Saefuddin remarks on Megawati<\/p>\n
With reference to a letter by Masli Arman published on Oct.
\n28, 1998, I would strongly contest Masli Arman's notion that the
\nremarks by State Minister for Food and Horticulture Prof. Dr.
\nA.M. Saefuddin were made with good intention. Rather, Saefuddin's
\nremarks regarding Hinduism and the presidency gave an impression
\nof cheap party-political maneuvering at the expense of offending
\nIndonesians of the Hindu religion.<\/p>\n
The recent Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Perjuangan
\nconference held in Bali had massive support. Not only was there
\nsupport from the island's Hindus but from Moslems living in Bali
\nand from Moslems from as far away as Sumatra and Sulawesi, who
\nundertook an arduous journey to attend the event. Clearly, the
\nsupport enjoyed by the PDI led by Megawati, and for that matter
\nother political parties, must be worrying for the politicians at
\nJakarta. If Saefuddin's remarks were intended to discourage
\nMoslem support for PDI Perjuangan by suggesting that Megawati is
\na Hindu then he was seriously at fault.<\/p>\n
As far as I know, Megawati is of the Islamic faith. Her
\nfather, Kusno Sukarno, the founding father of the Indonesian
\nrepublic, and whom, I might add, risked his life and avoided
\nseveral assassination attempts to establish Indonesia's
\nindependence was a Moslem. President Sukarno's mother (Megawati's
\ngrandmother) was of the Hindu faith and originated from Bali.
\nPresumably she followed her husband's Moslem religion upon
\nmarriage as Hindu women normally do when marrying a Moslem or a
\npartner from another religion.<\/p>\n
Anyone who listened to the broadcast of Megawati's speech on
\nthe first day of the conference would have noticed that her first
\nwords were \"Assalaamu Alaikum\". This was accepted by her party
\nsupporters as being in the spirit of Pancasila. The doctrine of
\nPancasila incidentally was formed by Sukarno during exile on the
\nisland of Flores. Sukarno, in his autobiography (page 197),
\ndescribed the principles (later to be termed Pantja Sila) as
\n\"five beautiful pearls\". The formulation of the five principles,
\nhe noted, was a \"God-sent inspiration\".<\/p>\n
The uproar that has followed Saefuddin's remarks must be more
\nthan he had bargained for. The part of his remarks referring to
\nthe remote possibility of a Hindu ever becoming president
\nespecially has deeply offended Indonesians of the Hindu faith who
\nconsider his remark to be a flagrant departure from the
\nprinciples of Pancasila. Megawati in any case it would appear is
\na Moslem. Whether a simple apology by Saefuddin, who has not
\nexplained the motive behind his remarks, is enough to convince
\nHindus of their rights as Indonesian citizens remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
ROBIN PETER HOLMAN<\/p>\n
Sanur, Bali<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/saefuddin-remarks-on-megawati-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }