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The National Awakening Party is calling for compulsory military service to instill nationalism in young Indonesians, one of its politicians said on Tuesday.

Lukman Edy, the head of the party’s faction at the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), said the understanding and practice of the state ideology Pancasila was on the wane among young people, which was not good for the country.

The National Awakening Party (PKB) leader cited the results of a recent survey by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), showing that at least 20 percent of Indonesians no longer deemed Pancasila as necessary.

“We need a variety of efforts to strengthen our national ideology, all conducted on a massive scale,” Lukman said.

He said that for younger Indonesians, Pancasila should be included in the curriculum at schools, but for older youth, obligatory military service could be used to inculcate the ideology.

“It is now urgent that compulsory military service be applied, at least to replace the so-called orientation period that is of no aim or result,” Lukman said.

He was referring to an orientation period for new university students that usually lasts two weeks. The main idea behind the orientation is to introduce the students to their new academic environment. The program, known as Ospek, has been criticized by some as a mere exercise in hazing and has occasionally led to student deaths.

Lukman also said compulsory military service would not run against the Constitution, which mandates that a people’s defense force be established.

Besides instilling the five philosophical values of Pancasila, including tolerance of diversity, military service would forge nationalist sentiments among young Indonesians bombarded by globalization and values carried in from abroad.

Lukman called on people not to reflexively dismiss the idea, and said the military service would not emphasize physical activity.

“Three months would be enough. Students would be given courses on nationalism and Pancasila,” he said. “There will be physical activities, but not to prepare for war, just for discipline.”

He said the state’s large budget allocation for education would be enough to cover the establishment of the program.

“There would be no need to revise the laws to implement this. A presidential decree would suffice,” Lukman said.

“The Constitution also says that citizens are obliged and have the right to defend the country,” he added.