Pancasila (politics)

Pancasila refers to the five main ideas or beliefs that Indonesia's founding father Sukarno (among others) announced would help guide Indonesia as an independent country. The five main beliefs were:

1. Ketuhanan yang Maha Esa (Belief in the one and only God)
2. Kemanusiaan yang adil dan beradab (Just and civilized humanity)
3. Persatuan Indonesia (The unity of Indonesia)
4. Kerakyatan yang dipimpin oleh hikmat kebijaksanaan dalam permusyawaratan/perwakilan (Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations among representatives)
5. Keadilan sosial bagi seluruh rakyat Indonesia (Social justice for all the people of Indonesia)

Pancasila first arose in the mid-20th century, and even though the five beliefs were very different, they were modeled off of the five pillars of Islam. It was largely influenced by the reactionary backlash to Dutch colonialism of the 20th century - and largely contributed to the 1945-1949 revolution.

The word Pancasila is made up of two Sanskrit words "panca" (which means five) and "sila" (which means idea or concept).