Key Figures from Malino I-II Declarations Testify that JK's Lecture Aligns with Historical Narrative
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Key figures involved in the historical peace declarations of Malino I in Poso and Malino II in Maluku have provided testimony that the lecture by Indonesia’s 10th and 12th Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK) at UGM aligns with the historical narrative.
Based on ANTARA’s observations, a meeting of figures from the Poso and Maluku conflict negotiations was held at 10:00 WIB in Jakarta on Tuesday, lasting for two hours.
The forum was conducted openly and agreed on peace in response to the polemic surrounding the content of JK’s lecture at UGM on Thursday (5/3).
One historical figure from the Malino II delegation in Maluku, John Ruhulessin, stated that the content of the lecture matches the sociological facts that occurred.
John confirmed that JK, as the state’s representative in the peace negotiations, directly visited communities in Ambon, Maluku, and understood the conflict conditions.
According to him, JK’s lecture did not intend to disparage Christianity.
“Mr JK never discussed a religious doctrine. If that religious doctrine had been applied at the time, I am certain the conflict in Maluku would not have happened; instead, religion was used as a tool to legitimise the violence and killings that took place,” he said.
“Therefore, we hope that anyone who opposes what Mr JK said will learn about the case. Look into it first,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the DPP Hidayatullah Organisational Division, Dudung Amadung Abdullah, stated that the content of the lecture alleged to disparage religion contains no criminal offence in the narrative presented.
“In our opinion, after examining what Mr Jusuf Kalla said at UGM, there is not a single offence indicating that he committed blasphemy against religion,” he said.
For this reason, he expressed that the meeting serves as an opportune moment for representatives of various religious communities to calm the situation regarding the issue.
“Perhaps once again, this is a moment for us to collectively calm our respective congregations,” he said.