Campaign to promote tolerance and peace

Campaign to promote tolerance and peace

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Local pacifists have embarked on a campaign to show the world
that most Indonesians are tolerant, moderate and peace-loving.

They will collect 10,000 signatures from people who reject
religious extremism, and support efforts to keep national
integrity by strictly peaceful means.

Once completed, the signatures of petitioners from various
backgrounds will be submitted to President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, organizers said on Friday.

The initiator of the petition, Tamalia Alisjahbana, said the
effort was to voice concern from common people on growing
extremism, intolerance and sectarian conflict.

"We were concerned when learning from the media that 2,000
people took to streets, brandishing swords in the name of
religion and threatening foreigners," she said. "They made the
international community think that they represented the
Indonesian as a whole."

"The truth is that most Indonesians are against such
practices, are moderate and very tolerant," added Tamalia, the
daughter of noted writer Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana. "The petition
also aims to improve the country's image."

The campaigners said they want to make people look back to the
days when life in Indonesia was more full of compassion and
tolerance -- things, they say, the country wants to recapture.

Tamalia said the signatories of the petition represent people
from all walk of lives, from noted lawyer like Todung Mulya Lubis
to factory workers.

Chairwoman of the Society of Inter-Religious Dialog Amanda
Suharnoko said the campaign was strictly non-sectarian, and non-
partisan.

Meanwhile, youth organizations of various religious
backgrounds plan to hold massive campaigns for peace and humanity
in the coming celebrations of Idul Fitri, Christmas, New Year and
Chinese New year.

The organizations are: the Indonesian Muslim Students
Movement; the Indonesian Catholic Students Association; the
Muhammdiyah Students Association; the Indonesian Nationalist
Students Movement; the Indonesian Christian Students Movement;
the Indonesian Hindu Students Group; the Indonesian Buddhist
Students Association (Hikmahbudhi) and the Muslim Students
Organization Council (HMI MPO).

The organization activists will, among others, put up banners
carrying messages advocating religious tolerance on the eve of
the coming New Year at Taman Ismail Marzuki Cultural Center.