Govts use nationalism to deny human rights

Govts use nationalism to deny human rights

JAKARTA (JP): Governments of many developing nations often use
nationalism to reject universal human values, noted Moslem leader
Abdurrahman Wahid said yesterday.

"Human rights, for example, are rejected using nationalism as
a pretext," Abdurrahman said.

On the positive side, he said, Indonesia has unique values
which help keep the nation unified while other countries are
disintegrating.

He said that religions which have their own set of universal
values have not always been compatible with nationalism.

"Isn't one is always discouraged from changing one's
religion?" he asked, adding: "This is also against universal
human values."

This means, he said, that in Indonesia there is an uneasy
relationship between nationalism, universal values and religion.

Abdurrahman made the remarks during the launching of Politics
in Indonesia: Democracy, Islam and the ideology of tolerance at
the headquarters of the Centre for Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS).

The book, published by Routledge of London, is based on a cum
laude dissertation of Douglas E. Ramage, a young American scholar
from the University of South Carolina, United States.

"Such an uneasy relationship bodes ill for us. Our unity as a
nation is under threat," said Abdurrahman, who was one of the
main sources of the book.

Ramage's book, he said, provides a common platform for looking
at the issue.

The book centers on Indonesian politics and the unusually
tolerant attitude shown by Abdurrahman, who is the leader of
Nahdlatul Ulama, a large rural-based socio-religious Moslem
organization.

Abdurrahman demonstrated an anti-sectarian attitude when he
opposed the establishment of the Association of Moslem
Intellectuals of Indonesia (ICMI) in 1990.

Because of his unconventional stance Abdurrahman is often at
odds with other Moslem leaders who put Islam before the question
of nationality.

Abdurrahman speaks in the book about his differences with
Amien Rais, the leader of another influential Moslem
organization, the urban-based Muhammadiyah.

Abdurrahman said yesterday that Ramage learned that
Indonesians, despite differences of interpretation of the state
ideology, Pancasila, have remained united as a nation.

"Their differences are not disintegrative in nature but they
set up a framework which is integrative. This is an important
thing to be remembered by Indonesians. If we hold on to this we
will share the same values," Abdurrahman said.

Harry Tjan Silalahi, the vice chairman of CSIS's Supervisory
Board, said the book focuses on the spirit of the Indonesian
nation as it deals with Pancasila.

CSIS sponsored Ramage's research during his writing of the
272-page book. The book is distributed in Indonesia through
Singapore-based Select book stores at Rp 80,000 (US$35) a copy.
(hbk)