Natsir is Pupils and Also Soekarno

By: Moh Mahfud MD
- Chairman of the Association of Teachers of Constitutional and
Administrative Law (APHTN-HAN)
- Chief of Constitutional Court (2008-2013)

I was stunned when Ahmad Basarah, Vice of General Secretary PDI-P who is also chairman of the party faction in the Assembly said that Sukarno alias Bung Karno, Indonesia's legendary proclaimed it was a pupils.

I was stunned not because they do not believe, but because almost no figures say Sukarno as pupils.

Basarah said that while defending his doctoral dissertation, "The Existence of Pancasila as the Benchmark in Tests Against 1945 Law on the Constitutional Court" in Education Doctor of Law, University of Diponegoro, December 10, 2016 ago.

Basarah show the pupils of Soekarno with proof that as moslem, Sukarno was a pupil and son in law of HOS Tjokroamito, islamic leaders of freedom fighters. Sukarno was also devout moslems perform prayers five times a day, fast during Ramadan, pilgrimage and so forth.

If we use the criteria used by the anthropologist, Clifford Geertz, then with the observance of worship was indeed a Soekarno moslem students, not moslems abangan.

Outside the criteria, Soekarno indeed be considered as a fighter and a tough moslem thinker. In addition to polemic regarding fundamental issues of Islam with other moslem figures like A Hassan and M Natsir, since the late 1930s, Soekarno wrote extensively on the promotion of Islam, the religion he follows.

Among the writings of Soekarno circulating in the decade leading up to independence are writings in the magazine Panji Islam published in Medan as article titled "Rejuvenate of Understanding Islam", "Why Turkey Separating Religion of the State", "The Camel and Society The airship", " Islam Sontoloyo ", and so on.

Even basic state ideology, Pancasila, which Soekarno was first coined on June 1, 1945 in front of the Assembly Investigation Agency for Efforts Preparation of Indonesian Independence (BPUPKI) is a product of the digging of Islamic thought after, among others, polemics depth with Natsir about the relationship between state and religion.

Initially through his writings, Soekarno crave Indonesia a secular state, free from religious issues. On the contrary, for the advancement of Islam and moslem, Natsir being proposed that Indonesia meet its independence when it was established as a state based on Islam. Both of these views into a school of thought (politics) in setting up and developing Indonesia.

Both Sukarno and Natsir are both students and both want to promote Islam, but Soekarno want to separate religion from the state, while Natsir want to convert to a basic state.

In argued Natsir also wrote for comparing opinions Soekarno like writings titled "Love Religion and the Homeland", "Ichwanus Shafa", "Rationalism in Islam", "Islam and Intellect Freedom", "Unity of Religion by the State," Meaning of Religion in the State ".

In a paper prepared for a welcome reminder Half Century Islamiyah or DDII Dakwan Council (1967-2017), I say without hesitation that Pancasila as the state ideology can be seen as part of the mouth of the polemic between Soekarno and Natsir.

Pancasila is a model of prismatic or scintillating agreement (modus vivendi) between countries understand the religion championed by Islamic nationalism flow and the flow of secular nationalism.

Pancasila is not a state based on religion as originally championed by Natsir but also a secular state as originally championed by Soekarno.

Soekarno thought that Indonesia should not be accepted into a religious state and Natsir thought that Indonesia should not be a secular state devoid of religion are also accepted.

Soekarno succeeded in formulating a middle ground, a compromise, which became known as the state ideology. Indonesia is not the state religion but the state "in god" protecting adherents of all religions who live in the midst of society.

Formula of state ideology called Pancasila in the context of the relationship between state and religion was made on the official forum was first received by the president on June 1, 1945 in the BPUPKI Assembly, then agreed compromised formula on June 22, 1945 in the form of Preamble (the Jakarta Charter), and eventually finalized and ratified on August 18, 1945 in the Assembly Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI).

From one angle it can be said, Pancasila is a compound idea of a secular state that never represented by Soekarno idea to state based on Islam which once represented by Natsir idea.

Both ideas are tied, can not be said as a result of victory or defeat of one of them. That is, the basic view of the two figures in the size of both students Geertz was equally accommodated in a prismatic within state Pancasila as the in god nation-state (religious nation state).

After Indonesia truly become the second independent state of the nation's students are still friendly and equally participate in managing the country. Sukarno became President and Natsir lead Masyumi Party, became minister to the Prime Minister.

Sukarno and Natsir continued to fight for his ideas through their respective positions by consistently on the basis of an agreement of nation (mistsaqon ghaliedza, modus vivendi).

When Indonesia threatened shattered because federal system designed by van Mook as a product of the Round Table Conference, at the beginning of 1950 Natsir pioneered the "Mosi Integral" to return to a unitary state in accordance with what is desperately fought by BPUPKI first.

That between the two never happened differences certainly can not be denied. That inevitability of democracy.