Govt snubs call for national repentance
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)