Prosperity bodes well for religion, Soeharto says
Prosperity bodes well for religion, Soeharto says
JAKARTA (JP): As Indonesians become more prosperous their
faith will strengthen accordingly, President Soeharto said
yesterday.
"Some people are of the opinion that religion will be
alienated from individuals' personal and community life as they
become wealthier. This will never happen in our country,"
Soeharto said in Boyolali, Central Java, on inaugurating a new
haj dormitory.
In Indonesia, where religion has always been a very important
aspect of daily life, greater affluence has strengthened people's
faith, he said.
"The facts have shown that, with the advancing economy and the
growing prosperity of our nation, more and more people are
deepening their religious knowledge.
"Additional places of worship and religious education
facilities have been built at people's own initiatives.
"New and majestic mosques have been built from big cities down
to the smallest remote villages. The tiny mosques erected on the
hills have added to the beauty of the localities. They bring
serenity and peace," he said.
The Donohudan haj dormitory, which can accommodate up to 2,400
people, was built at a cost of Rp 25 billion ($10.5 million).
The facility complements the inauguration of the Surakarta
airport as a new embarkation point for haj pilgrims. The other
embarkation points are Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Balikpapan and
Ujungpandang.
The massive operation to transport nearly 200,000 Indonesians
to Saudi Arabia for the annual holy pilgrimage begins
simultaneously at all six airports on March 15 this year.
Soeharto said the increasing number of people wishing to take
part in the holy pilgrimage attested to his belief that
Indonesian Moslems were using their increased incomes to
strengthen their faith.
"Year on year, the number of Moslems wishing to perform the
haj has increased; it now exceeds the quota," he said of the
200,000 limit imposed by Saudi Arabia for pilgrims from
Indonesia.
Soeharto said he was most encouraged at the growing number of
farmers and people from rural areas joining the pilgrimage.
"Islam teaches us that the pilgrimage is obligatory only for
those who have the economic means," he said.
The President said the government was serious about developing
the overall religious lives of people and not simply building
physical structures.
"We are carrying out development to turn our people into a
nation that is advanced and independent both physically and
spiritually."
Yesterday Soeharto also symbolically inaugurated, from
Boyolali, the expansion of the Moewardi General Hospital in
Surakarta, which he hoped would cater to the growing health care
needs of the people in Central Java.
During the trip to Boyolali, the President was accompanied by
Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher and Central Java
Governor Soewardi. (emb)