Religious-based groups should hold more dialogs<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) has called on all five
\nreligious-based intellectual organizations to hold regular
\ndialogs to strengthen the national culture.<\/p>\n
Addressing a seminar jointly organized by the five groups,
\nABRI Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. M. Ma'ruf said
\nmembers of these associations are in a position to promote the
\ndevelopment of national culture, provided they can put aside
\ntheir own religious attributes.<\/p>\n
\"Intellectuals and their organizations should articulate their
\nsocial responsibility in a critical, creative and objective way,
\nwithout being hampered by their own cultural attributes,\" Ma'ruf
\nsaid, quoting Edward Shils in Encyclopedia of The Social Science.<\/p>\n
The cultural attributes should be \"neutralized\" to allow these
\norganizations to hold creative dialogs, he added.<\/p>\n
The seminar on national culture, which was opened by President
\nSoeharto on Friday, is jointly organized by the Association of
\nMoslem Intellectuals (ICMI), the Association of Catholic
\nGraduates, the Association of Christian Intelligentsia (PIKI),
\nthe Forum of Hindu Intellectuals and the Association of Buddhist
\nIntellectuals.<\/p>\n
The seminar at the Sunlake Hotel, which winds up today, look
\nat the national cultures from various perspectives.<\/p>\n
Ma'ruf, who provided the security perspective, said that the
\nreligious attributes used by these organizations could also
\nbecome a source of division and conflict.<\/p>\n
\"If not neutralized, the cultural attributes can lead to
\ndisputes not only between intellectuals and their organizations,
\nbut also between the communities they represent,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A number of politicians and analysts have warned that the
\ngrowing influence of ICMI in the political arena could revive the
\nhighly divisive sectarian politics in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
While not fully ascribing to this theory, Ma'ruf said that
\nmore dialogs among these religious-based intellectual
\norganizations would promote greater tolerance among the various
\nreligious communities they represent.<\/p>\n
\"With and through such dialogs, the intellectual organizations
\ncan develop religious tolerance, solidarity and brotherhood among
\nthemselves and religious communities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For its part, ABRI is also prepared to hold periodic dialogs
\nwith the organizations, to discuss ways of enhancing national
\nsecurity and ways of solving various problems the nation is
\nfacing, he said during the questions and answers session.<\/p>\n
\"Our door is always open to your organizations. Let us hold
\nconstructive dialogs on various issues and problems the nation is
\nfacing,\" he said.<\/p>\n
PIKI Chairman Cornelius Ronowidjojo, who also chaired the
\nsession, quickly hailed Ma'ruf's offer as the beginning of ABRI-
\ncivilian dialogs that had never taken place in the past.<\/p>\n
\"This is progress in the nation's history,\" Cornelis said.<\/p>\n
Ma'ruf said Indonesia's cultural diversity could strengthen,
\nor weaken the national culture, depending on how society, and
\nparticularly its intellectuals, treat the issue.<\/p>\n
\"The challenge for intellectuals is how to interpret
\nheterogeneity into reality, so that it becomes a strength for the
\nnation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesia must learn lessons from Yugoslavia and the
\nformer Soviet Union, two nations that disintegrated along
\nethnical lines.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, with approximately 350 ethnic and sub-ethnic groups
\nand different religions is quite prone to disintegration, he
\nadded.(rms)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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