Moral decadence sparked riots: Catholic leader
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Catholic leader Mgr. Julius Cardinal Darmoatmodjo deplored the recent riots which have rocked the country and said an overwhelming moral decadence was behind the spate of violence.
Julius, chairman of the Bishops Council of Indonesia, said Saturday that morality no longer seemed to play a pivotal role in the life of many people.
He pointed at the increasing tendency among some people in society to disobey the law and deprive others of their basic human rights and justice.
"Our chief concern is that religious values and moral principles are no longer sufficient to prevent violent behavior," Julius said.
The mass violence escalated last week.
Just three days after a mob burned the Tanah Abang district head office in Central Jakarta Monday, sectarian and ethnic riots swamped the historic district of Rengasdengklok in Karawang, West Java. The latest unrest hit an industrial estate near Bandung, the capital of West Java, and Pontianak, West Kalimantan Friday. Nobody was killed in last week's riots.
The bishops council will disseminate its concerns in messages to be read in Catholic churches nationwide in observance with Lent, the Catholic holy period which precedes Easter on March 29.
Julius said the riots had disrupted harmony among different religious communities in the country and left minority groups "feeling insecure".
However, he hailed Moslem leaders for their help and condemnation of last October's riots in Situbondo, East Java, in which five people were killed.
He urged all religious communities to join forces in strengthening national unity and in eradicating corruption, collusion, torture and other forms of abuse.
"That's why we always encourage our people not to struggle for their own benefit, but to work together with others, no matter where they are from, for the sake of national interests," he said.
On recent suggestions to draft a law on religious harmony, Julius doubted its success saying all Indonesians have shared the same burdens since they started a new life as a free nation more than 50 years ago.
"True harmony appeared in villages, where people felt the same. They only happened to have different religions," he said.
Julius also called for a just, honest and free general election. "Any effort to manipulate or engineer the election by any group is a serious violation of people's rights and dignity, and to some extent will annul democracy," he said.
The Roman Catholic Church would let its followers choose freely on election day, he said.
"Catholic people do not have to gather in the same group to voice their political interest," he said.
Almost 125 million people throughout the country will go to polling booths on May 29. The government only recognizes three political groups to contest the election: the ruling Golkar, the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party.
Julius reiterated his concern on East Timor, saying there had been few changes in attitude in the 22 years since the former Portuguese colony was integrated into Indonesia.
"Many still do not like (to join Indonesia). There are also concerns at the approach used (by Indonesia)," he said.
"If this does not change, I am afraid the young generation in East Timor who did not experience the civil war (in the 1970s) would not respect the ideals of integration with Indonesia. They will only inherit hatred," he said.
"People may say they have been influenced by Fretilin (separatists). But how could Fretilin have such a wide influence?" he asked.
Julius advised the government to hold more dialogs with the East Timorese in order to reach an understanding.
The predominantly Roman Catholic East Timor is still directly administered by the Vatican and not by the council of bishops in Jakarta. On East Timor, the Vatican follows the United Nations which does not recognize integration with Indonesia. (amd)