Confucianism should be legalized

Confucianism should be legalized

JAKARTA: Confucianism should become one of the official
religions in Indonesia in a bid to help uphold democracy in the
country, People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais says.

Amien, who also chairs the National Mandate Party (PAN), said
on Friday there was no precedent in a democratic country where
the government could prohibit a religion.

After learning that the number of people who followed
Confucianism, mostly Chinese, was quite a lot in the country,
there was no reason for the government to ignore the faith, Amien
said while opening the 14th national congress of the Konghucu
High Religion Assembly.

The government has so far only recognized five official
religions in the country: Islam, Protestant, Catholic, Buddhism
and Hinduism.

Confucianism is deemed by the government as a faith, but not a
legal religion. --Antara