Gus Falah Says Taufiq Kiemas' Teachings Must Not Die
Member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Nasyirul Falah Amru, known as Gus Falah, has called on all parties to continue keeping alive the spirit of the teachings of Dr (HC) Taufiq Kiemas regarding tolerance and respect for multiculturalism. This spirit is needed for Indonesia’s pluralistic society.
‘Every year, we deliberately keep alive the spirit of the late Mr Taufiq Kiemas’ teachings through commemorative events like the one we are holding now,’ explained Gus Falah during his speech at the 13th Haul commemoration of Dr (HC) Taufiq Kiemas at the At-Taufiq Mosque, as quoted on Tuesday (9/6).
According to Gus Falah, during his tenure as Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly from 1 October 2009 to 8 June 2013, Taufiq Kiemas left many valuable legacies. These ranged from initiating the Socialisation of the Four Pillars, straightening out the history of Pancasila’s birth on 1 June, to leaving a positive mark in politics with the establishment of the At-Taufiq Mosque in front of the PDI Perjuangan Party School on Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.
‘Positive history like this is important to convey and commemorate every year, so that the younger generation knows history and does not forget it. Many great nations are built upon the narratives of the positive history of their founding figures,’ explained Gus Falah.
In the context of Indonesian diversity, the representative from Electoral District X of East Java (Lamongan-Gresik) depicted Taufiq Kiemas as akin to the character Bisma from Javanese wayang lore. Academician Melisa Florence Schillevoort, in an article in a journal, once analysed Bisma’s character as a powerful figure entitled to the throne of Astina Kingdom who refused to become king in order to prevent division within the state of Astina.
‘This son of Prabu Santanu had a brave character, was an educator, protector and steadfast keeper of promises. He prioritised the harmony of the world, the universe and nature over self-interest. I hope I am not exaggerating in portraying the late Dr (HC) Taufiq Kiemas as Bisma,’ explained Gus Falah.
To this end, Gus Falah invited all parties to look back at the past of the late Taufiq Kiemas, which was filled with traces of goodness, from being a nationalist who tended to unite differences amidst diversity to being a loyal guardian of Pancasila as the national ideology. ‘The spirit that Mr Taufiq Kiemas carried out was similar to the spirit of Bisma that I recounted,’ explained Gus Falah.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the PDI Perjuangan Central Executive Board, Dr Ahmad Basarah, in his speech at the 13th Haul of Dr (HC) Taufiq Kiemas, recounted that the resource person at the event, Prof Dr Idris Thaha, admitted to being awestruck upon seeing the splendour of the At-Taufiq Mosque built in front of the PDI Perjuangan Party School on Jl. Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.
‘In his whisper to me just now, Prof Idris Thaha admitted to being awestruck seeing the At-Taufiq Mosque. The existence of this mosque reinforces his belief that PDI Perjuangan is not an anti-Islam party, nor the communist party it has been accused of being, but rather a party that accommodates Islam,’ explained Ahmad Basarah.
The Chairman of the Advisory Board of Baitul Muslimin Indonesia also recounted that he had known Idris in 2018. At that time, Idris was writing a dissertation about Islam and PDI Perjuangan.
‘Through his dissertation, Idris defended the argument that PDI Perjuangan actually defends the interests of Muslims. He recorded all of this party’s struggles in the Indonesian House of Representatives defending a number of draft laws that support the interests of Muslims, such as the Pesantren Bill, for example, among others,’ explained Ahmad Basarah.