Sukarno Appointed As First President Of Indonesia
Saturday, 18th August 1945
The basic governmental structure of the new Republic of Indonesia was defined with the appointment of Sukarno as President and Mohammad Hatta as President and Vice-President. As the putting into effect the 1945 Indonesian constitution, which excluded any reference to Islamic law. The Central Indonesian National Committee (Komite Nasional Indonesia Poesat/KNIP) was setup to assist the president prior to election of a parliament.
The Pancasila was the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state. Pancasila consists of two Old Javanese words, "panca" meaning five, and "sila" meaning principles. It comprises five principles held to be inseparable and interrelated:
- Belief in the one and only God, (in Indonesian, Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa).
- Just and civilized humanity, (in Indonesian, Kemanusiaan Yang Adil dan Beradab).
- The unity of Indonesia, (in Indonesian, Persatuan Indonesia).
- Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives (in Indonesian, Kerakyatan Yang Dipimpin oleh Hikmat Kebijaksanaan, Dalam Permusyawaratan dan Perwakilan)
- Social justice for all of the people of Indonesia (in Indonesian, Keadilan Sosial bagi seluruh Rakyat Indonesia).