Unity in danger, Mega warns<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri warned on Monday that
\nexcessive ethnic pride, currently widespread in the country,
\nposed a threat to national unity.<\/p>\n
Referring to the increased tendency within the regions to
\nemphasize regional distinctiveness in the wake of the
\nimplementation of regional autonomy in the country, the President
\nsaid it opened up the possibility of Indonesia becoming another
\nBalkans.<\/p>\n
\"Consciously or not, we often make a disproportionate use of
\nethnic or local symbols...I am very concerned when people use
\nethnic pride, 'local people' or even religious symbols to support
\nregional autonomy,\" Megawati said during the opening ceremony of
\na working meeting on national development.<\/p>\n
Speaking in front of governors and the heads of districts and
\nmunicipalities from across the country, Megawati said that the
\nspirit of national unity formulated by the founding fathers would
\nbe transgressed if each region were to focus on pursuing its own
\ninterests.<\/p>\n
\"If we are not careful in managing those sentiments then we
\nmay find ourselves caught up in a situation that runs against the
\nspirit of national unity and cohesion,\" the President remarked.<\/p>\n
The President, the daughter of founding president Sukarno,
\nadded that, while the former government may have caused much
\ndisappointment for many regions in Indonesia, that was no reason
\nto break the country up.<\/p>\n
She reminded her audience that the founding fathers understood
\na strong Indonesian nation could only be built on the unity of
\nmany regions and nations, as they also represented a variety of
\nethnic and religious backgrounds.<\/p>\n
\"We have seen many small countries in the world, established
\non the basis of narrow-minded local pride, that were unable to
\nimprove on the conditions that prevailed previously, when they
\nwere integrated into a larger country,\" she remarked.<\/p>\n
Megawati has repeated her warning of national disintegration a
\nnumber of times. As a strong nationalist, she has won popular
\nsupport for her opposition to total regional autonomy.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, during the commemoration of National Youth Pledge
\nDay, she warned that the country could perish if regional
\nsentiments continued to grow.<\/p>\n
She repeated her concern that regional autonomy, which was
\nintroduced in January 2001, could produce excessive regional
\npride, especially in those territories rich in natural resources,
\nas they may believe they would better off outside Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We should not get carried away with the assets that we have
\nnow, in terms of their potential to allow us to stand on our own
\ntwo feet. We should not forget that those resources carry many
\nproblems with them,\" she remarked.<\/p>\n
Megawati asserted that the implementation of regional autonomy
\nwould bring the regions not only more revenue sharing and
\nauthority, but also responsibilities to develop the regions
\neffectively.<\/p>\n
\"It is not meant to delegate sovereignty. Regional autonomy is
\ngranted to increase welfare and finally strengthen the national
\nunity of the country,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Separatist sentiment has grown in resource-rich regions, such
\nas Aceh and Riau in Sumatra, as well as in the easternmost
\nprovince of Papua, formerly Irian Jaya.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unity-in-danger-mega-warns-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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