilized and aware of the purpose of living together in the nation and state. With the awareness of togetherness and unity, God willing, the Indonesian nation will be able to dynamically carve out its national identity in the international world. According to another source (http://www.geocities.com/sttintim/johntitalev.html) it is stated that: One identity with two identities: 1) Primordial Identity 2) National Identity • Primordial Identity: a) People with various ethnic and cultural backgrounds: Javanese, Batak, Dayak, Bugis, Balinese, Timo, Maluku, etc. b) People with various religious backgrounds: Islam, Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Kaharingan, etc. • National Identity: a) A concept of nationality that has never had a counterpart before. b) Needs to be formulated by the tribes Based on the description above, it can be concluded that national identity is a concept of nationality that has never had a counterpart before and needs to be formulated by the tribes in a nation.