Jakarta – Indonesia will be able to barrel through the various problems it currently faces, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, by remaining united "guided by the state ideology of Pancasila," President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Thursday to commemorate Pancasila Reverence Day, which falls on Oct. 1.
"Every era will have its own challenges [...] and today, our country is being challenged with an extraordinary test: the COVID-19 pandemic," Jokowi wrote on his Instagram account.
"We can always get through these challenges thanks to our real strength, namely unity and national brotherhood that is guided by the ideology of Pancasila."
The President also led a Pancasila Reverence Day ceremony in observance of the death of seven heroes of the revolution, killed in a botched coup allegedly attempted by the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) on Sept. 30, 1965.
The ceremony, held at the Pancasila Sakti memorial complex in Lubang Buaya in East Jakarta, was attended by a limited number of officials to comply with the COVID-19 health protocol of avoiding crowds and maintaining physical distancing.
According to official government data, Indonesia has recorded 287,008 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 10,740 deaths as of Thursday.