Cak Nur calls for pluralism in RI

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

On the observance of the 60th anniversary of Indonesian independence, all sides have been told to accept pluralism as a reality and to use it to help build a modern Indonesia.

Nurcholish Madjid, a respected Muslim scholar who is recovering from a major lifesaving operation, said that despite unavoidable negative excesses, the development of democracy in Indonesia had begun to bear fruit in the creation of a more egalitarian society.

"Such a society contains an understanding that people from different backgrounds tolerate one another and accept positively the differences among themselves," the wheelchair-bound scholar said in an address at an event on Monday aimed at rescuing the National Archive Building.

"Pluralism must be taken as a common capital to build the nation ... ," he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his predecessors, including Soeharto and Megawati Soekarnoputri, were invited to attend the event, along with other national figures. However, only former president Abdurrahman Wahid attended the event.

Nurcholish, better known as Cak Nur, did not actually attend the event. His speech was recorded earlier and played during the event, which was hosted by Paramadina University.

He said that when proclaiming Indonesia's independence 60 years ago, the founding fathers declared a national commitment to building a just, open and democratic country.

Justice requires an egalitarianism that treats all people equally and does not allow one group dominate other groups, he said.

"Openness is a part of democracy that allows all citizens to express their opinions freely," he stressed.

Nurcholish said the nation faced a serious challenges in educating people about pluralism.

"We have to continue creating fertile ground for the growth of a healthy democracy that accepts pluralism, tolerance and freedom of thought," he said.

The deputy rector of Paramadina University, Yudi Latif, said Nurcholish's address was not meant as a criticism of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)'s controversial edicts declaring pluralism and liberalism forbidden under Islamic law.

"Paramadina planned the event long before the MUI issued its fatwas, and Cak Nur's address is to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Indonesia's independence," he said before the start of the event.

Yudi urged everyone to accept pluralism and social tolerance, which he said were part of the nation's character. "The nation does not belong to any one group, but to all social elements from all different backgrounds."