Social responsibility, harmony and spirit of humanity<\/p>\n
Alpha Amirrachman, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Dec. 26 tsunami disaster effectively flattened Banda Aceh
\nand killed more than 105,000 people there. The tragedy was
\nimmense, and left people traumatized, trying to comprehend that
\nthey had lost their loved ones in an unpredictable, brutal way.<\/p>\n
The world response to the disaster was impressively swift,
\nalthough it remains to be seen whether this spirit will not
\nrecede as quickly as the tsunami.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian assistance has poured in to the devastated city;
\nand as flocks of national and international volunteers have
\ngathered there in streams, the central government quickly
\nimplemented the visa-on-arrival in order to ease the relief
\noperation. Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, which is still under a state
\nof civil emergency, was suddenly open to almost everybody.<\/p>\n
Much as the wrath of nature killed people irrespective of
\ntheir nationality, ethnicity, race or religion, people around the
\nworld acted in like fashion, mourning the death of their fellow
\nmen and uniting in an awesome spirit of humanity. Social
\norganizations around the world quickly organized fund-raisers,
\nand it was astonishing to realize that those who acted first to
\nlend hand to the most populated Muslim country in the world were
\nfrom non-Muslim countries.<\/p>\n
Within the country, heartening actions were also taken, such
\nas Jusuf Wanandi's appeal in this paper not long ago that this
\nwas the moment of truth for Chinese-Indonesians to display their
\nsense of solidarity by participating in relief efforts.<\/p>\n
As such, the tragedy has prompted people across the world to
\ngather in Aceh in a great spirit of empathy and compassion. The
\npower of nature, at least for the moment, has sidelined man's
\narrogance, complacency and prejudice, instead uniting them in an
\nunprecedented show of humanity.<\/p>\n
Will this spirit prevail in the aftermath of the tragedy,
\nparticularly as reconstructing Aceh is a mammoth task that would
\ntake years to complete? Likewise, will we, as a people of this
\nhighly diverse country prone to communal and religious conflicts,
\nbe able to restrain ourselves from our historical biases,
\nparticularly toward foreign volunteers or to our countrymen of
\ndifferent religious and ethnic backgrounds?<\/p>\n
Furthermore, in an era when terrorism has been so prominent,
\nwill the international community be able to put aside the
\nprevailing prejudice that has identified terror with Islam?<\/p>\n
Sadly, signs of racial and religious prejudice are beginning
\nto emerge and may threaten reconstruction efforts.<\/p>\n
As some volunteers admitted in this paper recently: "false
\nstories about looting, burning and rape targeting the ethnic
\nChinese in Aceh ... and other rumors have been circulating via
\nemail and SMS. Some people responded ... by calling for a stop to
\nall humanitarian aid from and to specific ethnic and religious
\ngroups".<\/p>\n
Another sign was the circulation of leaflets that called on
\nthe Acehnese not to allow adoptions by "kafir (infidels),
\nChristians or missionaries". Later, it was found that the flyers
\nwere spread allegedly to spark hatred among the people.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a sense of "nationalism" apparently spread by
\nultra-nationalists began to emerge with suspicions that the
\nforeign troops assigned to the city were more political than
\nhumanitarian -- but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono brushed
\naside the issue.<\/p>\n
Likewise, at the international level, prejudice began to rise
\nas various media reported that "militant groups" had joined
\nrelief efforts with a possible agenda to target foreigners from
\nChristian countries. The concern may be understandable, but this
\nmerely proves that the flame of religious tension is still
\nburning, regardless the severity of human tragedy -- which is
\nsupposed to transcend race, faith and nationality.<\/p>\n
It should be remembered that because the catastrophe was
\ncentered in our country, responsibility for the appropriate
\nrealization of aid efforts rests squarely on our shoulders.<\/p>\n
In this case, it is the obvious duty of religious and local
\nleaders to continue to foster an understanding within communities
\nthat this human tragedy belongs not only to "us", but also to
\n"them", and that there is no reason whatsoever to stir
\nmisunderstanding. This message could be relayed through mosques,
\nconscientious media coverage and the government.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, foreign volunteers are also expected to
\nconduct their relief mission with high respect toward local
\npolitics, cultures and religions. Perhaps cultural liaison
\nofficers should accompany volunteer teams to consult on local
\nsensitivities. For example, religious conversion issues are
\nhighly sensitive and need to be handled with caution.<\/p>\n
More importantly, all parties, particularly those who
\napparently tried to boost their political standing both overtly
\nand covertly, should strongly restrain themselves. Spreading
\nrabble-rousing rumors is not only cowardly, but is also dangerous
\nto national cohesion. The tragedy is so vast and the agony and
\ngrief of the Acehnese so inconceivable, it is repugnant and
\nunethical if certain parties try to gain political benefits at
\nthe expense of the suffering Acehnese.<\/p>\n
The catastrophe is thus a test of our commitment to nurturing
\nour sense of humanity and very possibly, this could serve as a
\nhistorical turning point for this multi-ethnic country to embrace
\na more harmonious coexistence after prolonged religious and
\ncommunal conflicts.<\/p>\n
As we have all observed, the worldwide response in aid of our
\nAcehnese brothers and sisters has been heartwarming and genuine.
\nIn return, we should show our sincerity, courage and a conscious
\nattitude toward maintaining this spirit following the tragedy --
\nand bury our misunderstandings, prejudices and selfishness.<\/p>\n
The writer (a.amirrachman@edfac.usyd.edu.au) is a lecturer at
\nthe University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka and a deputy
\ndirector of the Public Sphere Institute.<\/p>",
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