Cak Nur calls for pluralism in RI

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."