Indonesia
On 15 May 2020 at 14:00 WIB, a live streaming talkshow was held under the theme “Pentahelix and the welfare of Ummah (Kemaslahatan Ummat)” as part of Kampus Ramadhan series, broadcast on the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Channel YouTube channel in collaboration with Universitas Islam Malang (UNISMA). The session marked the 22nd episode of the Kampus Ramadhan talkshow.
UNISMA Postgraduate Program Director, Prof. M. Mas’ud Said, MM., Ph.D., once again served as a resource person, this time joined by the Head of the Master’s Program in Administrative Science, Dr. Slamet Muchsin, M.Si.
“We are now living in the era of cooperation and collaboration” Prof. Mas’ud’s opening statement set the tone for a discussion on the indispensability of collaborative frameworks in today’s world. The evolution of administrative science has introduced the concept of Pentahelix, which Dr. Slamet elaborated as a framework of cooperation among five institutional pillars: the Government, as the holder of political power; Non-Governmental Organizations, as social power; Academia and Higher Education Institutions, as the source of knowledge power; the Business sector, representing private enterprise; and the Media, serving as the primary channel of public information.
Although the Pentahelix concept is relatively recent in academic discourse, its practice, in fact, dates back to the era of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Even the Prophet as the most complete of human beings relied on the support of his companions in carrying out his mission. He drew upon the wisdom of Abu Bakr, the courage of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the generosity of Uthman ibn Affan, and the intellect of Ali ibn Abi Talib. The imperative of cooperation is indeed enshrined in the Qur’an, in Surah Al-Maidah verse 2: “Wa ta’awanu ‘ala al-birri wa al-taqwa, wa la ta’awanu ‘ala al-ithmi wa al-‘udwan” it means that “Cooperate with one another in righteousness and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression.”
The Director of Graduate Programs and the Chair of Master’s Program in Administrative Science at Ramadhan Campus, along with the host
Several companies in Japan have successfully adopted this collaborative model. Some firms, notably, have no dedicated internal research division whatsoever instead choosing to incorporate and apply research produced by universities and academic institutions.
While the Pentahelix concept may appear highly theoretical, this by no means renders it unattainable in practice. The Postgraduate Program Director identified three prerequisites for the successful realisation of Pentahelix: trust, communication, and operationalisation, all of which must converge to produce genuine public benefit and common good. (NAD/AL/PPS)
