Last updated on March 31, 2022
The Coat of Arms of Indonesia
The Garuda Pancasila is the coat of arms of Indonesia. The main part of the coat of arms is the Garuda with a shield on its chest and a scroll gripped by its leg. The shield’s five emblems represent Pancasila, the five principles of Indonesia’s national philosophy. Garuda Pancasila was designed by Sultan Hamid II of Pontianak, and was adopted as national coat of arms on 1 February 1950.
The shield is a martial symbol, standing for defense of the country. It is divided into five sections: a background divided into quarters, colored red and white (the colors of the national flag) in a checkerboard pattern; and a smaller, concentric shield, black in background. A thick, black line lies horizontally across the shield, symbolizing the equator which passes through the Indonesian archipelago.
Each section of the shield has a symbol corresponding to the Pancasila principles laid down by its founder, President Sukarno.
The Star
The black shield bearing the golden star at center corresponds to the first Pancasila principle, belief in one God. The color black represent the color of nature. Upon this shield at center is a golden, five-pointed star. This is a symbol common not only among Indonesia’s muslims, christians, hindus, and buddhists, but also of the secular ideology of socialism as well.
This tenet of Pancasila has always been controversial, for it suggests compulsory religious belief as well as compulsory monotheism. Supporters of Sukarno’s legacy, believe that this tenet was meant to unify Indonesia’s population, who have diverse faiths and beliefs.
The Chain
In the bottom right quarter, on a red background, there is squares and round links chain. This chain represents successive human generations, with the round links representing women and the square links representing men. The chain corresponds to the second principle of the Pancasila, of belief in a commonly bound humanity.
The Banyan Tree
At the upper right quarter, on a white background, is the banyan tree (Indonesian, beringin). This symbol corresponds to the third Pancasila principle, the unity of Indonesia. Banyan trees have expansive above-ground roots and branches. The Republic of Indonesia, as an ideal conceived by Sukarno and the Nationalists, is one country out of many far-flung cultural roots.
The Bull
In the upper left quarter, on a red background, is the head of the Javanese wild bull, the banteng. This represents the fourth principle of Pancasila, democracy by deliberation and consensus among representatives. Sukarno’s Nationalists, and later his daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri’s Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle adopt the ‘banteng’ as a symbol of struggle. Because ‘banteng‘ is a social animal, so too is humanity, and decisions must be made collectively.
Rice and Cotton
In the lower left quarter, on a white background, are a gold-and-white paddy and cotton. These represent the fifth Pancasila principle of social justice. The rice and cotton represent sustenance and livelihood.
Source: http://www.wirantaprawira.de and http://www.panix.com