The academic community of Hasanuddin University (Unhas) held a ceremony to commemorate Pancasila Sanctity Day. Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc., personally led the flag ceremony. The event began at 07:30 WITA (Central Indonesia Time) at the basketball court at the Unhas Student Activity Unit (UKM) complex, Tamalanrea Campus, Makassar, on Wednesday (1 October).
In his address, Prof. JJ described Pancasila Sanctity Day as a reminder of the importance of a spirit of togetherness and unity in facing the many challenges confronting Indonesia. As a nation that values and respects Pancasila as the foundation of our statehood, Prof. JJ said, we must always remember and uphold the values it embodies.
“In support of the mandate of Pancasila, Unhas continues to provide scholarships to around 10,000 students every year. This year, we granted single tuition fee (UKT) reductions to around 5,000 students as a form of our commitment to ensuring that education remains affordable for people from all walks of life, especially those from underprivileged families,” Prof. JJ explained.
Prof. JJ also called on the entire academic community to always maintain unity and solidarity, and not to be swayed by anyone seeking to divide that unity and create unproductive conflict. He invited the entire academic community to bring honor to the name of their alma mater and to help make Unhas an impactful campus that contributes directly to the welfare of the people.
Prof. JJ went on to describe concrete evidence that the presence of Unhas has had, and continues to have, a positive impact on the nation’s progress, including community service activities carried out in three regencies in South Sulawesi, which have been of great benefit in addressing the problems faced by communities and regional governments.
“We believe that the service Unhas provides to the surrounding communities is a concrete embodiment of the noble values of Pancasila, which is also in line with the aspirations of the proclaimers of Indonesia’s independence to realize a just, prosperous and thriving society,” Prof. JJ added.
This year, the theme of Pancasila Sanctity Day is “Pancasila Perekat Bangsa Menuju Indonesia Raya” (Pancasila, the Nation’s Unifying Bond Toward a Great Indonesia). The theme was chosen to show the ideals to be achieved and to reflect a shared commitment to making Pancasila the unifying foundation of the nation amid its diversity.
The entire Pancasila Sanctity Day commemoration ceremony ran smoothly until 09:00 WITA. (*/mir)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.