'Don't offend others' religious sensibilities'

'Don't offend others' religious sensibilities'

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto last night appealed to all religious communities to make known to others their particular sensibilities to avoid misunderstandings.

"We fully realize that every religious community has its particular sensibilities. These should be made known to the other communities, so that they do not offend them by mistake," Soeharto said during a Christmas reception with civil servants and members of the Armed Forces at the Jakarta Convention Center.

"There have been a number of disconcerting incidents in several places in our country this year which were caused by ignorance of religious sensibilities," he said.

"It is the duty of us all to remind one another of these sensibilities, so that no one forgets about these things.

"This way, we would not only prevent misunderstandings between various communities, we can even build mutual understanding and mutual respect which can soothe our hearts," the President said.

His speech did not refer to any particular incident.

This year has seen a number of communal strife, from the troubled province of East Timor to Purwakarta in West Java. Many of these incidents fueled tensions in other parts of the country, including Jakarta.

In the predominantly Roman Catholic East Timor, two people were killed in violent riots in September that had its origins when a local prison official, who is a Moslem, made offensive remarks about Roman Catholics. Thousands of Moslem migrants were forced to flee because of the riots.

In Pekalongan, Central Java, dozens of shops were destroyed when angry young Moslems took to the streets following reports that a man of Chinese descent, who later turned out to be mentally deranged, was seen tearing the Koran apart.

A few weeks earlier, a major department store in Purwakarta, West Java, became the target of an angry backlash after news spread that the owner had tortured a local girl accused of shoplifting. The demonstration had religious undertones because the girl was wearing a Moslem veil, while the owner is of a Chinese descent.

Soeharto yesterday said the Christian community in Indonesia has been active in every phase of the national struggle. "We will continue to need the Christian community for the future of the Republic of Indonesia," he said.

The Christian community, including Roman Catholics, make up about 10 percent of Indonesia's population of 196 million.

Soeharto also underlined that Indonesia's development path is aimed at attaining both material and spiritual progress.

The reception with President Soeharto, a devout Moslem, has become a tradition. Besides the choir, there was also a play from a story and idea that came from T.B. Silalahi, the state minister of administrative reforms. (01/emb)