Gays are not Pancasilais: ideologue chief

JAKARTA (JP): Gays are not Pancasilais, that's the verdict from R. Soeprapto, the nation's chief ideologue.

Lesbians and homosexuals have principles that run counter to providence and one of Pancasila's tenets is belief in one God, said Soeprapto, who heads the BP-7, an agency that propagates the teaching of the ideology.

"Therefore we cannot accept principles that violate providence," he was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

People who declare themselves as gay are adhering to principles that run counter to the norms of the people of this land, he added.

This means that a gay couple seeking official or legal endorsement of their marriage will be rejected, Soeprapto said.

The argument that such a rejection would violate their basic human rights cannot be applied in Indonesia, for true human rights must not contradict the divinely given human nature, he added.

He further argued that the family is not merely a means to satisfy biological urgings, but also to create happiness and welfare for its members and perpetuate the human race.

"How can a couple of the same sex have offspring and perpetuate the human race?" he asked. (17)