Calls for unity during the National Awakening commemorations

Calls for unity during the National Awakening commemorations were also expressed by several governors.

In Medan, North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin used the event to urge people to remember the National Awakening spirit to revitalize their sense of unity.

In his written address at a ceremony in Merdeka Field, Rizal said the National Awakening spirit has also helped to usher in a new era of reform which consistently renews itself to this present day.

It is especially pertinent now as Indonesia faces a time of crisis, he added.

In Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara Governor Harun Al Rasyid made in similar appeal.

"Let us not be trapped in conflict and tensions between ethnic groups and religions," he said as quoted by Antara while stressing that such a spirit was key to Indonesia's future glory.

"Let us create a conducive climate so this region can again rise and develop itself."(44/emf)