Mosque no place for political activities: Try

Mosque no place for political activities: Try

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno told Moslems
yesterday not to use mosques for political activities, such as
persuading the congregation to vote for a particular political
organization in an election.

Meeting with leaders of the Indonesian Mosques Council (DMI),
Try stressed that the mosque was a good place to undertake social
activities.

"The mosque need not be used solely as a place of worship,"
the vice president was quoted as saying by council chairman Adang
Safaat.

Adang said Try also suggested that mosques be open for
humanitarian activities, such as offering first aid to victims of
accidents or disasters.

While agreeing that preachers may encourage mosque goers to
learn more about politics, Try cautioned against their use for
partisan political purposes.

"What we may not do is to let a mosque affiliate with either
the ruling Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) or the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)," Adang told reporters.

DMI's acting secretary-general Oemar Ghifarry added that the
council would intensify its information campaigns aimed at
discouraging the use of mosques for political activities.

He said the council had asked the Amal Bhakti Pancasila
Foundation, which is chaired by President Soeharto, to assist
mosques to build facilities such as libraries, clinics and
kindergartens.

"We hope that the foundation will do more than simply assist
in the building of new mosques, as it does at present," Oemar
said.

The council leaders met with Try to report on their plan to
hold DMI's third congress here from Jan. 18 through Jan. 21.

Congress steering committee chairman Achmad Syaichu Ratib said
the gathering, which will bring together about 1,000 MDI
activists from across Indonesia, will be opened by President
Soeharto and closed by Try.(pan)