Govt snubs call for national repentance

SEMARANG (JP): Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher has thrown a wet blanket over a call for "nationwide repentance" made recently by Moslem leaders concerned by a spate of disasters hitting the country, saying the issue has been politicized.

"The call for national repentance was clearly something that was politically-toned, even mystical," Tarmizi told reporters here Saturday after attending the presentation of an honorary doctorate degree by the Diponegoro University to Malaysian King Ja'afar Abdul Rahman.

On Saturday, Tarmizi was seconded by Diponegoro University Rector Muladi, who said the issue that Indonesia needs to repent because of a spate of recent disasters was "dramatized".

Moslem leaders grouped in the Indonesian Committee for World Moslem Solidarity gathered last Sunday to express concern over a number of disasters here, calling them a divine warning that required nationwide penitence.

The leaders said in a statement delivered by Amien Rais, chairman of the 28 million-strong Muhammadiyah organization, the disasters may well be a form of punishment because many people, leaders and followers alike, had behaved badly. They cited rampant corruption as one of the forms of poor conduct.

The country has just started to recover from the shock following the Sept. 26 crash of a Garuda Indonesia Airbus in Buah Nabar, Medan, North Sumatra, killing all 234 people on board.

Less than two weeks later, a police helicopter crashed in Jambi, killing the pilot, the copilot and a passenger and leaving its mechanic seriously injured.

Indonesia has also for the past few months been suffering from haze caused by widespread forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Millions of people here and in neighboring Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines have been affected, many suffering respiratory problems.

In Irian Jaya, 413 people have died of starvation and drought- related illnesses.

But Muladi said that as most Indonesians are religious people who ask for God's forgiveness everyday, nationwide repentance was not necessary.

"The most important thing to do is to reflect, seek the cause of the accidents and take necessary actions as solution," said Muladi.

Noted Central Java ulema Cholil Bisri supported the call for national repentance.

"We (Indonesians) have to repent to God, promise the Almighty not to repeat the same mistakes and repair the damages," he said. (har/imn)