Freedom more important than peace: YLBHI

Freedom more important than peace: YLBHI

JAKARTA (JP): Freedom remains illusive as Indonesia marks its
52nd independence anniversary tomorrow, the chairman of the
Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) said
yesterday.

Bambang Widjojanto said Independence Day was an occasion to
remind the nation that "we still have a problem with independence
to this day".

Freedom, Bambang said in an Independence Day statement, was an
absolute condition for a nation to maintain its existence.

"Philosophically, freedom is recognized as a basis to build a
sovereign government, prosperity and international relations and
other political affairs," he said.

He cited the political slogan "We Love Peace, but We Love
Independence More" echoed by Indonesia's founding fathers during
the independence struggle in the 1940s.

"This is true. There can't be eternal peace as long as there
is still oppression and tyrannical rule.

"Can there be real peace without independence?" he asked.

Bambang said that freedom and independence are important
principles that must be upheld.

"As long as there is no freedom, there can't be eternal
development or eternal harmonious coexistence," he said.

Bambang said that in a post-colonial contemporary
sociopolitical concept, freedom and independence become an
important matter in the relations between power holders and the
people.

He refuted the concept, often used by government officials,
that freedom was derived from "Western" or "liberal" ideas and
therefore ran counter to nationalism.

Since they are founded on people's sovereignty, freedom and
democracy are universal values, he said.

"A government that rejects democracy is opposed to people's
sovereignty. It then becomes a government with absolute power.

"People's sovereignty then gives way to a ruler's sovereignty,
a personal sovereignty: l'etat c'est moi," Bambang said. (10/emb)