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)