# Friday, June 02, 2006

Great events in human history

Two of the things that most impress me about Indonesia is its diversity and its Pancasila:

On June 1, 1945, during the final months of the Japanese occupation, a young Sukarno delivered a speech that sought to provide the foundation for a new independent nation. He defined the five principles as nationalism, humanitarianism, consensual democracy, social welfare and belief in one God.

[ The Jakarta Post - Petition seeks to reaffirm Indonesia's diversity ]

Sure, Indonesia has had a bit of a rocky road, but what democracy hasn't?

#    Comments [1] |
Friday, June 02, 2006 9:31:52 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
The fact that place as diverse as Indonesia is still a single country (OK, except for Brunei and East Timor) is just mind-boggling.

It's an amazing accomplishment of nationalism, on par with uniting the entire Caribbean as a single state.
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